Warwickshire Conservation Projects

Small Blue Project

The Small Blue, is the smallest of the UK's blue butterflies. Numbers have plummeted in recent years due to the loss of chalk grassland habitats. In Warwickshire it is clinging to survival at three sites around Southam, all of which are active or former quarries.

The creation of new habitat within flying distance of existing butterfly colonies is the only way to help the dwindling population of butterflies spread and expand. Find out more about the Small Blue Project.

Midlands Fritillary Project

This project aims to direct effort on practical conservation measures to improve habitat for five fritillary species on 168 individual sites in the eight most important areas in the West Midlands, Warwickshire and the Forest of Dean.

In Warwickshire, the work is focused on the Princethorpe Woodland Complex and it is hoped that the work will benefit the Silver-washed Fritillary and Dark Green Fritillary in our region. Find out more about the Midlands Fritillary Project.

Warwickshire Surveys

Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey

UK butterfly monitoring currently focuses on nature reserves and butterfly-rich places. This has lead to a lack of monitoring in vast areas of the wider countryside. These areas include farmland, plantation woodland, uplands and urban green spaces.

Butterfly Conservation (BC), the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), has developed a new Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey (WCBS) method to gauge the changing abundance of widespread species in the general countryside.

Find out more about the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey.

Past Surveys

Warwickshire Moth Blitz 2011

The first Warwickshire Moth Blitz was held on the 30th July 2011. It was organised in order to replace the
National Moth Night which did not take place that year. Everybody with an interest in Lepidoptera was invited to take part and report the moths they see on this date in Warwickshire.

More information about the Warwickshire Moth Blitz including a full species list recorded in 2011 can be found here.

Sutton Park Green Hairstreak Survey 2009 to 2010

One of the actions in the Warwickshire Conservation update was to determine how many colonies of Green Hairstreak butterflies are present in Sutton Park. In August 2009, a full GPS (Global Positioning Survey) of Sutton Park was conducted and areas of Bilberry and Cowberry were plotted in order to help Butterfly Conservation establish a cohesive monitoring of potential Green Hairstreak colonies across the site in 2010.

Find out more about the Sutton Park Green Hairstreak Survey.

Orange-tip Survey

We need to know the number you have seen, when you saw them and where. The date and location is very important as it helps us build a map of where the butterfly lives and over time will show changes in is distribution and the effects of climate and habitat change.

Find out more about the Orange-tip Survey.