Butterflies of Kent

Date:
Location: Tyland Barn, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3BD
Suggested for: Beginners | Improvers
Price: Standard fee: £37.50 per person per day.
Concessionary fee: Kent Wildlife Trust volunteers, senior citizens, unemployed and students £5 off.

Learn more about the butterflies of Kent and their habitats.

About the event

Butterflies can tell us much about habitat quality and the impacts of climate change. Learn about the identification and ecology of Kent’s species. Weather permitting, spot and identify some of the common and possibly rarer species of chalk grassland.

The day will begin with indoor session at Tyland Barn which will cover:

  • What is a butterfly?
  • An overview of the Kent species and their identification features
  • Butterfly lifecycles and behaviour
  • Butterfly habitats and good places to visit
  • Useful books and equipment

In the afternoon, we will travel in our own cars to Bluebell Hill and Burham Down to practice finding and identifying butterflies, and hope to see some of the less common species of chalk grassland.

By the end of the course it is expected that you will: 

  • Have an overview of the species found in Kent
  • Understand how species differ in ecology and behaviour 
  • Understand more about butterfly lifecycles, habitat management and species reintroductions

Led by Richard Moyse, Botanist and entomologist with more than 35 years’ experience studying and conserving wildlife in Kent.

Suitable for beginners and improvers.

  • Accessible trails

  • Baby changing facilities

  • Bird hides

  • Cafe/refreshments

  • Disabled parking

  • Picnic area

  • Toilets

  • Wifi

Partially accessible

The grounds and teaching space at Tyland Barn are accessible to wheelchair users.

Bluebell Hill and Burham Down are not accessible to wheelchairs. There are medium mobility kissing gates and other gates. Paths are steep and path surfaces are slippery and uneven in places. We will be walking about 1½ miles in total while on the site.