Habitat associations of day-flying Lepidoptera and their foodplants within nature reserves in Bedfordshire, UK.

Here we present the data used in the publication titled 'Habitat associations of day-flying Lepidoptera and their foodplants within nature reserves in Bedfordshire, UK.' The data is the result of egg and larval surveys for 11 species of Lepidoptera in a calcerous grassland nature reserve in Bedfordshire, UK. The associations of larvae with environmental characteristics (specifically cardinal aspect and vegetation type) were assessed. The goal of this study was to understand what parts of the landscape were being used by butterflies for breeding, and what landscape characteristics they were associating with. Please review the publication for more detailed methods. Data comes from four sites: TQ = Totternhoe quarry (51.89187634016136, -0.5669533440093271), TK = Totternhoe Knolls (51.88972902305882, -0.5743484133177491), PH = Pegsdon Hills (51.95301975418099, -0.3710906672782242), BD = Blows Downs (51.88797985438928, -0.483569470990711). The datasets is split by Area (A) (in metres squared) or Proportional area (P) (proportion of the total available area). Species names are abbreviated: N = Stinging nettles (foodplant for AI, AU, VA) AI = Aglais io AU = Aglais urticae VA = Vanessa atalanta GM = Garlic mustard (foodplant for PN, AC) PN = Pieris napi AC = Anthocharis cardamines KV = Kidney vetch (foodplant for CM) CM = Cupido minimus MJ = Maniola jurtina BT = Birdsfoot trefoil (foodplant for ET, ZF) ET = Erynnis tages ZF = Zygaena filipendulae HV = Horseshoe vetch (foodplant for PC) PC = Polyommatus coridon PB = Purging buckthorn (foodplant for GR) GR = Gonepteryx rhamni The research was funded by a Cambridge Conservation Initiative/Evolution Education Trust (CCI/EET) grant to EAJ. We thank the Isaac Newton Trust/Wellcome Trust ISSF/University of Cambridge Joint Research Grant (RG89529) for funding ECT and AJB to establish the larger research project, within which this study was based. AJB was supported by a NERC Highlight topic grant (NE/V007173/1) to the GLiTRS Project. JA and SW were supported by the Balfour-Browne Fund, and JA was supported by Kings College, University of Cambridge.