COUNTRY LIFE
News
The Wildlife Trust’s new website has been launched and
offers many features for users. Visitors to the new site www.
hiwwt.org.uk will enjoy an A to Z Species and Habitats Guide.
It allows you to type in the name of an animal, plant or
habitat and gives information about how to identify the
species, where to find it, when to find it and how you can help.
The new Learn and Discover section and Nature Reserves
section will offer lots of different ways to explore nature.
Whether you are looking to book on to a wildlife course, or
planning a day out with the family, the Wildlife Trust hopes
you will find something of interest here.
Photo: Silver Wa shed
Fritilla ry by Joh n Oa kley
female Common Blue, but tends to be
smaller, with no hint of blue.
Dark Green Fritillary
This is a large, pale orange butterfly, with
dark green undersides to the hind wings.
Adults are on the wing from June to early
September.
They live on chalk and limestone grassland,
sand dunes and moorland, and in woodland
rides, where the caterpillars feed on violets.
It is a large and powerful butterfly which
flies rapidly in sunny open environments,
including woodland rides and clearings.
The main larval host plants are violets and
pansies. The ‘dark green’ in the name comes
from the green sheen on the underside of
the wings which are particularly attractive
with a large number of silvery white spots on
a brown/greenish and orange background.
White Admiral
The White Admiral is a stunning
medium-sized woodland butterfly, with
white bands on dark brown/black wings.
Its delicate flight is characterised by short
periods of wing beats followed by long
gliding flight.
It often nectars on bramble along the
sides of rides or clearings in woods and lays
its eggs on honeysuckle. It is usually quite
tolerant of shade and dappled sunlight, and
when seen for the first time it can be an
immense thrill to watch as it glides slowly
like a falling leaf in front of you.
Silver-washed Fritillary
The Silver-washed Fritillary is a large, pale
orange butterfly, with an intricate pattern of
black spots and lines on the upper wings.
The underside of the rear wing is washed
lime green and pink, with silvery streaks
running across it.
Adults are on the wing throughout the
summer from late June to the end of
August. They live in large broad-leaved
woodlands and feed on flowers such as
bramble in sunny glades and rides. The
caterpillars feed on violets, particularly
Common Dog-violet.
Chalkhill Blue
As its name suggests, the Chalkhill blue
is found on chalk downland, although
limestone downland is also used. The
adult butterfly is most-often seen in bright
sunshine, where the ground may appear to
shimmer with the activity of hundreds, if not
thousands, of males searching for a mate
just a few inches above the ground.
The distribution of this species follows the
distribution of Horseshoe Vetch which, in
turn, follows the distribution of chalk and
limestone grassland. Males have milky blue
wings with thin black-brown border and thin
white fringe. Females brown with orange
spots and blue dusting near body.
At some sites many hundreds may be seen
in August, flying just above the vegetation,
searching for females.
You can find out more about the
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s
nature reserves and the butterflies and
other wildlife that you can find there on
www.hiwwt.org.uk. Start by checking
out some of the Island’s reserves at
Arreton Down, Bouldnor Forest, Sandown
Meadows, Knighton Down, Ningwood
Common and Eaglehead Copse.
Your local
Wildlife Trust
The Hampshire & 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 28,000 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.
hiwwt.org.uk.
Beechcroft House, Vicarage
Lane, Curdridge, Hampshire
SO32 2DP
Tel: 01489 774400
www.hiwwt.org.uk
www.visitilife.com
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