BUTTERFLY SURVEY 2020

On 11th July we commissioned Neil Harris to carry out a Butterfly survey at Great Lemhill. The weather was perfect at around 23’C with sunshine and light winds. Neil walked three different routes passing our flower rich margins, diverse hedgerows and log piles, all of which provide habitats for many pollinators, insects and of course the butterflies.

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Great Lemhill Farm is in the Countryside Stewardship Scheme which is designed to encourage and facilitate the improvement to farms and the environment, by providing funding for those who undertake certain works. Our farm has been in this scheme for four years and we can see the huge benefits that our hedgerows and wildflower margins are having on the diversity of the wildlife.

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Among the species spotted, we were delighted to find a Brown Argus and an Essex Skipper, both of which are fairly rare. It was also noted that there were several day flying moths ovipositing on the various flowering plants in the hedgerows. A total of 14 different species of butterfly were recorded with good numbers across the 3 routes, details of which are shown in the table below.