Story perspectives

Conservation Project Aims to Restore Vital Milk Parsley for Swallowtail Butterflies

4/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

A conservation project in East Yorkshire aims to restore milk parsley, a vital wetland plant for the swallowtail butterfly, which has been absent for over a century.
John Barnard leads the initiative, which involves planting nursery-grown milk parsley at Hornsea Mere, its former habitat.
The project is a collaboration between the Wassand Estate and Yorkshire Water's Tophill Low Nature Reserve.
Conservationists assert that restoring milk parsley is crucial for the butterfly's breeding, with a potential reintroduction in five years based on the plant's success.

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Story summary

A conservation project in East Yorkshire aims to restore milk parsley, a vital wetland plant for the swallowtail butterfly, which has been absent for over a century.
John Barnard leads the initiative, which involves planting nursery-grown milk parsley at Hornsea Mere, its former habitat.
The project is a collaboration between the Wassand Estate and Yorkshire Water's Tophill Low Nature Reserve.
Conservationists assert that restoring milk parsley is crucial for the butterfly's breeding, with a potential reintroduction in five years based on the plant's success.