Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2008 | Page 71

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING very well in cities and attracts a host of butterfly species. Nettles: Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Red Admiral all lay their eggs on nettles. Grow nettles in an old pot buried in the ground to stop them spreading. Grasses: A whole variety of grasses support Meadow Brown, Marbled White, Large Skipper and Small Skipper, so give the mower a rest and leave a corner of your lawn or the grass under trees unmown. High priority species recorded on the Island in 2006: • The Glanville Fritillary is virtually restricted to coastal landslips on the southern half of the Isle of Wight. There are only a handful of core breeding areas left and it remains a vulnerable species. • The Grizzled Skipper is a characteristic spring butterfly of southern chalk downland and other sparsely vegetated habitats. This butterfly feeds on flowers such as Bugle. • The Small Blue is the smallest resident butterfly and is often confined to small patches of sheltered grassland where its sole foodplant, Kidney Vetch, is found. • The Adonis Blue is one of the most characteristic species of southern chalk downland, where it flies low over short-grazed turf. Despite its restricted distribution, the butterfly can be seen in large numbers on good sites. • The Pearl Bordered Fritillary can be seen as early as April in woodland clearings or rough hillsides with bracken. The butterfly was once very widespread but has declined rapidly in recent decades. From 19th–27th July Butterfly conservation has its annual ‘Save Our Butterflies Week’. This is an opportunity to take part in a national recording scheme which will help to build a picture of any changes in butterfly populations over time. All you have to do is count the numbers of butterflies on a Buddleia bush over a period of 30 minutes. For more details visit www.hantsiow-butterflies.org. uk. To find out more about making your garden wildlife-friendly, contact Wildline, the free information service on 01489 7764 446 or e-mail: [email protected]. Craig Ratcliff, CAR Gardens Call to businesses to become ‘Wildlife Investors’ Business leaders on the Island are being asked to show their commitment to local wildlife habitats by becoming Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust ‘Wildlife Investors’. The first Island business to become a Wildlife Investor is CAR Gardens, an ethical and organic landscape and garden maintenance business. Craig Ratcliff, the proprietor, and his staff, are passionate about their work and see membership of the Wildlife Trust as a significant benefit. Craig says, “I’m delighted to be able to support the Wildlife Trust. CAR Gardens will always seek to enrich our customers’ environment through both good design and responsible horticulture. We believe that having a beautiful garden must go hand in hand with caring for our environment for us and our future generations.” Debbie Tann, the Trust’s acting chief executive, explained “the Wildlife Investor scheme is an effective way to demonstrate to your staff, customers, suppliers and the public that your company is taking a real interest in local wildlife and the environment. In return, we hope that we can help you and your staff to enjoy, and more fully understand the region’s varied habitats and wildlife”. For more information, please contact Peter Hutchings on 01489 774400, email [email protected] or visit the Trust website at www.hwt.org.uk. life Members day on the Isle of Wight The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is the largest local conservation group on the Island, managing its land for the benefit of Islanders and visitors and encouraging others to do the same through landowner advice, species and habitat projects, reserve management and education. We could not do this work without the contribution made by our members and to celebrate this we are inviting them to a special event in Parkhurst Forest on 21st June. The aim of the day is to highlight the work of the Trust, to show our appreciation of the support the members give us and also to find out from them how the Trust is working on the Island. There will be fun things to do for children, information on the work of the Trust, opportunities to raise issues with staff and a chance to enjoy some of the wildlife the Island has to offer. If you would like more information contact Richard Grogan on 01983 53180 or email [email protected]. Your local Wildlife Trust The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust works to create a better future for wildlife and wild places in Hampshire and the Island. As the leading local wildlife conservation charity, it looks after 57 wildlife reserves, has 27,000 members and 1,000 volunteers. The Trust manages its own land and advises other landowners how to manage their land with wildlife in mind. Staff and volunteers also carry out surveys and gather data to monitor how our local wildlife is doing. Find out more at www.hwt.org.uk. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is a charity. Join today and help your local wildlife www.hwt.org.uk www.wightfrog.com/islandlife 71