Weather killing off butterflies
Bad summer is putting many species at risk
IT is not just human sun-worshipers who are suffering in this year's wet and windy summer.
The unseasonably cold weather is having a devastating effect on Berkshire's butterflies, according to a conservation group.
Strong winds have brought down trees in nature reserves and the heavy rain and cold temperatures may also have had a serious effect on the butterflies, according to the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).
BBOWT's head of reserves, Nigel Phillips, said: "I am concerned about butterflies such as the marbled white and the white admiral.
"Low temperatures, combined with the driving rain that we have experienced can bring about a very premature end to the lives of butterflies and moths – heavy rain beating down on these delicate insects can literally sweep them off the plants on which they live."
Trees have been felled by the wind at Moor Copse Reserve in Sulham and Tidmarsh Woods near Theale, Bowdown Woods near Newbury, and the Loddon reserve near Twyford – all of which provide much needed habitat for a number of native butterflies and other animals.
Mr Phillips urged people to be careful when cleaning up after a storm, and to spare a thought for the wildlife struggling to cope around them.
"It is important that trees blown over in the wind are not completely removed, as they can provide a natural source of decaying wood, which is important for many creatures, including the rare stag beetle," he said.
"I would advise people who are tidying up their gardens and grounds after a storm to leave some of the debris, as it can provide shelter and nesting material for wildlife."
Moor Copse provides a home for more than 250 species of moths, as well as woodpeckers, tawny owls, and kingfishers.
Endangered water voles, who burrow into the banks of the River Pang, which runs through the reserve, also live in the reserve, says the trust.