Devon’s Butterflies (S Devon Branch)

A talk on Devon’s butterflies to be given by Jenny Plackett, Conservation Manager South West for Butterfly Conservation. See https://www.butterfly-conservation.org/

Jenny has been with Butterfly Conservation for sixteen years, with the first eight of those delivering the ‘Two Moors Threatened Butterfly Project’, working to restore populations of declining fritillary butterflies across Dartmoor and Exmoor. Jenny took up the role of South West Conservation Manager in 2017, responsible for delivery of the charity’s Conservation Strategy across the South West, overseeing landscape scale projects to restore habitats for some of our most rapidly declining butterflies across the region.

She will talk about the UK butterfly monitoring scheme, explaining what the data is telling us, how our butterflies are faring, and what the implications are for some of our rarer species. She’ll focus on some of the rarer species for which the South West is a stronghold, and update us on some of the conservation work which is happening now to restore their fortunes.

To be followed up by a visit to Spitchwick Common to see the butterflies in flight – see this event for details.

DA members £4, non-members £6. Includes tea and biscuits after the talk.

Report on the talk

Jenny Plackett, Senior Regional Officer for the Butterfly Conservation, gave an illustrated talk entitled “Butterfly Conservation in Devon” to members and friends of the South Devon Branch of the Devonshire Association.

The UK has a history of collecting information about moths and butterflies and has accumulated a huge amount of data. It has the best data collection of moths and butterflies in the world.

The UK butterfly monitoring scheme began in 1976. There are now over 3,300 sites where volunteers count the butterflies every week from the 1st of April to the end of September. Unfortunately, the data shows that butterflies have declined over the years 1980 to 2020. Butterflies that require a specialist habitat have declined more than those that live in more general areas. Moths have seen a 33% decline since the 1960s, their decline being greater in the south of England than in the north of the country. And whilst the UK has lost 55 species of moths and butterflies since 1900, we have seen 137 new species, 53 since 2000. As climate change has occurred, Lepidoptera have spread further north.

High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe) male.
Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Devon is a stronghold of the High Brown Fritillary butterfly. There has been a massive 96% decline since 1976 and its range has shrunk to four major areas, two of which are in Devon – Exmoor and Dartmoor. The decline is mainly due to habitat loss or changes in land management and agriculture. Dog violets are the only source of food for this butterfly’s caterpillars. However, funding has been granted for farmers on Roborough Common to hire a machine that breaks down the bracken so that the violets can thrive. Such projects are essential for the butterfly’s continued existence.

Marsh fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) male.
Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Marsh Fritillary butterfly is another species that is declining all over Europe but is thriving on Dartmoor. These butterflies need wet grassland, grazing by cattle or ponies and the presence of Devil’s-bit Scabious for egg laying.

We can all help the plight of butterflies and moths by not using peat or pesticides in our gardens. The Big Butterfly Count happens between 18th July and 10th August and we can all take part – full details are available on the website, www.butterfly-conservation.org.

Chris Reader
March 2025