
Meadow
brown
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The Brimstone
butterfly is one of the first butterflies seen in the Parklands
- emerging from its winter hibernation in late spring. It can be
seen in areas of scrub or along the edges of woods and heralds the
start of summer and the appearance of other butterfly species.
The colourful
Marsh fritillary, listed under Annex II of the Habitats Directive,
is the Parklands rarest butterfly. It can be seen in Turraun
in mid-summer, feeding on wildflower meadows.
From April onwards,
migrant species such as Clouded yellow, Painted lady and
Red admiral start to arrive from southern Europe. Meanwhile,
Orange-tip can be seen laying eggs on the Cuckoo Flower
the food plant of its caterpillar, and the brightly coloured
Common blue and Dark-green fritillary, species more
commonly found in coastal locations, can be seen in Turraun.
In summer the
Parklands are home to a number of local species of moth, such as
the Pebble hook-tip, Treble-bar, Lattice heath and
Double dart. Found in wooded areas, moorland or rough pasture
they can be seen at night in Turraun with the Lattice heath
also seen on the wing during the day. The brightly coloured Cinnabar
is also a day flyer and can be seen at Turraun where it has been
found feeding on Coltsfoot instead of its usual food plant
Ragwort.
Turraun is also
home to the Straw underwing - a species more commonly found
in coastal areas. The migratory Angel shades begins to arrive
in May.
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