A Shropshire-based firm has improved important wildlife areas in Wyre Forest, in the hope of benefiting the nationally scarce Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Butterfly Conservation can reveal.

A team of six men from Howdens Tree Surgery spent three days in the Kinlet and Wimperhill areas of the forest, helping the wildlife charity to open up habitats known to be important for both adders and butterflies.Kinlet, Wyre Forest

Butterfly Conservation’s Senior Regional Officer for the West Midlands, Dr Jenny Joy said: “These areas were becoming increasingly shady, resulting in a loss of butterfly food plants and nectar sources. This was bad news for the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, which likes to breed in warm, sunny clearings and lays eggs on or near Violets, which often spring up after the clearance of a shady spot.”

The Pearl-bordered Fritillary can be identified by its distinctive orange and yellow hindwing, which has a border of silver ‘pearls’. Since the 1950’s its numbers across the UK have declined to such a point that it’s now recognised as one of the country’s most endangered butterflies.Pearl-bordered Fritillary by Ian H Leach

Dr.Joy said: “We always welcome offers of help from local companies and we cannot thank the Howdens Tree Surgery team enough for their valuable contribution to the forest. We know from past experience that this kind of work can have a dramatic impact on numbers of butterflies and adders and we look forward to showing Howdens the results of their work in the summer. We are also grateful to the Forestry Commission who helped in organising the planned work.”

Alex Howden from Howdens Tree Surgery said: “We were more than happy to help Butterfly Conservation create extra habitat for some of the wonderful wildlife found in the forest. It was also great for our staff to do something different to their everyday work and it proved a really good experience for all concerned."

The Forestry Commission’s Wildlife Ranger for the Wyre Forest, Phil Rudlin, said: “We’re delighted that this partnership project has enriched the forest by restoring good-quality habitat for adders, butterflies and other species. We look forward to seeing the first results soon, and thank our partners for making it possible.”

Wyre is one of the best sites nationally for butterflies and well over half of the UK’s species have been found there. The Pearl-bordered Fritillary can be seen in the Wyre Forest from May.