Butterflies in Cumbria
Common Blue
There are some 36 or so species of butterfly that are regularly seen in Cumbria,
with a few others occasionally reported. A number of species that used to reside
in the county have been lost. These include the Silver-studded Blue and, most recently,
the once widespread Marsh Fritillary is thought to have gone from the wild in Cumbria.
Other species, such as the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, have also declined. These
losses are considered to be largely due to habitat loss and changing management
practices of the habitats in which the butterflies occur.
There is good news too, with rare species such as the High Brown Fritillary doing
well in its national stronghold in south Cumbria. Several butterfly species, including
the Small Skipper, have expanded their range northwards into Cumbria in recent years
as a result of the warming climate. Species such as the Comma, practically unknown
in the county before 1990, are now widespread. The downside of climate warming may
may be a possible impact on the Mountain Ringlet, a speciality of the Lakeland Fells.
This is the only montane butterfly in Britain and higher temperatures may eventually
mean that the Cumbrian hills can no longer provide the climatic conditions it requires.
Acknowledgements
The computer database at Tullie House Museum holds over 40,000 records of butterflies
in Cumbria. The records are verified by Geoff Naylor, the Butterfly Recorder for
the Cumbria Naturalists Union. Much of this information has been provided by interested
people reporting their sightings for which we are very grateful. The national Biological
Records Centre has kindly provided Cumbrian records collated for its 1984 Atlas
of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. The Museum also receives records
from Butterfly Conservation
and collates this information to feed into the national recording scheme. Butterfly
records from our database are included in the Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in
Britain and Ireland published by Butterfly Conservation in 2001. Our butterfly
records are also available on the NBN Gateway website, which can be accessed from
our Links page. Please send us your butterfly records for Cumbria so that we can
maintain and update this information resource.
We are grateful to the following people for sending in their butterfly records:
Abbs, Mrs A., Abbs, M., Ackroyd, J.J., Adams, Dr J., Agar,
G., Aldridge, Mr T., Alexander, Dr K.N.A., Allen, J.W., Allen, Mr S.E., Allonby,
E.N., Allsebrook, Miss G.C., Almond, Mr N.H., Almond, Mr P., Armstrong, Mr I., Ashburne,
E., Asquith, Mr R., Atkin, J., Atkin, I., Atkins, Mr R.S., Atkins, Mrs J., Atkinson,
Miss K.M., Atty, Mr D.B., Auld, Mr C., Bailey, Mr D., Bailey, Mrs J., Bailey, Mrs
J., Bain, Ms B., Baines, Mr R., Baldwin, Ms A., Barker, A.J., Barker, L.J., Barkham,
Dr J.P., Barnham, M., Baron, Mr and Mrs M, Barron, H., Barron, Mr P., Barton, Mr
D., Beale, Mr P., Beckett, C., Bell, C., Benham, D., Bennett, Mr A., Bennett, Mrs
J., Bidwell, Mr L.M., Billington, Mr G.E., Birkett, Dr N.L., Black, Mrs G.M., Blackledge,
Mr D., Bolson, Mr P., Bond, K., Borino, Ms V., Boustead, W.R.J., Bradley, Mr D.,
Bradley, Mrs, Bradley, Ms S., Brayshaw, Ms I., Briddon, D., Brigden, Mr B., Bristow,
