Thank-you to the Coddenham Centre web site for alerting us to the Big Butterfly Count.
It would be interesting to hear from those who took part. There could be no better starting place than the flower beds each side of the entrance to the community centre itself with many people remarking on the amazing hordes of butterflies and bees swarming round on any hot day. Or the churchyard which recently received an accolade from the Suffolk Wildlife Trust for the work done by the community and the rich variety of wildflowers to attract a wonderful range of butterflies.
But for many of us it was in our own back gardens that the count was done.
We conducted ours on the 2nd August, a bright sunny day but a bit windy. In a quite short space of time we noted a large number of Whites, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral and Meadow Brown. Our sunny sheltered garden is a haven for butterflies, but we have noticed this year that the cold and damp weather made for a slow start to the season with the notable reduction in numbers.
Early on we usually spot a large number of Orange Tips but few this year, no Brimstones, and only one Comma. We were rewarded a few weeks ago with a visit from the slightly more rare, Hairstreak butterfly. On walks we are seeing a marked increase in Gatekeeper butterflies.
It would be interesting to hear from others about their sightings of butterflies this year both for the count and in and around the village over the summer.
Colin Hardy 2nd August 2021
We have been lucky enough to benefit from large buddleias on our drive and have seen lots of peacocks and red admirals.
Thank you for the Centre name check Colin.
Butterflies (in abundance) always seem to suggest wellbeing, something along with good health, The Coddenham Centre tries to promote!