www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

OK - a "shot in the dark" ... "myamatosis" is my answer - causing in a decline in the rabbit population which, in turn, has caused an increase in the amount of undergrowth results in difficult breeding and ovipositing situations for the critter.

Cheers,

- Pete

That thought occurred to me, too, Pete, but Felix emphasised that he was talking about the last decade. Myxomatosis did its greatest damage in the years from the 50s on, so far as I know, and rabbit populations became resistant later. I really hope there hasn't been a recent resurgence (has there?) because I found it very distressing to see so much suffering in my childhood.

Guy

Felix,

Would this be the wholesale removal of scrub from the chalk grassland of southern England? Especially, in cases such as the Poldens, where this has happened in an attempt to support the reintroduction of the Large Blue?

Bryan

From my personal experience I would blame over-grazing by sheep! The more you put onto a site, and the longer you leave them on after Feb/March, the quicker you will get rid of the species. In latter years the greatest rates of loss are on nature reserves, including SSSIs. If you don't have enough cowslips in the correct growth form (succulent plants with large, semi-erect leaves) then the species declines. The plants only acheive this growth form if they are given partial shade, either in 'soft' scrub-edge microhabitats, or where there is a variable sward mosaic including longer grass. Sheep grazing produces an unsuitably short, tight sward, resulting in the loss of suitable cowslips.
Neil

I'm going to have to give it to Bryan H, because he was the first to respond with something along the lines of what I was looking for (as well as citing an area close to my heart). Neil was quite correct, but Bryan H was first in there.

What I was really after was indeed the inappropriate grazing regimes put in place by local wildlife trusts and other conservation groups.

Classic examples include (close to where I live now) Martin Down; the north facing down where I always used to see a few DoB's every year has in recent years been grazed to within an inch of its life and had all the hawthorn scrub removed! A similar situation exists at the Fotmell/Melbury Down complex, where over enthusiastic scrub clearance (why??) and excessive (deliberately managed) grazing has eliminated the DoB from all but one tiny fragment of Down that is thankfully on private land!

Some people will have you believe that "it has only been recently that we have understood the DoB's requirements". Well that's cobblers - there are plenty of 'amateurs' who have been raising merry hell about this for a decade now but some people just will not listen.

It's no coincidence that some of the finest DoB colonies in Southern England are to be found outside of Nature Reserves.

Poor old DoB...

Over to you Bryan H...

Felix.

Hi Felix,
An excellent summary of the problem. All of the last remaining 'strong' colonies of DoB in Sussex are on private land, with no (recent) history of livestock grazing. Of course you can't let scrub take over completely and nor can you let the cowslips get swamped by long Tor Grass. Light cattle grazing is the best solution where overgrowth becomes a problem, but summer (or any heavy) sheep grazing ultimately means 'goodbye Dukes'.
Neil

Here's a cryptic poser:

This butterfly used to be seen here in (scientifically speaking) any arid places...

Bryan

I guess we're all stumped Bryan - what's the answer?

Cheers,

- Pete

Lycaena dispar, being the scientific name for the extinct Large copper and an anagram of "any arid places".

I guess this was a bit obscure.

I'll get me coat

Bryan

Very good! I guess you should provide another

Cheers,

- Pete

Bryan, ...seems so obvious when you give the answer! and illustrates why I stick to the Sun's Quick Crossword and not the Times Cryptic

Pete Eeles wrote:Very good! I guess you should provide another

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete, perhaps throw it open to all as I'm going to be away from a computer for a few days...

Bryan

Time to breathe some life back into this (now dead) thread! I'll start by providing snippets of photos - name the species!

Cheers,

- Pete

I'll take a sab at it and say emperor moth caterpillar, although I could be wrong as I am not sure if its spikes are that long

The "caterpillar" bit is right - but wrong species

Cheers,

- Pete

White Admiral?

Sure is - well done! Given the "rules of the game", the next question is down to you

Cheers,

- Pete

O.K. What is responsible for the holes in this leaf?

Misha

Sorry, I didn't mean it to appear twice. Haven't done this before.

Mmm... My first thought was that they looked like an orienteer's pin marker, that some kid had stamped through a leaf instead of his card. But on reflection I go for some small leaf beetle, many species of which leave holes like this in leaves.

Guy