Butterflies

Butterflies depend on the flower-rich downland for their survival.

   
The rare blue butterflies Common Blue, Small Blue, Chalk-hill Blue and Adonis Blue depend on small blue plants of the pea family as food plants for their caterpillars.  More common are species whose caterpillars feed on grasses, such as the brown butterflies Meadow Brown and Small Heath, and the black and white Marbled White.   Other butterflies that may be seen are the Large and Small White, Small Skipper and Small Copper, although these are not dependant on downland for their survival.  The rare Duke of Burgundy Fritilliary occurs mainly in the woods of the eastern Ridgeway.  Its caterpillars feed on cowslips, oxlips and primroses.

A couple of day-flying moths may be seen: the Burnet and Cinnabar Moths.