Small Blue SAP

Species Action Plan for the Small Blue Butterfly Cupido minimus and its food plant the Kidney Vetch Anthyllis vulneraria in Surrey

Prepared by Gail Jeffcoate, Butterfly Conservation.

1. INTRODUCTION

The Small Blue has undergone a severe decline in Surrey since 1980. A number of local extinctions have occurred and the remaining populations are vulnerable. This Species Action Plan sets out current knowledge of its status and requirements and the measures that need to be taken to halt the decline and enable the few remaining populations to survive and increase. The Small Blue requires chalk grassland in the early stages of succession and is entirely dependent on a single larval foodplant, Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria). Implementation of this Action Plan will benefit both species.

This Action Plan has been prepared for the following reasons: · There has been a recent rapid decline of the Small Blue in the county. · There is good knowledge of the status and requirements of the species. · The conservation measures needed are small scale, easy to implement and likely to produce favourable results rapidly. · A commitment to regular (though small-scale) conservation work at locations where the species survives is urgently needed. · The conservation actions required for the Small Blue in Surrey are not covered by any other existing Habitat Action Plan or Species Action Plan.

The broad objectives of this Plan are to: · Halt the decline of the Small Blue in Surrey by ensuring that sites with surviving populations are managed with the long-term maintenance of the species as a key objective. · Raise awareness among landowners and site managers of the status and habitat requirements of the species. · Encourage management close to remaining populations that will provide suitable habitat for the Small Blue and enable it to occupy larger areas than is currently the case.

2. CURRENT STATUS

2.1 Legal status

The Small Blue is listed on Schedule 5 of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act (for sale only). (It s a criminal offence to sell, offer or expose for sale, or possess or transport for the purposes of sale, whether alive or dead, any wild specimen and parts or derivatives of them; or for anyone to publish or cause to be published any advertisement indicating or suggesting that they buy or sell such things, without a license).

2.2 Conservation status

UK BAP status: Species of Conservation Concern. Butterfly Conservation Priority (national): Medium. BC Regional Action Plan for South-east England (Surrey, Sussex & Kent) Priority: High.

2.3 National status

The species occurs very locally in Britain and Ireland. It has undergone a severe decline since 1950, and is now extinct throughout most of the northern half of England and Wales, and almost absent from Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, where remaining colonies are often small and vulnerable. Its main stronghold is the chalk and limestone grassland of southern England, where colonies are most numerous in Wiltshire, Dorset and Gloucestershire, but here too declines have resulted in numerous extinctions and many surviving populations are very small.

2.4 Surrey status

At the start of the twentieth century the Small Blue was described as ‘Common in many places on the chalk, in chalk pits and on hill slopes’ in Surrey (VCH, 1902). Losses occurred when building development took place (especially on the edges of London), when chalk grassland was improved for agricultural purposes, and when successional change resulted in the loss of chalk grassland to scrub and secondary woodland. By 1980 populations survived in about 20 locations (Collins, 1995).

A survey of all these locations was carried out in 1995 (Jeffcoate, 1997). It was found that several extinctions had occurred and that most surviving populations were extremely small. The decline was noted in the Habitat Action Plan for Chalk Grassland in Surrey (1999). By 2002, as many as half the populations recorded after 1980 were thought to be extinct, although the butterfly may remain undetected at very low levels and extinction can be hard to confirm. Recording of butterflies on the North Downs in Surrey has been thorough in recent years, and it is likely that few, if any, populations remain unrecorded, except possibly on private land in the east of the county. Almost all populations of the Small Blue in Surrey are on land owned by conservation organisations or managed with wildlife conservation as an objective, including SSSIs. This has not prevented the current decline. As the sites are owned and/or managed by over a dozen organisations, liaising and organising conservation for the Small Blue is complicated.

