HIGHLAND: Work Party for Small Blue at Sluggan Bridge

Meeting place:             There is limited parking near to the work site, so we will meet at the main car park in Carrbridge at NH 907227 (What3words: speaker.intruding.quicksand). We can then do some car sharing if necessary and drive in convoy nearer to the worksite.

Description:                   In the Highlands, the Small Blue butterfly is mostly restricted to coastal sites around the Moray Firth and in Caithness. However, there are several small colonies inland, along the River Spey and its tributaries. This very restricted distribution is linked to kidney vetch, which is the sole foodplant of Small Blue caterpillars. In the Spey catchment, kidney vetch grows on open areas of river sand and shingle. However, tree regeneration, welcomed in other situations, is threatening to shade out the kidney vetch.  We will remove regenerating pines using hand tools (loppers and saws) to enable kidney vetch to flourish.

Approx duration:         Up to 6 hours (finishing about 4pm).

What’s needed:            Please let Pete know in advance if you plan to attend. Bring lunch and wear old clothes. If you have them, bring work gloves.

The worksite is on the opposite side of the River Dulnain to the nearest road access. If water levels are low, we will be able to walk across the river in welly boots. So please bring welly boots. Don’t worry, I’ve done this before! The work site itself is dry so you may want to bring both wellies and walking boots.

If the river level is too high for wellies, we will need to walk 1.5 miles to get to the work site, some of this on uneven pathless terrain.