The butterfly effect comes to Wimbledon Common

The theme of the latest meeting for youngsters at The Wimbledon Common Nature Club was ‘Butterflies’ – which was the cue for nets, charts and eagle-eyed spotting.

The children and their families learnt about the life cycle of these fascinating creatures in Sunday’s event, discussing how long they live, and learning about different species, their importance in the food chain for birds to feed their young, and about how climate change is affecting insect lives and biodiversity.

They went out on to Wimbledon Common to look for butterflies and moths, such as the Gatekeeper, Common Blue, Large and Small White, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and many more and after a slow start as the sun came out so the butterflies emerged.

Club leader Auriel Glanville, said: “The children had fun trying to catch the butterflies and other insects to study them better, before the enjoyment of releasing them back into their habitat.  The Cinnabar moth caterpillars with yellow and black stripes were of particular interest on their favourite plant, Ragwort.”

The club – supported by the London Wildlife Trust – has its next session on Sunday, September 8, when the theme will be ‘Den Building’.

Meetings start at the Information Centre, Wimbledon Common, and are from 10am-noon (newcomers 9.45am to register).  It is aimed at kids aged 6-14 year olds and is free to attend.

Pictured top: Six-year-old Leandre Karsch-Baran with his butterfly net looking at Cinnabar moth caterpillars on Ragwort (Picture: Auriel Glanville)