Allotment Wildlife

image courtesy of Paul Willsone

Whilst our allotments provide us with a plentiful bounty of fruit and vegetables, they are also a great source of natural wildlife. From butterflies, moths, spiders, beetles, the humble bumble and other bees and insects. The allotments whether cultivated or uncultivated provide us with an array of these beasties, which all have an important role in terms of either pollination, or unfortunately in the case of caterpillars and slugs / snails eating our beloved crops, and they in turn become food for frogs and snails etc etc.

Recent spots on the site include a Ringlet Butterfly (image courtesy of Paul Willsone) and an Argus (image courtesy of Paul Willsone). Various texts suggest the Ringlet butterfly is quite widespread, preferring grassy meadows, hedgerows and clearings, am uncertain we have seen one on the plots before, whilst the Argus is a slightly more common visitor, although it is again suggested to prefer free draining dry grassland areas.


Image courtesy of Paul Wilsone
A big thanks to Paul for supplying the images.