Butterflies

Many species of butterfly have seriously declined in the UK, but in Arnside and Silverdale AONB many have survived and the AONB has now become one of the country's most important breeding strongholds for several nationally scarce species.

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Comma Butterfly

Natural habitats of wild-flower and herb-rich limestone grasslands, bracken-beds with violets, broad-leaved woodland and woodland edges, along with coppiced-worked woodland glades and farmland hedgerows, all provide breeding and feeding places for our beautiful butterflies.

The close proximity of Morecambe Bay has an influence on the local climate, making it comparitively mild, and this, combined with the under-lying bedrock of carboniferous limestone, supports the rich and diverse flora found here.
The butterflies egg-lay on or near the foliage of their particular food plant so when the caterpillars emerge they can feed. Nectaring flowers also provide a high-energy food for the flying adults.

Butterflies are not only beautiful, but they are indicators of a healthy environment. For this reason it is useful and important to monitor and record the numbers of butterflies. This is done by a team of volunteers who go out every week between April and the end of September to survey, count and record the butterflies they see on particular routes called transects. These transects are usually located on the local nature reserves and conservation sites where the natural flora and woodland habitats support the butterflies. The findings can then be used to inform site management decisions to help increase biodiversity of the sites. Findings of the surveys are also fed into the national butterfly monitoring scheme run by Butterfly Conservation and contribute to monitoring national butterfly population trends.

Several species are in Biodiversity Action Plans (BAP's) to ensure that the species and their habitat are conserved. BAP species in the AONB include Northern Brown Argus, Scotch Argus, Duke of Burgundy, Dingy Skipper, Pearl-bordered, Small Pearl-bordered and High Brown Fritillary, as well as a large number of speices using general wayside and farmland habitats.

Many good butterfly sites can be visited in the AONB such as Warton Crag, Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve, Yealand Hall Allotment, Myers Allotment, Jack Scout, Heald Brow and Arnside Knott. Further afield, Whitbarrow Scar (around the Kent estuary from Sandside) and Farleton Knott and Hutton Roof Crags (over to the east side of the M6) are also good sites for butterflies.

Click here for a chart showing the flight times of our local butterfly species.







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