Rare butterfly 'thriving' on Dartmoor

The High Brown Fritillary butterfly is now classified as "endangered" by the 2022 Red List, which assesses the extinction risk for British butterfly species

A rare British butterfly species is recording "strong numbers" on Dartmoor, a wildlife charity has reported.

The Butterfly Foundation said the High Brown Fritillary had gone from critically endangered to endangered in the new 2022 red list.

Conservation work undertaken by a range of local charities and trusts has created "suitable conditions for breeding".

Jenny Plackett said the species was "continuing to thrive".

The South West regional conservation manager for the Butterfly Conservation said: "It's fantastic that the High Brown Fritillary is continuing to thrive on Dartmoor, and responding well to conservation efforts.

"This years' warm and sunny weather will have really helped and may have enabled the butterfly to expand to colonise new sites nearby, we'll be monitoring closely."

The conservation said the species had "undergone dramatic decline", with a 96% reduction since the 1950s.

The species can only be found on Dartmoor, Exmoor, Morecambe Bay and South Wales.

Dartmoor National Park Authority's ecologist Richard Knott said the work of all involved had helped the species populate.

He said: "The success is a testament to the hard work of Dartmoor's farmers who maintain these areas.

"It also shows the value of coordinated partnership working at a landscape scale."