Aricia Artaxerxes
Northern Brown Argus belong to the family Lycaenidae, a large family with several thousand species recorded worldwide. 16 species can be found in the UK, with only half of these found in Scotland.
Northern Brown Argus is a small butterfly, with a wingspan of only 29mm, that flies low to the ground during July and into August. They thrive in habitats where the larval foodplant common rock-rose (Helianthemum nummularium) is present. This plant is the sole larval foodplant of the northern brown argus and so without it the butterfly cannot survive.
Sadly, due to the loss of an estimated 97% of our species rich grasslands, that are vital for Helianthemum nummularium to grow, this butterfly is at risk and considered to be Scotland’s most threatened butterfly.
We are very lucky to have a population of these scarce butterflies on our Deer Park site just outside Selkirk and we are working hard to ensure that it can be found there for many years to come.
Annual surveys are carried out to map the spread of rock-rose on site as well as to find both the eggs and adult forms of the butterfly.
These surveys are carried out during June and July and everyone is welcome to attend.
Contact our Biodiversity Officer, Lisa McLeish, if you would like to help with these surveys: lisa@brightgreennature.org
