Here is Dick Millard’s reflections on the Butterfly Walk that took place on 30th July:
Nine of us assembled in rather unpromising, damp and cloudy conditions. Miraculously, the sun came out and within a minute the first butterfly appeared. We saw seven different species, together with two species of bumblebee and one of caterpillar. One of the benefits of this patch of grassland is the variety of nectar providing plants, on which the butterflies and bees feed (and this includes the nettles, thistles and rose bay which sometimes aren’t welcome in chalk grassland settings). Another benefit is that, as caterpillars often feed on only a single plant species, the variety of plants can support a variety of caterpillars. I have found pictures of each of the species we saw – see below if you’re interested.
My thanks to Helen Senior and Peter David for explaining the habitat, and describing, finding and identifying many kinds of butterflies, bees, caterpillars and flowers. To find out more, try
