Silver washed fritillaries again

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:56 pm

Way past their bedtime but they're still cropping up, albeit rather tatty.
Two SWF spotted today at Bannerdown Common near Batheaston. The place is supposed to be good for chalkhill blue but I didn't see a single one.

markatbath · Post by **markatbath** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:29 am

hi
A friend of mine saw me yesterday and told me chalkhill has been seen at bannerdown this year,I'm guessing it was someone from the bath nats (bath natural history society)
mark

Matsukaze · Post by **Matsukaze** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:44 pm

I was along at the BC/Bath Nats event at Bannerdown last Saturday, not having been there before. We did not see the butterfly on the main walk, but a couple who joined us part of the way round said they had seen one earlier in the day.

Like a number of species around Bath, the Chalkhills are only just hanging on. It is frustrating that there is no core site managed for butterflies, and the hills would make a superb location for landscape-scale restoration project with potential as a major butterfly hotspot - all the breeding species of blue butterfly have been recorded from here, and I live in hope that one day they may do so again (this will probably mean reintroduction for the Mazarine Blue at least).

Do Dingy and Grizzled Skipper breed at Bannerdown? Parts of the habitat did look suitable.

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:26 am

Something like the Polden Hills project you mean? There are also areas around the east of Bristol near Warmley that could be treated the same way. Siston Common, Webb's Heath and Warmley Forest Park are all interlinked but there doesn't appear to be any proper management for butterfly species.