Discover the latest news and sightings from Snakeholme Pit Butterfly Reserve below...
You can report your sightings and send your photos from Snakeholme to John Davison via email.
If you would like to visit the site or any of our other sites in Lincolnshire, please take a look at our Events.
Work parties usually run 10 am - 3 pm.
Workparties: Workparties will be on an ad-hoc basis.
Next workparty:
TBA
You can also take a look at all the wildlife discovered at Snakeholme, from birds to flowers and everything in between, here:
David Lawrence Drone Video
Snakeholme Pit Blog 2024
Friday 4th October

Wednesday 2nd October
Saturday 28th September
Ideal day for a workparty.

Peter says...
The Small Copper's (yesterday) patience paid off, as, on a cool but sunny morning, it was constantly flying around as I was brushcutting section 2 of the bank.
2 Commas, at least 5 Green-veined Whites, a male Large White and a Speckled Wood completed the butterflies I saw.
A healthy number of 'workers' just about finished the tasks.
Friday 27th September
Peter Cawdell reports.......
As I was passing, I decided to pop in to the Reserve. It had been horrible butterfly weather so I was delighted to find a fresh Small Copper male patiently sitting out the rainstorms atop a single small Knapweed flower on the bankside.

In a brief bright spell, I also spotted a Comma and a Green-veined White. Other wildlife of interest was a male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly posing on the hedge and 3 Shaggy Ink cap fungi near the Peter Scott plinth.


It was great to see that the Brown Hairstreaks have adopted the site as a permanent breeding ground and I was quickly able to add another 4 ova to Richard Davidson’s tally.

The Sapporo Autumn Gold Elms, planted many years ago, as small saplings in memory of the late Cliff Hogg, now mature and showing their autumn colour. No doubt hosting the small colony of White-letter Hairstreaks occasionally seen at ground level on clumps of Hemp Agrimony flowers.
Thursday 19th September
Cool overcast morning.
Only a few Whites on the wing.
The Lincoln Conservation Group came last Sunday and raked up the cut meadows

Saturday 31st August


Friday 30th August
Mike Catchpole spotted a rare visitor.
Thursday 29th August
Sunny afternoon.
Butterflies included Large & Small White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Peacock. Migrant & Southern Hawkers still about together with Common & Ruddy Darters.
Other Fauna.....
Monday 26th August
Richrd Davidson e-mailed.....
I've called in at Snakeholme Pit a couple of times in the last week and a half so just to update you.
On Friday the 16th I found the first Brown Hairstreak eggs this season alongside the top path after not very far from the meadow, three on the left on young regrowth and three on the hedge next to there. I've translocated the three on the left to somewhere else on the reserve as that section 1 will be cut in the autumn. I also 'topped' all the Blackthorn in that first section to deter any other Brown Hairstreaks from egg laying on it. If they lay on section 3 which is lower than section 1 but also scheduled to be cut I'll use it as a nursery area and just move the eggs. It's good that the reserve is becoming a Brown Hairstreak hotspot.
If you walk up the other end along the path next to the stream towards the bridge over into Snakeholme Farm you'll see it's changed character probably due to it being inundated with water over the winter. There's a bank on the left towards the end which has always been mainly Knapweed later in the summer but now it looks completely different and is now mainly Fleabane and Hoary Ragwort so it looks kind of yellowish.
There's even Water Mint growing at the base of the slope! There's also quite a bit of Himalayan Balsam on the far side of the stream. But the stream itself is nearly dry now as we've had hardly any rain over the summer.
I called again on Friday the 23rd and found another 6 Brown Hairstreak eggs so the overall total is just 12 but it's early days yet. I'm sure we'll get more. There were lots of Green-veined White's all around the place, at least 40, including a number of mating pairs. They seemed particularly interested in all the Fleabane in flower at the moment.
Lots of Odonata around too including Southern Hawkers basking in the sun on the hedge opposite the pit. I recorded the leaf mines of an Agromyzid fly called Liriomyza eupatorii on the leaves of Hemp Agrimony while I was there. https://www.naturespot.org.uk/node/124851#:~:text=The%20larvae%20of%20the%20fly,similar%20width%20throughout%20its%20length.
Lincoln Conservation Group are scheduled to have a work day at the reserve on Sunday the 15th of September to rake up the hay in the meadow as they've done many times before. They will also cut down the overgrown stand of Blackthorn next to the hole where we put all the arisings to let more light into the meadow from that westerly direction and then the regrowth will hopefully attract egg laying Brown Hairstreaks in future years.
I looked along the hedge on the road side and it doesn't seem to have grown much at all since it was last cut back in December, probably because it's been such a dry summer. So maybe it won't be necessary to get it cut again this coming winter. But it will probably still need to be done the following year to prevent the growth on the outside becoming a traffic hazard.
Tuesday 13th August
Hot afternoon.
The Purple Loosestrife has recovered from the flooding and the Brimstones are taking full advantage.
Butterflies continue to be in small numbers.
Other Fauna.......
Friday 19th July
Hot day but still few butterflies.
Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Gatekeeper together with odd Small Skipper and Red Admiral.

Friday 7th June
Cloudy and very cool.
Paths mowed. Only butterfly was a Large Skipper resting up.


Tuesday 21st May
Warm but cloudy day. Expected a few more butterflies, still, Orange-tip and Brimstone obliged.








Friday 17th May
Nice sunny day. Still only a few butterflies.




Thursday 9th May
Nice sunny day, as it had been all week. This meant it was dry enough to get the paths cut.

Although sunny, surprisingly few butterflies. Those present included Orange-tip, Small & Green-veined White, Brimstone and Peacock.

Birds included Chaffinch, Wren, Garden Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Greater Whitethroat and Skylark. Though very briefly first Cuckoo call.
Grass Snake was very nice to see.

Flora.......


Fauna,,,,,



Saturday 6th April





Flora & Fauna..........


Tuesday 2nd April
Pleasant day with sunny intervals. Still wet underfoot but getting there slowly.

A few butterflies out including Brimstone, Comma and Orange-tip.

Flora starting to show.

Birds included Chiffchaff, Robin, Wood Pigeon, Siskin, Blue Tit, Goldfinch, Moorhen, Mallard and Buzzard.

Other Fauna.......

Friday 8th March
Spring may finally be on it's way. Frog & Toad spawn in the pond.

Wednesday 31st January

Almost back to normal.......


Sunday 21st January
A brief respite........


Sunday 7th January
Water levels still high.........



