Are Marbled Whites the new Speckled Wood?

[GFM]

I remember seeing a Speckled Wood in warwickshire about 18 years ago and thinking what a spot, such a rare butterfly in the Midlands. Now they are commonplace where I live in Yorkshire, hundreds of them along the Wetherby cycle path. This year I've seen Marbled whites in the Yorkshire Wolds and near Doncaster and lots of them. Again I remember seeing some down in Dorset many years ago when that was one of the few sites known. It seems they are doing very well. Wouldnt it be nice if the likes of Purple Emperors and Swallowtail started to follow suit!

[aeshna5]

Speckled Woods have certainly become much more widespread in recent years + I've noticed Marbled Whites becoming more common in sites around London over the last decade or so.

Maybe Purple Emperors will spread a bit- who knows? With Swallowtails we'd need the continental form to establish here as it's fairly widespread on the mainland where the larvae will feed on some common umbellifers such as Wild Carrot + Fennel. When I was in Estonia last month we had 3 just flitting about a very ordinary churchyard + nectaring on Lilac.

The British race needs the humidity of the fens + its food plant Milk Parsley, so this form is never going to be widespread.

[ChrisJB]

Marbled whites are becoming commoner in Yorkshire, especially in the more southern and eastern areas. The chalk downland of the Wolds is ideal habitat. Only a few years ago, they were much more local in the county, with the Brockadale reserve near Kirk Smeaton being a well known locality.

Regards, Chris

[htcdude]

Certainly around Greater London whenever I go out if I see only one butterfly, it's usually a Speckled Wood

Nige

[beech]

Agree with all said ref increase in speckled wood, I can remember 20 years ago just seeing a few around here confined to small areas of mature deciduous woodland. I see them in the garden now. I still have yet to see a marbled white