Better news for the silver-studded blue butterfly
Clean air and fire breaks help silver-studded blue butterflies go for gold as butterfly count at Dorset nature reserve sets new record - National Trust
Butterfly experts have recorded the highest-ever numbers for silver-studded blue butterflies on the Studland heaths in Dorset, cared for by the National Trust, bucking the trend of an otherwise challenging year for butterflies.
During this year’s count, the team recorded 1,714 and 430 silver-studded blues along the two transects respectively, the highest ever recorded at either site.
For the latter transect, this is a 2047% increase from the first recorded butterfly numbers in 1976, where 21 butterflies were counted. Nationally, the rise has been just 45 percent.
The positive results are all the more outstanding in what has otherwise been a difficult year for butterflies in the UK, as numbers of early season butterflies in particular were poor due to the wet, cold weather and high winds.
Dr Martin Warren, one of the UK’s leading butterfly experts who has been counting butterflies at Studland as a volunteer for the past four years, said: “These figures really are something to celebrate, at a time when many butterflies aren’t faring well at all. The success is a testament to the work the team have been doing to manage the heathland in a way that creates the complex mosaic of different vegetation and bare ground that the silver-studded blues love. Through this work, the Studland heath has become larger and better connected, creating a habitat where not only the silver-studded blues, but also other wildlife can thrive. The other factor that makes this such a special site is the clean air next to the sea and the low levels of nitrogen pollution that affects other heathlands. Heathlands thrive on poor soils and any extra nutrients can harm the delicate vegetation and ants on which the butterfly depends."
One vital part of the heathland management includes the maintenance of areas of short vegetation, which provides warm conditions for the black meadow ants that protect the butterfly larvae.
Posted On: 18/09/2024
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