WORK is taking place to make the Malvern Hills a better habitat for an increasingly rare butterfly species.
The Grayling butterfly has experienced a 50 per cent decline over the past 25 years, leading to it being classified as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan species.
Butterfly Conservation considers Malvern to be an “important, but isolated stronghold” for the species, and so field staff and volunteers from Malvern Hills Conservators have been working hard to open up areas around rocky outcrops on the northern hills.
The butterfly needs rocky outcrops in sunny, sheltered positions as it is dependent on the fine grasses that grow on the shallow soil to lay its eggs. Such habitats also help it camouflage itself from predators.
Over the years though the scrub has crept up the hills and the Grayling butterfly’s range has contracted.
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