R., Brodie, I.O., Brodin, Mr N., Broomfield, M., Brough, Mr M., Brown, D., Brown,
D.S., Brown, Ms J., Bruin, D., Bruemmer, C., Bull, B., Burrow, Mr J., Burton, Mr
P., Callion, Mr J., Campbell, R.I., Carrier, Mr M., Carter, Mr G., Carter, R., Cartwright,
S., Chadwick, Ms, Cheesman, D.W., Cheesman, Mr D., Clark, G., Clark, Mr I.R., Clark,
Mr K., Clark, Ms E., Clark, P., Clark, S., Clarke, Dr J.H., Clarke, G., Clarke,
Mr D.J., Clarke, S., Clarke, M., Clavey, Mr P., Clay, Mr C., Cleasby, Mr I., Clementson,
Mr M., CNHS(Carlisle Nat.Hist.Soc.field meeting), Cole, A., Collins, Mr G.A., Colville,
Dr B., Cook, Mr N., Corkhill, P., Corner, Dr R., Corry, Mr & Mrs J, Coult, Mr
T., Court, D., Cowen, Mrs R., Crane, D., Cremin, A., Crisp, P.&.M., Critchley,
Mr M.B., Crowle, Mr A., Crozier, P.&.J., Cunningham, I.R., Curtis, J., Dale,
A., Dale, Mr A., Damiel, J., Davison, Miss H.A., Daw, Mr A., de Robeck, Mr R., Dean,
Mr T., Dempsey, M., Densley, Mr M., Densley, Mrs R., Denton, Dr J.S., Dickenson,
J., Divett, A.W., Dodgson, Mr J.M., Dodgson, Mr S., Donnison, Mrs E., Doyle, Mr
S., Duff, P., Duke, Mrs J.E., Dunstan, S., Dwyer, Ms C., Dwyer, Mr A., Dyson, C.,
Dyson, Mr B., Eastham, Ms H., Easton, Mr M.M., ECCP (staff of East Cumbria Countryside
Project), Edwards, H., Elkins, Mr N., Ellis, Mr D.E., Ellis, Mr S., Evans, A., Evans,
Ms A., Fairhurst, Mr J., Fakes, Dr W., Fell, Miss C.I., Ferguson, A., Fisher, H.,
Fisher, W., Flindall, Mr C.C., Foot, J., Forest Enterprise, Fowler, Mr J., Fowles,
Mr A., Fox, Mr N., Fox, R., Franco, A., Franklin, Mr N., Fraser, Mr A., Fraser,
Mr A.C., Fryer, Dr G., Fuller, M., Gardner, A.N., Gardner, Mr S., Gardner, Mrs M.,
Garland, Mr S.P., Garner, Mr S., Garner, S.M., Gavaghan, Mr J., Gay, Mrs R., George,
R.W., Gibson, K.M., Gilbert, Mrs J., Goldie, Mr G., Goodison, R., Gorley, Ms M.,
Gorton, Mr R.W., Gould, Mr A.F., Graham, C., Graham, Mr S., Graham, S., Grayson,
Mr W., Grove, S.J., Guthrie, D.M., Guthrie, Prof S., Hadfield, Mr J., Hall, Mr A.,
Hamer, Mr J., Hancock, B., Hancock, Mr E.F., Hardy, Mr I., Harper-Tarr, Mr D.A.,
Harper-Tarr, Mrs J., Harrington, W.J.F., Harrison, Mr J.P., Hartley, C., Hassall,
G., Hatch, S., Hawkins, Mr R.D., Hay, Mr K., Hayhow, S., Hays, K., Hayward, L.A.,
Hewitt, Mr S.M., Hewitt, Mrs K.P.E., Hill, Mr S., Hilton, R., Hirst, Mr N., Hodgson,
Mrs E.A., Hodgson, R., Hodgson, J., Holding, J., Holding, B., Holland, Mr D., Holland,
Mrs S., Holland, Mrs J., Holton, Mr N., Homan, Mr R., Hooson, J., Horne, Mr G.,
Horsfield, Dr K., Howard, Mrs D.M., Hugo, B., Hulme, Mr G., Hunter, Mr M., Hutcheson,
Mr M., Imm, Mrs A., Ingersent, Mr B., Irving, Mr R., Isherwood, Ms C., Iveson, Miss
D.A., Jackson, N., Jackson, P., Jackson, T., Jameson, R., Jeffrey, Mrs A., Jeffrey,
Mr B., Jewell, Mr D., Jones, C., Jones, Mr, Jones, Mr C., Jones, Mr T., Jones, R.H.,
Jowsey, J., Kaines, C., Keates, A.G., Kendal NHS, Kennedy, Mr B., Kerr, G., Kerr,
Ms A., Key, Dr R.S., Kinder, Mr P.M., King, Miss E., Kingston, Ms C., Kinnear, Mr
P., Kirkby, S., Kirkland, Mr P., Kirtley, Mr S., Kitscke, C., Knox, Ms J., Kydd,
M., Kydd, Mr W., Lambert, D., Langford, Mr M., Langmaid, Mr J., Laycock, M.P., Leaf,
Mr A., Lishman, J., Little, Mr R., Littlewood, N., Lowe, F.D., Lowther, Ms H., Lumb,
Mr C., Lurz, Mr P., Makin, Mr B., Manson, Mr J.K., Marper, Mrs E., Marrs, Mr B.,
