Rare Butterfly spotted at new site in Worcestershire

Thousands of Kidney Vetch plants have been sown on the site by volunteers from WM-BAMS supported by Smiths over the past three years, in an effort to encourage colonisation of this butterfly from nearby National Trust land. The Small Blue is Britain’s smallest butterfly and is generally found on limestone grassland in southern Britain, where it lays its eggs on Kidney Vetch. Worcestershire is right on the edge of its range and there have been very few sightings in the past. The quarry site has been monitored annually and, for the first time, adult butterflies have been spotted followed by the discovery of large numbers of eggs. Much of the Small Blue’s traditional habitat has been destroyed by agricultural change and other pressures over the years and the fact that it has now colonised the quarry is a notable conservation success story.

Trevor Bucknall, Spokesperson for WM-BAMS, who has led conservation efforts on site said: 'We were really delighted to see Small Blues have arrived and it makes all the hard work worthwhile. Even better was to discover that dozens of eggs had been laid, including on some of the newly sown Kidney Vetch. We are extremely grateful to Smiths Bletchington for their support for this project, including their donation of Kidney Vetch seed. For years, the Small Blue has just about been holding on in tiny scraps of land in this corner of Worcestershire but now there's a real chance of linking together these sites and enabling a more sustainable long-term population to form. As well as Kidney Vetch, many other wildflowers are present, including orchids, and the site supports a wide range of other butterflies and insects that are now rare in the wider countryside.'

Jo Davies, Planning and Estates Manager at Smiths Bletchington, said: 'This is great news and it's fantastic to learn that such a rare and fragile species has responded so well to conservation efforts. Our staff have played an important role in some of the seed-sowing sessions and I know they'll be pleased to hear of the successful outcome as well. As a company, we have a strong environmental focus and are pleased to be able to support community focused conservation.'