6
CAMBERWELL BEAUTY BUTTERFLY IN MALDON
On Wednesday 2nd August at 2.15 pm I noticed the above butterfly on the white buddleia
in my back garden. It stayed on and off until around 7.00 pm The next day it arrived at
8.00 am staying feeding until 7.30 pm then on the Friday it arrived at 9.00 staying until
4.15 when it got cloudy and dull. On the Saturday it arrived at 9.50 settling on the house
down pipe sunning itself then it flew away.
This butterfly had a definite nick out of the base of its wings where a bird had taken a
peck out of it. All the time I saw it, it was feeding. I took lots of photos and video
footage of it.
Lots of people from all over the place came to see it and we raised £13.50 for the
Butterfly Conservation Society.
Simon Patient (17)
18 Wordsworth Avenue, Maldon
MY OWN LITTLE NATURE PATCH
Less than 50' from my house is a small green which has a block of garages backing onto
it. It belongs to the Council but my dad cuts the grass to keep it looking tidy. The area
which runs along the back of the garages is about 4' x 60' and was very rough with broken
glass and rubbish.
I went with mum to the M.D.C, and asked if we could look after this strip of land and put
in some buddleias for the butterflies, this was in 1991. They said yes. So I helped mum
tidy it up and planted 5 buddleias, mauves and white. The next summer the Council came
along and cut down half of it before we could stop them. It made the front page news of
our local paper.
The buddleias have grown really well now and the nature patch is proving a great success
for the butterflies.