Butterflies
Elmdon Park is a great place to spot butterflies.
Number 1 The Ringlet
The darkest of the ‘brown’ butterflies, having no orange colour in the wings. A short flight period and timed emergence mean that this species is often overlooked. It lives in scrub and brambles in grassy areas and obviously loves Elmdon Park.
Number 2 Meadow Brown
A common species in grassy places. Found all over the Borough, it can occur in large numbers.
"It was a strong year for the brown grassland butterflies: Ringlets and Meadow Browns were abundant in the meadows at the top of the park."
Number 3 Gatekeeper
This is a grassland species, preferring some scrub or old hedgerows. Can occur in very large numbers in the right habitat.
Numbers 4 and 5 Large White and Small White
"Cabbage Whites"
The main difference between these two species’ is size. They can be found in most habitats, although the Small White is less likely to be seen in woodland.
For comparison, another website that did a national survey is www.bigbutterflycount.org
Elmdon - The Results
click to see a larger version.
For more detailed results - day by day here are the results of the 2010 survey and also a 2003 survey.
Butterfly Survey Results 2010Butterfly Survey Results 2003
Interesting Fact
"2009 was a great year for the Painted Lady butterfly (a migratory butterfly) however, I found none in Elmdon this year - this was highlighted on a national scale:"
'Having invaded the UK in spectacular numbers during 2009, it was equally notable by its scarcity in 2010. Only 630 sightings were submitted during the year by 528 people and most people reported just a single Painted Lady butterfly. Contrast this with over 12,700 records in 2009. Although the reasons are not entirely clear, it has long been recognised that the number of migrant Painted Ladies arriving in Britain fluctuates wildly from year to year.' www.butterfly-conservation.org