Dorset butterfly updates
Do you have any interesting or notable butterfly/moth experiences to share with our members? Continue reading
One of our regular visitors to Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve must have shares in the CocaCola Company – and no teeth left! This pile of cans was unearthed Continue reading
The UK is home to 24 million gardens and Butterfly Conservation working alongside B&Q want to help people get the most out of them by welcoming nature into their gardens. Continue reading
Tuesday February 7th, Lankham Bottom Butterfly Reserve: a beautiful almost spring-like day and possibly the earliest recorded date for Marsh Fritillary larvae on this site sunning themselves in a cluster on the southwest facing slopes of the reserve. Continue reading
If you like getting things in order, and you are reasonably computer literate, could you help Dorset Branch of Butterfly Conservation by becoming our photo librarian? Continue reading
Reserves manager Nigel Spring requests your help to monitor our ponies at Alners Gorse and Rooksmoor in north Dorset. Continue reading
Could you help Butterfly Conservation by giving some volunteer time at their HQ near Lulworth in Dorset?
It’s a friendly place, with tea and biscuits always on tap, and you could have the satisfaction of knowing you are doing something to help butterflies and moths, even if indirectly. Continue reading
The Dorset Branch education stall has recently spent four days at Moors Valley Country Park, for their ‘Butterfly, Moth and Minibeast Festival”.
More than 1200 people attended, mostly families. The star attractions were living examples including Orange Tip eggs, caterpillars and chrysalis. December moth caterpillars, all hairy and camouflaged against hawthorn twigs, were admired. Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars, chrysalis and an emerging adult came from Moors Valley. A selection of moths were on show, all described by the 10 expert volunteers.
The Buttterfly Conservation’s national Munching Caterpillars initiative also joined us, with Catherine Mason keeping young people busy potting plants to take home.
On the next weekend Winterborne Whitechurch Farm Open Day saw the stall have another 200 plus visitors looking at Poplar Hawk moths and their caterpillars, plus red, white and black Knot Grass caterpillars.
Knot Grass Caterpillar. Photo: Lyn Pullen
Most amazing was an Orange tip caterpillar changing into a chrysalis as we watched. Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars were also making this wonderful change.
This farm has been surveyed by Butterfly Conservation volunteers and has 31 species of butterfly on its ‘managed for conservation’ areas. Eighty moths have also been seen on the farm, and our display included Privet Hawk Moth, Lobster Moth and the stunning Green silver lines. Our picture displays showed the link between food production and conservation.
You too can volunteer for stall help, it is wonderful to look up and see 4 pairs of eyes riveted on you!
Contact Bridget via our Contact Form.
Georgie Laing has pulled together the information gathered in 2013 on how the sides of the Weymouth Relief Road, built in 2012 for the Olympics, are doing.
This area was deliberately not grassed, but seeded with butterfly-attracting wild flowers, which certainly seem to be doing their job.
A riot of colour now greets travelers when the yellow blanket of kidney vetch blooms on the cuttings and bridleway on the ridgeway. This is important as the caterpillar food plant of the Small Blue.
Kidney vetch on the Bridleway, 2013. Photo: John Elliott
For the last two years Butterfly conservation volunteers have been monitoring the site to record the species of butterflies.
2013 proved to be a good year:
3 species showed large increases from last year
Small Blue. Photo: John Elliott
Species list for 2013
We would like to continue the monitoring in 2014 and are hoping to design a formal butterfly monitoring (transect) walk. More volunteers are needed.
If you would like to help or would like a more detailed report of the records please contact Georgie Laing via our Contact Form.
Many thanks all of you who contributed butterfly records to the website in 2013.
You sent us 2,948 records, totalling 22,720 butterflies!
Graph of web records
These will be added to those that come in via other methods to form a vital count of Dorset’s butterflies.
We couldn’t have done it without you!