The rare Marsh Fritillary has had a fantastic year across
Dartmoor and Exmoor, with numbers doubling at many sites across
the moors. The butterfly has not only increased in abundance,
but has spread its wings and colonised new areas where they were
previously unrecorded. The Marsh Fritillary is a striking orange
and brown butterfly which has suffered a devastating 73% decline
nationally over the past 30 years. The remarkable change of
fortune for this species is due to the conservation measures put
in place by the Two Moors Threatened Butterfly Project, the
farmers it has worked with, and the dry and sunny weather we
enjoyed during the butterfly's flight period in late May and
June, which provided optimal conditions for the butterfly to
breed. Butterfly Conservation, in partnership with Dartmoor and
Exmoor National Park Authorities, Natural England and the
Environment Agency, set up the Two Moors Threatened Butterfly
Project five years ago to try to reverse these declines. The
project works with farmers and l