www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi,

im fairly new to the forum, i am a PhD student working at Oxford brookes on speckled wood butterflies.
This Summer i am doing field work to examine the effects of habitat fragmentation upon the speckled woods oviposition strategy.

I need 4 sites, 2 agricultural and 2 continuous woodland.

The woodland sites will most likely be Burnwood near oxford and Whiteham north of oxford.

However i need two agricultural sites, i was looking in the region of Wing and whitchurch as i need the sites to be a significant distance from large woodland.
The second area i was looking at was in the region of Clanfield and Bampton.

Does anyone know anywhere in these areas which would be a good place to see speckled woods.

Thanks for your help

Stu

Hi Stu

Might be worth contacting the people at the big BBOWT reserve at Chimney Meadows, 2 miles from Bampton http://www.bbowt.org.uk/content.asp?did=23539 where I understand a fair amount of scientific research of one sort or another takes place. Not sure it is strictly speaking agricultural but it is largely a meadow/wet pasture landscape with hedgerows and little if any real woodland. I recorded Speckled Wood there at SP366008 (bridge over canalised section of the Thames) last October so it is presumably resident.

For the past twenty years plus, Speckled Woods have set up residence and been breeding every year in my small suburban garden, both front and back.

They can be observed every month most seasons from late March, more usually April until November. Males take up 'territories' and chase off intruders. I have seen females egg laying and without actually looking, have discovered their pupae on fences and other structures about my garden. It is one of the few British species I have not bred seriously.

I saw my very first Speckled Wood on a local beauty spot, Painswick Beacon in Gloucestershire at the wooded edge of the grassland there in the summer of 1952 when a kind Aunt, took myself and my younger brother up there on the bus ( who had a car back then ? ) for a picnic. I was aged ten then and I also saw my first ever Pearl Bordered Fritillary that day too. I caught both using my shirt as a makeshift net. You do things like that when you're ten ... Later visits saw other colourful Cotswold Species there too like both Small and Chalkhill Blues and a favourite day flying moth, the Wood Tiger. That site is five minutes drive from my home although much more overgrown now so less atractive habitat except for golfers. The butterfly also flies in good numbers on nearby Robinswood Hill, less than a mile from my home, now a large Nature Reserve and Golf Course.

Here's a picture of my small front garden: ~



.... not exactly prime woodland habitat although I saw a Wood White passing through some years ago ~ definitely was one as I caught and released it for a positive ID. The Speckled Woods also use my rear garden which is larger and has more mature trees, moving alongside or over the house to access front and rear gardens, rarely leaving the confines and when they do, quickly return. I usually let the grass grow long on the lawn so that the several species of 'Browns' which lay their ova there when passing through, get a better chance to survive.

That's my excuse for not having a tidy lawn most of the time ... and it's a good one to and I'm sticking to it ...

Hi Stu,
I live on the Lleyn Peninsula, I've noticed that many Speckled Woods love the paths that lead to the cliff path, the paths are each side a old stone wall covered in ivy and always in the shade. Also in my garden which part of it is in the shade that's the most likely place to see the Speckled Wood. I have eight acres grassy meadows and although I let it grow for hay in the summer, the usual butterflies I see in the fields are the Meadow Brown. They favour shaded areas.
What is it your asking for, help to do what?
Regards Shirley

Shirley Roulston wrote:What is it your asking for?

"i need two agricultural sites"
"Does anyone know anywhere in these areas [mentioned] which would be a good place to see speckled woods."

Shirley Roulston wrote:... help to do what?

"examine the effects of habitat fragmentation upon the speckled woods oviposition strategy".

Cheers,

- Pete

thanks everyone. Ill let you know how it gos

stu

Apparantly theres a slight problem with Chimney meadows in that it suffers from quite severe flooding.

Has anyone been to Upper Ray meadows or Pilch Field both are BBOWT reserves.

Stu