Attempt to return rare butterfly

The marsh fritillary declined with the loss of grassland

Attempts are being made to return a rare butterfly to Cumbria.

The marsh fritillary has virtually disappeared from the county because of changes to the way land has been used over recent decades.

Now 20,000 caterpillars are being released in an effort to re-establish the species and prevent future declines in population.

The move is the culmination of a three-year project to rear marsh fritillary caterpillars in captivity.

Cattle grazing

Dr Keith Porter, from Natural England, which is co-ordinating the project, said: "In 2004 the very last population in Cumbria was down to literally a handful of caterpillars.

"So we took the decision to take those into captivity to increase the numbers.

"The place the butterfly lives is in amongst farmland and with drainage and improvement of land, these places have gradually become more and more fragmented and isolated.

"But we have been making an effort with the management of these areas to bring back cattle grazing and improve the land.

"Plus there have been a raft of government schemes to allow farmers to bring back this sort of habitat and manage it in the right way."