Thanks to meticulous conservation management by a partnership of scientists and conservation bodies, south-west England now supports the greatest concentration of large blues known in the world.

Across the south-west, 12 new locations are being restored to flower-rich meadows suitable for large blues, taking learnings from the land management techniques that have been successful so far. Already, these places support up to a third of the UK population of large blues, up from just 7% in 2019.

The restorations are led, supervised and monitored by the Royal Entomological Society’s David Simcox and Sarah Meredith, who also design bespoke management plans for each location that has been earmarked for a reintroduction.

These strongholds are of international importance as the large blue is listed as one of Europe’s most endangered species of insect, and similarly worldwide.

Reconnection of suitable habitats on a landscape scale is particularly important for large blues, as being habitat specialists makes it harder to disperse to new areas in an increasingly fragmented environment. 

Having the largest known population in the world at Daneway Banks is a fantastic achievement, but it isn't enough - if populations remain isolated, this leaves them vulnerable to future challenges such as climate change increasing the risk of local extinctions.

They mostly stay within a small area, but some have been known to disperse 2-3km, which is a very small distance compared to other species like monarch butterflies which can travel thousands of kilometres.

The more high-quality habitat available to the large blues within a couple of kilometres, the more likely they will be able to colonise new sites successfully, increase their resilience and be an annual spectacle for future generations to enjoy.

These restorations of a disappearing type of grasslands have also provided a haven for other butterfly species that share the large blue’s habitat, including dingy skippers, small heaths, peacocks and small blues. 

It's not only butterflies that benefit, the grasses are alive with small creatures, the small areas of scrub around the edges are perfect sanctuaries for hazel dormice to curl up in and for roe deer to shelter in, and on a sunny day you may even see an adder slither out to bask in the sun.

"The success of the large blue at Daneway Banks is thanks to our hard working volunteers who help with practical land management, wardens that are at the nature reserve during the flight period and check the grazing ponies and sheep. We are indebted to our grazier, Judy Hancox, for providing native breed livestock, and our partnership with RES and the large blue project" adds Alan.

Find out more about large blues in Gloucestershire