This Action Plan covers the administrative county of Surrey, where in 2003 nine or ten populations were thought to remain. The exact number is difficult to ascertain because extinction may be hard to confirm. This figure assumes that the half-dozen small patches of suitable habitat in the Epsom Downs area, including Walton Downs and Epsom Golf Course, support a single population. The Small Blue occurs in two neighbouring London Boroughs, Croydon (3 or 4 sites) and Sutton (2 or 3 sites), where populations are close to those in Surrey, especially in the Banstead/Cheam/Sutton area. The butterfly also occurs at West Kent Golf Course, 3km east of the Surrey/Kent boundary. These locations are included in the distribution map and list of sites at the end of this Action Plan and it is important that they are taken into account when planning conservation measures for the species in Surrey.

3. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE

3.1 ECOLOGY

3.1.1. Habitat

In the ideal situation the larval foodplant, Kidney Vetch (which is also the nectar source most favoured by the Small Blue) grows abundantly in a short to medium, sparse sward, with plenty of bare ground present. Taller grass and some scrub are also necessary to provide shelter and perching/roosting places. Old chalk pits and quarries are often ideal. Golf courses may also provide suitable habitat. In Surrey the butterfly is confined to the chalk soils of the North Downs, but in other parts of Britain and Ireland it can be found on disused railway lines with limestone ballast, road cuttings and coastal grassland and dunes.

At most Surrey sites where the Small Blue survives, the vegetation has passed beyond the early successional stage required. Sward is too dense with no, or insufficient, bare ground present, especially in wet summers when vegetation growth is vigorous. In some places scrub is shading out the ground vegetation. Numbers are declining and management is urgently needed.

3.1.2. Larval foodplant

The sole larval foodplant is Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), which is a scarce and declining plant. In Surrey it grows only on the chalk soils of the North Downs, where in most of its surviving locations it occurs in very small amounts, often covering only a few square metres. Kidney Vetch is a short-lived perennial that is a poor competitor. It is one of the first plants to be lost in the course of succession and bare chalk soil must be available if it is to continue to establish seedlings regularly. The absence of non-flowering seedlings is an indication that the population is in decline, and searching for seedlings is an important aspect of monitoring both foodplant and butterfly. Most seeds fall to the ground and germinate among existing plants, though occasionally seeds are dispersed further by being carried in the fur of animals. Currently the only known populations of Kidney Vetch in Surrey that do not support the Small Blue are the few surviving plants at locations where the butterfly has already become extinct.

3.1.3. Life cycle and behaviour

The smallest British butterfly, the Small Blue may easily be overlooked due to its small size, dusky colouring, short flight period, and the fact that most populations are very small. Adult Small Blues begin to emerge in mid-May and are on the wing throughout June. In a few places where populations are larger there may be a partial second brood in late July and August. In Surrey this occurs at Howell Hill and Banstead Downs. Eggs are laid singly in the flowerheads of Kidney Vetch and hatch after about a week. Occasionally additional eggs are laid on a flowerhead, by different females, but if this happens cannibalism occurs and only one larva reaches maturity. Larvae burrow into the flowers, where they feed on developing seeds. When fully-grown in mid-late July, they can be found among the brown seedpods before descending to the ground, where they overwinter among vegetation and debris. Pupation takes place without further feeding in late April and May, also at ground level.

Males perch in groups on shrubs or tall grasses in sheltered spots, flying out to intercept females. When mated, females spend much time among flowers of Kidney Vetch, laying eggs. Kidney Vetch is also the main nectar source, though other yellow legumes such as Bird’s-foot Trefoil are occasionally used. Both sexes roost in long grass, scrub bushes and taller herbs, which are also used for shelter in bad weather.

3.1.4 Colony structure and mobility

The Small Blue lives in discrete colonies. Suitable breeding habitat is usually available only in a very small area, and as a result many populations contain few individuals. In the past, areas meeting the habitat requirements of the butterfly were more extensive. Fluctuations in the number of flowers of Kidney Vetch produced each year result in fluctuations in butterfly numbers. Kidney Vetch is scarce and declining at almost all locations in Surrey where the butterfly occurs, and increasing the number of flowers is the aim of conservation effort for both species, to reduce the likelihood of extinction in years when fewer flowers are produced. Most colonies are small, but where conditions are favourable (at sites with much bare ground, sparse vegetation and shelter) large populations of both Kidney Vetch and Small Blue may occur, as at Howell Hill in Surrey.

