Volunteers in the Alun Valley, South Wales, are employing a unique method to help restore the population of the High Brown Fritillary butterfly, one of Britain's rarest species. Cows have been introduced to graze the landscape, a strategy aimed at managing the specific habitat requirements of the butterfly.
The High Brown Fritillary, characterized by its brilliant orange wings with black markings, has experienced a significant decline, with numbers dropping by 62% since 1970. Its survival is dependent on very particular environmental conditions. "They are the pickiest," stated Paul Dunn, who has dedicated over 30 years to conservation efforts for the butterfly in the Alun Valley at Old Castle Down, near Bridgend.
The butterfly's needs include the presence of bracken and a specific type of violet, but their proliferation must be carefully controlled. The grazing by cows helps to prevent the overgrowth of vegetation, creating a more suitable environment for the violets that serve as the butterfly's food source and for the caterpillars to thrive. Volunteers have been actively working to clear bracken and manage the terrain to support the butterfly's fragile ecosystem. 