#14 Butterfly Extravaganza

This episode is a veritable butterfly extravaganza. Joff talks to a wide range of people about butterflies, plants they need, and their specific habitat requirements.  Joff meets Tricia Atkinson at Prinknash Abbey and has a tour of the nectar garden hearing about all the plants that are recommended for both the adult butterfly and the larvae. He spoke to ex national chairman of Butterfly Conservation Maurice Avent ten years ago and recorded their conversation on his battered old minidisc recorder. Thankfully the recording still exists and Maurice was able to tell him all about the history and habits of the Pearl Bordered Fritillary. Chris Tracey from the Gloucestershire branch is an expert on this declining species and showed Joff around the site she maintains to encourage it to breed and increase its population. Daneway Banks in Gloucestershire is one of the few UK strongholds for the enigmatic Large Blue Butterfly. Sue Smith Chairperson of the Gloucestershire branch of Butterfly Conservation met him there and told him all about the incredible life cycle of this once extinct species. www.butterfly-conservation.org