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8 June 2009
Cash boost for rare butterflies
Over 100 local wildlife supporters and dignitaries visited an important Wildlife Trust nature reserve in Bedfordshire last week to learn all about a cutting-edge nature project to protect rare butterflies.
The project - the Dukes vs. Blues project - will improve understanding of three beautiful butterfly species: the Duke of Burgundy, the chalkhill blue and the small blue.
An army of volunteers have been carrying out studies at five of our chalk grassland nature reserves: Totternhoe Quarry and the Knolls, Pegsdon Hills, Blows Downs and Sewell Cutting. Ecology Group volunteers have been catching, recording and marking butterflies with harmless coloured dots, which allow scientists to plot how far the insects have ranged. They have also been recording plants and other insects to see the types of habitats the butterflies prefer.
The studies have revealed that each of the three butterfly species had its own niche in the ecosystem. The results highlight the characteristics that chalk grassland habitats must be protected if these species are to survive.
Chalk grasslands are among the most diverse habitats in the UK, but have declined dramatically over the last fifty years. As a result, many species have become rare or extinct. Among those declining are chalk grassland butterflies; a trend that is particularly worrying as butterflies are good indicators of habitat change on reserves. Other important chalk grassland species includes skylarks, grizzled skipper butterflies and chalk eyebright.
Armed with the new scientific evidence, the Wildlife Trust’s volunteers will now carry out practical tasks to ensure the best habitat for all the wildlife on the reserves. The findings have been shared with other conservationists throughout the UK through publications, special interest meetings and conferences.
The Wildlife Trust received a fantastic £49,594 from SITA Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund to help with this work. The Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire branch of Butterfly Conservation also provided a £2,000 contribution.
Ed Turner, Dukes versus Blues Project Officer, said, “We are delighted to receive such generous support from SITA Trust and Butterfly Conservation to enable us to continue our research and expand to cover new sites. Our findings have been well-received by conservationists working with and studying threatened butterflies. We hope that this project will bring about real improvements to our reserves and benefit the survival of these fascinating species.”
The sun shone for our supporters’ day, which was held on the afternoon of Saturday 30th May. Local families were given a presentation about the project before visiting the impressive flower rich grassland to see the rare butterflies on the wing and learn more about these rare species.