www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I may have simply dreamed this up, but I am sure that someone told me earlier this year that the high brown fritillary is now extinct at it's former stronghold in the Malverns, Castlemorton Common.

Can anyone confirm either way?

Thanks in advance...

Piers.

I spent a day combing the bracken slopes there last year, Piers, and sadly didn't find any. The last time I read anything about this the quote was along the lines of 'colony holding on by the slenderest of margins'.

Thanks David.

This is very sad news; another colony lost.

Although the two or three popular sites at which to see the butterfly seem to have stable populations, nationally this species continues to decline at an alarming rate, with colonies being lost almost annually.

There is little reason to suppose that the species is not heading for extinction in this country.

Piers.

We discussed some time ago how high brown fritillaries seemed particularly reluctant to mate with siblings, resulting in greatly reduced viability for small populations. Is this an instance where artificially refreshing colonies with blood from other colonies might give them a better fighting chance in the short term? In the long term, of course, restoral of connected habitat would be the only solution, so they could refresh the genes naturally.

Guy

There is very little habitat which looks suitable for this butterfly in the Malvern area in my eyes.

The last place I heard of sightings was on the slope by the obelisk which bears almost no resemblence to the places I've seen them in either Devon or Lancashire. Yes there's lots of bracken but it was either incredibly dense, or cut down to the ground - nothing in between.

Other parts of the hills definately look better, but all in small fragments which it seems just isn't enough to support high browns.

Does anyone know how any of the other fritillaries are doing in the area? Pearl-bordered and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in particular...

David M wrote:There is little reason to suppose that the species is not heading for extinction in this country.

Piers.

Take some heart Piers, the South Wales colony at Ewenny near Bridgend has had a very good year, we are very encouraged and hopeful for the future of the species at this location, habitat management (with BC volunteer help) has done wonders on what is undoubtedly a difficult site, and I know the South Wales Branch of Butterfly Conservation have further plans to continue with this hard earned yet successful regime, we are at the least optimistic and positive about the future for High Brown Fritillary at Ewenny.

I would hope that all is not lost to the species on the wonderful Malverns, yet like David sadly I saw none on my last visit either in 2010.

Bill

I tried Castlemorton Common several times in the 1970s (I was living in the Cotswolds at the time) and never found a single HB Frit. (Don't know what that proves - probably nothing).

Jack