Butterflies, Moths & Other Insects

HAVENS FOR WILDLIFE Section B 6. Butterflies, Moths and Other Insects This sheet shows the importance of burial grounds including gatekeepers and ringlets. The bright for butterflies and other, less visible invertebrates yellow brimstone will lay eggs on buckthorn or alder and gives guidelines on how to manage for them. buckthorn bushes. Burial grounds and churchyards offer a haven to Nettles are important for butterflies, moths and a host of other insects such butterflies, providing food for as shield bugs, beetles, ladybirds and grasshoppers. comma, painted lady, peacock, Butterflies and moths lay their eggs on many different red admiral, small tortoiseshell, plants and trees which then provide food for growing the beautiful golden Y moth, caterpillars. burnished brass moth, green carpet moth and spectacle moth. LOOK OUT FOR... As well as food for caterpillars, Comma many butterflies and moths Holly blue – a classic butterfly of burial grounds as its drink nectar from flowers which they in turn pollinate. main food plants are holly and ivy. The holly blue has Plants such as lavender, buddleia, ice plant, valerian two broods and eggs are laid on unopened flowers. The and Michaelmas daisy are all attractive to butterflies. It first brood feeds on developing berries or young leaves is however the native plants and wildflowers that are of holly. The second brood is laid on ivy and feeds upon such a feature of burial grounds which support a wide its developing berries in the autumn. Holly blue is range of butterflies, moths and other insects. unique among British butterflies for having alternating food plants for caterpillars. Butterflies can be identified quite easily and, if surveyed, the results of the survey will give you Purple hairstreak may be seen in the tops of oaks a general picture as to how suitable your burial and white-letter hairstreak in elm trees (or within ground is for other, less easy to identify invertebrates. hedgerows containing elm) This is known as a ‘scientific indicator’. Butterfly where they lay their eggs. Conservation have devised a churchyard survey with The orange tip hibernates and a recording and identifying sheet. Please also share emerges early. It can be seen your records on the Burial Ground portal within the flying in April and May, laying National Biodiversity Network Atlas. You can do this its eggs on the flower stalks of via our website (see sheet B10 Surveying and recording several plants including garlic plants and animals). mustard and cuckoo flower. The Warm, sunny burial grounds will always have more male, with its orange-tipped butterflies and other insects because invertebrates wings, is particularly visible need to seek the warmth of the sun. patrolling above the plants for a mate. These butterflies have Orange Tip an unpleasant taste however, so HOW TO HELP BUTTERFLIES after eating one orange tip the bright orange colour AND warns predators against doing it again! Allowing OTHER INSECTS flowers to grow and set seed before cutting benefits Choose native trees or shrubs of the orange tip and many other insects. local provenance (this means that Some butterflies need long or tussocky grassland the seed was collected locally) when including the speckled wood which lays its eggs on planting new trees or a hedge. Trees Oak shaded long grass, whilst the wall may be seen basking which are native to Britain tend to on a gravestone prior have many different insects living to laying eggs on grass on them. Oak, birch, willow and hawthorn all support a tussocks. Large and small great many; oak trees have about 350 different species skippers and meadow of insect associated with them. browns can be abundant Have a variety of different lengths of grass including in long, flowery grassland. some tussocky grass which is not cut every year (see Shrubs and hedges are sheet A2, Caring for Grassland). Many butterflies, moths good for butterflies Six-spot Burnet Moth and other insects lay eggs on grass stems, within grass HAVENS FOR WILDLIFE 6. Butterflies Moths, and Other Insects tussocks or on other plants found in long grass such as daisies, heathers to name a black knapweed. few. These plants will have Some wild flowers which are good for insects evolved over time with British insects as pollinators. Buttercup Knapweed Primrose Ivy flowers can be quite Clover Cuckoo flower Violet literally buzzing with insect Bugle Garlic mustard Dandelion life. If ivy is not flowering Cowslip Hawkweed Bluebell Longhorn Beetle then try teasing the top Bird’s-foot trefoil Ox-eye daisy Wild thyme young shoots away from Lady’s bedstraw their support so that they are hanging free; this can Whilst too many thistles or nettles can become a encourage the ivy to change to the flowering stage of problem, having a few clumps can be beneficial. Most growth. species will only use vigorously growing nettles (often Make a bee hotel (see sheet A8 Creating a