On A Wing And A Prayer

Butterflies are one of our most familiar natural delights but Yorkshire is also home to some of the rarest of these miniature winged wonders. Tom Marshall from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust sets out in search of them.

IT’S always good to look your best when meeting the aristocracy. Sadly, as it’s still surprisingly chilly in May in the North York Moors, sartorial custom has taken a back seat in favour of a suitably warm hat and gloves. With any luck though, the sun will soon start to cast its rays on this misty hill on the edge of the National Park and I’ll be ready for my appointment with His Grace.

With such grand nomenclature, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Duke of Burgundy butterfly would be easy to spot in its finery, however nothing could be further from the truth for this most diminutive of butterflies.

My search begins along the crumbling dry stone walls, their lime-green mossy blankets complimented by the crisp icy white of wood anemone and campion, plus the vibrant blue of native English bluebells – always at their best before the harshest sunlight.

Alongside are tangles of brambles and lush early summer bracken – butterfly favourites – and somewhere among the leaves lies the clasped wings of one of our fabled fritillaries, little bigger than a 20 pence piece.

With even the keenest of eyes, this is not an easy subject to track down. ‘The Duke’ keeps excessive flying to a minimum and rarely visits flowers, so the most imperceptible movement could be your only clue. Others, like small whites and perhaps a brimstone, catch your peripheral vision and become a frustrating distraction. Then suddenly, there’s the tiniest of flickers on a bramble leaf and an inch-long pair of wings opens.