The butterfly is sedentary. Most flights cover distances of only a few metres. Flights longer than 40m are exceptional, though dispersal of individuals from occupied patches of habitat may occur occasionally when the flight period coincides with a long spell of hot weather. Because most remaining populations in Surrey are small and scattered, dispersing individuals are very unlikely to reach suitable habitat.

Kidney Vetch flowers must be available every year or the butterfly population becomes extinct. Such extinctions have always occurred occasionally, and in the past would have been balanced by colonisations as new patches of habitat became available. Now, however, new habitat is rarely available and colonisations are far outweighed by extinctions. Nationally and locally, this has resulted in surviving populations becoming increasingly isolated, reducing the chance of colonisation even further. Colonisation of new habitat has taken place locally in recent years, in Sutton and at a disused claypit at Holmwood, where Kidney Vetch was present in a wildflower seed mix sown in the 1980s. Here the populations of both plant and butterfly were very small, and the Holmwood population, the only one known in Surrey away from the chalk grassland of the North Downs, became extinct in the late 1990s when Kidney Vetch died out.

In Surrey, the largest population of Small Blue occurs at Howell Hill (Surrey Wildlife Trust reserve at Cheam), where it is possible to see more than 50 adults during a 30 minute visit at the peak of the flight period. Even here, however, vigorous growth of vegetation, especially invasive scrub species such as Cotoneaster and Dogwood, is reducing the amount of suitable habitat. At all Surrey sites, strong growth of vegetation, encouraged by recent wet summers, has resulted in a decline in the amount of Kidney Vetch, and management is urgently required.

3.2 MANAGEMENT

The aim of conservation management for the Small Blue is to provide a strong population of flowering Kidney Vetch, and to ensure its persistence from year to year, by regular creation of bare ground and maintenance of sparse sward. For this reason, ground disturbance is the most important management activity at most sites. Provision of a varied vegetation structure, including scrub, to give shelter, is also important. If the right conditions are created, rapid increases in numbers of both plant and butterfly may follow, ensuring that local extinction is less likely. Because of the early successional nature of the habitat required, management must be carried out regularly, not as a one-off operation, to provide a continuous supply of suitable vegetation. A commitment to regular (though small-scale) conservation work at locations where the Small Blue survives in Surrey is urgently needed

Three kinds of management may be required to provide suitable habitat. Not all may be appropriate at any individual site:

3.2.1. Ground disturbance

Ground disturbance is the most important form of management for Kidney Vetch and Small Blue at most of the sites where they survive. It is the way in which much suitable habitat was created by man, unintentionally, in the past, for instance at quarries and pits, path, road and rail cuttings, and golf courses. The aim is to enable seedlings of Kidney Vetch to establish on a regular basis, and increase both the number of plants and the area supporting them, and is achieved by removal of turf and soil to create patches of bare chalk. Disturbance may result in growth of seedlings, from a seedbank already present in the soil, before the next flowering of nearby plants, while seeds produced after the disturbance are provided with a suitable substrate for growth.

It is important that disturbance is carried out regularly. As most Surrey populations are currently very small, small-scale disturbance using hand tools such as mattocks may be most appropriate. This has been tried at several local sites and at most of them seedlings of Kidney Vetch appeared within a few months. Material removed during the process should be discarded away from existing vetch plants. At sites with larger areas of Kidney Vetch, disturbance by mechanical means, such as bulldozers, might be considered but must be targeted and carried out with care.

