Fineshade Wood

Location - South of Stamford

Where to park -Main car park at SP98049836

Parking Charge - Yes

Notable species - Chequered Skipper, Purple Hairstreak, White-letter Hairstreak, Black Hairstreak, Purple Emperor, White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary and Small Heath.

Fineshade Wood is managed by Forestry England and is a superb site for butterflies. It has made headlines recently as the site of the Chequered Skipper reintroduction. However, there is plenty more to see in this magnificent woodland and it is worth visiting throughout the butterfly season.

For those visiting to see the Chequered Skipper please note that the reintroduction is still in its early stages and sightings can be rather sporadic. The best area to look for Chequered Skippers is on vegetation on either side the hard track that surrounds Westhay Wood. However, in recent years Chequered Skippers have spread out and we have had reports of them being seen in lots of different areas, so it’s worth looking out for them wherever you are in the woodland. It will be worth checking to see if Butterfly Conservation is running guided walks during the Chequered Skipper flight time as these, without a doubt, will offer the best chances of seeing a Chequered Skipper. Butterfly Conservation has provided a hand leaflet about the Chequered Skippers in Fineshade which also includes a map, you can download it here.

If you do see any Chequered Skippers during your visit please send the records to me, either directly or via iRecord, so we can plot their distribution around the site.

For more information please visit the Chequered Skippers Taking Flight page on the Butterfly Conservation website.

Fineshade Wood also holds good numbers of other butterflies. Dingy and Grizzled Skipper can be seen along many of the rides, with the hard track around Westhay Wood being particularly good for them. The Small Heath can also be seen all around the wood. Green Hairstreaks can be encountered too, especially along the northern edge of the set aside which runs south east of the old railway bridge and into the wood. Talking of the old railway bridge (which is on the access road you drove in on), if you stand on this you will notice a large Elm on the north side. This is a great area to stand and look for White-letter Hairstreaks but please be mindful of the traffic as the road can be quite busy at times. Black Hairstreaks can also be seen throughout the woodland, and any blackthorn is worth scanning for a while to see if any are flitting around in the tops of the bushes. Later in the year, Purple Hairstreaks can be seen flying around the tops of the Oaks and Purple Emperors are also regularly encountered. The favourite rides for the Purple Emperor area are the hard track that runs northeast from the south side of the visitor centre and the hard track that runs along the north edge of Westhay Wood. White Admirals can also be seen and the whole site is a superb location to see Silver-washed Fritillaries. In recent years Fineshade Wood has become known as one of the key areas for Dark Green Fritillaries as they started their colonization of Northamptonshire. Dark Green Fritillaries can be seen all around the woodland but two of the best areas to look at are the set-aside field south of the old railway bridge and also the old lorry bay area northeast of the main car park.

For more information about Fineshade Wood please visit Forestry England’s website

A few Chequered Skipper photos taken in Fineshade Wood