Creating a Haven for Butterflies at Stanwick Lakes
Creation of a Butterfly Bank
In early 2023, the heritage team needed to remove a soil bund as part of the restoration of the Bronze Age barrow, a Scheduled Ancient Monument on the nature reserve. Rather than letting the soil go to waste, we saw an opportunity to create a butterfly bank.
Butterfly banks can significantly boost butterfly populations. Their unique shape, with slopes facing in different directions, provides a variety of microclimates. This allows butterflies to warm themselves on south-facing slopes while seeking shade on north-facing sides when it gets too hot. The banks also support a mix of plant life, including areas of bare ground, low-growing plants, and taller vegetation. These features create an ideal habitat for butterflies to thrive.
We’re currently aiming to raise £250 to add plants like plant species like Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Sheep’s Sorrel, and Greater Knapweed to our butterfly banks. To donate, you can do so here: https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/donations/butterfly-bank-plant-plugs/
Consent was granted by Natural England to create the bank, as it lies within the boundaries of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). We also sought advice from experts, including an entomologist and members of the Beds and Northants Butterfly Conservation group, on its location, shape, size, and planting.
Once the soil had been deposited by a dumper truck, volunteers—including a local Scout group, the Stanwick Lakes Wildlife Volunteer Team, and Grow Wild Outreach—helped shape the bank, with the Scouts enthusiastically rolling down it to compact the soil! We then added calcareous chippings to increase alkalinity, preparing the soil for seeding. Thanks to generous donations from the family of Rose Boorman and the Beds and Northants Butterfly Conservation branch, we were able to sow butterfly-friendly plants such as bird’s-foot trefoil and wild strawberry.
Monitoring
For the last three years, a team of volunteers has recorded butterfly sightings weekly between 1st April and 30th September, following a set route (called a transect) around the site. This data not only provides a long-term picture of butterfly populations at Stanwick Lakes but also contributes to national records via the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme Database (UKBMS). The butterfly bank is included in this transect, allowing us to track which species visit it, their numbers, and the time of year they appear.
We’re currently aiming to raise £250 to add plants like plant species like Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Sheep’s Sorrel, and Greater Knapweed to our butterfly banks. To donate, you can do so here: https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/donations/butterfly-bank-plant-plugs/
Nature Engagement
We hosted several activities to celebrate butterflies at Stanwick Lakes, including Winged Wonders Walks and a Big Butterfly Count family event, where children enjoyed craft activities and used butterfly guides to participate in Butterfly Conservation’s annual Big Butterfly Count.
The butterfly bank has also been registered as one of Butterfly Conservation’s 4,500+ UK Wild Spaces. As described by Butterfly Conservation:
“Wild Spaces is all about inspiring everyone to feel empowered to act to help butterflies and moths, and engages communities across the UK to provide opportunities to get involved and make a difference.”
Find out more: Wild Spaces Website
See our Wild Space listing: Stanwick Lakes Wild Space
Throughout 2023 and 2024, the butterfly bank attracted species such as Brimstone and Common Blue. Volunteers, supported by the Ranger and Nature Engagement Team, managed the vegetation and even created a second, smaller bank using soil from another project on-site.
We’re currently aiming to raise £250 to add plants like plant species like Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Sheep’s Sorrel, and Greater Knapweed to our butterfly banks. To donate, you can do so here: https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/donations/butterfly-bank-plant-plugs/
Butterflies in Crisis – Can You Help?
The heavy rains of winter 2023–2024 flooded the gravel area around the butterfly banks for several weeks. However, the 2024–2025 floods have had an even greater impact, submerging the area for over six months and covering the plants that butterflies rely on for food and breeding sites.
And it’s not just at Stanwick Lakes that butterflies are struggling. In autumn 2024, Butterfly Conservation declared a national “butterfly emergency” after the Big Butterfly Count recorded its lowest-ever numbers. This alarming decline was also reflected in our own weekly surveys at Stanwick Lakes.
How You Can Help
We are aiming to raise £250 to buy plants that will support butterflies by providing nectar, food for caterpillars, and essential breeding sites. Our butterfly banks, located just a short walk from the Visitor Centre, have remained above the floodwaters throughout winter, making them the perfect place to plant butterfly-friendly species such as bird’s-foot trefoil, sheep’s sorrel, and greater knapweed.
To donate, you can do so here: https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/donations/butterfly-bank-plant-plugs/
Together, we can give butterflies a fighting chance at Stanwick Lakes.
