Bringing sunshine into the woods

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Bringing sunshine into the woods should stop decline of butterflies Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor Britain’s biggest butterfly conservation project begins today in an effort to restore traditional species to ancient woodlands. The intention is to introduce new management methods in forestry and other areas where land has been neglected and the numbers of moths and butterflies are in decline. It is hoped that species such as the pearl-bordered fritillary, whose population has declined by 70 per cent in the past 25 years, will make a comeback. The small pearl-bordered fritillary and the Duke of Burgundy, whose numbers have declined by 50 per cent in the same period, might also become familiar sights again. In addition, the wood white has suffered a decline of 72 per cent and is now extremely rare. Conservationists are also anxious to build up populations of the silver-washed fritillary, whose numbers have fallen by 40 per cent in 25 years, and the heath

fritillary, which is now present in just 40 colonies in an area north of Canterbury and is one of the rarest butterflies in Britain.