Over the years I have been pretty sure there were Marsh Fritillary butterflies here but didn’t have any conclusive proof.
It was a joy to have the help of the Butterfly Conservation to identify webs this autumn : we found 5 webs in a short visual survey.
The North Meadow is full of devils bit scabious and they are clearly active.
In future careful management will ensure the population thrives. This requires keeping the meadow grazed through to give the devils bit scabious the conditions it loves, and to give the larvae their preferred airy light conditions.
If any one is in the area to help identify more in coming years please get in touch : butterfly (late May to early July) or its distinctive larval webs (August and September or February and March).
You can find more of their Marsh Fritillary activity on their page, including training in finding these
