Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Management

Management

  • A network of paths running through bracken to open the canopy, allows sunlight through to help germinate any violet foodplants. This can be achieved through grazing especially during winter and early spring. Cattle are better than sheep as their extra weight helps to trample and break up any dense standing dead stems. Also there is a risk that sheep tend to eat plants that provide nectar for the adult Pearl Bordered Fritillary. Another way of achieving this is by cutting and bruising the bracken, a proportion of the site at a time, during May and early June.
  • Burning can be useful for reducing the litter of bracken, although follow up management is required as extra bracken growth will be stimulated as a result. This will kill a proportion of invertebrates, and therefore only burning a proportion of the site, e.g., 20% is suggested.
  • Spraying can be useful for reducing high densitites bracken litter, but care should be taken to not severely reduce the density and allow the grass to develop, as this will harm the breeding habitat.
  • Woodlands create sunny clearings and rides, but avoid using clearings that are dominated by other plants such as Dogs Mercury (Mercurialis perennis), Common Bluebell, and vigorous grasses.

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