The UK’s Butterfly Conservation is the world’s largest insect-focused conservation organization, and it helps species recover from dangerously low numbers – like the Duke of Burgundy butterfly.
The Duke of Burgundy butterfly was Britain’s rarest butterfly ten years ago. Named after an unknown aristocrat, the rare butterfly was found only in the North York Moors and the southern Lake District, living in tiny colonies. Now, its population has grown 25% between 2010 and 2020, thanks to conservation efforts.
In 2011, Butterfly Conservation’s ‘Dukes on the Edge’ conservation program was launched in response to the disheartening population surveys. It includes 23 hectares of habitat restoration, management counsel for 147 different sites where the Dukes were living, and recruited 1,000 volunteers ranging from landowners to concerned local citizens and activists.
The Duke of Burgundy butterfly is dark brown with mustard-colored spots. The females and caterpillars purposely hide under leaves in scrubland and limestone grassland. At the same time, the males are solitary, except in the mating season when they compete with other males for territory. It’s no surprise the species could remain hidden in such large numbers for so long!
According to the Guardian, one of the largest single colony of Dukes in the country was discovered last spring by butterfly enthusiast Martin Warren, the author of Butterflies: A Natural History. The colony was located on the hills of a Dorset organic dairy farm, whose owner John Hiscock has proudly supported habitat for butterflies, including the Duke, in his fields for two decades.
Like most farmers, Hiscock is “thrilled” that he’s taking part in reviving wildlife. “We have farmed organically for more than 20 years, with no pesticides, sprays, or chemical fertilizers, allowing the wildlife habitat to improve and these rare butterflies to thrive along with many other species,” he explained.
Over the years, the Butterfly Conservation has supported the cause of hundreds of different declining species. They persuaded the UK government to use butterflies and moths as official biodiversity indicators because, after all, the more biodiverse the ecosystem is, the healthier it will remain. As organisms, such as butterflies and moths, become endangered or extinct, links in the food webs in those areas are compromised.
The conservation also manages 190 nature reserves in the country while spearheading 1,600 events annually to promote awareness of such dwindling species and what they need to thrive in human civilization.
The Butterfly Conservation isn’t the only one trying to save dwindling species; other butterfly enthusiasts worldwide also take action. These include female prisoners in Oregon saving endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies and aquatic biologist Tim Wong, who began single-handedly repopulating the California pipevine swallowtail butterflies in his backyard.
