I was interested to see this article about Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries being rediscovered at a site at Ellesmere, Shropshire. I wondered why it had not been seen for 20 years. It seems possible that simply noone noticed any - or that maybe once the habitat had been cleared someone introduced some larvae. Unlikely that is was colonised from elsewhere I would have thought as there are no other SPBF sites less than several miles away - unless there is another one nearby unrecorded.Wildlife enthusiasts were attending a free butterfly course, run in conjunction with Butterfly Conservation, when they unexpectedly stumbled across a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene).
The discovery was made at Ellesmere Moors, where habitat restoration work has recently been undertaken through the LEADER-funded community project. This beautiful species had not been seen around The Mere for 20 years and it was thought to have been lost from the area.
Would be interested to hear people's thoughts and reflections on this.