Large blue butterfly ‘open day’
Ten years ago two hundred caterpillars of the Large Blue butterfly were released into the Somerset countryside and so began the Collard Hill story.
It has become the only place in the UK where people can freely visit to see a flash of royal blue as the Large Blue butterfly gently glides below the June sky.
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| Large blue butterflies can be seen at Collard Hill. Lifecycle of the Large Blue butterfly - The Large Blue begins life as a normal caterpillar and the young larvae feed on wild thyme flowers. From then on, its life depends on an elaborate con-trick. As each larva drops to the ground, it secretes a sticky sugary substance which ants can't resist. The ants are, in fact tricked into thinking that the larva is a lost ant grub and take it into their underground colony. But not any old ant will do, only large colonies of a single species of red ant, Myrmica sabuleti, can act as a suitable host. An incredible phase in the caterpillar's life then begins where for ten months it turns into a carnivore - feeding as a parasite on the ant grubs having conned the hapless ants into thinking it is harmless. The caterpillar then pupates in the ant nest, and the butterfly crawls out of the ant tunnels finally emerging for a few brief days in the last stage of its remarkable life as a beautiful butterfly. These final days - which for a few weeks this summer the public will be able to see at Collard Hill - are a frantic struggle to find a mate and for the females to lay their eggs on the wild thyme, in order for the cycle to begin again. Photo credit Ross Hoddinott. |
The flight season for the Large Blue butterfly is from early June until early July. Like all butterflies, though, the weather determines when it begins to emerge, and the timing of the crucial week when most of the year's butterflies are flying in large numbers.
Rob Holden, National Trust Area Warden, said: "Large Blue butterflies can be seen basking in the sunshine while taking a break on wild thyme and other plants. With another good year possible in 2010 this June is a great time to visit Collard Hill."
A short distance from Street and Glastonbury, the site is grazed by traditional breed cattle and ponies to get the habitat just right.
On Sunday 20 June staff and volunteers will be showing visitors round taking them to the best places to see these little blue beauties during their short life.
The Large Blue was re-introduced into the UK in the 1980s following its extinction in 1979. Collard Hill, which is managed by the National Trust, is the only accessible place where visitors can see this majestic butterfly.
More about visiting Collard Hill National Trust
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