A large blue butterfly enjoyed its best summer for 150 years in UK thanks to a targeted restoration work which also benefiting other rare insects including the brown oil beetle and the piercing carder bee.
Butterfly that died in Britannia in 1979 but was reintroduced via caterpillars from Sweden flew four years later in its greatest number in June of this year since recording began.
South West England now supports the world’s largest known concentration of big blues which are listed as one of The most endangered insect species in Europe.
Up to a third of it’s british population is found on 12 new facilities owned by the conservation partnership restored to flowering meadows from arable fields, failed conifer plantations, railway embankments or degraded lowlands.
new meadow under special control for big blues also turns out to be an ideal breeding ground for rare plants such as the extremely rare pasquiflower and 12 species of orchids, including the musk orchid, autumn women’s curls, and the large butterfly orchid.
Rare insects that have benefited from this include the brown oil beetle, potted rock rose beetle, shrill carder bee, downland villa and spotted flies, as well as eight endangered species. of butterfly, including the revived Duke of Burgundy, one time one of The UK is in danger of extinction.
new grasslands managed or owned six partner organizations are the National Trust, Somerset and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trusts, J&F Clark Trust, Natural England and the University. of Oxford – with the restoration is being overseen by David Simcox and Sarah Meredith of the Royal Entomological Society.
Simcox said: “We are very proud that the partnership’s efforts have enabled hundreds of people see this amazing and mysterious butterfly in flight on a little of the most beautiful pastures in country.
“Greatest challenge ahead to provide this extension in climate warming and develop mitigation strategies of extreme weather events”.
Big Blue leads an extraordinary life: his young caterpillars trick ants make you believe they are young ant larvae, and they climb into ant nests. Here they are protected below all winter they grind and grow fat, eating ant larvae.
The species is extinct in UK because failure of grazing and rabbit- grazing on traditional meadows left the grass is too long and the temperature is too cold for ant species to survive.
Butterfly lifestyle and requirements worked out Jeremy Thomas, now emeritus professor of ecology at Oxford, who spearheaded its reintroduction, with ant species thrive again when grasslands are grazed to the proper level.
Support from the Prince of Welsh Charitable Trust clears reintroduction of butterfly for two new places in Cotswolds over in past three years, but now the focus is on preserving how to ensure in new population is resistant to global heating.
severe droughts cause ants are malnourished, and when stressed they more will probably notice the cunning of the big blue caterpillars and drive them out or eat them.
butterflies population crashed after previous dry years, but Thomas said he hoped the worst of dry weather did not affect sites in Somerset and Cotswolds.
The places for restoration were chosen deliberately. with diversity of microclimate and soil depth, so most have areas that are too cool and wet for ant and butterfly in most years, but are vital shelters during drought.
Thomas added: “Unseen success of this is project is a testament to what wide-ranging collaboration between conservationists, scientists and volunteers can achieve. His greatest legacy is that he demonstrates that we can reverse decline of globally endangered species once we understand the drivers.”
