Witley Orchard Planting and Small Blue Butterfly Habitat Creation

On 6th January COPSE kicked-off the New Year assisting Witley Parish Council to plant a Jubilee orchard at Redgate Allotment with Thakeham Homes corporate team. 

Trees include Margaret Taylor apple variety, grafted from a wildling in a local hedge, as well as heritage stone-fruit and pears. ​

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​In the afternoon we checked on six scrapes that were created by Butterfly Conservation Surrey-branch, adjacent to Puttenham Village Parish Council’s, Hog’s Back Orchard. The scrapes were seeded with Kidney Vetch, which is the food plant of the notable small blue butterfly, known to breed 4 to 5km to the east, at The Mount.