Large blue butterfly is thriving

Britain's butterfly population is at a critical all-time low after 2007's summer rains

published 5 August 2008

The large blue butterfly on the East Polden Hills in Somerset is thriving, despite bad weather and 2007's drought.

The area has become one of the best places to see them in Europe after they were reintroduced in 1992.

Geen Down nature reserve, managed by Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT), is closed during the flight period in order to protect the butterflies.

Numbers had been declining but SWT recorded more than 3,000 large blues during June 2008. Last month Sir David Attenborough announced that the site will be one of 20 identified as Butterfly Survival Zones.

Local farmer James Stratton is praised by the SWT for using his grazing cattle on the site to create the right environment for the butterfly.

Work like this has helped the large blue butterfly thrive in Somerset.

To comment on this article, use the comment box below, or email us at clonews@ipcmedia.com. Read more about the countryside.

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.

Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter