Butterfly city blooms in shadow of office blocks

Image caption, Sean Clough says the discovery of the small skipper butterfly is "rare for a city"

A "butterfly city" has been created in the shadow of office blocks and a shopping centre.

Ten species of butterfly have been spotted in a "mini meadow" in Hull city centre, according to a wildlife group.

Grass and wild flowers have been allowed to grow on part of a site owned by the Land Registry, near St Stephen's Shopping Centre.

Sean Clough, from Hull Butterfly City, said small skipper butterflies had been breeding in the meadow, which he described as "rare for a city".

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The meadow was established in 2023 as part of a scheme to encourage people to grow plants that provide food for caterpillars.

Clough said the small skipper needed grass left uncut throughout the year, "because the tiny caterpillar spends the winter inside a grass sheath".

He added: "Everyone understands the role that flowering plants play for pollinators, but equally important for butterflies is to have the right plants for their caterpillars to eat, because most species of butterflies are very specific about what their caterpillars eat."

The meadow has become a haven for other wildlife, including dragonflies and grasshoppers.

Image source, Hull Butterfly City Image caption, The small skipper butterfly has been breeding in the meadow

Sarah Duell, head of sustainability at the Land Registry, said the staff "really love it".

Initially, there were concerns that the land might "look a bit of a mess".

"But we got together and talked about the fact that it's going to be pieces of the grass rather than the whole grass," she said.

"Once it got going, we had a little look around and started to see some of the insects and some of the butterflies coming to the areas that we have left to go wild.

"It was really, really exciting for us and for the office in general."

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