Potteric
Carr
YWT
Site Details
Recorder: Olivia Kelly, Ann Davis and Paul Davis Distance : 2682m Walk Time 1hr
Potteric Carr is a remnant of the vast fenland that once stretched all the way across the Humber basin to the coast now refered to as the Humberhead. A mosaic of habitats, from reedbeds to winding woodland trails and networks of ponds. During summer, the meadows are full of butterflies.
Sections:
S1-S11 are mostly wet woodland dominated by Birch, Alder, Oak and Sallows and counts are low and fairly typical shady grassland.
S5 stood out with the highest counts and the home of Orange tips
S12-S14 around the visitor centre are open and S12 bank is particulalry blessed with wildflowers and sees Common Blue, Comma, Peacock and Orange Tip do appear.
Results 2024
Results 2023
County wide 2023 results reflect the 2022 Heat and drought with Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock nearly halved for the second year against their 5 year average. Red Admiral arrived in force in July and took advantage of soft nettle growth of the rains and had their best year ever. Drought sensitive species on thin soils were badly hit, particularly Dark -green Fritillary and Northern Brown Argus but also Ringlet, Green-viened White and Small Heath. Less drought affected species along with the hottest June on record built even more on gains last year leading to Comma, Brimstone, Holly Blue and most Browns having a fantastic year reaching all time highs. A increase of 9% overall was mostly due to sheer numbers of Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers ment 2023 nearly pipped 2014 as best year in modern times. Most noticeable was the large differeces between moisiture retaining mineral soils of the valleys and thin, dry limestone or sandy soils. A large number of damp grassland, hedgerow and woodland dominated sites benefitted hugely with 3 sites seeing more than 50% increase . A smaller number of thin, chalky, sandy or craggy sites did badly some down up to 25%.
Potteric like other wooded sites on the Humberhead had a really good year. The site closely follws the county trends but here the only significant numerical loser being Ringlet. Much of the gains, as elsewhere, were with Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown both of which doubled ! Speckled Wood, Brimstone and Comma also doubled all these specie sbuilt on a good year last year. Dark-green Fritillary was seen for the first time this year. Not a single Small Tortoiseshell was seen and this is not that uncommon in the south of the county
Results 2022
2022 sees this shady grassland/wooded wetland significantly increase in numbers by 20% and on many species compared to 2021. Most significant and folowing the county trends Brimstone is up and the damp loving Green viened White somewhat down. Also amongst the vanessids the site follows county trends with Red Admiral up and a disaster with Peacock and the second generatiom Small Tortoiseshell. Comma in line with almost all sites bounced back with a cracking first generation of hutchinsoni and 3 times the number of last year. It nice to see Silver-washed Fritillary in this a dispersal year for this species.. but will it stay? There is most certainly a colony close by likely the limestone ridge but if there are violets it wil stay. All the Browns had a good year in line with most locations enjoying the warm June speeding their development particularly Gatekeeper boomed.
Results 2021
Surveys were not undertaken in 2020 due to lack of resources during the pandemic. In 2021 the route was expanded to cover existing woodland trails but still covering much of the older route represented by S11-14 in the new route which are much more open grasslands
The biggest changes mostly because of teh route change to woodland are large of Speckled Woods, Ringlets and Gatekeeper . Thelater appeared absent previously. It good to see Common Blue numbers up in the older transect and tortoiseshel numbers well up