Rare Butterflies in Corsham Facing Extinction

By Lacer | Monday, March 08, 2010, 17:14

Colonies of rare butterflies in Corsham are under threat after the past two wet summers, but you help.

When's the last time you spotted a Duke of Burgundy in your garden or on a walk?

The Duke of Burgundy, Britain’s rarest butterfly is nearing extinction (reported in the Guardian, 5th March) and a number of these butterflies have been recorded in the local area.

If you spot one contact the Butterfly Conservation society and refer to their website for ways in which you could help boost numbers of these rare butterflies.

Mike Fuller, the county recorder for butterflies, spoke about the issue of the declining number of some rare species of butterfly.

“We have a team of people around the county and they send me their sightings around the year,” Mr Fuller said, “and it’s put in a distribution map.”

This allows people to track where the butterfly colonies are and focus on protecting them. There are a number in North Wiltshire and from the map, a colony exists near Corsham.

“It’s just an interest - a hobby - of mine and there’s an organisation called Butterfly Conservation and we have a Wiltshire branch. Hopefully by knowing where these butterflies are can prevent local extinction.”

But it isn’t just the weather that causes trouble for the butterfly population.

“The main problem is the destruction of the countryside in general, not just for butterflies but for other creatures in the wild.”

If you spot a Duke of Burgundy in Corsham contact the Butterfly Conservation organisation and let’s hope that this coming summer is drier than the last.