Indicator butterfly species at Glenlude

Glenlude joins a Borders-wide effort to monitor, manage and support butterfly populations.

Led by the Butterfly Conservation charity, the project has a particular focus on the Northern Brown Argus, one of Scotland’s most threatened butterflies that has a stronghold in the Borders.

The project aims to use survey data collected by volunteers to increase awareness and understanding among landowners about the impact of the loss of species rich grasslands and the crucial role these habitats play in supporting butterfly populations.

Rock rose – the foodplant of the Northern Brown Argus – is already found at Glenlude, making the site a natural fit for the project. The Glenlude team has been propagating additional plants in the tree nursery and, with the support of volunteers, planting them across the site to expand existing patches and create more habitat for this specialist butterfly.

The Northern Brown Argus and other butterfly species are important in their own right while also acting as valuable indicators of how the land at Glenlude is being managed for natural processes. Butterflies are a fantastic indicator species due to their fragile nature, with their numbers being a clear sign of the health of an ecosystem. Our aim is to turn Glenlude, our engagement hub, into a mosaic of native habitats and increase biodiversity on the land.

Glenlude Conservation Officer Ellie Oakley said: “Glenlude’s involvement in this project guarantees that we will protect and increase numbers of Northern Brown Argus, as well as supporting many other species including plants and animals. When landowners work together to provide habitats and food sources, that is when real change happens.”

^ Stop press: The first-ever documented Common Blue butterfly was recorded at Glenlude this summer.