3.2.2. Scrub management

Special care is needed to keep areas where Kidney Vetch grows free of scrub, and young woody plants should be removed from among Kidney Vetch plants as soon as possible. Some should be retained nearby, however, to provide shelter and roosting areas. Bare ground created by removal of scrub is not a suitable medium for Kidney Vetch growth, as it contains more nutrients than bare ground created by disturbance in grassy areas, and is soon covered with coarser vegetation. Scrub should be kept under regular review and removed as necessary. Summer cutting, especially of Dogwood and Privet, is more successful than winter cutting.

3.2.3. Grazing

Many of the strongest populations of Small Blue occur on man-made habitats, such as quarries, which have no history of grazing. This is true of most Surrey sites that support the species. The restoration of grazing to chalk grassland may not benefit the Small Blue in the same way that it does many other invertebrates. In some cases it may be damaging; hence the need for this Species Action Plan. Little is known about the effects of grazing on populations of Kidney Vetch and Small Blue, and more information is needed.

Removal of vegetation by grazing slows the progress of succession, which in theory should be beneficial for both Kidney Vetch and Small Blue. More specific effects, however, especially of sheep grazing, may be damaging. Sheep will selectively eat flowers and developing buds of Kidney Vetch and should never be present at a Small Blue site after February. Also, Kidney Vetch is vulnerable to damage by trampling. For these reasons grazing should be carried out between October and January, and carefully monitored. Sheep grazing also leads to a denser sward, less suitable for establishment of Kidney Vetch seedlings. It has been carried out in recent years at five Small Blue sites in Surrey and three in neighbouring London Boroughs. At most of these it has been sporadic and it is not possible to draw conclusions about the results, as the effects of weather and successional change have been far greater. At Banstead Downs, Kidney Vetch is more widely distributed than at other local sites, and grazing has not been carried out over the whole area at once. In some years there are large numbers of Kidney Vetch flowers, suggesting that long-term sheep grazing has been beneficial. A quantitative study of the effects of grazing here would be very valuable. Sheep grazing began at Howell Hill in late 2002. It is vital that the effects are monitored and that the regime is modified if necessary, for instance by excluding animals from vulnerable areas and/or grazing less frequently.

Cattle grazing, which results in a more uneven vegetation structure and bare ground in the form of hoofprints, may be more beneficial to Kidney Vetch and Small Blue than sheep grazing. It has only been carried out at one Surrey site, Newlands Corner. Here it appeared to benefit both Kidney Vetch and Horseshoe Vetch in the short term, but was discontinued before long-term effects could be seen.

4. FACTORS CAUSING DECLINE

4.1 Historical

· Loss of unimproved chalk grassland through agricultural intensification and building development.

· Loss of suitable habitat through successional change.

4.2 Current and future

· Loss of suitable habitat through successional change.

· The extremely small size of many surviving populations, making them more vulnerable to extinction.

· Increasing fragmentation and isolation of sites capable of supporting the species.

· Fluctuation in the number of flowers produced by Kidney Vetch, making extinction more likely in some years.

· Low dispersal ability of both butterfly and foodplant.

· Difficulty of maintaining a network of suitably managed habitat at sites under different ownership. Around twenty sites in Surrey currently supporting, or that have recently supported, populations of the Small Blue, are owned and/or managed by at least a dozen different organisations.

· Population levels are affected by grazing pressure and may fall rapidly if numbers of grazing stock and/or rabbits are too high. Rabbit numbers fluctuate and are hard to control.

5. CURRENT ACTION

· As many as possible of the surviving populations in Surrey are visited each year. Numbers of adults are recorded, searches for eggs made in flowerheads of the foodplant, and checks made on amounts of Kidney Vetch, especially young seedlings.

· Standard butterfly transects are currently carried out at the two Surrey sites with the strongest populations (Howell Hill and Banstead Downs). Transects are also carried out at several other sites where the butterfly is present, but numbers are so low that this is not the best way of monitoring.

· Owners and managers of all sites where the butterfly survives have been made aware of its presence and conservation importance. Copies of the national Species Action Plan and the 1997 report on the status of the butterfly in Surrey have been made available.