Marshall, H., Marshall, Mr A., Martin, Mr J., Martin, Mr J.W., Mawby, Mr F.J., Mawby,
Mrs S., McAlone, Mr D., McCormick, Mr R.F., McGowan, D., McGregor, R., McLean, A.J.,
Miles, Mr J., Miller, Mr J., Miller, Mrs Y., Miller, Mr K., Milligan, Ms K., Mills,
A., Mills, Mr M., Mills, Ms S., Mitchell, D.G., Mitchell, Mr, Moore, Mr and Mrs
D, Moran, Mr S.A., Morgan, B., Morris, R.K.M., Morton, K., Mounsey, Mr J.D., Murphy,
Mr and Mrs, Murphy, Ms S., National Trust(NT), Naylor, Mr G.R., Nelson, W., Nixon,
Ms V., Nodder, Mr M., Norman, C.G., Norman, Mr G.M., Oakham, Mr M., Oates, M.R.,
O'Connor, Mr, O'Connor, Mr T., Ogden, Ms J., Old, Mr A., Oliver, D., Orrell, Mrs
M., Overton, B., Page, R.J.C., Palmer, Mr B., Palmer, S., Parker, Mr J.B., Parkinson,
Mr D.W., Parks, Mr R.M., Parr, Mrs F., Pearson, D., Penrith CWT group, Penson, R.,
Peter, S.C., Petley - Jones, Mr R., Petley - Jones, Mrs J.P., Piercy, Mr D., Pitt,
Mrs L., Player, D., Pontin, A.J., Pontin, Dr J., Postlethwaite, C.&.D., Powell,
M., Preece, M., Preston, D., Pugh, E., Purcell, A.R., Radford, Mr D., Raine, Mr
A., Randell, J., Raven, Mr C., Rawes, Mr M., Rawes, Mrs K., Rawlins, Mr M., Read,
Mr R.W.J., Redhead, Mr B., Reid, T., Reinecke, Ms L., Rey, D., Rhone, Miss E.H.,
Richards, M., Richardson, Mr C.J., Richardson, Mrs C., Richardson, Mr J., Richardson,
Mr S., Richardson, Ms V., Riches, A., Ridley, T., Rimmington, Mr T., Ritson, Mr
P., Robb, Mr J., Roberts, B., Roberts, Mr F.J., Roberts, Mrs M., Roberts, Mr J.,
Roberts, Mrs D., Roberts, S., Robertson, Mr L., Robertson, Mr L.R., Robinson, M.,
Robinson, Mr C., Robinson, Mrs A., Robinson, Mr N.A., Robinson, T., Robson, D.,
Rook, Mr J., Rotheray, Dr G.E., Ruddick, T.H., Ryder, S., Saltby, R., Sammes, Mr
M., Sargeant, H., Saunders, R., Saunders, L., Scott, P., Scougall, D., Searle, J.,
Shaw, B., Shaw, Mr R., Sheldon, J., Shield, Mrs S., Shields, Ms S., Shiels, Ms S.,
Shorrock, Mr B., Shreeve, A., Singleton, A., Singleton, Mr P., Sivell, L., Slater,
I., Sloan, P.&.L., Smith, D., Smith, Dr I., Smith, Mr J., Smith, Mrs P., Snell,
Mr B., Snell, Mr C., Southwell, T., Spiro, Mr, Spencer, Mrs H., Spencer, Dr B.,
Spooner, Mr T., Stables, Mr H., Stannard, Mr P., Starmer-Smith, Mr, Stephen, G.,
Sterry, Ms R., Stevens, R., Stewart, A., Stewart, D., Stewart, Mr R., Stirrup, Mr
S., Stocks, Mr W.P., Stott, Mr M., Strand, Mr A., Stride, Mr, Strutt, Mr J., Styles,
Mr A., Summers, P., Sutcliffe, R., Sykes, E., Sykes, S., Taylor, Mrs J., Taylor,
R., Temple, K., Templeton, Mr J., Thirlaway, T., Thompson, Miss K., Thompson, Mrs
J., Tinkler, Mr G., Tipling, Mr A., Tosswill, Mrs S., Tottle, A., Townsend, P.,
Tuffen, Mr P., Tuffen, Mrs M., Tyler-Smith, C., Uffen, Mr R., Ullrich, Mr P., Vicar,
Mr G., Wain, Mr M., Waldron, J., Walker, Mr D., Walker, Mrs W., Wallace, Mr T.,
Waller, I.J., Walshaw, Walters, J.R., Warren, M.R., Watson, I., Webber, Mr C., Wells,
Mr T.J., West, Mr D.G.H., West, Mrs M., West, Mr K., Whaley, G., Wheeldon, A., Wheeler,
P., Whitaker, Mr T.M., Whitehead, Mr C., Widdowson, Mrs, Wiggins, Mr P., Wilberforce,
P., Wilde, Mr P., Wilkinson, J., Wilkinson, J.A., Williamson, Mr J., Williamson,
Mrs L., Wills, Mr A., Wilson, Mr W., Wilson, P., Wimpress, Mr R.S., Witty, D., Woodhead,
Mr D., Woods, Mr, Wright, Mr R., Zaltowski, P.
