PRESS RELEASE: 18th February 2016
Volunteers clear the way for endangered Marsh Fritillary Butterfly
Hurrah for the volunteers who dedicated a day of their time making a habitat or home better for Marsh Fritillary butterflies in County Kildare.
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) own and manage Lullymore West Bog for rare butterflies. ‘We needed help to clear away small birch seedlings that had invaded the wet grassland over time. It was a great day and we managed to clear hundreds of tiny trees from the site’ says Katie Geraghty, IPCC’s Campaign Officer.
Marsh Fritillary butterflies don’t like shade. They need direct sunlight to help them feed and grow. These beautiful butterflies are endangered throughout Europe due to a loss of their habitats. The butterflies feed on a plant called Devil’s-Bit Scabious so can only survive in sunny open areas where this plant is abundant.
IPCC staff and volunteers monitor butterflies weekly on Lullymore West Bog from April to September each year. A survey is also undertaken to count the number of larval webs of the Marsh Fritillary. The caterpillars create a protective web which can usually be seen and counted. This is the best way to monitor the numbers of Marsh Fritillary breeding on the site.
It is important that we do our best to protect and conserve these wonderful butterflies. Lullymore West Bog is a really fantastic site with 25 different species of butterfly recorded on it. The help of our brilliant volunteers allows us to keep the site in a condition that will continue to encourage butterflies to live there.
We will be continuing with the habitat management on Lullymore West Bog over the next few months and we will be organising further volunteer work camps. If you would like to volunteer your time to help save butterflies please contact:
Katie Geraghty
IPCC’s Campaign Officer
045 860133