Ben Vanheems of BBOWT recommends you take a trip to the tranquil meadows for some magical butterfly and moth spotting

We’ve all marvelled at the spectacle of a butterfly’s wings. Yet fewer of us will appreciate the intricate biology that lies behind their often extraordinary colour palette.

All becomes clear under the microscope, when the thousands of minute scales that make up each wing can be seen. It’s the scales’ pigmentation and ability to bounce light off in different directions that gives the seemingly infinite combination of wing patterns and tones behind favourites such as the peacock butterfly.

Butterflies are truly remarkable insects. While three-quarters of British species face decline, each individual butterfly is hardwired for survival. Caterpillars are able to retain memories through pupation to winged adulthood, while egg-laying females can detect exactly the right plants for their caterpillars to feed on using taste sensors – on their feet!

Britain represents a modest proportion of the world’s 25,000 species, with just 55 resident types. Yet the butterflies we have are as diverse as the best of them.

To spot a range of butterflies venture outside on a sunny day and find your nearest wildflower meadow. Crouching down at flower level offers the best vantage point as the butterflies flit from bloom to bloom. Peer closely as one lands and you might catch its long tube-like tongue unfurl to feed on the nectaries found at the base of the petals.

The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust is guardian to many wildlife sites ideal for all types of insects. The Trust’s Bernwood Meadows, eight miles north-east of Oxford, is home to a number of rare butterflies such as the black hairstreak, as well as day-flying moths, all supported by more than 100 plant species.

Bernwood Meadows is one of five BBOWT reserves involved in its three-year Bernwood Forest Project, a project that is restoring important natural habitats within the ancient hunting forest of Bernwood. The meadows are central to the project, combining colourful hay meadow flowers with hedgerows to create a tapestry of insect feeding sites.

Tim Read, BBOWT’s Bernwood Forest project officer, said: “The meadows see a succession of flowers from April until July, when the hay is cut to encourage next year’s flowers. Last month was just incredible for its displays of green-winged orchid.

Oxford Mail:
Iridescent: The forester day-flying moth has stunning metallic-looking forewings

“Visitors in June and July can expect an ever-changing vista of flowers, including the golden tones of yellow rattle, meadow buttercups and lady’s bedstraw interspersed with contrasts of purple-knapweed and red clover. You’ll also find all the usual meadow butterflies, including marbled whites, meadow browns and small coppers.

“Now is the perfect time to see the black hairstreak butterflies, which feed along the blackthorn hedgerows that fringe the meadows.

“You might also spot a day-flying moth – only last week I saw a forester with its stunning metallic-green forewings.” Blackthorn bushes are the preferred food of both the brown and black hairstreak caterpillars found on the reserve. But while the black hairstreak prefers stem growth at least ten years’ old, the brown hairstreak requires three to five-year-old growth, which means the area needs careful conservation.

Next week is National Insect Week. As part of the celebrations a guided butterfly walk will be led through Bernwood Meadows and its adjacent forest. Starting at 10am on Sunday, June 29, the two-and-a-half hour walk should chalk up a number of sitings and help to clarify the difference between butterflies and moths (if you’re wondering, moths have feathered antennae). Visit the BBOWT website for details.

Tim is also looking to swell his team of volunteers to continue the work of the project beyond its 2015 end date. Anyone interested can email him at timread@bbowt.org.uk

With Midsummer’s Day this Saturday there is no better time to go butterfly spotting. How many of our 55 species will you spot?