Butterfly meadow brings wildlife to Hull city centre

Ten butterfly species, including the small skipper, have been spotted in a Hull city centre meadow near St Stephen's Shopping Centre.

Ten species of butterfly have been spotted in a “mini meadow” in Hull city centre, creating what wildlife group Hull Butterfly City has described as a “butterfly city” in the shadow of office blocks and a shopping centre. Sean Clough said the discovery of the small skipper butterfly is “rare for a city”.

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

Why is the small skipper important?

The small skipper has been breeding in the meadow, and Sean Clough said it needs grass left uncut throughout the year “because the tiny caterpillar spends the winter inside a grass sheath”.

“rare for a city”

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.

A close-up of a butterfly with orange and brown wings. It is sitting on a blade of grass against a green backdrop. — Image caption, The small skipper butterfly has been breeding in the meadow

How did the project develop?

The meadow began in 2023 as part of a wider effort to encourage planting that supports caterpillars as well as adult butterflies. By allowing grass and wild flowers to grow on the Land Registry site near St Stephen's Shopping Centre, the project has created a small wild area in the city centre.

Sean Clough, from Hull Butterfly City, said the small skipper butterflies had been breeding in the meadow, and described that as a notable sight for an urban location. The presence of ten butterfly species has helped underline the value of the site for city centre wildlife.

How have staff responded?

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”.

“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.”