CONSERVATIONISTS have released 130 butterflies earlier than planned this month into woods in the Tamar Valley, as part of a campaign to safeguard one of the rarest species of butterfly in the UK. Representatives from the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Butterfly Conservation met in Blanchdown Woods, near Gulworthy, to release the beautiful Heath Fritillary butterflies into this specially restored area belonging to the Tavistock Woodlands estate. Dr Caroline Bulman, senior species ecologist for butterfly conservation, said: 'We are able to build on the success of last year's reintroduction by restoring this site and reintroducing the Heath Fritillary to suitable habitat here. 'It's great to now have a colony of the Heath Fritillary on the Devon side of the Tamar Valley to add to the two colonies already on the Cornish side'. The release of the butterflies was originally planned for June but the date had to be brought forward due to the recent spell of hot weather, which caused the butterflies to hatch early. Butterflies will be monitored through the summer to see if eggs have been laid, but the success of reintroduction will not be known until next summer, when hopefully a new generation hatches. Further releases are planned as larvae hatch in captivity. This work is part of a project to keep the butterflies in the Tamar Valley funded by Natural England. Last year, 1,500 captive bred butterflies were re-introduced to Greenscombe Wood, near Luckett. Their survival is currently being monitored. Butterflies were bred from local stock by volunteers from the Butterfly Conservation local group.
