| Most keen walkers are also butterfly
lovers - and lepidopterists amateur and professional will be taking
strolls across Somerset's Collard Hill during the next week or so
in the hopes of seeing one of the nation's rarest butterflies.
The National Trust, which owns the hill, claims the introduction
of Dartmoor ponies has played a key role in creating the ideal environment
for the short flight season of the Large Blue.
"The butterfly became extinct in the UK in 1979, but a major conservation
partnership project, which began in the 1980s, has subsequently
created 11 sites across the South West in which it is once again
flourishing," I was told by the trust's Alex Brannen. "Collard Hill
in the Polden Hills, south of Street, is the only open access site
in which the public can see this rare beauty."
Alex explained that grazing the south-facing slope has been the
key to successful reintroduction of the butterfly and that, this
year, the trust had introduced Dartmoor ponies to replace sheep
in the area.
"The ponies, in conjunction with cattle, have ensured that much
of the tougher vegetation has been eaten. This has allowed the wild
thyme, on which the young larvæ feed, to flourish and also
increases the warmth of the soil which is critical for the red ants,
on which the older caterpillar feeds.
"By reducing the amount of long wavy grass, females are more likely
to disperse their egg laying over a larger area, thus reducing the
competition for food."
However, it's not all good news. Large Blue butterfly numbers
are expected to be slightly down at Collard Hill this year because
last year's female butterflies were prematurely killed off by the
same thunderstorm that flooded the Glastonbury Festival site.'
Robert Holden, National Trust Area Warden for East Somerset, said:
"This is the most exciting time of the year for wildlife enthusiasts
as we see the brief annual fruition of one of the National Trust's
most important wildlife conservation projects. In partnership with
a local grazier and the Large Blue Project partners, we manage Collard
Hill all year round to create the conditions in which the Large
Blue can emerge, fly for a few dizzy days, mate and lay eggs."
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