This is a well known site close to the cheshire / Shropshire border that I've passed on numerous occasions when working in Telford on a project a few years ago but never got round to stopping. Once I'd left the Telford site all I wanted to do was get home and get some food and a shower.
Part of the Heath is managed as a reserve by the Butterfly Conservation Trust primarily for the Silver-studded Blue butterfly and this site is probably the only site it can now be found in the Midlands.
With reports of good numbers being seen this year and a sunny afternoon forecast I decided to make the short drive down the A41to see if I could find any to photograph.
Amazingly the first one I saw found me first and landed on my camera strap before fluttering on to my finger tip:
There were plenty of Common Blues on site as well but the Silver-studded are smaller with a more distinct black and white margin around the edge of the vivid blue wings. They get their name from the electric slivery blue spots in the centre of the spots at the edge of the lower wing.
After a good search and seeing a lot of scruffy looking individuals I managed to find a pristine looking male with a nice looking female for comparison.
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| Male Silver-studded Blue |
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| Female Silver-studded Blue |
What a great place to wile away a few hours enjoying butterflies in the sunshine. It wasn't only the star attraction as the place was teeming with Common Blue, Small Skipper, Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Small Copper and Small Heath butterflies.
Avian attractions included Hobby, Yellowhammer and Yellow Wagtail. A great site and one I've been very remiss at not visiting.
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