Rare butterflies get help from Devon team

Improvements to habitats for butterflies and barn owls in South Devon have been made by NGED volunteers.

A team of nine from our depots in the county spent a day clearing vegetation near Ashburton at a Barn Owl Trust site.

The aim was to create a suitable habitat for the brown hairstreak butterfly, a species that is in general decline due to harsh hedge-cutting, but whose eggs have been found at the trust’s reserve.

Barn Owl Trust reserves officer and volunteer coordinator Harry Hingston, said: “Colonies are usually based around a wood, but females will span over several miles of surrounding countryside, requiring a complex of not only woodland and hedgerows but an abundance of suitably managed blackthorn.”

The NGED team cut back patches of mature blackthorn by 40 per cent to encourage the younger growth that the brown hairstreaks prefer for egg-laying.

Removing older blackthorn also will encourage rough grassland to re-establish. With its long, thick, matted, tussocky mix of native grass species, it is an ideal habitat for field voles which are the main food source for barn owls and other wildlife.

“The NGED team worked hard,” said Harry: “It was a really good day and a lot was achieved.”

Lewis Smith, NGED’s head of operations for Devon, said: “We had a very enjoyable and informative day and it was good to have a noticeable impact on an area which will benefit wildlife.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to support a Devon-based charity that is working hard to conserve barn owls and in the process boost biodiversity.”

The team took part in the conservation work as part of an NGED employee volunteering scheme that aims to deliver 14,000 hours supporting regional charities and organisations each year between now and 2030.