Orchard Butterflies

We have currently recorded over 20 species of butterfly in the community orchard in Church Wood Nature Reserve. Management to create a meadow around the orchard has improved botanical diversity of the grassland and provided a good floral resource from the spring blossoming apple trees through to late summer meadow plants.

Purple hairstreak

At a recent bug hunt event at the end of August we recorded a male purple hairstreak visiting ragwort flowers as well as a ringlet, holly blue, common blue, small copper and small heath amongst the more common meadow brown and gatekeeper.