Today is butterfly day

Iford today hosts a wonderful community event called "Butterfly Day", which is a celebration and exploration of the wildlife that we enjoy in the valley here at Iford.  Click here for details.

In association with Butterfly Conservation, moth traps were set up last night, and a fantastic haul of around 60 different species of large moths are now on display.  These will be released again at the end of the afternoon, of course!

This year we are particularly pleased to welcome the RSPB back with their fascinating displays of birdlife in the valley.  In conjunction with the butterfly and moth brigade, they will be orchestrating wildlife walks during the afternoon around the meadows and hillsides.

And there's a little bonus for those with an interest in chiropterophilia too.  The Vincent Wildlife Trust, with the help of Natural England which administers the Special Site of Scientific Interest in the valley, has set up an infrared camera to allow us to watch the baby Greater Horseshoe Bats in the barn.  This protected species is very rare indeed, and so it is a great privilege to be able to see inside such a healthy roost.

It all kicks off at 11:30am, so we hope to see you later!  And the best thing about Butterfly Day...?  It's free to enter!

The tearoom will be open from 12 until 5, and the garden open as usual from 2pm.

A post for the mottephiliacs amongst you

Today there was a flurry of excitement (which, considering how busy the day was, was an achievement in relative terms) when a garden visitor was quite sure that he had spotted a rare tiger moth flittering and fluttering against the window of the manor front door.

He said, if I recall correctly, that it was a scarlet tiger moth.  Upon examination of the wonderful www.ukmoths.org.uk we have concluded that the identification was accurate, although we aren't sure of quite how rare it is.

This all bodes well for Iford's wildlife day on July 3rd this year, when Butterfly Conservation and the RSPB will be joining us, sponsored by the NFU Mutual, from 12 - 5pm.  These days are great fun for parents and children alike, are free to attend, and a really brilliant addition to the start of the summer holidays with face-painting, photo competitions, butterfly walks around the valley and such like.

The tearoom will be open from 12pm on that day, serving a range of homemade cakes, cream teas, ice creams and such like and the garden will be open as usual from 2 - 5pm - entry to the wildlife day, though, is free for all.

Have a look at the post from last year's butterfly day, and then cross your fingers for good weather.

And what of that beautiful moth?  We opened the door and released it onto a rosemary bush.

Butterflies flutter by...

Your regular author apologises for the lack of posts over the past month - he has been taking his Masters exams at the Royal Agricultural College and then catching up on the piles of post which built up during the period!  Over the next few weeks I hope to bring you up to date on the past month at Iford, starting with the wonderful events of "butterfly day", yesterday.

Run jointly between Butterfly Conservation and Iford Arts, this wonderful free event is aimed at both children and adults, and was held this year on Sunday 27th June in the baking heat of a glorious weekend.  With England playing Germany that afternoon, those that came to Iford had the better fortune, avoiding the disappointment of a somewhat predictable televised exit from that esteemed sporting competition.

The lepidopterists and other wildlife experts had set up traps overnight in the Iford valley, and the 80 species of moth caught were on display for inspection by the 250 plus children and accompanying adults that visited us on the day.  [When the list of sightings both for butterflies and moths is available, it will be posted on this blog].

Inside the marquee, kindly donated by NFU Mutual Insurance, there were activities galore, including storytelling, paint-a-butterfly (or moth!), decorate a butterfly cupcake, and perhaps most popular of all, facepainting.

For the more inquisitive of our younger visitors there was a treasure hunt, which encouraged children to learn about trees through exploration and research, and for the adventurous, guided walks through the long wild flower meadows were available for keen-eyed butterfly-spotters.  The photographically entered a competition on the day of butterflies and moths sighted during these walks, and hopefully we can post the winning image on this blog soon.

Butterfly friendly plants were available from a stall run by Downside Nurseries in Westwood, which proved popular with those wishing to bring more of a flutter to their gardens.

Many visitors, we are told, discovered Iford for the first time: to them a big "hail and well met".  The tearoom was very busy (mostly ice creams this weekend), and we were delighted to be able to provide a rare and relatively safe environment where children could learn through the medium of discovery and play, that not all moths need be crushed immediately under foot!

The laughter of children truly is infectious, and whilst the garden itself may not be particularly suitable for young visitors owing to its historic nature, to be able to offer a free day of natural discovery for the young is greatly rewarding.  Thank you to all that made it happen.