Wednesday 25th August, 10:00-12:00: Woodwalton Fen
Book your free ticket on Eventbrite here
Journey through time as we discover the butterflies of Woodwalton Fen, past, present and future, with the University Museum of Zoology.
The Wildlife Trust BCN is delighted to be joined by invertebrate experts from the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, for this special insight into the butterflies of the Great Fen. Taking a guided walk through historic Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve, one of only four remaining fragments of ancient wild fens, we will discuss the species who thrived here in the past, who lives here now and who may return in the future.
Through their collections, the Museum of Zoology is showing how losses of the past can guide conservation of the future. Museum collections can act like time machines and allow us to track long-term changes into the past. For example, some butterfly species collected in Cambridgeshire 200 years ago have now disappeared, such as the large copper and swallowtail . Many are wetland specialists and relied on expansive fenlands, which have now been drained.
Observing past losses using museum collections and understanding their causes can help us to reverse them. The Great Fen is rewetting a part of Cambridgeshire and with time, species may be able to recolonise the area. Let us hope that museum specimens will soon be re-joined by their free flying relatives!
We are able to offer this event free of charge thanks to generous funding. The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund is run by the Museums Association, funding projects that develop museum collections to achieve social impact.
