Letting grass grow leads to butterflies in record numbers

DELAYING the cutting of grass and wildflowers until later in the summer has boosted the number of butterflies at an ancient royal hunting forest.

- By Sam Russell

The National Trust, which looks after Hatfield Forest in Essex, said 24 species were recorded at the reserve — a 17-year high.

It said numbers of marbled white and small heath butterflies are particularly good.

Sightings of the elusive purple emperor are also on the increase.

James Rowland, operations manager at the estate, said: "Grassland management is an important part of how we manage the landscape.

"Two years ago we decided to make a small change to managing this habitat and since then we've seen numbers soar.