Nature lovers in Teignbridge are being asked to help create a home for a declining butterfly species before it emerges this spring, on Saturday March 18.
The Butterfly Conservation charity needs volunteers to help improve the habitat for the Grizzled Skipper, by meeting at Dainton Railway Bridge, near Ipplepen at 10am.
Volunteers will be clearing overgrown weeds, shrubs and small trees on Miltor Mator Common, which borders Stoneycombe Quarry.
The site has proved popular with the Grizzled Skipper butterfly in the past and it’s hoped the conservation work will lead to more being seen during the spring and early summer months when the butterfly is on the wing.
Barry Henwood, of the charity, said: ‘The Grizzled Skipper is an increasingly rare butterfly in Devon and is a priority species for conservation efforts. Populations have been declining due to a lack of grazing and changes in woodland management, which in the past helped to create the short, mixed vegetation that this butterfly favours.
‘If people want to help, all they need to do is join us at 10am at the Dainton Railway Bridge, with cutting tools and gardening gloves. Even if you can only stay for a short time, it will make a big difference to this butterfly.’
The Grizzled Skipper is easily identified by the black and white chequerboard markings on its wings.
This striking butterfly is the smallest of the skippers and is the earliest to appear in spring. The best time to see the butterfly is while it basks in the sunshine, between April and early July.
The caterpillar is small and yellow in its early stages, but quickly turns a dark green colour with brown stripes. It likes to feed on plants from the rose family, such as wild strawberry.
For more information contact Jonathan Aylett on 01626 364016 or visit www.butterfly-conservation.org/MiltorMator