Chequered Skipper Returns to England: £150,000 Project Aims to Restore Butterfly Extinct Since 1976
A butterfly declared extinct in England nearly five decades ago is being given a new chance to establish itself in the country after conservationists secured £150,000 in funding to expand its reintroduction project.
The Chequered Skipper, once locally common across parts of the East Midlands, disappeared from England after a rapid decline and was declared extinct in 1976. Conservationists have since been working to bring the species back to suitable woodland habitat in Rockingham Forest, Northamptonshire.
Key facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Species | Chequered Skipper |
| Declared extinct in England | 1976 |
| Reintroduction location | Rockingham Forest, Northamptonshire |
| New funding | £150,000 |
| Funding period | Three years |
| Butterflies released so far | 208 |
| Latest release | 46 butterflies |
| Latest sex breakdown | 44 females, 2 males |
| Donor population | Belgium |
| Reintroduction research began | 2010 |
| First major feasibility assessment | Eight years |
| Reintroduction began | 2018 |
| Captively reared caterpillars/pupae | 38 |
| Former stronghold | Castor Hanglands, west of Peterborough |
| Future expansion target | Peterborough |
The new funding from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme will support the project for the next three years, with the ultimate goal of creating a self-sustaining population that can survive without continued releases.
The latest stage of the programme has already produced encouraging results. Five translocations have taken place and 208 Chequered Skippers have now been released into Rockingham Forest.
The butterflies have also successfully reproduced, producing the first Chequered Skipper caterpillars in England in decades.
Why did the Chequered Skipper disappear from England?
The Chequered Skipper was once found in woodlands and fens across the East Midlands, including Rockingham Forest.
Until the 1950s, it could still be locally common, and historical records from entomologists describe large numbers of the butterflies in some woodlands.
Its decline was closely linked to changes in woodland management.
Traditional coppicing helped maintain the sunny, sheltered conditions the species needs. But changes in forestry, including the planting and growth of conifer trees, altered the structure of the woodland.
Initially, the more open conditions created by woodland changes could benefit the butterfly. But as conifers grew, the habitat became increasingly unsuitable.
The resulting loss of open, warm and sheltered woodland conditions contributed to the species’ disappearance from England.
After a rapid decline, the Chequered Skipper was declared extinct in England in 1976, although populations survived in Scotland. The species remains common in parts of Europe and Asia, but conservationists have warned of declines in several countries.
How did conservationists bring it back?
Butterfly Conservation began investigating whether the Chequered Skipper could be reintroduced to England in 2010.
The charity spent eight years assessing the feasibility of the project before moving ahead with the reintroduction effort.
Rockingham Forest was selected partly because the habitat could be restored.
From 2015, landowners and conservation organisations—including Forestry England, Natural England and Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust—worked with Butterfly Conservation to change woodland management and create conditions more suitable for the species.
The reintroduction itself began with butterflies from a donor population in Belgium.
The latest collection took place in the Wallonia region of Belgium from May 20 to 23, 2026.
Dr Jamie Wildman and two other Butterfly Conservation officers worked with more than 20 local helpers from the Belgian Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). They also had written permission from Belgium’s Département de l’Étude du milieu naturel et Agricole (DEMNA).
The team searched the damp forests of the Fagne landscape using butterfly nets.
Captured Chequered Skippers were carefully transferred into containers with ice blocks to place them into a dormant state during transportation.
46 butterflies made the journey to Northamptonshire
During the latest collection operation, conservationists brought 46 butterflies back to England—44 females and two males.
The team left Belgium at 8am on the third day and reached Forestry England’s Fineshade Wood near Corby at about 5pm.
Fineshade Wood forms part of Rockingham Forest and has become a key site in the reintroduction programme.
Before release, Dr Wildman marked each butterfly’s wings with a red felt-tip pen. The markings allow volunteers to identify and monitor individual butterflies as the population develops.
The results were immediate.
According to Butterfly Conservation, all 46 butterflies took flight within seconds of being marked and disappeared into the surrounding foliage.
The project has already produced English caterpillars
The latest releases are part of a much larger effort.
Butterfly Conservation has now completed five translocations, releasing a total of 208 Chequered Skippers into Rockingham Forest.
