The dark green fritillary and water draw-down in the dunes
The dark green fritillary has almost vanished because of the drying up of the dune habitat as a result of water draw-down since 1875. It has not yet profited from the restoration of dune slacks.
Trends
Dune slacks are the habitat of the dark green fritillary, but since groundwater began to be abstracted from the dunes at the end of the 19th century, these damp depressions have dwindled. Today, as in 1950, the number of dark green fritillaries is well below what it was around 1875.
In spite of the recent interest in restoring dune slacks, the dark green fritillary has not rallied - quite the opposite: its numbers have fallen.
The numbers of other lepidopterans of damp dune habitats have also plummeted. The marsh fritillary has disappeared from the Netherlands, and the small pearl-bordered fritillary is now found only in the dunes of Terschelling island.
The dark green fritillary is on the Red List of butterflies.
