Bunny’s Hill, Cardinham, this morning: a whopping 217 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in just 45 minutes, in blazing temperatures. Absolutely incredible. @bc-cornwall.bsky.social @marcusrhodes.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social
Ian Howarth reports 20 Heath Fritillaries at Greenscombe Wood today - one of the UK’s rarest butterflies—near extinction in the 1970s, now recovering thanks to conservation. Also: Small Heath, Ringlet, Red Admiral and ~24 Painted Ladies. Thanks to Ian for his photo/report.
@bc-cornwall.bsky.social
Marsh fritillaries flying today on Bodmin Moor. Living in damp meadows and boggy grassland, needing Devil’s-bit Scabious to survive. Like the pearl-bordered and small pearl-bordered fritillaries, they're under threat—with populations down 66% in England since 1990. @bc-cornwall.bsky.social
Penlee Battery in East Cornwall is a great place to see Marbled Whites. 188 seen there this morning. The species occurs across much of Cornwall, though it is largely absent from the far south-west. Males are black and white, while females show a yellow-orange underside. @bc-cornwall.bsky.social
CBC field trip to Greenscoombe Wood today: despite heavy cloud and rain forecast, we saw an amazing 83 Heath Fritillaries. Imagine if it had been sunny! The overcast conditions meant the butterflies stayed settled, making them easy to spot, count, and photograph. @bc-cornwall.bsky.social
Large skippers have been flying in Cornwall for a couple of weeks now. The male has a thick black line through the centre of the upper forewing—actually a scent brand used to attract females. @bc-cornwall.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @marcusrhodes.bsky.social
60 Silver-studded Blues at Poldice Valley today! Significant colonies inhabit Cornwall’s heathlands (many on old mining sites) & coastal dunes, mostly in the west. This nationally rare species still faces tough battles against developers on dunes to keep habitats safe. @bc-cornwall.bsky.social
Silver-studded Blues at Trevilley Cliff, Nanjizal, yesterday.
Trip to Greenscombe wood on the edge of the Tamar today for the endangered heath fritillary. Fantastic wood looks managed well & 30 plus fritillary seen. Huge thanks to @andrewpbf.bsky.social with his info wouldn't of found it otherwise !!. 6 spot fly best birds seen. #UKBirding #Cornwallbutterflys.
Heath Fritillaries from today's @bc-cornwall.bsky.social field trip to Greenscoombe Wood. Currently, the only Cornish site for this rare and lovely butterfly, following a successful reintroduction.
