CONSERVATIONISTS are delighted by the discovery of the small blue butterfly at a quarry near Broadway.
The find marks a major step forward in efforts to secure the future of this rare butterfly within Worcestershire in a joint project led by the West Midlands Butterfly and Moth Society (WM-BAMS) and quarry owners Smiths Bletchington.
The small blue is Britain’s smallest butterfly and is generally found on limestone grassland in southern Britain, where it lays its eggs on kidney vetch.
Over the past three years, thousands of kidney vetch plants have been sown on the site by volunteers from WM-BAMS supported by Smiths, to encourage colonisation of the butterfly from nearby land owned by the National Trust.
Worcestershire is right on the edge of its range and there have been very few sightings in the past.
The quarry site, however, has been monitored annually, and adult butterflies have been spotted, followed by the discovery of large numbers of eggs for the first time.
Agricultural change and other pressures over the years have destroyed the winged insect’s habitat, and the fact that it has now colonised the quarry is a notable conservation success story, said volunteers.
Trevor Bucknall from WM-BAMS, who has led conservation efforts on site, said: “We were really delighted to see small blues have arrived – it makes all the hard work worthwhile.
“Even better, was to discover that dozens of eggs had been laid, including on some of the newly sown kidney vetch.
He is extremely grateful to Smiths Bletchington for their support for this project, including the donation of kidney vetch seed.
“For years, the small blue has just about been holding on in tiny scraps of land in this corner of Worcestershire but now there is a real chance of linking together these sites and enabling a more sustainable long-term population to form.
“As well as kidney vetch, many other wild flowers are present, including orchids, and the site supports a wide range of other butterflies and insects now rare in the wider countryside,” he added.
Volunteers have been planting kidney vetch. s
Jo Davies, planning and estates manager at Smiths Bletchington, said: “This is great news and it is fantastic to learn that such a rare and fragile species has responded so well to conservation efforts.
“Our staff have played an important role in some of the seed sowing sessions and I know they will be pleased to hear of the successful outcome as well.
“As a company, we have a strong environmental focus and are pleased to be able to support community-focused conservation.”
