The Comma • Autumn 2011 - Butterfly Conservation

Mortimer Forest in Springtime
Carpets of bluebells: A profusion of colour along the Mortimer Trail in early May (Dave Roach)
Orange-tips patrolled the Mary
Knoll Valley (Steven Cheshire)
Speckled Yellow is common in the
open wodland (Roger Wasley)
24 The Comma • Autumn 2011
Walking a leg of the Mortimer Trail through part of Mortimer
Forest on May Day was such an exhiliarting experience that
I couldn’t resist repeating the route the following day!
Bluebells were at their best
and Wood Whites made
an earlier than expected
appearance along the secluded
Mary Knoll Valley, part of my
circular route from the nearby
market town of Ludlow.
The 2,500-acre forest was
once a Saxon hunting ground
but now it is managed by the
Forestry Commission England
to preserve rare species.
Male Orange-tips patrolled
the edges of the wider tracks,
stopping only occasionally to
visit lady’s smock, while
Green-veined White and
Speckled Yellow moth were
common. The odd Dingy
Skipper on bare areas of the
trail and a few Small Copper
added further interest, along
with a host of wild flowers and
some magnificent mature oaks.
Sheila Wasley
Dingy Skipper (Dave Roach)
Green-veined White on Willowherb
(Tony Wharton)