butterfly breeding to improve british population

[stokesy]

does any one know where i can get native british pupae from, by the hundred, for release into my neighbourhood this summer?

[Pete Eeles]

First off, I'd strongly suggest you coordinate any planned releases with a local conservation organisation. Of course, I'd recommend your local brand of Butterfly Conservation - and the various branches are listed at http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/links.html. Releases normally require a fairly thorough analysis of the suitability of habitat and, in some cases (depending on the species) will require a license.

Also - take a look at the post discussing breeding butterflies at http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB2/v ... c.php?t=43, since your efforts may have the exact opposite of the desired effect.

In terms of suppliers, there's always the Entomological Livestock Group at http://www.pwbelg.clara.net/index.html and Worldwide Butterflies at http://www.wwb.co.uk/.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Adrian Hoskins]

Please do not under any circumstances release captive bred livestock into the wild. It will certainly not help to boost wild populations. In fact it will have the exact opposite effect. Firstly you have to consider where your bred stock originates. Some may be European stock ( wrong subspecies, wrong emergence time, wrong habitat ), and if it is British, where was the stock taken from ? Did removal of the livestock by the breeder harm the wild population ? With most species in decline, and limited to small, isolated sites, the answer to the last question is almost certainly yes ! Don't do it !.

Secondly, what affect will the releases have on wild populations ? Bred stock will be genetically deficient, prone to disease and if released in quantity, will attract predators ! Also, it is very likely to induce an artificial boost in the populations of parasitoid wasps and flies. Don't do it !

Thirdly, Butterfly Conservation and other organisations are actively recording butterfly populations, and monitoring the effects of various land management regimes ( grazing, mowing, coppicing etc ) to see how they affect population dynamics. If butterflies are released, it renders all this information invalid, as the affects of management cannot be assessed. Don't do it !

If you are seriously interested in finding a way to actively promote conservation, please contact your local Butterfly Conservation branch, who will be extremely pleased to have your help in other ways. You could for example undertake a transect or other species monitoring program; or get involved in "scrub-bashing" or "ragwort-pulling" which will help improve the existing habitats, and thus boost populations in a natural sustainable way.

Adrian Hoskins

[eccles]

I've often wondered: why does ragwort harm butterfly populations? I've often seen late emerging butterflies nectaring off it, small copper for instance.

[Matsukaze]

It doesn't harm butterfly populations; it is however toxic to livestock, and landowners are legally obliged to remove it under certain circumstances.

[Piers]

The problem here is that the Ragwort Control Act 2003 only applies to Common Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea.

Unfortunately some land owners (and certainly some 'conservation groups') have gone ragwort mad and are simply pulling any yellow Senecio, including some partucularly rare or specialised species.

Felix.

[Matsukaze]

Or simply anything yellow...