Grizzeled Skipper Project

A report from Chris Jackson about activities of the Grizzeled Skipper Project

I would like to say a great big thank you and well done to all of you for your help in taking forward the Grizzled Skipper Project this autumn. After a long break due to Covid-19, it has been really good to see many of you over the last couple of months.

During our first 5 work parties of this winter period, we have focused much of our effort on sites in the East Leake area and I am very pleased with our efforts and hope to see good results when we visit these sites in spring to see the butterfly on the wing. Your work has involved clearing scrub to open up or maintain open areas, clearing ballast piles that have been created to encourage egg laying and also planting up areas with two of the foodplants (agrimony and creeping cinquefoil) which some of you have been good enough to grow on in your greenhouses, from locally collected seed.

In the New Year we won’t get started again until Sunday 23rd January when we will be moving across to the south-east of the county and working at a great site close to Flawborough. We then have a further four work parties planned to take place across sites in south Notts. If you are able to join us your help would be very much appreciated and essential to the success of the project.

Sunday 23rd January 2022 – Flawborough Triangle

Wednesday 2nd February 2022 – Saxondale Disused Railway Spur

Sunday 13th February 2022 – Flawborough Footpath

Wednesday 23rd February 2022 – Staunton Quarry

Wednesday 2nd March 2022 – Newstead Old Coal Stocking Yard

Grizzeled Skipper – Jim Asher

Interested in helping, contact Christopher.Jackson@nottscc.gov.uk