Marsh Fritillary

[The Valley sparrow]

I am interested to know if there is any one involved with the Marsh frits. Mainly the Marsh frits that is found on Damp or Acid grasslands. My concern, is that grazing with Cows on these type of habitats will be detrimental to the species, while Mountain Ponies would a more beneficial grazer for the species. Are there signs of the species improving or decreasing in number, to that of the grazing animal.

[aeshna5]

Your best bet is to contact Butterfly Conservation who will have lots of direct experience of this as Marsh Fritillary is one of their priority conservation species.

I remember counting the larval webs of this species on damp pasture in Dorset a few years back. It was good to see so much of the larval food plant- Devil's-bit Scabious doing well. I saw larvae a couple of times before I was around to see the adults which I saw in Wiltshire 2 years ago- lovely butterfly.

[jimfoxy]

Too many cattle (and there don't have to be many) will destroy Marsh Frit colonies. Where in Wiltshire was that colony you saw, aeshna5? Just the initials of the place will do.

Why do you say that ponies may be more suitable?

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by jimfoxy

Too many cattle (and there don't have to be many) will destroy Marsh Frit colonies. Where in Wiltshire was that colony you saw, aeshna5? Just the initials of the place will do.

Why do you say that ponies may be more suitable?

The Witshire colony was on chalk, not in damp meadows, not a million miles from Tisbury.

[jimfoxy]

It wasn't the one I was thinking of then which is about the same distance the other side of Salisbury, in damp meadow.

The strong colony in the place I know about was actually destroyed by over grazing (or should I say, trampling) and mismanagement. I have been told numbers have increased again, though, since the cattle were removed and some suspect that caped crusaders re-introduced them there (since there were a few years when not a single specimen was found). They may have moved back in from some weaker colonies nearby, though, too.

Nice to know there are more about.

[The Valley sparrow]

Originally Posted by jimfoxy

Too many cattle (and there don't have to be many) will destroy Marsh Frit colonies. Where in Wiltshire was that colony you saw, aeshna5? Just the initials of the place will do.

Why do you say that ponies may be more suitable?

There is one large site near to me, it has had its grazing stopped some 15 years ago, until a management plan was drawn up. The area was previously grazed by Cattle in some feilds and Horses in the others. The areas that the cows grazed were more or less rank, and still are, but holds a large population Small-pearl boardered frits. However, in the Horse grazed feilds there is a huge difference, fields are rife with plant life, escpecially Orchids and Devils-bit Scabious, and the Marsh frits is in abundance. Plans are in to graze Cows on all of the site this year, and i know the Cows will stomp the Marsh frits down to pitiful numbers. Like they did on another local site ( which used to be grazed by Sheep ).


( Google Aberbargoed Grasslands for info on this amazing site )