Image source, Essex Wildlife Trust
- Author, Brian Boer
- Role, BBC Essex
Record numbers of butterflies once nearly extinct have been recorded in a nature reserve, a conservation group said.
The Essex Wildlife Trust said 218 lapwing butterflies were counted this year at Pound Wood Nature Reserve near Hadleigh, Essex.
Staff said the previous record at the reserve, which is managed primarily to promote the butterfly’s recovery, was 148 in 2019.
Reports show that 80% of Britain’s butterfly species have declined over the past 50 years, the trust said.
Image source, Essex Wildlife Trust
“The lapwing butterfly was once almost extinct in Britain, but thanks to conservation efforts its numbers are increasing,” a spokeswoman for the trust said.
“This year 218 were recorded at Pound Wood Nature Reserve in south Essex, making this the highest number the trust has seen to date.”
The spokeswoman said: “Record numbers of 148 fritillary butterflies were previously announced in 2019.”
Image source, Essex Wildlife Trust
Heath fritillaries were only found in specialized habitats, she said.
She said they were only found from May to July and preferred sunny, warm and sheltered environments.
“Colonies of this delicate butterfly live in sheltered, woody woodlands in south-east England, where their food plant, the common cowwort, occurs,” she said.
“The trust, together with dedicated volunteers, has been carefully managing ancient woodlands for more than a decade to maintain this specialist habitat.”
She added: “Despite this success story, reports show that 80% of Britain’s butterfly species have declined in abundance and/or distribution over the past 50 years.”
Image source, Essex Wildlife Trust
What do we know about lapwing butterflies?
- The rare fritillary butterfly was on the brink of extinction in the 1970s, but conservation efforts turned its fortunes around
- It is still limited to a small number of locations in the south of England
- The butterfly is restricted to a “few key habitats” – mainly coppice woodlands or sheltered heathlands
- It can be seen flying close to the ground in a “distinctive flutter-and-glide pattern”
- The heather fritillary inhabits a small number of locations in Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Kent, and has been reintroduced to Essex
- It rarely strays from its main breeding areas
- The heath fritillary is variable in color and wing pattern, but usually exhibits a dusky, orange-brown checkered pattern
- It is protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Source: Essex Wildlife Trust guide
Image source, Essex Wildlife Trust
The Essex Wildlife Trust said it has launched “Butterfly Seekers” in 2023, a “citizen science” campaign recording butterflies in Essex.
“Between March and September, the public will be asked to record every butterfly they see in Essex on an app,” the spokeswoman added.
“This data will be used to inform butterfly conservation efforts in Essex, with the aim of recovering more species, in addition to the fritillaries.”