Banking on the Small Blue for Warwickshire

The Small Blue butterfly has suffered a severe decline in distribution across Britain (38% since the 1970’s). By 2009 in the West Midlands, only three sites remained, in Warwickshire, and all in the Southam Lias Grasslands Landscape. This project will reverse this decline by strengthening existing Small Blue populations, and increasing the number of breeding sites suitable for natural colonisation, as well as improving connectivity between sites. This will be achieved by a) Practical conservation management work by contractors and volunteers including creating scrapes and butterfly banks, scrub control, and the seeding and planting of Kidney Vetch (the caterpillar’s sole foodplant), Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil and Wild Strawberry; b) Monitoring the impact of project work; c) Management of contractors and volunteers undertaking the above.