Well, that’s it…the 2022 butterfly season has come to an end. That’s not to say you won’t see the odd individual still flying around, however, our ecological surveys have sadly finished.
Between the beginning of April and the end of October, myself and two other members of our staff carry out five butterfly transects across the island weekly. Of course, this is weather-dependent. For instance, it cannot be raining and the temperature must be above 13°C. This follows the weather parameters stated by the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) which we send our data to at the end of the transect season. During our transects, we walk a set route at a slow and steady pace and record all the butterflies seen within 2.5 metres on either side and 5 metres ahead.
Having carried out butterfly transects on Skomer Island (Pembrokeshire) in 2021, this year I was particularly excited to see which species I would record on Alderney. I was put in charge of the Community Woodland transect, which starts near Blanchards and ends at the Orchard. The other transects are: Longis Common, Bonne Terre, Giffoine and Blaye, some of which were set up 20 years ago when the Alderney Wildlife Trust was formed!
Some butterfly highlights from this year include:
