Crawley residents discover rare butterfly eggs in Ifield

The walk was designed to raise awareness about local wildlife in the area, particularly for children, and was led by Tom Simpson of the Sussex Wildlife Trust.

More than twenty-five people took part and were delighted to discover the eggs of a rare British butterfly species.

The Butterfly Conservation Trust said: "The Brown Hairstreak has declined rapidly over recent decades and its range has contracted by over 60%. It is now listed as a top conservation priority.

“The reason for the butterfly’s decline is the loss of hedges, over 50% of which have been removed in the last sixty years in England, and annual flailing of hedges.”

The Wealden landscape of the West Sussex and Surrey borders is one of the remaining strongholds of this nationally scarce species and the Ifield Brook Meadows area with its extensive Blackthorn hedgerows is the ideal habitat for this butterfly.

The species is present locally in reasonable numbers and protecting and managing the hedgerows of this area could help this special butterfly survive.

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