Heartbreak over destruction of butterfly habitat

Conservationists have said 15 years of work to encourage rare butterflies has been abruptly halted by a quarrying company.

Butterfly Conservation East Midlands said an area of the former Hoe Grange Quarry in Brassington, Derbyshire which had been planted with wildflowers was covered with mounds of soil in January.

The site had previously been identified as a popular spot for the rare Wall butterfly which had experienced a significant decline in numbers.

The company behind the work, Longliffe Quarries, said the work had been carried out for safety reasons with the butterfly group informed in advance.

Conservationists have spent 15 years encouraging butterflies to visit Hoe Grange Quarry, which was last mined in 1990 and is currently managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

More than two dozen different types of butterfly have been observed at the site, including the rare Wall butterfly whose numbers have declined by 87% over the past 40 years.

Ken Orpe, Derbyshire butterfly recorder for Butterfly Conservation, said volunteers were left distraught after large areas of wildflowers which attract the insects were covered with mounds of earth by the quarrying company.

"There was a slight rockfall on the far side of the quarry last year and this has resulted in an over-reaction to resolve the issue," he said.

"The area's been cut off and we've just wasted 15 years of our lives".

Orpe added a recent survey showed the number of butterflies observed had fallen dramatically since the mounds were created.

"During our survey in 2025 we recorded around 200 butterflies. This year we spotted just 20 and most of them were on the nearby buddleia bushes we had planted, which thankfully were not affected," he said.

Dave Savage, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's head of landscape recovery (north), said: "The damage to Hoe Grange Quarry is deeply disappointing. For more than 10 years we've managed the site on behalf of Longcliffe Quarries, helping to make it one of Derbyshire's most important wildlife sites for wildflowers, butterflies and other pollinators.

"While we fully recognise that health and safety must come first, we're disappointed the work was carried out without consulting us.

"We believe a solution could have been found that kept people safe while avoiding such significant impacts on this important habitat."

A spokesperson for Longcliffe Quarries Ltd said: "We recognise the considerable amount of conservation and monitoring work that has taken place on this site, but Longcliffe's first priority is safety.

"The site was closed for safety reasons: unstable rock faces had been identified and rockfall had occurred.

"With advice from external geotechnical experts, Longcliffe closed the site and went ahead with remedial work to make the faces safe.

"The work included the establishment of 'bunds' or mounds - to contain any future rockfall and form a physical barrier to discourage access into any potentially unsafe areas. These bunds now cover just 4.5% of the five-hectare site.

"BCEM [Butterfly Conservation East Midlands] was informed that this work had to be done and that the site had to be closed whilst the work took place and until the area was again deemed safe.

"The site is now available again for Butterfly Conservation to host guided visits. Flora and fauna continue to thrive there and there is huge potential for it to continue to be a haven for biodiversity and in particular butterflies."

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