Butterfly Conservation Habitat Creation & Wildflower Seed Collection Volunteer Day

The Sussex Emerald is an endangered local species that feeds on the wildflower Wild Carrot but only in vegetated shingle habitat, so it is very rare in the UK.

Sussex Emeralds were first spotted in Sussex and have flown through before but had only ever been known to breed in Kent. That is until this year, when Sussex Emerald caterpillars were found for the first time in Sussex at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve earlier this year!

You can join Butterfly Conservation and Sussex Wildlife Trust on this day to help us encourage the Sussex Emeralds very new population here to increase in size.

We can improve the habitat for Sussex Emeralds here by removing brambles and other scrub that are shading out the wildflowers these caterpillars need.

We also need volunteer help on this day to collect seeds from marsh mallow plants, so that these seeds can be grow on and planted out next summer to increase the habitat available for the other endangered moth that lives here. This species is called the Marsh Mallow moth because it’s caterpillars will only feed on Marsh Mallow plants.

We will be meeting at the entrance to the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve carpark at 10am, cutting back the scrub in the morning, stopping for lunch (which you can bring with you or get from the visitor centre) and collecting marsh mallow seeds in the afternoon. Gardening tools and gloves will be provided if you don’t have any you can bring with you. To get involved with the seed collection just bring a small bag or pot to collect seeds in with you.

Contact the provided email address prior to the event to let us know you would like to attend. If you require any more information or need tools, please also let us know this, so that we know how much equipment to bring for the day.