Rare butterfly rises from inferno ashes

A RARE butterfly, numbers of which have declined by 80% in the past century, has managed to beat the odds by rising from the ashes after a devastating fire on one of the few heathlands where it is found, Natural England has said.

The silver-studded blue was among wildlife threatened when a five-day blaze ripped through Thursley National Nature Reserve, Surrey, two years ago. But on the second anniversary of the blaze, Natural England said the latest count of one colony of the butterfly, which is found at just a handful of places in England and Wales, showed there were 126 — an increase of more than 100 on last year.

Firefighters worked with senior reserve manager, Simon Nobes, on protecting a “line in the sand” area in which the butterflies had laid eggs that could not be lost if the silver-studded blue was to survive.

Sir Martin Doughty, chairman of Natural England, said: “Through the combined efforts of fire fighters, the local community and our Reserve staff — against the odds, Thursley has been saved.”