· Site visits with owners and managers have been made at several sites to advise on appropriate management for the species. · Scrub management and a small amount of ground disturbance have been carried out at some sites. Sheep grazing has been set up by Surrey Wildlife Trust at Howell Hill, starting in 2002. There is also sheep grazing on part of Banstead Downs.

· In September 2002 a presentation entitled ‘Implementing Action Plans for Cupido minimus (Small Blue butterfly) in Surrey’ was given at Butterfly Conservation’s 4th International Symposium at Lancaster University, highlighting the decline of the species at local and national level and raising awareness of the need for research and conservation action.

6. PROPOSED ACTIONS

Action code	Action	Organisation
1 Policy and legislation
Action SBA01	Include habitat requirements of the Small Blue when drawing up or revising management prescriptions in appropriate Site Management Statements, Countryside Stewardship agreements, management plans and other relevant documents.	EN, DEFRA, landowners and site managers
2 Site safeguard and acquisition
Action SBA02	Oppose any development proposals threatening Small Blue populations.	SWT, LAs, BC
3 Land management
Action SBA03	Establish management regimes, where populations survive, that will halt the current decline of Small Blue and its larval foodplant Kidney Vetch and ensure the continuation of such regimes in the future.	All Landowners and site managers, EN, BC
Action SBA04	Target suitable management on grassland close to existing populations to encourage the spread of the Small Blue and its larval foodplant Kidney Vetch.	BC, Landowners and site managers
4 Advisory
Action SBA05	Advise site owners and managers and those responsible for administering agri-environment schemes on practical habitat management for the Small Blue and how to integrate this with other management priorities.	BC, EN
Action SBA06	Advise on habitat restoration techniques on formerly occupied and potential sites.	BC, EN
5 Future research, survey and monitoring
Action SBA07	Continue existing monitoring by standard butterfly transects and collate results.	BC, landowners/site managers
Action SBA08	Confirm continued presence and population level of both butterfly and larval foodplant at all sites by at least one annual visit. Search for and count eggs of the Small Blue and assess numbers of flowers and non-flowering seedlings of Kidney Vetch.	BC, landowners/site managers
Action SBA09	Encourage the development of standardised monitoring techniques at national level.	BC
Action SBA10	Train site managers and/or volunteers in survey and monitoring techniques.	BC
Action SBA11	Support and contribute to research on appropriate management regimes and ecology carried out as part of the national Species Action Plan.	BC
6 Communication and publicity
Action SBA12	Publicise this Action Plan, the status of the Small Blue and measures needed to conserve it.	Surrey BAP Steering Group, BC
7 Review
Action SBA14	Review this Action Plan at intervals of 5 years and update when necessary.	Surrey BAP Steering Group, BC

Key to Abbreviations: BC=Butterfly Conservation; BAP=Biodiversity Action Plan; DEFRA=Department of the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs; EN=English Nature; LAs=Local Authorities; SWT=Surrey Wildlife Trust.

7. Related Action Plans

National Species Action Plan for the Small Blue (2000). Butterfly Conservation. Chalk Grassland Habitat Action Plan (1999). Surrey Biodiversity Partnership. Butterfly Conservation Regional Action Plan for South-east England (2000). Butterfly Conservation. Chalk Grassland HAP – London Biodiversity Partnership no date

8. References

Asher J, Warren M, Fox R, Harding P, Jeffcoate G and Jeffcoate S. 2001. The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. Butterflies Under Threat Team (BUTT). 1986. The management of chalk grassland for butterflies. Focus on Nature Conservation Series, No 17. Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough. Collins GA. 1995. Butterflies of Surrey. Surrey Wildlife Trust. Evans LK and Evans KGW. 1973. A Survey of the Macrolepidoptera of Croydon and north-east Surrey. Proc. Croydon Nat. Hist. Sci. Soc. XIV:273-408. Jeffcoate G. 1997. The Small Blue (Cupido minimus) in Surrey. Unpublished report to Butterfly Conservation. Jeffcoate G, Enfield M, Gerrard W. 2000. Surrey Butterfly Report. Butterfly Conservation, Surrey & SW London Branch. Morton ACG. 1985. The population biology of an insect with a restricted distribution: Cupido minimus Fuessly(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. University of Southampton. VCH, 1902. The Victoria History of the County of Surrey, Volume 1, Constable, Westminster.

9. Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Emily Funnell and Nigel Bourn of Butterfly Conservation for comments on the first draft, butterfly recorders and site managers for records and information they have sent me over the years, Alistair Kirk of the Surrey Biological Records Centre for preparing the Surrey distribution map, and John Edwards and the Surrey BAP Steering Group for support in the production of this Species Action Plan.

APPENDIX 1

SMALL BLUE SITES IN SURREY:

Details of sites where the Small Blue has been recorded since 1995, listed from west to east. Status: maximum number seen during a single visit 2000-2003.

Site name Grid ref. Owner/manager Small Blue status Pewley Down TQ008489 Guildford Borough (8)

This was one of county’s strongest populations. It is declining steadily as coarse grass, including Tor-grass, and scrub increasingly dominate the slope. Bare ground is now virtually absent. Past management involved mowing. More sympathetic management began in 2003 but dense vegetation is a huge problem. Carefully timed cattle grazing would reduce the Tor-grass and benefit many species, including Small Blue and Kidney Vetch. Without action soon, both are likely to become extinct here.

Merrow Downs TQ019499 Guildford Borough (15)

There is a large amount of Kidney Vetch growing in an atypical situation among long grass on flat ground without scrub shelter. Large amounts of Yellow Rattle appear to be reducing grass density sufficiently to allow Kidney Vetch to persist. More observations are needed.

Merrow Golf Course TQ028499 (2)

A small and declining population, with scattered plants of Kidney Vetch, some of which may be mown during the flowering period.

Newlands Corner TQ040490 Surrey Wildlife Trust (0) Probably extinct

Kidney Vetch grows in open grassland with no shelter. No adult Small Blues have ever been recorded here, but in the 1990s it was possible to find eggs in low numbers. None have been found since 2000. Cattle grazing in late 1990s showed signs of improving vegetation structure, but this has been lost in recent mowing.

Sheepleas TQ089523 Surrey Wildlife Trust (0) Probably extinct

Amounts of Kidney Vetch declined rapidly as vegetation became dense during the wet summers of 2000-2. By 2002 Kidney Vetch had virtually disappeared, with only 3 or 4 plants found and no eggs of Small Blue. The butterfly has been seen in two gardens in Horsley where Kidney Vetch has been encouraged in recent years, but none were seen in 2003. There is a small possibility that the butterfly survives on undiscovered Kidney Vetch in the area but it seems more likely that the population here has died out.

North Holmwood TQ172471 Mole Valley District Council (0) Extinct

Kidney Vetch was introduced when a seed mix was used in this old clay pit in the 1980s. Small Blue were found in 1996, but it is not known how long they were here before this, or how they reached the site. Both butterfly and foodplant disappeared in 1999 after the Kidney Vetch flowerheads were removed, possibly by rabbits.

Box Hill TQ176518 National Trust (2)

Amounts of Kidney Vetch and numbers of Small Blue declined dramatically during the early 1990s. For several years no adult Small Blues were seen, and presence was confirmed only by searching flowers for eggs. From 1996 to 2002 none were found and the butterfly was presumed extinct. In 2002 two adults were seen and a few eggs found. Eggs were also found in 2003. It is not known if the butterfly survived undetected, if an unauthorised release took place, or if it colonised the site naturally (minimum distance 2km).

Headley Warren TQ195539 Privately owned (5)

Kidney Vetch occurs in a very small area in an increasingly closed and dense sward, though rabbit scrapes create a small amount of disturbance. Very small-scale ground disturbance is being tried here. Numbers of Kidney Vetch flowers have remained surprisingly stable but both plant and butterfly are vulnerable.

