Duke of Burgundy
Photo © Dave Wilton

It was another poor year for the butterfly locally. Though it clung on at the 5 UTB sites where it existed in 2007, several recently occupied sites are still without reports.

Numbers at 3 sites were higher than in 2007.

Detailed studies of foodplant condition and position were undertaken at Dancersend (BBOWT) reserve by BBOWT volunteers and students from Anglia Ruskin College, with a view to forming future management plans. At Dancersend, the Duke of Burgundy lays eggs on both Cowslip and Primrose.

Right: An unusual choice of pabulum. This cowslip plant (with 4 eggs) on a quarry face in Bedfordshire is in a far more exposed position than most favoured plants at Dancersend, which grow in scrub/woodland edge habitat.

Left: The 2006 distribution of Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina). Records from Levana.


Contact has been maintained at key sites, including some where the butterfly is (temporarily?) lost.