Friday, 3 September, 2010 homebutterfliesmothseventspressrecordingprojectsreservemembershipmagazinedownloadaboutcontactlinks The Small Blue Project Wildlife enthusiasts in Warwickshire are celebrating the start of a pioneering project to help reverse the fortune of the rare Small Blue butterfly. Butterfly Conservation will be restoring flower-rich grassland on 15 new sites, helping butterflies and other wildlife to thrive in the county. The Small Blue, as its name suggests, is the smallest of the UK's blue butterflies. Numbers have plummeted in recent years due to the loss of chalk grassland habitats. The Small Blue butterfly feeds on Kidney Vetch plants, which only grow on poor nutrient, alkaline (limey) soils. In Warwickshire it is clinging to survival at three sites around Southam, all of which are active or former quarries. The creation of new habitat within flying distance of existing butterfly colonies is the only way to help the dwindling population of butterflies spread and expand. At the time of the project launch, Jane Ellis, Butterfly Conservation's regional officer, said: "It is tremendously exciting - over the next three years restoration works will help many rare insects, butterflies and moths as well as the Small Blue itself. The habitats around Southam are some of the richest places for wildlife in the West Midlands. Many local wildlife experts have been trying to get help for these important sites for many years. Our project will provide new homes for wildlife and give local people the opportunity to enjoy them." In late 2009, Mike Slater became the Small Blue Project Officer and continues the excellent work which Jane Ellis started. Working in Partnership This work has been made possible thanks to major funding from SITA Trust, the Stratford Community Fund and Cemex, with many smaller contributions from local companies and Parish Councils. Small Blue Kidney Vetch Planting. 4th August 2009 Four intrepid volunteers joined Jane Ellis at Southam Quarry on Tuesday 4th August to take part in the next project to help the Small Blue. After a quick health and safety in put the party set off to collect Kidney Vetch seed. On our arrival at the collection point the party was rewarded with a sighting of a male Clouded Yellow and seven other butterfly species of rain despite the constant drizzle. After a brief coffee break to avoid a heavy rain shower the party collected more seed before moving to the area that was cleared last year. It was great to see this area. A great many seeds had germinated and had put on good growth. Further areas were seeded we then moved onto to the experimental bund area. Here the 5 bunds were seeded in different way. Bund A made of field earth seeded on top and the scrape in front Bund B made of field earth seeded just on top Bund C made of field earth left un-seeded Bund D bund topped with Blue Lias Clay seeded on top and scrape in front Bund E bund topped with Blue Lias Clay seeded on top Three of the party then moved onto Nelson’s Quarry where the long bund and two scrapes were seeded. Again the group were rewarded by finding Jurassic fossils, the first a Gryphia (Devils toe nail) a type of mollusc but the best find was part of a vertebrate of giant fish possibly an Ichthyosaurus. Butterfly Conservation helped by Warwickshire Highways proves successful. 8th July 2009 In 2006 the Warwickshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation and Warwickshire County Council Highways Department entered into a unique partnership to conserve Britain’s smallest butterfly, the Small Blue. The Small Blue has declined dramatically in range; nationally by 30% and in Warwickshire by 83%. Now only 3 colonies remain in the whole of the 6 counties that make up the West Midlands. All of these remaining colonies are found in the Southam area of Warwickshire. In an attempt to reverse this decline volunteers from the Warwickshire Branch, supported by Barclays Bank, planted 200 kidney vetch plant plugs on both sides of the Southam bypass in the spring of 2006. Kidney vetch is the only plant that the Small Blue caterpillar will eat. To further complicate things, the adult butterfly will only lay its eggs on the kidney vetch flowers because the caterpillars only eat the more nutritious flower seeds. Since the planting took place the number of flowering kidney vetch plants have been monitored on the bypass. Unfortunately, due to drought and rabbits it appeared that only a few plants survived. However, it takes 2 years before the young kidney vetch plants flower and the number of flowering plants has gradually increased. This year a mass of over 400 flowering kidney vetch plants were found. It is now believed that the Southam bypass is suitable for the Small Blue to colonise and it is predicted that it will do so within the next year or two. If this prediction proves correct then this will be a fantastic achievement and will be a living testimony to a successful working partnership. Andrew Savage, County Highways Contract & Policy Manager said “It is very satisfying to help on this local ecology project which has proved successful in such a short time. Highway verges provide a lot of habitat for flora and fauna. It seems the local conditions were idea for very specific plants and butterflies to prosper. Bringing Back the Small Blue official launch. 19th June 2009 Butterfly Conservation launched its Bringing Back the Small Blue project at Southam Quarry owned by CEMEX on Thursday 18th June. Find out more by reading our press release. Above: Speakers at the launch were, from left to right: Dr Martin Warren, Chief Executive Butterfly Conservation, Jane Ellis, Butterfly Conservation, Andrew Spencer, UK Sustainability Director, CEMEX and David Lowe, Principal Ecologist, Warwickshire County Council. Photo by Maurice Avent, Butterfly Conservation Above: Various partners visit Southam Quarry for the launch of the Bringing Back the Small Blue Project. Photo by Keith Warmington, Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire. Above: Dr Martin Warren, Chief Executive Butterfly Conservation photographs a Small Blue Butterfly. Photo by Keith Warmington, Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire.Harbury Spoilbank gets a Kidney (Vetch) Transplant Project Update 23rd April 2009 On Tuesday 21st April, 5 members of Butterfly Conservation planted 500 Kidney Vetch plants at Harbury Spoilbank South on a newly cleared area as part of the Small Blue Project. Above: Volunteers planting Kidney Vetch plants at Harbury Spoilbank. At one of the Small Blues sites near Gaydon, 6 community service volunteers led by the Probation Service planted 500 Kidney Vetch on some newly created south-facing blue lias clay mounds. The mounds have been divided into 5 sections by bunds running vertically up and down the bank. This has created a mixed topography which should be good for providing different micro-climates and protecting some plants during drought weather. Two section have been planted and one section has been seeded so that the plots can be monitored to determine what technique works the best. Above: Newly created south-facing blue lias clay mounds at Gaydon. Photo copyright Jane Ellis.Work starts on 'Bringing Back the Small Blue' 16th March 2009 The last two weeks of March 2009 saw the commencement of habitat management work designed to restore and enhance the limestone grasslands of the quarries and spoilheaps in the Southam area. The work, involving the removal of dense scrub, is aimed at increasing the population of the threatened Small Blue butterfly (currently confined to just 4 sites in Warwickshire) and will also benefit many other species of butterflies, moths and bees. Above: Before the scrub is removed. Above: After the scrub is removed. The Team Dr Jenny Joy - Senior Regional Officer Mike Slater - Small Blue Project Officer Branch Species Champions Mike Slater - Small Blue Species Champion Find out more about the role of species champion. Previous Team Members Jane Ellis - Small Blue Project Leader (until autumn 2009) Volunteers Wanted Keen volunteers are needed to help with site works such as clearing scrub, planting wildflowers and helping to monitor the Small Blue butterfly population. Full training will be provided. For more information about the Small Blue and how you can become involved please contact Mike Slater on 01788 335881 Project Progress Report 03-2009 (126kb) Above: A pair of male Small Blues on the lookout for passing females. Photo copyright Keith Warmington. © Butterfly Conservation WarwickshirePrivacy and Copyright Statement Butterfly Conservation is a non-profit-making company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468) Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268)   Web site designed and maintained by Steven Cheshire