The local branch of the Butterfly Conservation charity will be visiting Magog Down on Sunday 7th August, starting at 11 am.
The charity have noted that our small area of chalk grassland is improving since its establishment by the Magog Trust around 25 years ago. Own own Members who are also members of Butterfly Conservation have watched the site mature and develop. They believe that currently the number of butterfly species that may be seen is relatively small for what is potentially a very good chalk downland site for them. Mike Gittos the branch chairman will be leading this walk to see what can be found, and to think about what minor adjustments in management might improve this site even further for butterflies. Particular new species that might arrive are Chalkhill Blues, Small Blues and Clouded Yellows – all of which are found within 10 or 20 miles.
One of the Magog Trust’s early supporters, Professor Colin Smith, was greatly interested in the butterflies on Magog Down: a bank on the South Down is named in his honour and we continue to develop this as a butterfly habitat. (Read more on our Butterflies, Moths and other Invertebrates page.) We welcome the input of the Butterfly Conservation charity in helping towards this aim.
For more information about the Butterfly Conservation charity, or if you would like to attend their walk on 7th August, please contact Mike Gittos, whose contact details are on their event page.
This event takes place during the Butterfly Conservation charity’s Big Butterfly Count, which is a nationwide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies. Over 52,000 people took part in 2015, counting over 580,000 individual butterflies and day-flying moths across the UK.