Silver-studded blue  (Plebeius argus)

A number of factors contributed to the decline of this species, including widespread loss and fragmentation of heathland due to agricultural intensification, forestry and development. There has been a 60 percent loss of heathland in Britain, and remaining fragments have often become degraded due to a decline in traditional management techniques. The introduction of myxomatosis during the 1950s resulted in a huge decline in rabbit grazing and a loss of short vegetation. Chalk grassland habitats greatly declined as a result (6).

The remaining heathlands in Britain are the focus of huge conservation effort. A number of key silver-studded blue populations occur in nature reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and candidate Special Areas of Conservation. There have been a number of re-introductions of this species, and English Nature has produced a booklet on its conservation in lowland heathland (4). The silver-studded blue is a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) (4).