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Butterfly scheme takes flight
Huge grant funds conservation project
More than 100 wildlife enthusiasts visited a nature reserve at Totternhoe on Saturday (May 30) to catch a glimpse of rare butterflies.
Saturday's event was held to give Bedfordshire wildlife lovers a chance to learn all about the cutting-edge butterfly conservation project that has been taking place at chalk grassland reserves at Totternhoe quarry and knolls, Blow's Down, Pegsdon and Sewell Cutting.
Chalk grasslands are among the most diverse habitats in the UK, and are home to bird species such as skylarks, plants such as the chalk eyebright, and the grizzled skipper butterfly, but such areas have declined dramatically over the last 50 years.
To keep track of changes the trust has been carrying out the Dukes vs Blues project, studying the needs of three butterflies, the Duke of Burgundy, the chalkhill blue and the small blue, with the help of an army of volunteers.
The teams have been catching, recording and marking butterflies with harmless coloured dots, allowing scientists to plot how far the insects had ranged, and have also been recording plants and other insects to see the types of habitats the butterflies prefer.
A huge grant of nearly 50,000 from the Landfill Communities Fund, via the SITA Trust, and 2,000 from the Beds and Northants branch of Butterfly Conservation has helped fund the studies, which have revealed that each of the three butterfly species had its own niche in the ecosystem.
If you would like to find out more about butterflies, the Wildlife Trust nature reserves near you, or how you can get involved in the work of the trust, visit www.wildlifebcnp.org
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Weather for Luton
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
