Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation (BC) is warning that a rare blue butterfly is in danger of disappearing completely from East Sussex.
The threatened Silver-Studded Blue is restricted to a handful of colonies across England and Wales, including Ashdown Forest near Crowborough, but surveys at this site suggest the population has declined 60% in the last 20 years.
Nature lovers are being asked to join BC and the Conservators of Ashdown Forest to look for the butterfly and to report any sightings. The data collected will help to target what type of conservation takes place to help the butterfly.
BC’s Senior Regional Officer for the South East, Steve Wheatley, said: “There are few other blue butterflies on the heath at this time of year, so if you do spot a blue butterfly, there’s a good chance it’s a Silver-studded Blue. We’re also asking golfer’s to keep an eye out at the various heather-rich golf courses that fringe the forest.
“It really is a beautiful little thing and the flashes of blue as it flies really stand out against the greens and purples of the heath. This is the only place in East Sussex where you can find this butterfly, so if it is lost from the forest, it is lost from the county forever.”
The Silver-Studded Blue can be seen from late June to early August and the male butterfly is small and bright blue with a thick black border around the wings.
Females are brown and far less conspicuous but, like the male, have 
distinct spots on the underside of the wings. In late afternoon the adults often congregate to roost on sheltered bushes or grass tussocks.
If you spot the butterfly on Ashdown Forest this summer, please email your sightings and photos to @email.
Steve Alton, Conservation Manager for the Conservators of Ashdown Forest, said: “We see this as an excellent opportunity to make a significant contribution towards vital work to ensure the future of the Silver-studded Blue in Sussex.”
Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some 30 miles south of London in the county of East Sussex.
The Ashdown Forest Project has been supported by Sussex Lund, through the Sussex Community Foundation.
