Sheepdrove Rare Butterfly Project
Sheepdrove Organic Farm has an ambitious new conservation project to help save rare butterflies, launched on 28th April 2009 with the kind help of volunteers and our partner organisations.
Their top priority butterfly is Marsh Fritillary. Two target areas on the farm, in Berkshire and Oxfordshire, will be grazed with cattle to produce exactly the right sort of habitat characteristics to suit it. Other species they hope to attract include the Small Blue and the Chalkhill Blue.
Natural England is supporting the new scheme with an Environmental Stewardship grant aid, because the butterfly is a high priority for the UK Biodiverity Action Plan, and the project fits the aims of their North Wessex Downs Target Area.
Marsh Fritillary
The adult is in flight from May to July, and feeds by drinking nectar from flowers. However, the tribes of caterpillars - which live in silken tents - usually only eat Devilsbit Scabious.
So the first phase of the project aims to create 2 new potential breeding sites with masses of the caterpillar food plants.
Marsh Fritillary populations have plummeted nationwide, as suitable habitat disappeared as a result of industrialised agriculture. Around the Lambourn Downs, the type of habitat that Marsh Fritillary needs is now scarce and only available in small, isolated patches. The butterfly has only 1 known breeding colony left in Berkshire, and fortunately Sheepdrove is just 2 km away, within flying range.
Project Partners
Local naturalists George and Val Osmond inspired Sheepdrove with their devoted work to record and conserve rare butterflies in the local area over several decades. To develop this project Sheepdrove Organic Farm brought together a range of organisations and experts. Jason Ball, the manager for biodiversity and alternative energy, worked in consultation with:
Natural England
Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation Upper Thames Branch
Flora Locale
Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust
Pang Kennet Lambourn Valleys Countryside Project
FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group)
Forestry Commission
Thames Valley Environment Records Centre
North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty helped germinate the farm's ideas by awarding funds for an educational partnership project with Trinity School in 2007.
Matt Dowse (Southampton University) wrote a research dissertation and helped to survey the target sites. His project investigated habitat creation and conservation.
Volunteers
Sheepdrove are very grateful to everyone who took part in the project launch. The team successfully planted 400 pots of Devilsbit Scabious during just one session, which was fantastic!
They plan another planting task in September, with more scabious and Horseshoe Vetch to support Chalkhill Blue butterflies. Meanwhile we have chalk features to create and wildflower seeds to sow.
Sheepdrove welcome volunteers who wish to help to develop the project, and monitor the sites as they mature. Research projects can also play an important role, e.g. understanding and recording the process of habitat change; or butterfly surveys; or genetic and behavioural studies of butterfly populations.
Conservation grazing
Good grazing management is vital, and award-winning farm staff will only allow cattle at the special project areas. Numbers of livestock will be kept low, to allow the Devilsbit Scabious to flourish, set seed and multiply.
The caterpillar food
Charles Flower Wildflowers grew our hundreds of pots of Devilsbit Scabious. Charles Flower is a well known consultant, and author of the stunning book, 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone?'
All the seeds were locally sourced, many from a bank at Sheepdrove which was, fortunately, too steep to ever be ploughed and still holds a remnant pocket of ancient grassland, thousands of years old.
Sheepdrove Rare Butterfly Project will also add caterpillar food plants for other threatened butterflies - Horseshoe Vetch for Adonis Blue and Kidney Vetch for Small Blue.
Flora Locale provided excellent advice about where to source plants and seeds locally, and also about ground preparation methods.
15.06.09
