Sixteen volunteers from the Horndean area are rotated on a weekly basis to 8 areas within Horndean/Cowplain (including Park Wood) to record butterflies identified by the transect method. These surveys monitor the levels of butterfly population in the areas and, in some cases, lead to suggestions to improve them to keep the butterfly population stable and thriving.
Although most of the areas have been surveyed for about five years, those for Park Wood only started in 2006, although an earlier one-off study was undertaken in the 1990s.
Results of all these surveys are sent to Butterfly Conservation (Lulworth) and Hampshire Wildlife Trust Butterfly Conservation.
The surveys during 2007 in Park Wood were carried out by volunteers from the Horndean area together with Maureen and David Nye from FoPW.
In 2007 15 species were recorded in Park Wood, the same number as the year earlier. The most common sightings were:
Other recorded were:
Many thanks to John Nundy who organises all the volunteers and who provides all the information which forms the basis of this report.
