The Wey Forward March - May 2021

Silver - washed Fritillary This large colourful butterfly was very rare in Surrey in the 1970s but in recent years has been expanding its distribution and abundance. It flies from June to August, the female finding oak trees with violets growing nearby. It has an interesting lifecycle with eggs often deposited in cracks in old gnarled oak trunks. They hatch after about 14 days, eat the eggshell, go into hibernation until the following spring, then eat the violets, to later emerge as strong beautiful butterflies. We saw many on our visits to Bookham Commons.

Small Copper These fly from April through to October in most parts of Surrey but rarely in large numbers. Their habitat includes grassland, woodland rides and heathland, wherever sorrel (or dock) grows for the caterpillars to eat. Adults live for only about 25 days, but the species are seen over many months as there can be up to three or four broods a year. We have seen them in Bookham Commons and they can also be seen in Richmond Park and Headley Heath.

Speckled Wood We have seen these butterflies on many of our walks. They have a long flying season from the end of March to November, the caterpillars feeding on a variety of grasses. A mystery is why this butterfly was so rare in the south - east around 1900, being limited to parts of West Sussex. It can overwinter either as a larva or pupa, leading to overlapping broods. Adults feed on aphid honeydew and plant nectar.

Colin Wright

If you have enjoyed reading about these beautiful insects and want to find out more the charity Butterfly Conservation is a good place to start. They aim to recover threatened butterfly and moth populations, increase numbers of widespread species, inspire people to understand and deliver species conservation and promote international conservation actions.

Details can be found at https://butterfly - conservation.org/

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