Last week RSPB Hodbarrow echoed to cries of "Over here Dave!" as West Cumbria group volunteers spent a very pleasant few hours searching for Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterflies.
The reason this survey is important is it can be used as an indicator of the balance of grassland, scrub and trees on the site for future planning.
Above left: RSPB Hodbarrow Warden Dave Blackledge shows the group a butterfly he has caught.Above right: A Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary (RSPB image library).
After a long search (fuelled by some delicious strawberries - thank you Margery) none of the target species were found.
We did see a female large skipper butterfly, meadow brown butterfly and Burnett Companion moths.
Chris Lloyd -Rodgers (seen here with Dave) has kindly shared below some of the great shots she took during the walk.
Although it was a shame not to have seen any Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary it is important information for planning the future management of the reserve.
If any one does spot one on their visit please do let us know in the comments.
The walk certainly inspired me to try and take more insect photos (and eat more strawberries).
Above: Yellow shell moth at RSPB Hodbarrow (c) Chris Lloyd-Rogers
Above: Small heath butterfly at RSPB Hodbarrow (c) Chris Lloyd-Rodgers
Above: Latticed heath moth at RSPB Hodbarrow (c) Chris Lloyd-Rogers