Insect Week

Pete was helping out at an event organised by the BCN Wildlife Trust at Trumpington Meadows NR to mark Insect Week. Despite the heat and a clash with England's World Cup game, there were plenty of interested children and adults, who all had a chance to try out sweep netting and pond dipping. It was swelteringly hot and the grassland was very dry, but we were able to find a decent range of insects for everyone to see. One of the highlights was this Marbled White, which has only recently colonised this part of the reserve. 


It flies in areas of unimproved grassland in late June and July and can occur in large numbers on southern downland. It shows a marked preference for purple flowers such as Wild Marjoram, Field Scabious, thistles, and knapweeds. This species is widespread in southern Britain and has expanded northwards and eastwards over the last twenty years, despite some losses within its range, with outlying populations in Yorkshire and SW Wales.