Butterflies fluttering by

One of my many duties as the seasonal ranger is to carry out the weekly butterfly transect. This involves walking around the nature reserve, along a set route, and recording the butterflies that cross my path. This may sound, quite literally, like a walk in the park, but in July and August there are so many of them that it can all seem quite overwhelming! This is my second year of surveying and last week I recorded my highest number so far; 342 butterflies on one transect! There were 10 different species but most of them were Meadow Browns (see photo) and Ringlets, which are both mainly brown and can be tricky to tell appart when they fly past at speed. I was hoping to get out and do another survey today but it can only be done when weather conditions are right. It has to be sunny, warm, not too windy and not raining. Exactly the kind of days that I want to be outside! Fingers crossed for some good weather later in the week.


Laura