Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary [m & f], Clearbrook, Dartmoor, 16.5.20 (Dave Gregory)
Photo: Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Dave Gregory)

Based across the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the project aims to increase awareness and surveying and monitoring efforts of target species with the help of volunteers. Results will be used to create maps on their distribution across the Yorkshire Dales and areas of important habitat for these species. We will work with land-managers to enhance habitat quality with a landscape-scale approach, ultimately raising abundance and awareness of these species.

Key species

Eight species all listed as high priority on Butterfly Conservation’s Regional Conservation Strategy:

  • Northern Brown Argus and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary Butterflies 
  • Barred Tooth-striped, Chestnut-coloured Carpet, Forester, Heath Rivulet, Least Minor and Yellow-ringed Carpet moths

Methods - how are we achieving this?

  • 50 known Northern Brown Argus sites surveyed, new sites detected, habitat assessments carried out
  • 5 Northern Brown Argus sites added to those where monitoring is currently undertaken making the data from this landscape more representative. 
  • 10 Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary sites surveyed and at least one site added to monitoring network
  • Develop monitoring strategy
  • Map all target species sites using GIS software to be shared with partner organisations that operate in the landscape
  • Required management undertaken through volunteer work parties and Countryside Stewardship Schemes
  • Survey workshops – training volunteers in the ecology and surveying of the target species
  • Wild Privet research, mapping and cultivation and planting out at 4 recipient sites 

Partners / Acknowledgements 

Yorkshire Branch Butterfly Conservation, Wharfedale Naturalists Society, Craven Conservation Group, Yorkshire Dales National Park, Natural England and all volunteers and landowners who have worked with the project. 

Project Funders 

Heritage Lottery Fund 

Sophia Webster

Sophia Webster logo

 

Contact

Kay Andrews Project Officer – @email