It would seem that many people have childhood memories of fields alive with butterflies and in all probability these recollections relate to the Meadow Brown. Historical records indicate, however, that in Cheshire it may not always have been as abundant as we have assumed, with at least one period when it was considerably less widespread than at present. Evidence of its status in the late 1800s was provided by Ellis (1890) who reported it as “abundant”, whilst Day (1903) referred to it as “common”. It would appear that these periods were followed in the early 1900s by a decline that not only occurred in Cheshire , but also in neighbouring Derbyshire. It is unclear how long numbers remained low, but evidence suggests that the Meadow Brown remained a scarce insect in parts of Cheshire until the early 1930s with Smith (1948) quoting comments from several contributors during this period in support of this view:-
“Never seen in the Altrincham district and north Cheshire ”.
“Delamere, few”.
“Began to increase in the Northwich district in 1931”.
“First seen at Frandley, near Great Budworth in 1933”.
Statistics from the Cheshire Butterfly Recording Scheme show that since 1990 the Meadow Brown has been found in more than 95% of tetrads (2km x 2km squares). Whilst this indicates how widely the butterfly now occurs in the county it could also mask the fact that actual numbers are at a lower level than at some periods in the past. At a time when traditional hay meadows were found throughout Cheshire it is inconceivable that many lowland sites did not hold vast populations. On my own local patch the last surviving hay meadow at Bruntwood Park (Cheadle) produced a count of 5,000+ as recently as 13 th July 1991 – as with many similar sites, progress has decreed that this excellent habitat has subsequently been developed into yet another out-of-town shopping complex.
Most records of the Meadow Brown received in recent years have been of modest numbers, especially at sites in the Pennine foothills where conditions have always been less favourable for butterflies, but also in the intensively farmed Cheshire Plain where arable crops and rye-grass monocultures have replaced native grasses. Fortunately, the species survives in relatively small areas of semi-natural grassland as well as along roadside verges, embankments, hedgerows, coastal dunes and waste ground.
The Meadow Brown is a sedentary insect that rarely strays far from its breeding colonies. It is also one of a few species in the U.K. that can often be seen flying in dull weather, or even light rain. It has a single generation each year with the earliest county record at Fiddler’s Ferry on 25 th May 1995 and the latest at Chester on 10 th October 1994. Normally, however, its main flight period extends from mid-June to late August, by which time the surviving insects can look extremely tatty. The date of peak numbers varies from year-to-year depending on weather conditions, but generally occurs in the second half of July.
The eggs of the Meadow Brown are difficult to find, but are laid singly on a range of fine-leaved grasses, or sometimes even casually dropped on them. During the late summer the emerging caterpillars feed amongst grasses before hibernating and continuing their development the following spring. In total the caterpillars live for about 10 months before entering the chrysalis stage for a further few weeks.
At the present time there is no indication that the status of the Meadow Brown is under any threat providing that a few areas of semi-natural grassland remain available for its survival.
Day, G.O. (1903). A list of Lepidoptera found in the counties of Cheshire, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Carnarvonshire and Anglesea.
Ellis, J.W. (1890). The Lepidopterous Fauna of Lancashire and Cheshire.
Smith, S.G. (1948). The Butterflies and Moths found in the counties of Cheshire, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Caernarvonshire, Anglesey and Merionethshire.
Written by Barry Shaw for News, the Cheshire and Peak District Branch of Butterfly Conservation magazine.