Second brood of Duke of Burgundy butterflies raises hopes for species survival

August 2009. One of the smallest and most fragile of British butterflies, the Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), has re-written the record books with a second brood on National Trust land at Rodborough Common in Gloucestershire.

Only 3rd time a second brood has been recorded
This is only the third time, and the furthest north, since 1893 that a second brood of Duke of Burgundy butterflies has been recorded in the UK. The previous two second broods were recorded at Selborne, Hampshire, in 2005 and 2007.

Matthew Oates, National Trust Nature Conservation Advisor, who has studied the Duke of Burgundy butterfly for over 30 years, said: 'This is a really significant moment for one of the Duke of Burgundy strongholds. Second broods for this splendid butterfly are fairly common in southern Europe but extremely rare in the UK.'

Normally flies in May & June
These orange and brown chequered beauties can normally be seen flying at two National Trust sites - Rodborough Common in the Cotswolds and Ivinghoe Beacon in the north Chilterns - in May and early June.

Large areas of lightly grazed downland with plenty of cowslips have created the right habitat for the Duke of Burgundy butterflies to flourish at Rodborough Common. A volunteer from the local Butterfly Conservation group found the butterflies during survey work on National Trust land.

The warm spells of weather in late May and early June, and then again in late June and early July, in effect created the right conditions for this generation of butterflies to appear eight months early.

60% drop in population
In the last 20 years Duke of Burgundy numbers have dropped by 60 per cent as a result of changes in land use. The Duke of Burgundy was once a widespread species, which was almost lost due to declining woodland management and the growth of conifer plantations.

It spread on to limestone grassland after the Second World War, and flourished there in the 1950s as rabbits declined due to myxomatosis. But the decline began as the rabbits recovered and grazing regimes folded.

More second broods probable
Matthew Oates added: 'The flight season for the Duke of Burgundy butterflies has gradually been getting earlier every year. This means that it's becoming increasingly likely that we'll see more second broods in the coming years as our climate gradually gets warmer, providing conservation efforts to keep this little gem in the UK are successful.'