Listening to a radio programme from the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019, with Judi Dench talking about Ulmus New Horizon disease resistant elm trees, inspired Joanne Redley to initiate a project for FoAM to plant an avenue of 20 elm trees to mark its 20th Anniversary.
Since the 1970’s, the population of White-letter Hairstreak butterflies in England and Wales has declined by 93% and Butterfly Conservation has given it a high priority conservation status. The White-letter Hairstreak butterfly breeds on mature elm trees and the population of the butterfly in Northwich Woodlands is threatened by the loss of mature elms to Dutch Elm Disease.
Ulmus ‘New Horizon’ is a variety of elm completely resistant to Dutch Elm Disease and breeding White-letter Hairstreaks have been monitored by Butterfly Conservation on a stand of the trees in Vauxhall Spring Gardens, London. Rupert Adams, Chairman of The Cheshire and Wirral Branch of Butterfly Conservation, who is also a FoAM member, supported the project. A suitable site alongside Marbury Lane was identified – opposite established elms showing signs of Dutch Elm Disease.
Pledges of £2,000 towards the total project cost of £2,400 were obtained from Butterfly Conservation, Northwich Soroptimists, Inovyn and several individual families, and an order for the trees was placed with Hillier Nurseries.
Much work was needed by volunteers to clear the space selected for the avenue of trees which was completed in time for delivery of the 20 Ulmus ‘New Horizon’ elm trees on 20th November 2019. Several volunteer days were also needed for the planting, as the trees arrived in substantial pots and required significantly wider and deeper holes than if the trees were bare rooted.
The White-letter Hairstreak butterfly is difficult to spot as it flies around the tree-tops, occasionally coming down to ground level to feed on nectar from flowers.
The uppersides are dark brown and the undersides are a lighter brown with a thin white line called the ‘hairstreak’, which gives this group of butterflies its name. On the hindwing of the White-letter Hairstreak, this streak zigzags to form a letter ‘W’ or ‘M’, from which this hairstreak butterfly gets its name.
With the avenue of Ulmus ‘New Horizon’ trees planted, it is now a waiting game to see if White-letter Hairstreak Butterflies take to their new home.