Record year for Devon’s threatened fritillaries

Annual count reveals astounding number of webs

October 2010: Record numbers of marsh fritillary butterfly webs have been counted this month at Devon Wildlife Trust's Volehouse Moor nature reserve in north Devon. This success follows intensive work at the north Devon site.

RECORD NUMBERS: Marsh fritillary web  Picture: Gary Pilkington

The marsh fritillary is threatened throughout Europe. In north Devon it thrives on Culm grasslands but these have declined dramatically over the past century due to neglect and changing farming practices.

Devon Wildlife Trustowns and manages a number of Culm sites and at this time of year counts are taken of the webs which the butterfly's larvae create. The count has recorded an astounding 300 webs at Volehouse Moor nature reserve, a new record for the site near Bradworthy.

£400,000 project is paying off

Culm grassland needs regular management to stay in the right condition for its rare species. The work to manage this and other Culm grassland nature reserves in the area has been funded with support from GrantScape. The three-year £400,000 project comes to an end next year.

Gary Pilkington, DWT's senior nature reserves officer said: ‘It has been a really encouraging year with lots of adults of this very rare and threatened butterfly seen in flight over our reserves. The news of record web counts at this reserve confirm that all the time and effort we have invested has made a positive difference. These habitats are so rare and what's left of them are so unconnected it is vital that we do all we can to manage them.'