The Grounds & Gardens team at Churchill College took part in the Big Butterfly Count for a third year running, joining the nationwide citizen science survey run by Butterfly Conservation. Gardens Team Leader Kath, together with Gardeners Ben and Charlie, used the same approach as previous years, adding another data point to the team’s picture of how the College’s gardens support local wildlife.
Building a dataset
“We did the same as last year,” says Kath. “Two different days, with a 15-minute count each at 68 and 70 Storey’s Way, on the herbaceous border, and around the compost area off Madingley Road.” Keeping the method and locations unchanged was a deliberate choice, allowing the team to build a genuine dataset rather than a series of one-off snapshots.
The team recorded 11 species across the count days, matching last year’s total almost exactly and suggesting the College’s butterfly populations have held steady. However, the distribution of sightings changed. While the herbaceous border produced sightings last year, none were recorded there this year during the count.
Kath cautions against drawing firm conclusions from the results. “We had seen butterflies in the herbaceous border earlier in the year and in the days after the survey, so it’s not that they weren’t present at all.” Timing may have been a key factor. This year’s national count took place during a period of drought in Cambridge, by which time many of the border’s flowers and grasses had passed their peak. With fewer nectar sources available, butterflies may simply have been elsewhere when the survey was carried out.
Meadow Brown was the most frequently sighted species, followed by Small White. The team also recorded two moth species during the survey period: a Marbled Clover Moth and a Jersey Tiger Moth.
Charlie’s interest in the College’s butterflies and moths extends well beyond the official count days. Over the past year he has photographed and recorded a further 13 butterfly species and an additional moth, the Latticed Heath Moth, around the grounds. Among the most remarkable sightings were the elusive White-letter Hairstreak, a butterfly closely linked to elm trees and now much scarcer than in the past, and the striking Silver-washed Fritillary, one of Britain’s largest butterflies. Charlie also recorded Purple Hairstreaks, usually found high in oak canopies and rarely noticed by casual visitors.
Sightings from other members of the College community have also contributed to the growing dataset, including a Cinnabar moth near the beehives and a Mint Moth among the mint in the raised beds, both recorded by current student Amy Walpole.
Taken together, these records bring the known total to 24 butterfly species and five moth species, providing a much fuller picture of the site’s biodiversity than the annual count alone was able to capture.
Photo credit for butterfly images: Charlie Ison, Gardener, Churchill College
This year’s results were broadly similar to last year’s, but the drought’s effect on the herbaceous border provides a useful data point in its own right. While the herbaceous border had passed its peak of flowering by the time of the survey, butterflies were still being recorded elsewhere, highlighting the value of the College’s more naturalistic areas, such as the long grass around Storey’s Way and the self-sown meadow plants in the compost area.
Next steps
As with last year, participation in the Big Butterfly Count has sparked discussions about future conservation projects. The team plans to continue expanding native wildflower areas and will maintain their annual participation in the count to build a valuable long-term dataset.
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