Fritillary thriving on summer sun

The UK’S most endangered butterfly is flourishing in a remote part of Devon this summer thanks to good weather and careful management of its habitat.

Early counts of the high brown fritillary at Heddon Valley, in north Devon, revealed healthy numbers, with more than 200 insects spotted.

A cold harsh winter which knocked back the bracken followed by a warm, sunny June provided ideal conditions for the rare species to thrive.

The high brown fritillary has seen its population decline by two thirds since the Seventies, due to changes in woodland management and the abandonment of marginal hill land.

Working alongside Butterfly Conservation, the National Trust has developed the butterfly’s habitat at Heddon Valley, and is spending £100,000 developing 150 acres of lowland heath and wood pasture along the north Devon and Exmoor coast. Samantha Herbert