A RARE butterfly introduced to part of Exmoor two years ago has more than doubled its population at the site.

Around 50 heath fritillaries were released into woodland clearings in Hawkcombe Wood near Porlock in Somerset in 2014, thanks to work by Butterfly Conservation, the National Trust and Exmoor National Park Authority.

The butterfly bred successfully in its first year and around 20 adults were recorded during June 2015.

This year a local volunteer has recorded some 125 heath fritillaries in one section of habitat, recently cleared thanks to conservation work by the park.

Jenny Plackett, Butterfly Conservation’s South West regional officer, said: “We are delighted that the butterfly is continuing to thrive in the newly managed habitat at Hawkcombe.

“The butterflies were collected from the nearest occupied site around three kilometres away, and as the heath fritillary is such a sedentary butterfly, it is unlikely that it would have made it here without a helping hand."