Last week we heard about the first record for the year of a Brimstone butterfly (male on the wing at Skipwith Common NNR), which is a sure sign that spring is on the way – or indeed it might have already arrived – certainly felt like it last week! đđ
Brimstones are medium-sized butterflies with veined, leaf-shaped wings – making them one of our more unusual and eye-catching species. Males are a bright yellow-green colour (the colour of butter – and possibly where the generic name of butterfly came from) and in comparison, the females are very pale, but both sexes have a small orange spot on each wing đĻ
The butterflies appearing on the wing now will have emerged from their chrysalis in July last year and survived the winter, and are now searching for a mate, before laying their eggs on the larval food plant (leaves of buckthorn and alder buckthorn). Brimstones are one of the earlier species to be seen on the wing (this sighting falls six days earlier than the first one recorded there in 2025) and take advantage of various plant species, often favouring purple flowers early in the season (image from our NNR Base garden in a previous year in summer) đĒģđ¸
During the last week of February the first returning Woodlark was also heard singing at Skipwith Common NNR which is always a great sign of spring, and it was shortly followed by the first sighting of an Adder there a day later. Woodlarks and Adders are both associated with the Common and its remaining areas of lowland heath, with the site managed accordingly for both species - by maintaining extensive open heathland areas, sunny glades, pockets of scrub, basking sites, woody habitat piles, dead hedging and hibernacula locations.
However, both species are also prone to recreational disturbance, so please try to stick to the footpaths and keep dogs on leads, and if you are fortunate to come across either species, please take photographs from a safe and respectful distance to avoid disturbing our local wildlife and giving them room to thrive.
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