Nature Features

Dartmoor ponies are doing their bit to help save a nationally declining species of butterfly.

The Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly is a Priority Species in Britain - but it is thriving at Ashclyst Forest on the National Trust's Killerton estate near Exeter.

The forest is being managed with species conservation in mind - and with the help of some Dartmoor ponies.

The Pearl Bordered Fritillary lives in woodland clearings where trees have recently been cut down or coppiced, or where there are areas of grass, bracken and open scrub.

At Ashclyst, some Dartmoor ponies are on loan from a local farmer. Their job is to graze in the open glades.

The grazing regime, together with careful management of the 650 hectare forest, has led to an increase in the number of Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterflies in the past few years.

Dartmoor Ponies are helping out

The National Trust's head warden at Killerton Estate, Ed Nicholson, said: "It's places like Ashclyst that provide a last refuge for a variety of butterfly species that are struggling in the face of changing management practices and habitat loss.

"Whilst their numbers are still quite small, we hope that over the next few years the Pearl Bordered Fritillary numbers will continue to increase at Ashclyst."

He added: "For a number of years we have been managing the forest specifically for butterflies and bats and this means that we have to regularly balance the nature conservation needs with public access.

"The management for the butterflies takes various forms including charcoal burning, bracken management, and short rotation coppice woodland management."

The species is in decline nationally because of changes in woodland management - coppicing and thinning are in decline, and many areas have been planted with conifers.

In addition, clearings have become increasingly shady and overgrown, and bracken habitats are no longer managed through grazing.

The Pearl Bordered Fritillary isn't the only butterfly visitors will be able to see in the forest.

On sunny days during July and August, the woodland is home to giant orange Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies.

The National Trust manages some of the most important sites for butterflies in the UK, and works with charities including the Forestry Commission and Butterfly Conservation.