Wildflower in compost heaps) that are sheltered from the wind and Meadow and Helping Wildlife). This will be used by in full sun (see sheet A8, Helping Wildlife). many different insects as well as solitary bees. Most butterflies and other insects are very picky about Try to identify some of the more well-known insects where they lay their eggs. Not only do they need the such as bumblebees and butterflies (see sheet B10, right caterpillar food plant, but when in grassland, Surveying for Plants and Animals). this may need to be managed suitably as well. Cutting grassland at the right time is critical to the well-being of the butterflies and the wildflowers. Cut too early and Grasshoppers the majority of eggs and caterpillars will be removed A combination of short, longer and tussocky grass and will then die. Cut too late and the wildflowers will makes a burial site a haven for grasshoppers and suffer as vigorous, rank grasses will start to dominate. crickets. Some burial grounds can have more than 3 Therefore, to benefit butterflies, consider leaving some grasshoppers per square foot! These in turn are prey areas uncut until mid August or later. Please remember for spiders and birds. Whilst grasshoppers are known that this is a bit late for the flowers, so vary the location for their ability to jump, you may want to walk through of this ’late cut’ area each year. long grass before cutting it, encouraging them out of If you have flower beds then the way of mowers. consider nectar-rich plants with strong scent and a long flowering time. Herbs such as lavender, thyme or sage perhaps? Poppies and daisies attract insects whilst stocks, evening primrose and tobacco flower are particularly good for moths. Native plants can look fantastic in decorative Primrose planting; bellflowers: Thyme cowslips, foxgloves, dog Bugle Useful contacts Butterfly Conservation, www.butterfly-conservation.org Buglife, www.buglife.org.uk Useful reading Cricket Butterflies of Britain – Field Studies Council fold-out chart British Grasshoppers and Allied Insects - Field Studies Council fold-out chart Caterpillars of Butterflies of Britain and Ireland - Field Studies Council fold-out chart Guide to Ladybirds of the British Isles - Field Studies Council fold-out chart The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland – Jeremy Thomas and Richard Lewington, British Wildlife Publishing Ltd 6. Butterflies and Moths, Other Insects HAVENS WILDLIFE FOR HAVENS Species Soil Type Required Vegetation Food Plants Comment Likelihood of Occurring Height Small Skipper All Tall Grasses Various grasses, especially Needs patches of tall grass to be All the best burial grounds for Yorkshire fog left uncut each year. Rotate left butterflies in England and Wales areas to prevent them becoming should contain small colonies too rank Essex Skipper All Tall Grasses Various grasses, especially Needs patches of tall grass to be All the best burial grounds for cocksfoot & creeping soft left uncut each year. Rotate these butterflies in eastern England and grass uncut areas to prevent them the midlands should contain small becoming too rank colonies Large Skipper All Tall Grasses Various grasses, especially Needs patches of tall grass to be All the best burial grounds for cocksfoot & false-brome with left uncut each year. Rotate these butterflies in England and Wales purple moor grass on acidic uncut areas to prevent them should contain small colonies soils becoming too rank especially those that have damp areas and hedges Dingy Skipper All Needs bushy growths Bird’s-foot trefoil usually, plus Needs some areas of sunny un- Only burial grounds surrounded of bird’s-foot trefoil horseshoe vetch on downland mown grassland containing seed by a dingy skipper colony such as surrounded by bare heads of knapweed for roosting chalk grasslands or which are very ground. Grass height large in area could contain this 2-10cms, preferably species 2-5cms Brimstone All Only uses buckthorn, Needs buckthorn which is in Buckthorn should be kept at 2m All burial grounds south of either alder or purging a sunny position or in a south height and pruned annually. Adult Scotland should expect to see this buckthorn, depending facing hedge butterflies will often hibernate in species. Abundance relies on the on soil type ivy growing on wall or trees abundance of buckthorn Large White All Any large brassicae Needs large brassicae plants, Numbers often rely on migrations All burial grounds should see this species including those will breed on nasturtium coming from continental Europe species. Often uses burial grounds grown in gardens as source for nectar Small White All Any large brassicae Will be more common if burial Numbers often rely on migrations All burial grounds should see this species including those ground is near oilseed rape coming from continental Europe species. Often uses burial grounds grown in gardens.

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