Duke of Burgundy Habitat Conservation – 2021

The Duke of Burgundy is a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority species and needs quite a specific habitat structure in order to thrive. (see https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/duke-of-burgundy). With the support of the North West Chilterns Community Board, Butterfly Conservation, the Chalk Cherries and Chairs Project and Landowners we have been able to continue our work to create a network of Duke of Burgundy Habitats in the Chilterns through the winter of 202/21. The Butterfly Conservation Volunteer Team survey the sites we work on in the summer months and e are so excited to see the Duke of Burgundy on a Network Rail site that we worked on for the first time!

@BucksCouncil we use some of the funding from North West Community Board to enable the work to happen here and other key locations in the local landscape. Thanks for your part in this exciting discovery! https://t.co/kMmVMRbYL3

— Chiltern Rangers (@chilternrangers) June 24, 2021

Small dean bank with Hughenden Primary School March 2021

We were as excited as the pupils were to be out in the glorious sunshine and Chilterns’ countryside today! It was a great team effort bringing together Year 5 students from Hughenden Primary School, staff from the National Trust who hosted us, Butterfly Conservation Upper Thames branch and Buckinghamshire Council’s North West Chilterns Community Board. Also, many thanks to Heart of Bucks for part funding the session.

We all joined together to clear scrub off the bank to create better habitat for wildlife, especially the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly.

Saunderton site

We have worked on a new Network Rail owned site in Saunderton which is adjacent to the Far Kingdom Site and are really excited to hear from the Butterfly Conservation Surveying team as to which species they see in the summer. As well as the Duke, we are hoping that due to the large quantity of wild strawberry, that we see another priority species, the Grizzled Skipper.

Before scrub clearance

After scrub clearance

Princes Risborough site

Scroll through the gallery below to see what we did at a site near Princes Risborough in February 2021. As you can see, the sheep enjoyed our company!