Wall Brown Butterfly
Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 10:03 pm
Hello,
Wall Brown
Lasiommata megera
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... _name=Wall
This is a diminishing butterfly with a diminishing range and the
reasons are not clear.
It feeds on grasses, but the preferences are not known to me.
On the downs around the lower Adur valley this butterfly is only
frequent at best and only occasional at times.
The ford plant list of grasses include the Bents (various) (Agrostis
spp.), Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), False Brome (Brachypodium
sylvaticum), Tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum), Wavy Hair-grass
(Deschampsia flexuosa) and Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus).
Observations on the downs around the lower Adur valley indicate this
butterfly is present in the following areas:
Lancing Ring meadows where it settles on the bare paths and that is
how it got its name as the wall Butterfly, although I add the epithet
Brown to make it clearer that we are referring to a butterfly. It is
frequent here usually only a handful at most seen in an hour. Tor
Grass is abundant in the meadows.
On Mill Hill, there is an observed correlation between the Wall Brown
and both Cocksfoot and Tor Grass, but these are easy to recognise
grasses.
The wall Brown has not been recorded on any of the pastures at all,
although strays may turn up as it has been recorded in Shoreham town.
It is present occasionally on paths and road banks where it has not
been positively associated with any of the grasses.
Historical records show a hot spot for this butterfly north of
Shoreham . Independently, I located on one occasion of 40 Wall Brown
butterflies in 15 minutes and this I assume to be the hotspot. It was
on a path between two fields mostly used as pasture but ploughed up
sometimes. I could not correlate the grasses, but these were not Tor
Grass or Cocksfoot.
Although because the caterpillars feed on grasses, it could be
thought that pastures would be good locations, but above Shoreham and
Lancing this is adamantly not the case. Meadows and paths are
preferred. Mostly paths.
I will ask for comparative observations. This one is not easy because
the butterfly is nowhere prevalent. I think they are noted from sand
dunes in Cornwall.
Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2007.html
Cheers
Andy Horton
glaucus@...
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2006.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2007.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: November 2007
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Nov2007.html
Adur Valley & Downs Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/groups/adur/pool/
Wall Brown
Lasiommata megera
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... _name=Wall
This is a diminishing butterfly with a diminishing range and the
reasons are not clear.
It feeds on grasses, but the preferences are not known to me.
On the downs around the lower Adur valley this butterfly is only
frequent at best and only occasional at times.
The ford plant list of grasses include the Bents (various) (Agrostis
spp.), Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), False Brome (Brachypodium
sylvaticum), Tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum), Wavy Hair-grass
(Deschampsia flexuosa) and Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus).
Observations on the downs around the lower Adur valley indicate this
butterfly is present in the following areas:
Lancing Ring meadows where it settles on the bare paths and that is
how it got its name as the wall Butterfly, although I add the epithet
Brown to make it clearer that we are referring to a butterfly. It is
frequent here usually only a handful at most seen in an hour. Tor
Grass is abundant in the meadows.
On Mill Hill, there is an observed correlation between the Wall Brown
and both Cocksfoot and Tor Grass, but these are easy to recognise
grasses.
The wall Brown has not been recorded on any of the pastures at all,
although strays may turn up as it has been recorded in Shoreham town.
It is present occasionally on paths and road banks where it has not
been positively associated with any of the grasses.
Historical records show a hot spot for this butterfly north of
Shoreham . Independently, I located on one occasion of 40 Wall Brown
butterflies in 15 minutes and this I assume to be the hotspot. It was
on a path between two fields mostly used as pasture but ploughed up
sometimes. I could not correlate the grasses, but these were not Tor
Grass or Cocksfoot.
Although because the caterpillars feed on grasses, it could be
thought that pastures would be good locations, but above Shoreham and
Lancing this is adamantly not the case. Meadows and paths are
preferred. Mostly paths.
I will ask for comparative observations. This one is not easy because
the butterfly is nowhere prevalent. I think they are noted from sand
dunes in Cornwall.
Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2007.html
Cheers
Andy Horton
glaucus@...
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2006.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2007.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: November 2007
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Nov2007.html
Adur Valley & Downs Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/groups/adur/pool/