White Admiral
One of a series of caches which are intended to draw attention to some of the butterflies to be found on Ashtead Common.
Further general information on the common is available on the link below:
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Environment_and_planning/Parks_and_open_spaces/Ashtead_Common/
This butterfly is far less well known than its cousin, the Red Admiral which is often seen in gardens. The White Admiral is a fairly rare woodland species with Ashtead Common being one of its strongholds.
Of all the butterflies in the UK, this has the most attractive and distinctive flight habit. It literally glides along the woodland rides, rising to the trees and back to the floor with only a few effortless beats of its wings. Another claim to fame is that it is one of the few butterflies where the underside of the wings is more colourful than the upperside. When at rest with wings open you will see a black surface intersected with white bars, however when the Admiral closes its wings it displays the beautiful markings which can be seen in the picture above.
The caterpillar of the White Admiral feeds on Honeysuckle through the autumn. It then hibernates for the winter and finishes feeding up in the spring before pupating. The adults emerge in July and are partial to bramble flowers from which they sup nectar. The area around this cache is just the sort of open woodland that the White Admiral likes. I've seen up to six sailing around one bunch of brambles in this area so I hope you get lucky!
Ashtead Common is a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest.
This cache is placed with the kind permission of Natural England and under licence from the City of London who own the common.
Nearby are a number of other caches on both Ashtead and Epsom commons. Many attractive paths criss cross the commons to allow access - some of these paths can become very muddy in winter so choose carefully or bring boots!
You are searching for a 2 litre ‘Lock and Lock’ plastic container suitable for swaps and Travel Bugs.