Brimstone and Buckthorns

A late Brimstone butterfly captured by lepidopterist Alan Watts's camera.

The greeny yellow males may be the species that gave rise to the name 'butterfly'.  The females are paler and can be mistaken for whites. 

They are very long-lived for a butterfly and can be seen at almost any time of year.  In the winter they hang like withered leaves in leafy bushes to hibernate, but will wake up in sunny weather and are the first butterfly to appear in the spring.

They roam far and wide looking for common buckthorn and alder buckthorn plants for their caterpillars to feed on.  

Common Buckthorn - an invasive weed in North America

Students and staff from the Sheiling School planted two of each species in the top meadow at Filnore Woods a few years ago and they are growing well, if slowly.  

The orchard and wildflower meadow group have also planted buckthorns down near the Anchor at Morton and a couple of buckthorn plants are also surviving on the Pollinator Highway along Morton Way in Thornbury but they are struggling a bit.  

Alder buckthorn - wildlife trust

Buckthorns occur naturally in hedgerows but are easily overlooked by humans - though not by Brimstones.