Connecting the Drabs and the Dukes

This project will restore and expand essential habitat for the Drab Looper moth and Duke of Burgundy butterfly through targeted conservation, including coppicing, brash clearance and ride creation to establish breeding locations along the South Downs Way between Graffham and Duncton. The larval foodplants of Drab Looper (Wood Spurge) and Duke of Burgundy (Cowslips & Primrose) require open sunny woodland. By providing stepping stones of this habitat between isolated populations the species’ will spread and colonise new areas.
These stepping stones will link the two smallest and most threatened Drab Looper colonies, & provide a vital means of expanding a nearby isolated Duke of Burgundy population, reducing the risk of local extinction. Evidence has shown that this approach is successful.
Part of the work includes opening up a new woodland ride, which will loop onto rights of way that link to the South Downs Way, which may be accessed by pedestrians from the main path.