Conservationist wins fight to stop homes blocking caterpillars’ light
A CATERPILLAR enthusiast has won a fight against house-builders by claiming his little army would be adversely affected by a lack of sunlight.
Steve Doyle, 73, told planners that building five detached houses next to his home would cast a shadow and starve the caterpillars he breeds of daylight.
For 13 years in the garden behind his home in Durdar, Carlisle, he has been trying to save from extinction the marsh fritillary butterfly.
He told city council planners that the cages he keeps them in would lose hours of sunlight if new housing were allowed.
In his submission he wrote: “The larvae are bred in a one-metre cube cage in early spring before release into the wild. By losing that two hours of sunlight in early spring I will have to stop breeding the larvae as they need all the sunlight they can get at that crucial time of the year when they come out of hibernation and regain body weight.”
The species was on the brink of extinction in Britain when he launched the project, starting work that eventually led to the re-establishment of 18 colonies. But his project would have been ruined with the development of new housing.
He added that the breeding programme continues to be necessary because colonies can suffer sudden population crashes.
Mr Doyle’s concerns were shared by Dr Keith Porter, who has also been leading the battle to save the marsh fritillary. Sunshine was vital and the housing would reduce daily sunlight by two hours, said Dr Porter.
Both men asked for the application to be modified to avoid the loss of sunlight.
The planning committee voted by eight votes to three to turn it down, stating: “The proposed development will have a negative impact on a breeding programme for a nationally important UK Biodiversity Action Plan.”
Dr Porter said: “Insects are usually cold-blooded and cannot generate their own body heat. If denied access to direct sunlight the caterpillars fail to develop.”