Thursday 24 May 2018

Butter-fingers


The UK only has around 50 species of butterflies (including the Dark green fritillary above) and, after a number of hard years, some are in rapid/terminal decline. There have been the odd success in re-introduction (notably the Large blue from Swedish specimens) but they require careful habitat management along with potential breeding specimens. The latest attempt concerns the Chequered skipper that people are attempting to re-introduce from Belgium into Rockingham forest in Northamptonshire (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/17/back-from-the-brink-chequered-skipper-butterfly-takes-to-english-skies-again). I appreciate that the workers wanted to take specimens from roughly similar habitats as the woodland rides they were going to but they could have used Scottish bugs.

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