Despite the reasonable summer weather this year it has been a relatively poor one for butterflies apart from a couple of species.
New species recorded last year namely Brimstone and Small Heath were not recorded nor was the Common Blue which is normally seen in small numbers each year. The year total was 18 species some four down on our best year in 2004.
A Butterfly Walk was held on The Whins and Bridle on 23/07. We had excellent weather and 12 species were seen including the elusive Purple Hairstreak. With the conservation improvements being carried out on the site, the Whins is rapidly becoming one of the best butterfly sites in the Huddersfield area.
New colonisers in 2003, the Speckled Wood and Purple Hairstreak, were seen again and seem to be consolidating their positions on the Whins and Bridle. In particular there has been record numbers of the Speckled Wood this year with 21 counted on the Whins on 21/9. Until this year only ones and twos had been previously seen and it was without doubt the commonest late summer butterfly.
