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

View Snakeholme Pit Blog 2023


Snakeholme Pit Blog 2024

Friday 4th October
 

Sawfly Larva - Platycampus luridiventris at Snakeholme (John Davison) 041024
Sawfly Larva - Platycampus luridiventris (John Davison) 041024


Wednesday 2nd October
 

Snakeholme Pond Meadow after cut (John Davison) 021024
Snakeholme Pond Meadow after cut (John Davison) 021024


Saturday 28th September
Ideal day for a workparty.
 

Snakeholme Bank Section 4 - Before & After (John Davison) 280924
Snakeholme Bank Section 4 - Before & After (John Davison) 280924
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (1)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (1)

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. 
 

Small Copper at Snakeholme (James Hewson) 280924
Small Copper (James Hewson) 280924

2 Commas, at least 5 Green-veined Whites, a male Large White and a Speckled Wood completed the butterflies I saw. 
 

Green-veined White at Snakeholme (James Hewson) 280924
Green-veined White (James Hewson) 280924

Common Darter at Snakeholme (James Hewson) 280924
Common Darter (James Hewson) 280924

A healthy number of 'workers' just about finished the tasks.
 

Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (2)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (2)

Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (3)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (3)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (4)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (4)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (5)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (5)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (6)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (6)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (7)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (7)


 

Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (8)
Snakeholme Pit Workparty (John Petyt) 280924 (8)

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. 
 

Small Copper at Snakeholme (Peter Cawdell) 270924
Small Copper (Peter Cawdell) 270924

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.
 

Migrant Hawker at Snakeholme (Peter Cawdell) 270924
Migrant Hawker (Peter Cawdell) 270924
Shaggy Inkcap Fungus at Snakeholme (Peter Cawdell) 270924
Shaggy Inkcap Fungus (Peter Cawdell) 270924

 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.
 

Sapporo Autumn Gold Elms at Snakeholme (Peter Cawdell) 270924
Sapporo Autumn Gold Elms (Peter Cawdell) 270924

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.
 
Green-veined White at Snakeholme (John Davison) 190924
Green-veined White (John Davison) 190924

 

The  Lincoln Conservation Group came last Sunday and raked up the cut meadows


 
Snakeholme Raked Meadows (John Davison) 190924
Snakeholme Raked Meadows (John Davison) 190924


Saturday 31st August
 

Snakeholme Meadow Cut - Before (John Davison) 310824
Snakeholme Meadow Cut - Before (John Davison) 310824
Snakeholme Meadow Cut (John Davison) 310824
Snakeholme Meadow Cut (John Davison) 310824
Snakeholme Meadow Cut - After (John Davison) 310824
Snakeholme Meadow Cut - After (John Davison) 310824


Friday 30th August
Mike Catchpole spotted a rare visitor.
 

Spotted Flycatcher at Snakeholme (Mike Catchpole) 300824
Spotted Flycatcher (Mike Catchpole) 300824


Thursday 29th August
Sunny afternoon.
 

Speckled Wood at Snakeholme (John Davison) 290824
Speckled Wood (John Davison) 290824

Butterflies included Large & Small White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Peacock. Migrant & Southern Hawkers still about together with Common & Ruddy Darters.
Other Fauna.....
 

Caddis Limnephilus marmoratus at Snakeholme (John Davison) 290824
Caddis Limnephilus marmoratus (John Davison) 290824



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.
 

Bank Flora (Richard Davidson) 170824
Bank Flora (Richard Davidson) 170824
Fleabane Cloe-up (Richard Davidson) 170824
Fleabane Cloe-up (Richard Davidson) 170824 

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.
 

Green-veined Whites (Richard Davidson) 230824
Green-veined Whites (Richard Davidson) 230824

 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.
 

Brimstone at Snakeholme (John Davison)130824
Brimstone (John Davison)130824

Butterflies continue to be in small numbers.
Other Fauna.......
 

Herald Moth Larva at Snakeholme (John Davison) 130824
Herald Moth Larva (John Davison) 130824
Sawfly Larva Caliroa cinxia at Snakeholme (John Davison) 130824
Sawfly Larva Caliroa cinxia (John Davison) 130824
Sawfly Larva Arge pagana at Snakeholme (John Davison) 130824
Sawfly Larva Arge pagana (John Davison) 130824

Friday 19th July
Hot day but still few butterflies.
 

Betany & Purple Loosestrife at Snakeholme (John Davison) 190724
Betany & Purple Loosestrife at Snakeholme (John Davison) 190724

Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Gatekeeper together with odd Small Skipper and Red Admiral.
 

Snakholme Dragonflies (John Davison) 190724
Snakeholme Dragonflies (John Davison) 190724


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

Large Skipper (John Petyt) 070624
Bee Orchid and Ox-eye Daisies 070624

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

Large Red Damselfly (John Davison) 210524
Malachite Beetle (John Davison) 210524
Moth Tawny-barred Angle (John Davison) 210524
Spindle Ermine Moth Larva (John Davison) 210524
Swollen-thighed Beetle (male and female) (John Davison) 210524
Vapourer Moth Larva (John Davison) 210524
Wasp Beetle (John Davison) 210524
Bug Cyllecoris histrionius (John Davison) 210524



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

Banded Demoiselle (John Davison) 170524
Gall Pocket Plum (Taphrina pruni) on Blackthorn (John Davison)170524
Tadpoles (John Davison) 170524
Wheat Stem Borer Sawfly - Cephus pygmeus (John Davison) 170524

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

Paths cut. (John Davison) 090524

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

Brimstone Egg on Alder Buckthorn (John Davison) 090524

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.

Grass Snake (John Davison) 090524

Flora.......

Early Purple Orchid (John Davison) 090524
Adder's-tongue Fern (John Davison) 090524

Fauna,,,,,

Beetle Cassida vibex (John Davison) 090524
Dock Bug (John Davison) 090524
Red-and -black Froghopper (John Davison) 090524


Saturday 6th April

Snakeholme Workparty 060424 (1)

 

Snakeholme Banks - after (John Davison)060424 (1)
Snakeholme Workparty (John Davison) 060424 (2)
Snakeholme Banks - after (John Davison)060424 (2)
Snakeholme Workparty (John Davison) 060424 (3)

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

Dog Violet (John Davison) 060424
Moth Vetch Piercer - Grapholita jungiella (John Davison) 060424

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

Brimstone (John Davison) 020424


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

Adder's-tongue Fern (John Davison) 020424

Flora starting to show.

Wild Arum (John Davison) 020424

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

Blackthorn Hedge (John Davison) 020424

Other Fauna.......

Alderfly (John Davison) 020424

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

Spawn at Snakeholme (John Davison) 080324

Wednesday 31st January

Snakeholme Water levels (John Davison) 310124 (1)

Almost back to normal.......

Snakeholme Water levels (John Davison) 310124 (2)
Snakeholme Water levels (John Davison) 310124 (3)

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

Snakeholme Water Levels (John Davison) 210124 (1)

 

Snakeholme Water Levels (John Davison) 210124 (2)


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

Snakeholme Water Levels (John Davison) 070124 (1)
Snakeholme Water Levels (John Davison) 070124 (2)
Snakeholme Water Levels (John Davison) 070124 (3)
Snakeholme Water Levels (John Davison) 070124 (4)