Green Fingers I Wish

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Butterflies under threat



Two species of butterfly and the juniper plant are to receive special protection in a new conservation effort by Scotland's Forestry Commission.

Numbers of the pearl-bordered fritillary and chequered skipper varieties of butterfly have been in decline.

Their habitats will be protected by creating corridors to link butterflies in different colonies.

The chequered skipper was now only to be found within a 25-mile radius of Fort William. It became extinct in England in 1976.

The very specific needs of the species means too much grazing can make sites unsuitable for it to inhabit, he said.

The pearl-bordered fritillary, which is mainly to be found in the Highlands and Perthshire, is currently the most rapidly declining butterfly species in England.

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