Large Blue Connectivity

The Large Blue butterfly has been successfully reintroduced to the calcareous grasslands at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Daneway Banks nature reserve. To aid dispersal to other nearby suitable calcareous grasslands, including Trillis Banks, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is proposing to widen and extend the ride network within Siccaridge Wood. Ride widening combined with additional coppice restoration will provide connectivity of glade & woodland edge habitat between these suitable calcareous grassland sites, promoting dispersal of Large Blue to, and the establishment at, Trillis Banks, whilst also securing the key open woodland edge habitats of other rare & declining butterfly species - Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Silver-Washed Fritillary. This habitat management will also bolster the resilience of the adder and dormice populations of the wider Golden Valley Nature Recovery Zone (NRZ). Due to its current isolation, the grazing of Trillis Banks is challenging. A connected ride network through Siccaridge Wood from Daneway Banks to Trillis Banks will also mean that livestock (cattle) can be easily moved between these two grassland sites, ensuring that the correct sward management (for Large Blues) can be replicated at Trillis Banks.

The main aims of the project are:

Expanding Large Blue connectivity through woodland ride widening, glade extension, hedge laying, additional boundary infrastructure, coppicing, scrub management within our Golden Valley Nature Recovery Zone nature reserves (Daneway Banks, Siccaridge Wood & Sapperton Valley and Trillis Banks).
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Benefits: habitat improvement for the Large Blue, Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Silver-Washed Fritillary butterflies, Adders & Dormice
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PR opportunities: Interpretation refresh, comms updates across GWT channels in support of an iconic Gloucestershire reintroduction story.