Silver-washed Fritillary recorded in North East for first time since 1850

A Silver-washed Fritillary was recorded at Havannah and Three Hills Nature Reserve in Hazlerigg, on the edge of Newcastle's border with Northumberland, in August — the first confirmed sighting in the county since 1850, the Natural History Society of Northumbria said.

The insect was photographed and reported by local resident Chris Barlow. Stephen Kirtley of the charity Butterfly Conservation said the species had been effectively extinct in the North East since the 19th century but has been seen increasingly in nearby areas in recent years. Kirtley noted the individual at Havannah was a male and on its own would not establish a new colony.

The Silver-washed Fritillary is more common in Wales and southern England. Records show the species was not seen in the North East after the 1850s until it was recorded again in 2017 at Wynyard Country Park near Stockton. Since then the butterfly has been observed near Durham city and Castle Eden. Kirtley said about 14 sightings have been recorded so far this year, up from 10 in 2024.

Kirtley said there are several plausible reasons for the butterfly's northward appearance, citing climate warming and changes in land and woodland management that may have altered habitat suitability since the mid-19th century. "Perhaps at some stage in the mid-19th Century it became too cool for the butterfly to survive here," he said. "Or perhaps changes in land management and woodland management meant that the places where it used to be found in the 1850s and before were no longer suitable. I strongly suspect and believe that because of climate warming, the butterfly has started to move north and is able to use habitat in our area that up until recently wasn't suitable for it."

Councillor Alex Hay, deputy leader and cabinet member for neighbourhoods at Newcastle City Council, which manages the reserve, said the sighting was "a powerful indicator" of the impact of conservation and habitat restoration work. He described the return as "a proud moment for the city" and said it underlined the importance of protecting natural environments for future generations.

Butterfly Conservation and local naturalist groups continue to monitor records and urge observers to report sightings to help map the species' movements. Scientists and conservationists regard such species-range changes as part of broader ecological responses to climate trends and habitat restoration, and they use systematic recording to track whether single sightings lead to stable breeding populations.

The Havannah and Three Hills sighting adds to a pattern of incremental northward observations for the Silver-washed Fritillary. While a lone male will not found a colony, experts say repeated records and increasing numbers in nearby counties suggest the species may be re-establishing itself in parts of the North East if suitable habitat and breeding individuals become present.