Protected and rare Grizzled Skipper butterfly found at Saint-Gobain Formula's Bantycock Quarry site in Newark
The protected and very rare Grizzled Skipper butterfly is back.
Saint-Gobain Formula has joined with ecologists and conservationists to celebrate the discovery that the butterfly is breeding on its Newark site.
Last summer the company was delighted to find that the species had been located in restored areas of Bantycock Quarry.
This summer the celebrations have gone up a level with the sighting of the butterfly and its eggs on the company’s adjacent factory site — Jericho Works.
Consultant ecologist Rachel Blackham of AB Ecology said: “This is fantastic news for a species that became almost extinct in the 1990s in Nottinghamshire.
"Finding the butterfly at Bantycock Quarry, and so close to the factory made us realise that the factory habitats were also suitable for Grizzled Skipper.
“The butterfly has a very short flight window and only flies between April and early June.
"In addition, Grizzled Skipper are very small and have a flitty nature to their flight that makes it hard to record and find eggs.
"So, working with the experts at the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group and the East Midlands Butterfly Conservation Group, a Grizzled Skipper survey was undertaken across both the factory and the quarry sites in spring and early summer 2022.”
Mark Searle, Grizzled Skipper project officer for East Midlands Butterfly Conservation Group, added: “During our investigations at the factory site, we found two butterflies and several eggs which shows that they are breeding at the factory. This is really exciting news for the teams of volunteers who have been working hard to improve habitats for this species in various areas around Nottinghamshire.”
Andrea Dudley, Saint-Gobain regional environment, health and safety business partner, said: “As a company, we are committed to improving and enhancing biodiversity around our sites, so we are delighted with this news.
"We are hoping to now do some targeted habitat management for the butterfly at the factory site to improve the habitats for the future. We are all keen to see the Grizzled Skipper go from strength to strength at the site.”
For more information about the work to protect this butterfly visit Grizzled Skipper Project — Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group (nottsbag.org.uk)
