ButterfliesArnside & Silverdale

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Arnside & Silverdale AONBThe Old Station Building, Arnside, Carnforth LA5 0HGT: 01524 761034 E: info@arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.ukwww.arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk

Butterfly ConservationT: 01929 400209 E: info@butterfly-conservation.orgwww.butterfly-conservation.org

Grayling

Please contact us if you would like further information or would like to get involved in helping to save our butterflies.

Special thanks to Laura Sivell for providing many of the stunning butterfly photographs used in this publication.

D

avid

Tal

bot

Den

ise F

ish

Look out for

butterfliesThe Morecambe Bay limestone hills are the most important butterfly sites in northern England and are a national stronghold for the High Brown Fritillary. Arnside Knott, Warton Crag and Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve are great places to see this butterfly.

Arnside & SilverdaleArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Stunning limestone pavements, ancient woodlands, herb rich grasslands, meadows and wetlands are havens for butterflies, moths and other wildlife.

Large Skipper

Front cover: Small Pearl-bordered FritillaryHigh Brown Fritillary

Mik

e W

arre

n

Ellio

tt S

tale

y

4

Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve, a great place to see Morecambe Bay’s special butterflies.

The sulphur-yellow uppersides of the wings of the male Brimstone make this species easy to identify in flight. When the butterflies roost amongst foliage, the angular shape and the strong veining of the wings give them a close resemblance to leaves.

D

avid

Tal

bot

Jon

Spar

ks

Butterfly Conservation was formed by a small group of dedicated naturalists in 1968 following the alarming decline of many beautiful butterflies. Most British butterflies remain a cause for concern, with three quarters of our native species in decline.

Four butterflies and over sixty moths became extinct last century. We aim to halt and reverse these declines. Our vision is of a world rich in butterflies for future generations to enjoy.

Butterflies are beautiful and intrinsically valuable.

Together with moths, their sensitivity to environmental change makes them valuable indicators of the health of the countryside. Falling numbers are an early warning to all wildlife that cannot be ignored.

Butterfly Conservation manages over thirty nature reserves, including Myers Allotment near Silverdale and is also involved in over seventy landscape-scale projects to conserve butterfly and moth habitats, including the Morecambe Bay limestone hills.

The Red Admiral is often seen in gardens feeding on Buddleia (also known as the Butterfly Bush) and on rotting fruit.Purple Hairstreak

caterpillarRed Admiral

caterpillarComma caterpillar

Painted Lady

Mik

e M

oon

Small Skipper LLarge Skipper LDingy Skipper L

Clouded Yellow MBrimstone CLarge White CSmall White CGreen-veined White COrange-tip C

Green Hairstreak L

Purple Hairstreak LWhite-letter Hairstreak RSmall Copper LNorthern Brown Argus LCommon Blue CHolly Blue C

Duke of Burgundy R

Red Admiral MPainted Lady MSmall Tortoiseshell CPeacock C

Comma C

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary L

Pearl-bordered Fritillary R

High Brown Fritillary L

Dark Green Fritillary L

Speckled Wood CWall LScotch Argus LGrayling L

Gatekeeper R

Meadow Brown C

Small Heath L

Ringlet C

Main foodplants Main habitat

Yorkshire Fog Unimproved grassland, woodland rides & gladesCock’s-foot Unimproved grassland, woodland rides & glades Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil Limestone grassland, woodland rides & glades

Legumes, Clovers Sunny open habitatsBuckthorn Scrubby grassland, woodland rides & glades Crucifers Gardens, allotments & fieldsCrucifers Gardens, allotments & fields Crucifers Damp meadows, woodland rides & gladesCrucifers Damp meadows, woodland rides & glades

Common Rock-rose & Bird’s-foot-trefoil Limestone grassland, woodland rides & glades Oak Oaks in hedgerows & woodlandsElm Elms in hedgerows & woodlandsCommon & Sheep’s Sorrel Unimproved grasslands, woodland rides & gladesCommon Rock-rose Limestone grasslandsCommon Bird’s-foot-trefoil Unimproved grasslandsHolly, Ivy Hedgerows

Cowslips, Primrose Limestone grassland, woodland rides & glades

Common nettle Sunny open habitats, flowery meadows & orchards

Thistles Sunny open habitats

Common nettle Sunny open habitats

Common nettle Sunny open habitats, woodland rides & glades

Common nettle and Elm Woodland rides & glades & wood edges

Violets Flower-rich grassland & bracken

Violets Coppice and scrub clearings, bracken

Violets Coppice and scrub clearings, bracken

Violets Flower-rich grassland & bracken

Grasses Dappled rides & glades Grasses Sparse grassland (eg in disused quarries) Blue Moor-grass Sheltered limestone grasslandFine grasses Sparse limestone grassland

Grasses Hedgerows, grassland, woodland rides & gladesGrasses Grassland, woodland rides & glades

Fine grasses Open grassland

Coarse grasses Grassland, woodland rides & glades

Flight times Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Main flight time Possible flight time Occasional flight time (C) Common in AONB (R) Rare in AONB (L) Locally common/Rare elsewhere (M) Migrant

SkippersH

airstreaks, Coppers

and BluesVanessids and fritillaries

Whites and Yellow

sBrow

nsM

etalmarks

The Duke of Burgundy - one of Britain’s most threatenedbutterflies - can be found on scrubby grassland and in sunny woodland clearings.

The AONB Partnership and Butterfly Conservation are working hard locally on habitat manangement to enhance and extend the special areas on which our butterflies depend.

Dav

id M

orris

High Brown Fritillary Argynnis adippe

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Vanessids and fritillaries

Comma Polygonia c-album

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene

Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja

15

Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria euphrosyne

Small Tortoiseshell

Peacock Aglais ioEl

liott

Sta

ley

Scotch Argus Erebia aethiops

Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Browns

Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus

Grayling Hipparchia semele

Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus

Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina

Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus

Wall Lasiommata megera

The Wall is aptly named after its habit of basking on walls, rocks and stony places.

Tony

Rid

en

Purple Hairstreak Favonius quercus

Hairstreaks, Coppers and Blues

Northern Brown Argus Aricia artaxerxes

The Common Blue male has blue wings with black-brown border and thin white fringe. The female has brown wings with a blue dusting near the body.

White-letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus

Common Blue Polyommatus icarus

Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi

Jon

Barb

er

Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines

Whites and Yellows

Green-veined White Pieris napi

Clouded Yellow Colias croceus

Large White Pieris brassicae

Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni

Small White Pieris rapae

The Green-veined White can be found throughout the countryside but prefers damp sheltered areas.

Jean

War

ren

Skippers

Metalmarks

Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina

Large SkipperOchlodes sylvanus

Dingy SkipperErynnis tages

Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris A small butterfly with a darting flight - it can be seen manoeuvring expertly through tall grass stems.

Jean

War

ren