Visit to the coastal landslips at Lyme Regis in search of the Wood White butterfly

Lyme Regis - the Charmouth Rd carpark

We spent a day clearing scrub on these slopes in February to prevent the Wood White habitat being suffocated by willow and other species. This scarce butterfly should be on the wing in May so we are going to return to the site to assess how  it is getting on. The Wood White is now only hanging on in Dorset on the Lyme Regis undercliffs.

The area below the Charmouth Rd carpark in Lyme used to be open and clear of scrub after the cliff stabilisation work was completed. However, it has been rapidly becoming overrun with woody vegetation and will soon be unsuitable for Wood Whites unless work is done to keep the area open to enable the larval foodplants (vetches) to thrive.

We are  hoping that our volunteers and contractors will join us for this guided walk to see the fruits of our labours but the event is open to anyone. We hope that we will be able to continue the scrub clearance work next autumn and winter.

Meet at 11am at the beginning of the path on the edge of the carpark. The walk will last about two hours so bring refreshments and lunch if you would like to stay for a picnic afterwards.

Please note: there is a charge for parking in this public carpark.

Please let us know if you are intending to take part (email nigelspring@yahoo.co.uk) and make sure you leave your mobile number so that we can contact you if the plans have to be changed.