Rare UK butterfly rises like a phoenix

Two years ago, a massive healthland fire devastated the habitat of many local wildlife inhabitants, including an endangered British butterfly known as the Silver Studded Blue.

The raging Surrey fire, possibly caused by an arson attack, swept across Thursley Common, near a place called Godalming.

Despite the best efforts of well over one hundred firemen battling the fire for 48 hours, over 400 acres of pristine heathland were devastated, not only directly killing many creatures but also making many more homeless as precious habitat was consumed.

The blaze still smouldered many weeks after the blaze.

Among the multiple victims were many species of birds including rare Dartford Warblers, as well as newts, endangered sand lizards and other reptiles and possibly thousands of tiny mammals.

The grassland was also home to innumerable insects including the Silver Studded Blue butterfly.

The ash left behind was thought to have made the area completely uninhabitable to many creatures including the Silver Studded Blue, as well as many other insects, which in turn support other creatures higher up the food chain.

The Silver Studded Blue was already in serious decline, not only in the area affected by the fire but throughout the British Isles.

However, in a strange turn of events since the 2006 fire, the butterfly has come back in even larger numbers than were being recorded before the blaze.

After the fire a survey discovered that numbers had dropped to around 25 in a set location.

The latest study at the same site discovered that numbers had increased by an additional 100.

The Silver Studded Blue has a peculiar breeding cycle that includes the mother secreting a liquid made up mostly of honeydew; this in turn attracts a certain species of ant.

The mother lays its eggs and the larvae give out the honeydew like secretion.

Instead of eating the little grubs, the ants carry them off to their nests to give them a supply of their favorite food.

The ants protect the larvae deep in the nest collecting the precious secretions until the butterfly emerges.

Other butterflies including rare species are also said to be recovering well from the devastation as well as good numbers of dragonflies.