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A 2021 Butterfly Survey of Land Adjacent To Valley Road, Ipswich TM 158458
R. Stewart
R. Stewart
This area, to the left of Valley Road as one looks down from Dale Hall Lane towards Graham Road at the bottom of the valley, has a length of approximately 630 metres and varies in width from 50 to 70 metres. It graduates from mainly grassland to a damper habitat and finally well-established woodland. A long hedge with Ivy, Stinging Nettles and Brambles, separates the area from the long rear gardens of properties along Constitution Hill. Two wildflower beds, about 30 metres apart, were the main focus of this study by myself and my wife Anne-Marie. These two beds are separated by a hedge with Hawthorn and Oak, with two mature Oaks further down the valley. There are Buckthorn bushes further down and vestiges of small ponds in the damper areas. A further narrow wildflower strip of about 100 metres in length runs alongside the Valley Road pavement, starting just past the flats at Dale Hall Lane. These wildflower beds were made as part of the ‘Urban Buzz’ community conservation project masterminded by David Dowding, with the aim of creating and enhancing 100 sites for pollinators around Ipswich. Fifteen visits were made between 6 June and 17 September, i.e., about once a week. First, here is the seasonal succession of plants, both within and outside the wildflower beds:
R. Stewart
R. Stewart
Ox-eye Daisy dominating in early summer. Ox-eye Daisy, Cornflower and Corn Cockle.
Wildflower bed.
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 57 (2021)
One of the main paths and the edge of one wildflower bed.
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6 June: Ox-eye Daisy dominant with Bird’s-foot trefoil abundant along the pavement strip, the latter being the larval food plant of Common Blue butterflies. This plant was also surviving on the extensive lawn that is part of the Dale Hall Lane flats, despite what appeared to be regular and close cut mowing. Other plants in abundance included White and Red Clover, Kidney Vetch, Cornflower, Corn Cockle, Hawkweed, Viper’s Bugloss, plus a few clumps of Mallow and Ragged Robin. There was also an abundance of a variety of tall grass species which are used for ovipositing by late spring and early summer butterfly species. Yellow Rattle was also present, an essential plant in a wildflower meadow since it restricts the spread of vigorous grass species and enables other plants to survive. 29 June: White Campion and Corn Marigold were flowering. 4 July: Kidney Vetch was more abundant along the pavement strip with flowering of Knapweed and Tufted Vetch in the wildflower beds. 17 July: Ox-eye Daisy was starting to lose its dominance with Yarrow now in flower and Viper’s Bugloss increasing. It was also noted that small areas of thistle species and Self-heal were present in the lawn next to the flats. Yellow Flag Iris and Purple Loosestrife were in flower around the damper areas close to the overgrown ponds. 25 July: Marjoram and Bindweed, in scattered clumps, were now flowering with an abundance of thistle species, flowering Brambles, Ragwort and Yarrow. Bramble bushes were present on either side of the main paths with Yarrow now the dominant species in the wildflower beds. 3 September: Only Ivy umbels were left to flower and by 17 September other nectar sources were almost finished. Butterfly nectaring was observed on the following plant species: Ox-eye Daisy, Cornflower, Hawkweed, Ragwort, Knapweed, Marjoram, Bramble, Bindweed, Viper’s Bugloss and Yarrow. Twenty-four butterfly species were recorded here in 2021, twenty seen by us and four more confirmed by other visitors: Both Paul Gilson and Adrian Richards saw Small Heath and Adrian, who knows this site better than us, also saw Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady. Our twenty species are listed according to first sighting: 6 June: Brown Argus, Common Blue, Orange Tip and Brimstone. 12 June: Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Small Copper, Small, Large and Essex Skipper, Small White, Red Admiral, Comma, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. 17 July: Green-veined White and Purple Hairstreak. 25 July: Gatekeeper and Silver-washed Fritillary. 18 August: Large White. Additional comments on some of these species were my wife finding ten Brimstone caterpillars on Buckthorn on 12 June, Speckled Wood only recorded in the lower woodland area, and Holly Blue having a maximum of four individuals close to developing Ivy umbels on 18 August, this plant being used for ovipositing by the later
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generation of Holly Blues. On 18 August one Small Copper was var. caeruleopunctata with faint blue spots at the bottom of its hind wings and Ringlets were more abundant in the damper areas further down the valley. No Purple hairstreaks were seen in the abundance of Oaks towards the bottom of the valley, but after considerable sustained observation three were recorded in one of the two Oaks mentioned earlier. Undoubtedly the species that caused the most excitement was Silver-washed Fritillary, seen three times in one week by Adrian Richards, culminating in four feeding on Bramble on 22 July. Violet, the larval food plant of this species, is present on site. I also managed to find it for the first time in Christchurch Park on 29 July and again in our Westerfield Road garden on two separate days. All three records featured nectaring on Buddleia and both locations are only about half a mile from the Valley Road site. This total of twenty-four butterfly species in 2021 is an impressive and encouraging number for a site well within the Ipswich town boundary and close to the busy and constant flow of traffic along nearby Valley Road. Thankfully it is owned by Ipswich Borough Council and managed by David Dowding, the IBC Wildlife Team leader. The area is mown annually with a collector mower (tractor) the main paths are well maintained and ‘islands’ of vegetation are left uncut for overwintering larvae. Richard Stewart ‘Valezina’ 112, Westerfield Road Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 2XW
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