his beautiful fritillary is one of Britain’s largest butterflies. Like many species, it declined during the twentieth century, but it is now making some encouraging recovery, particularly in southern England.
Month: January 2021
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Silver-Studded Blue
This small, rare butterfly is a UK BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) Priority Species. Its greatest threat is loss of its heathland habitat.
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Dark Green Fritillary
This large fritillary, while relatively widespread nationally, is scarce and declining in this region. Indeed, the specimen pictured is the only one recorded within a 10km radius in 2020.
This magnificent beetle is Britain’s largest and is, sadly, quite scarce now. The male’s huge ‘antlers’ are in fact overgrown mandibles (jaws) for courtship display and are generally too large and unwieldy for the beetle to be able to bite with them.
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Rose Chafer
These stunning jewel-like beetles are members of the scarab family. The adults feed on pollen and nectar, and sometimes petals, particularly from roses, hence their name.
This shiny midnight blue beetle was believed to be extinct in Britain from 1946 until their rediscovery in 2004, since when it has increased in both range and abundance.
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Treecreeper
This resident bird is small and brown with a white belly. Its curved bill is perfect for getting insects out of the crevices of trees.
The Pied Wagtail, a year-round resident at Wellington, is often found in large numbers feeding on Turf where it takes flies and small insects from the grass.
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Mandarin Duck
This bright and unmistakeable duck is often seen on the golf course. Whilst the male is particularly colourful, the female is, as is common with most duck species, a more subtle mottled brown with an attractive green patch over the eyes.
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Jackdaw
A mid-sized member of the Corvid family, the Jackdaws are gregarious birds often seen around Turf and South Front. Although initially looking all black, they have a grey head. They feed on almost anything from seeds and berries to carrion and waste food from the bins.