CONSERVING THE VALLEY’S RARE BUTTERFLIES

PROJECT UPDATE JUNE 2013

Project Summary

Conserving the Painswick Valley’s rare butterflies aims to restore and maintain the limestone grassland areas to help re-establish functioning metapopulations of both Large Blue and Duke of Burgundy butterflies involving 11 sites. The project will address the major conservation challenge of managing habitat for two species at opposite ends of the successional spectrum of habitat in the same landscape. The project secured 18 months funding from the BIFFA Trust and started in October 2012.

The management and grazing on the project sites will be carefully targeted using the results of habitat assess- ments, Large Blue and Duke of Burgundy monitoring and Ant surveys. Each site manager and or owner receives detailed advice on where to target the scrub management with a tailored grazing regime according to the live- stock used by their grazier. Project Achievements

The volunteer element of the project has continued since October 2012. Work delivered through contractors commenced in January 2013 with some weed control planned for summer 2013. The following is a summary of what the project has achieved so far: Conservation days

• An amazing total of 39 volunteer days involving scrub management and clearance over nine sites • Involved 363 individuals who have worked approximately 1568 hours in total Volunteer groups involved in the above include; Butterfly Conservation Branch volunteers, Cirencester College Students, Wardens volunteers, Cranham Common volunteers (mainly residents) , Gloucestershire Probation Trust cli- ents, Gloucestershire Vale Conservation Volunteers. Hartpury College students, Local residents and volunteers as well as a local mountain bike group, Painswick volunteer group and Valleys Project volunteers. Food plant propagation and planting

• Four local nurseries Cricklade In Bloom, Miserden, Spinneywell nursery and The Lavendar Garden are involved in propagating the Cowslip and Wild Thyme plants sourced from local sites • Cowslip seeds collected from Painswick Beacon, Cud Hill and Sheepscombe common have been successfully propagated generating over 3000 cowslip plants • Thyme material has been delivered to 3 nurseries Habitat Assessments and Monitoring

• All project sites will have habitat and food plant assessment as well as ant sur- veys conducted by specialist contractors that will assist with targeting the scrub management and food plant planting • Monitoring of butterflies occurs on all 11 project sites involving project partner staff and volunteers • There are a total of five UKBMS butterfly transects being walked weekly from April to September 2013 Scrub Management In order to restore and extend the areas of Limestone grassland on the project sites some of the scrub that has been encroaching the grassland needs to be removed. • Contractors have completed 1.6ha of scrub management on three sites • Another 1ha of scrub management is planned for this winter 2013/14

Weed Control The first plant species to regenerate in areas that have had scrub removed are nettles, bramble and thistles. Controlling these species is essential to restore the Limestone grassland successfully. • Weed control will be taking place during 2013 on most sites at the end of the summer growing period

Grazing Grazing regimes are tailored for each project site and delivered through our specialist contractor. Grazing is needed to create a short turf which will encourage the colonisa- tion of the Large Blue host ant Myrmica sabuleti . Over the past two years there has been a cold dry period in spring followed by rain which has produced a late flush of growth on most sites. This has created a situation where graziers have had to respond with brief periods of increased or ‘pulse’ grazing to reduce the turf height for successful Large Blue breeding and colonisation. • Site managers and owners are advised to graze their sites in general and de- pendant on their graziers livestock during August-September, November-January and March-April • Most of the project sites are now implementing a tailored grazing regime • All sites receive grazing advice from a specialist contractor

Project Events Date Time Site Task Meeting Place Contact

via email: Cotswold Commons Cotswold Com- Cranham Scout [email protected] 05/06/2013- & Beechwoods NNR mons & Beech- via phone: 07964246113 Centre 06/06/2013 -Buckholt Wood and woods NNR (www.scoutcentre.or Cranham Common BioblitZ g.uk) http:// www.cotswoldnnrbioblitz.weebly.com Ebworth Estate to National Trust Eb- Booking via the Wild About Plants 14/07/2013 2-4pm Sheepscombe Com- Guided Walk worth Centre (Grid website mon Ref: SO 900115) Painswick Beacon 28/07/2013 2pm Painswick Beacon Guided Walk (Grid Ref: SO Pauline Lillico Tel: 01452 520524 867118)

For further information on the project please visit our website at www.butterfly-conservation/conservation projects or if you would like to become involved contact Caroline Kelly, Conservation Officer, Butterfly Conservation email:[email protected] or telephone 01929 406029 Butterfly Conservation Gloucestershire also have events over the next few months please look at their website to find something near you!

Conserving the Painswick valleys rare butterflies project would not have been possible without the fund- ing from BIFFA Trust, donations from the Butterfly Conservation Large Blue Appeal and partner organi- sations. Acknowledgements must go to the staff and volunteers of Natural , Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, and the private landowners who are involved and support the project. Many thanks to the involvement of Butterfly conservation branch volunteers and all the other individuals who have attended conservation days and help with monitoring on the project sites. Your enthusiasm and involvement in the project is invaluable and we hope it will continue into the future.

Butterfly Conservation. Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468). Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset. BH20 5QP. Charity registered in England and Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268).