In Search of Large Numbers of Holly Blues
Sunday 7th May 2000
John Innes Park, Merton, Surrey by Frank Banyard
Surrey Branch Holly Blue champion Ken Willmott, led two walks at this species ‘core" site this spring. The previous weekend had produced typical spring weather, cold and windy, and the species was not seen. Our walk with other Surrey members was blessed with a glorious sunny morning. The 14 members who took part were outnumbered by a factor of about 4 by the butterflies, making it the largest concentration of Holly Blues that most if not all, had encountered.
As we gathered at the start, an obliging female began seeking unopened flower buds on which to lay her eggs, on a tall female holly tree adjacent to us. Ken showed us the slightly different egg laying locations used by the Spring brood females for male and female holly flowers.
The habitat is ideal for the species, with large numbers of holly and ivy in the Park, much of it in warm sheltered positions, or on south facing walls. The site is a conservation area, and even where new housing is permitted, holly and ivy hedges have to be provided. We walked to St Mary’s Churchyard, another good habitat for holly Blue and itself a very good example of management for wildlife. Speckled Wood were seen here, but my abiding memory is of the ubiquitous Holly Blues, in gardens, and roadways, as well as in the Park. A unique experience and a site to be recommended.