Horseshoe vetch

Patches of Horseshoe vetch are just coming into flower from plug plants I introduced to the butterfly scrapes at the nature reserve 18 months ago. Around one third of the 50 plants I put in have survived and are now growing strongly and spreading. This is stage 3 of our plan to tempt the Chalkhill Blue butterfly back to breed on the reserve. There is a small breeding colony less than 1km away so we are hopeful that once there is a good patch of Horseshoe vetch, its larval food plant, on the south facing banks of the scrapes, some of the females will be tempted over to lay eggs.