In view of the Big Butterfly Count going on at the moment, I thought I’d pick a spot in Oakley Wood and have a go, particularly since yesterday I identified what seemed to be a good spot since I saw some speckled woods and painted ladies (butterflies, that is).
Today I took my camera with me, for snapping and identifying more than anything—I’m not expert on butterflies. However, in 15-20 minutes I listed these:
- Ringlet (x2)
- Meadow brown (x1)
- Brimstone (x3)
- Silver washed fritillary (x4)
- Green-veined white (x1)
- White admiral (x1)
I got photos of these, which was just as well as I wouldn’t have been able to identify the fritillary or green-veined white without. The numbers, as for the Big Butterfly Count, is the maximum number seen at the same time.
The fritillary is worth looking for—it’s big, slightly bigger than peacocks and admirals, and there seem to be quite a lot of them. I saw four at the same time – there’s got to be more.
In addition, I saw these without managing a photo:
- Red admiral (x1)
- Large white (x3)
- Small white (x2)
I definitely think that the increase of flowers in the wood since the thinning has benefited the butterflies.
Chris