Rare butterfly thriving after surviving huge habitat fire

[Snowden]

Rare butterfly thriving after surviving huge habitat fire



Last updated at 9:32 AM on 14th July 2008

A rare butterfly has risen from the ashes after a devastating fire on one of the few heathlands where it is found, Natural England said today.

The silver-studded blue was among wildlife threatened when a five-day blaze ripped through Thursley National Nature Reserve, Surrey, two years ago.

The landscape is still scarred by the fire, which smouldered on for five weeks, with dead and blackened birch trees and and areas where the bright purple-flowered heathers are just beginning to grow back.

The rare silver-studded blue butterfly was in danger after fire destroyed precious heathland

But on the second anniversary of the blaze Natural England said the butterfly, which is found at just a handful of places in England and Wales, is once again thriving at the reserve.

The latest count of one colony, in an area which firefighters battled to protect because of the butterfly's presence, showed there were 126 silver-studded blues - an increase of more 100 on last year.

The fire in July 2006 destroyed some two-thirds of the 400 hectare site, which is home to other rare species including the sand lizard, nightjar and Dartford warbler.

Simon Nobes, the senior reserve manager for Thursley, said: 'The flames consumed the dry and wet heathland with frightening speed, burning out Dartford warbler nests, sand lizard areas and butterfly colonies, leaving a barren scorched landscape of ash in their wake.

'At the time the fire happened the invertebrate populations were at their maximum stage of productivity and were very vulnerable to a fast-moving fire.'

The fire ripped through heathland at the Thursley National Nature Reserve in Surrey

The blaze also forced local residents to evacuate homes around the edge of the site as firefighters from across the region were called in to help.

Fire crews worked with Mr Nobes on protecting a 'line in the sand' area in which the butterflies had laid their eggs and could not be lost if the silver-studded blue was to have a chance of surviving in the reserve.
The butterfly, which is nationally scarce and has seen declines of 80 per cent in the last century, also needs young, low heather to allow its eggs to hatch and the presence of heather ants in whose nests the butterflies pupate.

Since the fire Natural England, the Government's conservation agency which manages national nature reserves, has had to prevent the invasion of bracken which would threaten heathland wildlife such as the silver-studded blue.

Mr Nobes said the site had been given Heritage Lottery funding to undertake bracken clearances - but the process was interrupted last year when the foot and mouth disease outbreak hit nearby farmers and prevented access to the land.

In restoring the heath, the site's managers have also had to work towards restoring a balance between new growth and older more established shrubs and trees - a long-term process.

Mr Nobes said species such as tiger beetles liked bare areas of ground while Dartford warblers, which are at the northern edge of their range, needed compact shrubs to nest in and keep warm.

While the butterflies are doing well, and the two resident curlew pairs have returned, 'it will be another 10 to 15 years before we have the full range of heathland specialists we had before the fire,' he said.

In the wet heathland part of the reserve, home to carnivorous plants such as sundew as well as bog asphodel and marsh orchid, the fire burned the tops of plants without affecting root systems or water-logged areas.

But Mr Nobes said they did not yet know the long-term impact on species such as dragonflies which could have been affected by run-off from exposed surfaces and a lack of vegetation for them to hatch out on.

Sir Martin Doughty, chairman of Natural England, said: 'Wildlife in England has become increasingly fragmented and National Nature Reserves provide crucial refuge for endangered species, acting as pockets of biodiversity from which nature can grow.

'When Thursley, a nucleus of threatened species, went up in flames we thought our worst fears had been realised. However through the combined efforts of fire fighters, the local community and our Reserve staff, against the odds, Thursley has been saved.'


Rare butterfly thriving after surviving huge habitat fire | Mail Online