In 1977, Mary Gillham wrote in her book ‘The Natural History
of Gower’ that “Cliffs as flowery as those of Gower cannot fail to be alive
with butterflies in suitable weather”.
She did not predict the dramatic consequences intensive farming,
and the use of more lethal pesticides would have on British
wildlife. Butterflies have
suffered badly, and Gower has followed the national trend.
Even though it’s an in-between time for some species of
butterflies, July should be one of the best months, but there are very few
about again this year. Meadow browns and small heaths are normally all over the
cliffs by now, and I’ve seen only a handful of each so far this summer. I need
to search for the few common blues and brown argus that seek the more sheltered
spots in Overton Mere. Both peak during July, but I find only a couple of each
on the western side of the little bay. The land directly above the beach, which
was once used to grow potatoes, turns out to be a little more productive. There
are no small or large whites, both are between broods, but painted ladies, a
small tortoiseshell, some skippers, and a fading red admiral all keep low to
the ground. But it’s the small numbers that underwhelms me, and again I find
myself counting the number of individual butterflies, rather than species.
There is hope. As a result of public pressure, Governments
in all four UK countries are now aware of the new family of neonicitinoid
pesticides, and the EU has voted for a temporary ban on their use. The
half-life of some of these pesticides is measured in many years, and stopping their
use might eventually help butterfly numbers to increase. We must see if our
government complies with the EU directive, but even then, it may be a long time before
we see any marked recovery.
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