Source: Dover, John, Tim Sparks, Sue Clarke, Kay Gobbett, and Sarah Glossop. 2000. Linear features and butterflies--the importance of green lanes. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 80:227-242.

This study was conducted in both lowland and upland farms of the United Kingdom to determine the ecological benefits of green lanes to butterfly populations. If they are reservoirs for butterfly diversity, green lanes would contribute to the stability of butterfly populations and presumably to the ecological health of the farm ecosystem. The lanes may also be potential habitat for insects that feed on crop pests, and this may reduce pesticide input. Green lanes are strips of uncultivated land that are variable in width and bounded on both sides by hedgerows, dry-stone walls, or grass banks. Most green lanes are also below or above the level of the surrounding cultivated fields. For comparison, butterfly data were collected from individual grass banks, single hedgerows, and single dry-stone walls that were not parts of a green lane. The researchers found higher numbers of butterflies and greater butterfly diversity on green lanes and their borders than on the single grass banks and hedgerows. Most of the butterflies found outside the green lanes belonged to open population species whose butterflies disperse independently. Butterflies in closed populations (moving in discrete colonies) tended to remain on the inside, but both kinds of butterflies increased with green lanes. According to data from a study in 1987, the numbers and species abundance in green lanes and woodland glades was relatively equal. The authors hypothesized that the following characteristics of green lanes contribute to greater numbers of butterflies there: (1) a larger area of suitable breeding ground, (2) protection from the wind, and (3) increased availability of nectar sources. The greatest density of nectar plants, including bramble and thistle-like Compositae, occurred in the green lanes. Wind speeds were recorded as lowest in the green lanes, but further study is needed to be conclusive about wind. The authors concluded that green lanes are important for butterfly populations and butterfly species diversity. Upkeep and further study of green lanes can improve the sustainability of the farm ecosystem in the United Kingdom.

Abstract author: Dorothy Jane Stowe, 11 October 2000.

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