Butterflies

BUTTERFLIES Emperor’s New Clothes

Twenty years ago, some woods in Northamptonshire were famed as one of the (if not THE) best site in Britain for seeing one of our most elusive, biggest and beautiful butterflies. A visit to Femyn Wood in late June or July, on a hot, sunny day, would see carnage on the tracks. Banana skins would litter the paths at strategic points. Dog poo left by irresponsible owners, usually to the annoyance of fellow footpath users, suddenly has flocks of grown men and women queuing to lie next to the smelly stuff!

Their quarry? The amazing Purple Emperor. Largely treetop dwelling, males come down to tracks to drink salts, usually in the middle of the morning. These salts can also be found in rotting banana skins and unfortunately, in animal excrement!

The Purple Emperor is our largest butterfly, with dark upper wings and orange, white and greys underneath. The dark wings of the males transform in certain lights to a deep purple-blue. In the past few decades, they appear to have had something of a range expansion and we are now lucky enough to have them very close to home.

As mentioned, though, they are notoriously difficult to see. Hot, sunny days are the best, in late June through to early August, but get to the wood too late and they will all be high up in the trees. Patience and luck are needed but they are certainly worth the effort.

The best sites, near to the Deepings, are Castor Hanglands and woodlands close to Helpston. Although they are easiest to find when they come to the ground, if none are down low, then check up tree level hight, as they can still spotted due to their large size.

White Admiral is another species to keep an eye out for when visiting these woods. Indeed, they might even trick you into thinking you have found a Purple Emperor, as they are similarly patterned but slightly smaller and white out the famous purple sheen. They are also much more prolific in our local woods and easy to find on warm days, as they fly along the woodland rides.

Take a harder look on thistles and other plants in these woodland clearings, and you might find the small and subtle White-letter Hairstreak. Blackthorn bushes also attract Black Hairstreaks, which are much rarer, and we are very much in the heart of their range in Britain. Both butterflies are small and brown when their wings are closed with orange and black on the wing edges.

Away from woodlands, Barnack Hills and Holes is at its absolute pomp in July. Not only is it a sea of long grass and stunning flowers, including towering orchids, but it’s also awash with butterflies and dayflying moths.

Barnack is a great place for a family walk and a great way to introduce butterflies to kids. Marbled Whites are widespread and distinctive black and white butterflies, whilst rarer and localised Chalkhill Blue adds a splash of colour, as they flutter through the grassland.

So why am I waxing lyrical about butterflies this month? Well, dear reader, the Big Butterfly count is organised by the Butterfly Conservation charity and is held every year as a citizen science survey. The aim is to improve our understanding of how populations of butterflies are doing across the country.

Unlike Purple Emperors, most butterflies are not faring well, and it is well publicised that without pollinators, humans will not survive, so these surveys matter. With a greater insight as to what is happening to our butterflies, we can help with habitat restoration and influence government policy (hopefully!), on tackling farming strategies and chemicals they might use, that kill our pollinators.

Silver washed Fritilary Common Blue

Words and Pictures by William Bowell

enough to have one. At the very least, leaving a patch of your backyard to ‘go wild’, will help all wildlife, not just butterflies. But to really help butterflies, this autumn or next spring, why not set a wildflower meadow?

You can buy all sorts of wildflower meadow mixes in local garden centres these days but a word of warning, they are not always naturalised plants; non-native plants have much fewer uses for our own native wildlife. So, a little research is needed before you plant up but the beauty of them is they need very little maintenance! Just mow twice a year and remove any invasive weeds that might crowd the wildflowers, but even that isn’t a must!

We are very fortunate to have such great places for butterflies in our area and by opening our gardens to wildlife, we can make corridors for them to pass through and thrive in!

Happy Butterfly counting!

This year’s count is between 15th July and 7th August. Simply pick a spot and count butterflies seen for 15 minutes. Submit your findings and job done! Find out more on https://bigbutterflycount.butterflyconservation.org/

Will works at Grasmere Farm in Deeping St James (with a butcher’s and deli in Market Gate, Market Deeping) but in his spare time enjoys wildlife watching locally and across the country. He is also a keen photographer. Many of his images can be found at http://justwildimages.blogspot.co.uk/ and photo cards can be found for sale at Market Gate Deli in Market Deeping. Purple Emperor