It was a warm though overcast morning on 3 August when sixteen of us gathered to look for butterflies on the Wychwood Forest Trust’s Wigwell reserve at Charlbury. We were led by Roger Newman who gave each of us an identification sheet to use and keep, plus a brief demonstration of how to use the I-Record Butterflies site.
We walked across the field towards the stream, stopping to learn about ridge and furrow which could be seen on the other side of the valley. We then walked on up the other side of the valley until, unusually, it started raining. This caused any butterflies to disappear, so we retraced our steps stopping to look at the analogue beaver dam which as been constructed in the stream. This is based on beaver dam design with the intention of slowing down the flow of water and thus preventing flooding further downstream. It also allows for the water to collect in advance of the dam which should encourage wildlife.
Not all plants were frazzled from the heat and drought. Those that were growing near to the stream clearly had enough water to survive and we identified a respectable list.
A variety of butterflies were spotted and recorded, and Roger gave us useful hints in how to distinguish a Meadow Brown from a Gatekeeper by looking at the number of white spots within the spots on the upper wing. Easy, if only they would keep still!
The walk lasted a very enjoyable couple of hours. Many thanks to Roger for his time as well as helping many of us learn more about butterflies.
The full species list can be found here.
Julia Reid, 9 August 2022
WEST OXFORDSHIRE FIELD CLUB 