Projects
Coastal wildlife of the North York Moors - FSC Guide
Coastal wildlife of the North York Moors covers 25 miles of North Yorkshire coast, from Staithes in the north to Cloughton Wyke near Scarborough in the south, including Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay.
Whitby Naturalists' were heavily involved in putting together this publication, copies can be bought at many of our events, in local Nature outlets and directly from Field Studies Council (FSC).
FSC produces a wide range of wildlife guides to help with identification of species in the field.
Greening the Cinder Track.
The Club was awarded funding from Betty's Trees for Life for planting diverse native trees along the Cinder Track to increase its value as a wildlife corridor. Nearly 1000 whips have been planted over the winter months by Club members and North York Moors volunteers, at sites from Whitby to Scalby. The project has now been completed successfully, with the whips showing promising signs of growth. Thanks are due to everyone involved for their hard work and enthusiasm.
Buckthorn for Brimstones.
This project, which got off to a great start in early 2019, aims to plant your alder buckthorn plants in strategic areas around Whitby and the Esk Valley. Alder buckthorn is a native British tree which is at its northernmost limit here. The brimstone butterfly is dependent on it, and the Club hopes that by increasing alder buckthorn populations, the brimstone can be encouraged to spread north over the moors.Thanks to the efforts of Wendy Holliday and Wendy English, the Club won the Conservation Award at the North York Moors Association AGM on 15th June 2019. For further information see the project information sheet.
Wendy Holliday giving a talk about the Buckthorn for Brimstones project after receiving the NYMA 2019 Conservation Award.
Wendy English's prize-winning photograph of a brimstone butterfly above.
Have you seen a Brimstone butterfly?
Brimstones are large, strong flying butterflies that can be seen from early spring to late summer/autumn. The male brimstone is yellow and the female is very pale green. The wings are a distinctive leaf shape.
Brimstones are uncommon in the Whitby/Esk Valley area, as their larval food plant, buckthorn, was not present.
With support from Yorkshire branch of Butterfly Conservation, Whitby Naturalists launched the Buckthorn for Brimstones project in 2019, and over 700 alder buckthorns have been planted in the area. We want to know if more butterflies are attracted, and if they are breeding.
If you see a brimstone, let us know WHERE and WHEN.
Please send a photo if possible, and any extra notes such as male/female, flying/feeding/egg-laying.
Email your sightings to
lepidoptera@whitbynaturalists.uk Thank you!