Epsom Downs Area TQ25 Various owners and managers (6)

There are a few small patches of Kidney Vetch at Epsom Downs Golf Course, Epsom Racecourse and Walton Downs. These are remnants of a population that was once much more widespread. A huge amount of Kidney Vetch, supporting the largest population of Small Blue in Surrey apart from Howell Hill, was destroyed in the 1980s when Epsom Downs station was replaced by housing. The remaining populations are declining, at the golf course due to scrubbing over, otherwise due to grass and herbs becoming denser and coarser. There is increasing interest in conserving wildlife, and the Small Blue in particular, here, and it is hoped that ground disturbance and other measures will be implemented before further losses occur. There is scope here for a large increase in the population.

Howell Hill TQ238619 Surrey Wildlife Trust (100+)

This small site holds the largest population of Kidney Vetch and Small Blue in Surrey. Kidney Vetch is widespread except in the central area where rich soil supports dense grass and scrub. In the ‘quarry’ area there is a high proportion of bare ground. Birch, Cotoneaster and Dogwood have grown vigorously here recently and require regular management, with summer cutting being the best way to achieve reduction. In the ‘meadow’ area the vetch grows in a grassy sward still sparse enough to allow seedlings to establish. Regular mowing and raking of this area have recently been replaced by sheep grazing (Oct –Dec), which needs monitoring to ensure that the sheep do not trample or graze out the Kidney Vetch. Since mowing stopped abundant young Hawthorn has required removal by other means. Invasive Golden Rod and Michaelmas Daisy are also a threat. Ground disturbance would be beneficial and is likely to become vital in coming years.

Banstead Station TQ247605 Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (2)

A small patch of Kidney vetch by the roadside opposite Banstead station supports a few Small Blues. Vegetation is becoming dense and scrubby.

Banstead Downs TQ256615 Banstead Conservators (30+)

The area covered by Kidney Vetch here is large enough to fence part of it and graze (with sheep) on rotation, so that some remains ungrazed each year. This appears to have been successful, with large numbers of flowers appearing in some seasons. Good numbers of young plants continue to establish, even though the sward is dense and tall in places. Vetch has become less widespread over the years, however, and will continue to do so without increased measures to conserve the population.

Long Hill, Woldingham TQ365568 Tandridge Borough Council Extinct

The Small Blue was first seen at this small, isolated site in 1994, when there was a large amount of Kidney Vetch growing along the edge of a sunken path with much exposed chalk. Vegetation growth in subsequent years led to a rapid decline and the butterfly has not been seen since the late 1990s. In 2002 only a single plant of non-flowering Kidney Vetch was found.

Small Blue sites in the London Borough of Sutton: A small population at Cuddington Park Meadow lies between Banstead Downs and Howell Hill, a few hundred metres from each and immediately adjacent to the county boundary. Two other populations occur in the urban area of Sutton, one in a nature reserve, the other in a school nature garden. Both are very small and vulnerable. All three are managed by Local Authority staff, who carry out ground disturbance and scrub clearance especially for the Kidney Vetch and Small Blue.

Small Blue sites in the London Borough of Croydon: A very small population occurs at Dollypers Hill, managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust. A larger population at Riddlesdown Quarry is managed by the Corporation of London. Scrub clearance is carried out, and the quarry has been grazed by sheep. The effects of this are being monitored, but it is currently unclear if grazing has led to a reduction in amounts of Kidney Vetch. At Hutchinsons Bank, a London Wildlife Trust reserve, numbers of Small Blue suddenly declined dramatically in 2002. Successional change is rendering the site unsuitable for Kidney Vetch. In 2003 there were reports of Small Blue on a golf course nearby.

Small Blue in west Kent: There is a population of Small Blue at West Kent Golf Course, near Downe, where a number of adults are recorded each year. This is about 3km east of the Surrey Kent border. Other populations occur much further east in Kent.

Map Showing the Distribution of Small Blue, 1995-99

Please see the attachements below