You don't need your own common to make a butterfly and bee haven

One of my favourite places to walk my dog is Milton Common, a 45-hectare stretch of grassland, scrub and wetland that hugs Langstone Harbour on the eastern edge of our city.

- by Martyn Cox

Milton Common is one of Martyn's place to walk his dog - and it's a great place to spot butterflies

It’s remarkable open space at any time of the year but in spring and summer it’s a brilliant place to spot all sorts of bees and butterflies.

Over the years I’ve seen comma, peacock, marbled white, red admiral, common blue and speckled wood butterflies, along with several other species and day flying moths.

I’ve also observed many different bees, although I struggle to identify the 250 different types found in the UK.

I wholeheartedly encourage all residents to visit this open space at some point over the next few months, where I can (almost) guarantee you will see a host of beneficial insects on the wing.

At the same time, it’s a good idea to make our gardens and outdoor spaces more bee and butterfly friendly.