Spring 2012 - Glasgow & SW Scotland Branch of Butterfly ...
Spring 2012 - Glasgow & SW Scotland Branch of Butterfly ...
Spring 2012 - Glasgow & SW Scotland Branch of Butterfly ...
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Later in the summer the reserve was a sea <strong>of</strong> colour, with an amazing<br />
display <strong>of</strong> kidney vetch in the habitat strips that were created in 2010.<br />
Patches <strong>of</strong> KV were in bloom all over the southern part <strong>of</strong> the reserve.<br />
Some <strong>of</strong> these had been planted by volunteers in 2010 and 2011, but<br />
other patches suggest seed has been spread by the horse’s hooves.<br />
The KV flowers are absolutely loved by bees, and consequently Gailes<br />
Marsh must be one <strong>of</strong> the best places in Ayrshire to practice your<br />
bumblebee (and butterfly) identification skills!<br />
Kidney vetch in flower © Scott Shanks Small Blue volunteers © David Welham<br />
In early June 2011, Gill Smart <strong>of</strong> the <strong>SW</strong>T and I attended a ‘Small Blue<br />
Action Day’ in Warwickshire to discuss projects and management advice<br />
for the Small Blue. There were some fantastic talks on management and<br />
field craft tips, and a visit to see some <strong>of</strong> the habitat work carried out by<br />
the Warwickshire branch <strong>of</strong> <strong>Butterfly</strong> Conservation with funding from<br />
local businesses. Following the workshop, a number <strong>of</strong> branches,<br />
including the <strong>Glasgow</strong> & <strong>SW</strong> <strong>Scotland</strong> branch helped update and fund<br />
the new Small Blue habitat management factsheet with the new<br />
information. The updated Small Blue factsheet is available at:<br />
http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/uploads/Small%20Blue%20<strong>2012</strong>.pdf<br />
Due to the success <strong>of</strong> the habitat management work at Gailes Marsh, we<br />
hope to go ahead with the reintroduction this summer. However this will<br />
still depend on the condition <strong>of</strong> the site in the spring <strong>of</strong> <strong>2012</strong>, and the<br />
state <strong>of</strong> the donor population.<br />
2011 was a particularly poor year for the Small Blue population at the<br />
donor site in Cumbria (aggravated by the poor weather in May and<br />
June). The coastal brownfield site at Workington has been threatened<br />
by development for the last few years and it was hoped that we could<br />
save some <strong>of</strong> the colony before it was destroyed. A couple <strong>of</strong> years ago,<br />
up to 1000 Small blues could be counted on a single visit, which is<br />
enormous compared to most Small blue colonies. Unfortunately since<br />
then numbers have fallen, in part due to the developers filling in ditches<br />
where kidney vetch was growing. The developers, Eatonfield, went into<br />
17 On the Spot – April <strong>2012</strong>
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