Marsh Fritillary butterfly project.
Directors, staff and volunteers have for the past two years been engaged in the Cumbria Marsh Fritillary Action Group (CMFAG). This is a Cumbrian-wide project that aims to bring this magical butterfly back to its former breeding grounds and from the clutches of extinction in Cumbria.
Marsh Fritillary in breeding pen (Tim Lawrence)
The Marsh Fritillary was once widespread throughout Britain and Ireland and indeed much of Western Europe but has declined severely over the twentieth century. Further, its populations are highly volatile with the result that small isolated populations are prone to localised extinctions.
In Cumbria, this stunning butterfly almost became extinct in 2004 - thats just seven years ago! since then, and largely thanks to the efforts of butterfly ecologists and sympathetic landowners, the species has begun to recolonise its former breeding grounds. The story of how this species has come back from the brink is simply breath taking: Following a number of years monitoring leading ecologists discovered that in 2004 the only known survivors of this once widespread species was a single batch of larvae in a field on the Solway Plain. The reasons for the decline in Cumbria are not 100% known but the most likely reason suggested is inbreeding created by isolated populations. Urgent action was required - the future of the Cumbrian Marsh Fritillary butterfly hung in the balance. Do nothing and the Cumbrian race becomes extinct, do something and it may at least have a chance. It was decided to take the last surviving larvae into captivity and mix the pure Cumbrian larvae with those from Scotland - it was already clear that the Cumbrian species needed a boost and by cross breeding with the Scottish species the gene pool (and survival) of the Cumbrian species may have a chance. Despite early positive signs in the breeding programme there was clearly a lot of work ahead, indeed, only about 1% of all adults survive in the wild and therefore many thousands of larvae are required to give potential breeding adults a realistic chance of producing the next generation. Since the first captive breeding season in 2007, many thousands of larvae have been bred in specially adpated breeding pens. Watchtree has three such pens and many thousands of Marsh Fritillary larvae have already been released onto well managed and 'ready' donor sites throughout Cumbria. Watchtree is currently managing potential Marsh Fritllary grassland habitat by cattle grazing and planting with the all important Devil's bit Scabious - the larval food plant of the Marsh Fritillary. We will know in successive years if this habitat is 'ready' for Marsh Fritillary butterflies but for now at least everyone at Watchtree is working hard for this amazing butterfly.