Have you recently seen a Small Tortosieshell Butterfly (Aglais urticae) in your locality? Their numbers are dwindling every year here in the UK due to a newly colonised parasitoid fly from the continent called Sturmia bella which is killing the Tortoiseshell caterpillars. In the last 10 years these butterflies have declined by approximately 50% through the worst decline is in Southern England.
The butterfly lays its eggs on stinging nettles which the Small Tortoiseshell caterpillar feeds on but unfortunately Sturmia bella eggs are also laid on the nettles. Its thought that the caterpillars are eating these eggs along with the leaves which hatch and develop inside them until maggot stage when the caterpillars are literally eaten inside out.
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| A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly in my garden click to enlarge to see the lovely blue crescents on the wings |
I'm glad to say that I've seen quite a few of them recently........ a few in my garden and some while out walking. If you live in Scotland there is a special survey that you can participate in and you can submit your sightings of the Small Tortoiseshell here.
The Big Butterfly Count
To mark the International Year of Biodiversity there's a UK wide survey on Butterflies and Moths taking place between 24th July and 1st August 2010. Butterflies react very quickly to changes in their environment so their decline is an early warning signal that other wildlife are under threat as well. This is what is referred to as 'taking the pulse of nature'.
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| Common Wave Moth Cabera exanthemata in my garden |
Step 1 - Get Ready
You can download and print out the pdf to help you identify the butterflies and moths here
Step 2 - Join In
Find a spot to sit for 15 minutes between 24th July and 1st August preferably on a sunny day either in your garden, park or woods and start to make a note of the different species you spot.
From the website:
If you are counting from a fixed position in your garden, count the maximum number of each species that you can see at a single time. For example, if you see three Red Admirals together on a buddleia bush then record it as 3, but if you only see one at a time then record it as 1 (even if you saw one on several occasions) – this is so that you don’t count the same butterfly more than once . If you are doing your count on a walk, then simply total up the number of each butterfly species that you see during the 15 minutes.You can submit separate records for different dates, and for different places that you visit. Remember that your count is useful even if you do not see any butterflies or moths.
Step 3 - Report Back
Come back to the Great Butterfly Count and report your sightings.
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| Common Wave Moth |
Find out more about Butterfly Conservation., be part of the count and help take the pulse of nature!
Related Post
The UK Ladybird Survey and the approaching harlequin invasion
© 2010 on all text and photographs by Rosie at www.leavesnbloom.blogspot.com
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"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20
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19 comments:
I've just posted about butterfly declne too - I've hardly seen any, of any type this year.
thanks for this useful post Rosie. Butterflies were my first love and as a child remember their profusion. Even with Buddleia flowering now in the garden, have not seen a single one. Will keep a lookout from the 24th - it's my birthday so to see a tortoishell or my favourite red Admiral would be a treat indeed.
Laura x
Very helpful post Rosie. If I lived closer I'd love to help. It's rather sad how quickly things change in our environment. I remember hoards of butterflies in our garden in England as a child, especially on the Sedums when in bloom. My favorite was the Red Admiral. Between the bees, the lady birds, and the butterflies today, it's clear Nature is trying to tell us something.
Isn't it amazing how fragile the world is? Most everything depends upon bees and butterflies. Here in California we are suffering from a demise in bees - our crops (which feed the world) are declining simply because there are fewer bees.
Beautiful photos, Rosie.
It's sad to see a loss of butterflies.
Hi,
We are lucky, in our garden every day we see so much butterfly, I love them, they are so beautiful.
I like to put a lot of flowers for them, and to watch.
like that picture, too;-) thanks for your visit and nice comment- happy sunday night!
I have just spent half an hour trying and failing to identify the butterfly which I found in the study this afternoon and carefully put out of the window ... I gave up and turned to blog reading instead, and there is a picture of it in the middle of your post! - not a butterfly at all (no wonder I couldn't find it), but a common wave moth.
So thank you for that, and thank you also for the information about the butterfly count - I shall try to take part.
I hope you'll tell us what your counts are. This reminds me some of the backyard bird count we do in late winter. It seems like we don't see many butterflies around here either, especially as I read about other bloggers and all the butterflies they have visiting.
I've had a hard time getting on your blog the last few days, I'm not sure if it's blogger or my computer. Either way I was glad I could visit today.
I'm so sad to hear this news, Rosie. It can be disheartening, to take the pulse of Nature lately. In some places, that pulse grows increasingly weak.
I console myself that I do all I can to strengthen it, and to encourage our connection to it. It is vital that, as the species with the most responsibility for her weakened condition, we awaken to our interdependence with all living things.
Love butterflies, too bad they are disappearing.
Rosie - So sad about the butterflies! We are having a banner year for them here in Connecticut, and I'm wondering if it relates somehow to the lush growth and early flowers brought on by lots of early rain and warmth this spring. Good luck with your count!
Such a pretty butterfly and so sad that is on the decline. I would do the count if I lived there. Thanks for the information.
I noticed the same thing. There use to be a lot of butterflies when we were younger. Now, whenever I visit the parks, there's hardly any... very few. I love your photo, it's so dainty. :)
I am sorry to hear this. Butterflies are so delightful. I would be very saddened if something happened to our butterfly population! I am reminded that everything is interconnected, and the loss of one link weakens the whole.
We have the Tortoiseshell Butterfly here too, but I'm not aware of a decline in their numbers. I hope that eventually these butterflies will recover. They are such beautiful creatures. The picture is lovely. Thanks for stopping by.
Haven't come across the Toitoiseshell yet, but mostly Lime butterflies around my garden.
still, I find a lot of wildlife is slowly dimishing due to cutting of the rainforest for more development.
Its a pity that most of birds, insects and even bats are now becoming a rare site in my place.
Butterflies are in peril here in Ontario, Canada too - sad to say. Last year I saw very few all summer. However, already this has been a more promising year.
It's so upsetting how many pollinator species are in decline, but I'm glad to hear you are participating in butterfly counts to help. I wish I could offer my stinging nettles to your Small Tortoiseshells! Though I suspect that we have butterflies here that rely on it, too...
Thanks for stopping by my blog today and leaving a comment and I really appreciate you taking the time to do so. I'll either reply to you on my blog or else make a return visit to your blog over the next few days.