Butterfly home restored by sheep after landslide

A farmer helped to move the sheep on to the land

Land near a railway line that is home to rare butterflies but was damaged by a landslip, is being restored by grazing sheep.

The landslip near the Harbury Tunnel in 2015, caused major disruption and damaged the ground, Network Rail said.

A team has restored the cutting and seeded the ground with meadow grasses and wildflowers to encourage pollinating insects, but because mowing the ground will be difficult and expensive, the sheep will graze it instead.

The sheep will spend the winter on the cutting, between Leamington Spa in Warwickshire and Banbury in Oxfordshire, grazing on the grasses and weeds that would compete with the newly-planted meadow grasses and wildflowers.

The cutting was restored and seeds were sown

Engineers said a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) was also affected in February 2015.

Network Rail teamed up with Butterfly Conservation and a farmer to move the sheep on to the land.

Mowing the site would have been difficult because it is so steep

Mike Slater, chair of Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch, said it was a "fantastic project".

He said: "By managing this land in the right way, we have the opportunity to create the perfect habitat for five rare species of butterfly."

He listed the five species as the Small Blue, Dark Green Fritillary, Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper and Green Hairstreak.

Fencing has been used to keep the sheep where they need to be

Simon Thatcher, assistant track safety engineer for Network Rail's Central route, said the site had been a "tricky challenge", because of its location and ecology.

He said the landslip had caused "devastation" and depleted the habitat, and this work would improve the ecology and the SSSI.

"We're really pleased that we've been able to come to this agreement and bring the sheep on to the cutting," he said. "They will be a welcome addition for both local wildlife and passing passengers."