Large Blue - in explore
Collard Hill, Somerset, UK
The Large Blue was officially declared extinct from the British countryside in 1979. The Large Blue was always a rare butterfly, and its decline was hastened by agricultural improvement, the abandonment of grazing and a lack of knowledge about the species' close relationship with the red ant Myrmica sabuleti.
In 1983, when much more was known about its life history, the Large Blue was reintroduced using butterflies from Sweden, and it is now established on several dozen sites.
Large Blue - in explore
Collard Hill, Somerset, UK
The Large Blue was officially declared extinct from the British countryside in 1979. The Large Blue was always a rare butterfly, and its decline was hastened by agricultural improvement, the abandonment of grazing and a lack of knowledge about the species' close relationship with the red ant Myrmica sabuleti.
In 1983, when much more was known about its life history, the Large Blue was reintroduced using butterflies from Sweden, and it is now established on several dozen sites.