The Suffolk Argus
Special Edition - Summer 2008
Suffolk Argus The
The Newsletter of the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation
STOP PRESS On 20 June 2008, David Mason (SWT) saw the first Silver-studded Blue that proved that eggs had been laid and that the insects had survived their first winter. Soon after, volunteers walking the transect found numbers rising, and by 4 July, each transect walk was seeing a dozen or more. The peak count was on 13 July, when Terry Peake counted 9 males and 5 females. The butterflies were mostly flying in the immediate vicinity of the release points, but several were also seen in Section 5, near the stump, about 100m west of the former travellers site at the start of Section 7. This number of sightings on a daily basis might reflect a population of about 45 in total, rather less than the 60 released in 2007, but a satisfactory start nonetheless. This initial success was duly reported in the East Anglian Daily Press, and the Times carried a paragraph by Simon Barnes celebrating the remarkable life style of the Silver-studded Blue and its attendant ants. Visits to the donor sites found satisfactory numbers flying at Lower Hollesley Common, and Minsmere Sawmills, so there is no immediate concern that the translocation has had a significant impact on the donor colonies. Re-establishment attempts often produce a successful showing after one year, only to fade out over the next 2 or 3 seasons, so there is no reason to reach for the champagne yet.
Silver-studded Blue by Malcolm Farrow
The translocated Silver-studded Blues settled in their new habitat at Blaxhall Common.
Report on 2007 Translocation of Silver-studded Blue, Plebejus argus to Blaxhall Common, Suffolk Summer 2008
Special Edition