Importantly, the butterflies have not simply survived after release. They have bred in the woodland, producing the first Chequered Skipper caterpillars seen in England for decades.
The project has also involved captive rearing.
Daan Van Eenaeme of INBO raised 38 Chequered Skipper caterpillars and pupae in captivity in Belgium. After they emerged as adults, Dr Wildman released them at Fineshade Wood.
That breeding success is a significant step toward the project’s next objective: reducing dependence on imported butterflies and establishing a population capable of maintaining itself.
What will the new £150,000 funding pay for?
The new £150,000 Natural England grant is designed to take the project into its next phase over three years.
The money will support several parts of the programme.
One planned activity is another collection trip to Belgium next year to strengthen the reintroduced population.
Conservationists will also continue improving habitat in Rockingham Forest. A particular focus will be increasing the availability of bugle flowers, which provide an important nectar source for the butterflies.
The project will also investigate how the Chequered Skippers respond to different microclimates within the reintroduction sites.
A master’s student at the University of Cambridge will spend a year studying how the butterflies are faring under different microclimatic conditions.
That research could help conservationists understand which woodland conditions are most important for the species and how habitat management can support its long-term survival.
Peterborough could be the next destination
The conservation effort is not limited to Rockingham Forest.
One of the project’s longer-term ambitions is to reintroduce the Chequered Skipper to Peterborough, where the species once had a stronghold.
Its former stronghold was Castor Hanglands, west of Peterborough, where the butterfly had been recorded for more than 120 years.
The hope is that successful establishment in Rockingham Forest will eventually make it possible to expand the species’ range into this former habitat.
A wider warning about Britain’s butterflies
The Chequered Skipper project also highlights a broader problem facing Britain’s butterfly populations.
Dr Wildman said more than half of native butterfly species in the UK are now in decline, with habitat loss and declining habitat quality among the major causes for many species.
The conservationist said those problems can be reversed through appropriate habitat management.
For the Chequered Skipper, the strategy is therefore about more than releasing individual butterflies. Conservationists are trying to restore the woodland conditions that allowed the species to thrive in the first place.
Karl Ivens, wildlife manager at Forestry England, described the return of the Chequered Skipper to Rockingham Forest as a conservation success story, pointing to the combination of expert organisations, volunteers and long-term habitat management.
What happens next?
The immediate priority is to make the reintroduced population self-sufficient.
That means the butterflies need to survive, reproduce and expand without conservationists having to continually supplement the population with butterflies from Belgium.
The next three years will therefore focus on habitat improvement, population monitoring, additional releases where needed and research into the conditions affecting the butterflies.
If those efforts succeed, the Chequered Skipper could move from being a species that conservationists are actively reintroducing to one that once again forms a stable part of England’s woodland wildlife.
For a butterfly absent from England since its extinction declaration in 1976, the appearance of new caterpillars in Rockingham Forest is an important sign that the return may be becoming more than a temporary experiment.
FAQs
Why was the Chequered Skipper declared extinct in England?
The species suffered a rapid decline linked largely to changes in woodland management, including conifer planting and the loss of the open, sunny and sheltered habitat it needed.
When did the Chequered Skipper become extinct in England?
The Chequered Skipper was declared extinct in England in 1976.
Where is the Chequered Skipper being reintroduced?
The current reintroduction programme is focused on Rockingham Forest in Northamptonshire, including Fineshade Wood near Corby.
How many Chequered Skippers have been released?
Conservationists have carried out five translocations and released 208 butterflies into Rockingham Forest so far.
Where did the reintroduced butterflies come from?
The project uses a donor population from Belgium. The latest operation brought 44 females and two males to England.
What is the £150,000 funding for?
The Natural England funding will support further butterfly collection, habitat improvements, bugle flowers, population monitoring and research into microclimates over the next three years.
Has the Chequered Skipper reproduced in England?
Yes. The reintroduced population has successfully bred, producing the first Chequered Skipper caterpillars in England for decades.
Could the butterfly return to Peterborough?
That is one of the project’s ambitions. Castor Hanglands, west of Peterborough, was formerly a major stronghold, and conservationists hope the species can eventually be reintroduced there.
