Rare heath fritillary butterflies surge in number on Exmoor after sunny spring | Butterflies

The combination of the weather and sunny spring has improved by a herd of red cattle Devon led to an increase in the number of one of the rarest butterflies in the United Kingdom in Moorland in the English West Country.

In addition to increasing the pockets established on Exmoor, the Fritillary Heath spreads in new areas, which, according to experts, is very unusual.

More than 1,000 butterflies Fritilary Heath, nicknamed the disciple of the Woodman, were seen on sites in the Holnicote domain of the National Trust on Exmoor and nearby, a significant increase compared to around 600 at the same time last year.

Three spots were recolonized and a small site experienced a spectacular increase, only four butterflies in 2024 to 186 this year.

The Fritilary Heath was almost extinguished in Great Britain in the early 1980s, but the targeted conservation work brought it back from the edge.

The National Trust and the Caritative Association Butterfly Conservation tried to create the ideal conditions for the Fratillary Heath on Exmoor, in particular by using cattle to graze selectively and trample the areas for the butterfly, removing the hooks and cutting the clearings on the edge of the wood.

This is not all good news, however. The National Trust is aware that the exceptionally hot and sunny spring has prompted butterflies to emerge two to three weeks earlier than usual.

Basil Stow, a Ranger from the National Holnicote region region, said: “Early emergence is a mixed blessing. If the unstable time follows, it could interrupt the season of the butterfly flights and disturb its life cycle. It is a delicately balanced recall of nature and how climate extracts can even threaten our landscapes which are delicately balanced. ”

Jenny Plackett, director of conservation of the southwest of England at Butterfly Conservation, said: “It’s wonderful to see such a strong number of Heath Frillary on Exmoor this year.

“We have recorded butterflies on several new sites, including areas where they have not been seen since the 1990s. The Fratillary Heath is generally very sedentary, so this type of expansion is very unusual and suggests that recent habitat management works.”

The Heath Fratillary thrives in the moors and the fucked woods – hence its nickname – where its caterpillars feed on common cow wheat. It is limited to four main landscapes: Exmoor, the Tamar valley in the southwest of England, the Blean Woods in the Kent and the Woods in the south of Essex.