Reserve 21 is the name given to our garden based on the relative high number of different wildlife, especially butterfly, species that live in it and visit it.
Please read in conjunction with other related butterfly blog posts
The List is in! The most popular butterfly species, based on the IFABW ranking system for the most hours and most numbers spent in the garden of Reserve 21 during a typical year, is the SPECKLED WOOD! Congratulations to this gregarious and highly generous constant garden companion.
Butterflies Species Seen in Reasonable Numbers / Over an Extended Period Each Year
1. Speckled Wood
Not only seen in the most numbers at any one time but also seen over the longest period - from Spring right through to Autumn - and almost all day every day! This presence is due to the habitat in, and around, the garden being highly suitable and the fact that this species has multiple broods in a year.
2. Holly Blue
3. Small White
4. Comma
5. Peacock
6. Red Admiral
7. Painted Lady
8. Green Veined White
9. Large White
10. Meadow Brown
11. Small Tortoiseshell
Used to be one of the more abundant species in the garden, now only single specimens are seen
Butterflies Species Seen in Small Numbers / Short Periods Each Year
12.Orange Tip
Seen fleetingly in early spring every year. Occasional years its seen in reasonable numbers over a longer period such as in the spring of 2020.
13. Brimstone
Always the first butterfly to be seen of the year, not in high numbers. Some years its seen during the summer too (note: it's single brooded). The first sunny day of the year and boom there it is!
14. Gatekeeper
15.Common Blue
Butterfly species seen in very low numbers / for short periods most years but not every year
16. Small Copper
17. Wall
18. Ringlet
19. Essex Skipper