How to save and to attract more butterflies in Butterfly Conservation Week.

How to save and attract more butterflies into your garden and land in Butterfly Conservation Week. This week is officially “Save our Butterflies week” 24th July- 1st August. So why not get involved?

I was listening to Mike Mullis, our local butterfly expert talking on Radio 4 this morning about our coppice woodlands in East Sussex, where they have successfully managed to conserve and protect populations of the rare Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly. They have managed this through captive breeding programmes and through re introduction of coppice woodland management. This has encouraged the growth of Dog Violet; the food plant of this rare butterfly. Mike has been involved in rearing Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterly larvae and re introducing them into the coppice woodlands, which is their preferred habitat. It is great news that his work is being so successful.

If you like butterflies, why not create an area in your garden for them to thrive? A sunny sheltered spot is ideal and remember to provide lots of their food plants for the butterfly larvae as well as lots of plants rich in nectar for the butterflies later. (see our previous blogs) or, email us with your inquiries at charmaine@landvision.co.uk and we will advise you.

Why not start visiting some butterfly habitats near you and try to spot some new butterflies?
If you spend 15 minutes in a sunny spot in your garden or local park, just watching and counting butterflies, you will learn which ones occur locally and also what their preferred habitats are.

You can try to encourage butterflies into your gardens and land, through small changes in planting and by sensitive landscape management with butterflies in mind. These changes to habitat management,by re introducing coppicing cycles into your small woodlands and by adding sunny,sheltered woodland rides and glades on your land, will really boost your local butterfly population. Why not start by leaving rougher areas of tall herbs/ long grass at the base of your hedges or by creating new areas of wildflower meadow grassland which will also encourage a much greater variety of butterflies on your land?

Butterfly Conservation week runs from 24th July - 1st August 2010. At a time when 7 out of 10 butterflies are in decline, this is an excellent time to start getting involved.