Butterflies of South Manchester
- Nicholas Turner
- Jul 30, 2023
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 31
July 2023
There are a number good places to look for butterflies in South Manchester near to where we live in Didsbury. One is along the River Mersey, particularly the stretch between Cheadle Bridge and Northenden. Another is around Stenner Woods and finally closer to home Fog Lane Park has a number of different habitats that support colonies of different butterfly species. In terms of diversity the best month is probably July when the flowers are at their most abundant and if the weather is dry and sunny numbers of butterflies can be high. Fog Lane Park has a colony of Ringlet, which first appear in June, together with Green-veined Whites, Meadow Browns, Small Whites and Gatekeepers.
This year was the first time that I have recorded Small Coppers in Fog Lane Park. Like many butterflies they are attracted to the copious thistles in flower in July.
Small Skippers and Large Skippers occur in good numbers along the Mersey and in Fog Lane Park.
Small Tortoiseshells, which are becoming scarce in Southern England, still seem to be doing well in the North. Commas and Speckled Woods are common in July as are the second brood of Holly Blues.
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