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 2023
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