We're Bringing Back Europe's Lost Butterfly Meadows

There is a magic in the humble meadow that often gets forgotten. We hope to be able to bring some of it back!

MOSSY EARTH MEMBERSHIP
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The rewilding membership that restores nature across a wide range of ecosystems.
🌲 Support a diversity of ecosystems
🐺 Rewild habitats to bring back biodiversity
🦫 Fund neglected species & ecosystems

💪 OUR PARTNERS IN THIS VIDEO
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We've been working with BROZ for 5 years now to implement impactful projects in Slovakia and we couldn't ask for a better and more dedicated partner!

🦋 LIST OF BUTTERFLY SPECIES
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There have been more than 70 species recorded here but in a few hours for this video we filmed:

9:37 Pieris rapae
10:14 Glaucopsyche alexis
10:48 Scolitandides orion
11:48 Cupido minmus
11:54 Plebeus argus
12:02 Polymatos bellargus
12:10 Malculinea alcon
13:10 Coenonympha pamphilus
13:20 Coenonympha arcania
13:25 Coenonympha glicerion
13:33 Maniola jurtina
14:03 Plebeus idas

⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
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0:00 Intro
1:47 Evolution
3:12 Destruction Phases
4:21 Restoration

🔎 ABOUT THIS PROJECT
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Butterflies are one of nature’s most eye-catching creations and best embodiments of beauty. They also act as important health indicators of their environment. Many butterfly species are specialists, meaning they require very specific food and habitat conditions to complete their life cycles. Consequently, this makes butterflies highly susceptible to environmental changes. Across much of Europe, both overgrazing and undergrazing as well as changes in forestry practices are affecting butterfly habitats and driving populations down. This project seeks to rewild a butterfly meadow in an area of Slovakia called Beckovske Skalice (near Beckov castle). We are working with BROZ to improve the conditions for butterfly and moth host plants through conservation grazing and clearing shrubs and woody vegetation from overgrown meadows.

Read more about this project here:

[makingfreely]

The average person cannot re-introduce the lynx or the other amazing things you do but almost anyone can create habitiat for insects. This is a passion of mine. I live in a town and have a medium size yard that I have been converting the turf grass to native prairie. It has been gratifying to watch the different insects return and learn about them.

[federicogomezpezuela]

Insect diversity is fundamental to any ecosystem, and they are usually ignored in conservation. Everybody just talks about bees.. if anything. Kudos to Mossy Earth for dedicating a whole program for them.

[Welgeldiguniekalias]

"There is no insect as beloved as the colourful and vibrant butterfly"
Bees: 😞

[atropa]

I live in a region with meadows of this kind - meaning there are only grazed by sheep to keep the soil quality poor. It attracts so many rare flowers like orchids and butterflies and insects of all kinds. It's very, very beautiful. But also very underappreciated, because not many people know what a rich ecosystem they have right in front of them.
Thank you so much for drawing attention to my beloved meadows! ♡

[adsb]

As a butterfly conservation volunteer in the UK and a meadow obsessive this video is just perfect! Such fantastic work.

[Flraven]

The little guys in the ecosystem always gets looked over by the larger predators and animals so its great to see you all caring for all types of life in these videos. Thanks for all you do!
i am currently studying Environmental sciences and hope to help the world just as much as you all when i done with schooling

[østkantcoleopterologen]

This is BY FAR the most uplifting and beautiful video i have seen on YouTube EVER. As a 14-year old norwegian that has been fascinated and obsessed with entomology for my whole life, me and insects all around the globe are thanking you hardworking, kind and amazing people at Mossy Earth and all of its members. Insects are very often forgotten in conservation work, which is so sad to see, as they are extremely crucial and important to all ecosystems worldwide, and without them, we humans would never survive. In recent years insect populations worldwide has declined massively, mainly due to habitat loss. I am so happy that someone finally are doing some amazing and serious habitat restoration trying to protect and help these beautiful insects. My main interest has always been beetles (Coleoptera), and seeing someone finally mention these cute dung-loving beetles almost makes me cry in happiness. If you were to search for weevils in the family Apionidae here, I think you would find an amazing amount of species of them, as they are often tightly asscosiated with specific, rare meadow and sun-loving flowering plants. KEEP UP THE AMAZING CONSERVATION WORK, IT REALLY MATTERS!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[mrnowak]

This reminds me something similar that my city did. There is a patch of land on the registry building and it has a no mow zone, specifically for butterflies. Even though the patch is like 20m by 25m it’s still exciting to see in the middle of a city. And yes I do see butterflies when I go past it 😊

[pjaro]

One of the most diversed ecosystem today in Slovakia are mountain meadows created by human hundreds years ago. Just visit Slovenský raj (paradise) and you will see unbelievable amount of plant species in square meter. It needs just pasture.

[Herdatec]

At my parents house we had two Buddlejeae and big fields of Nettles. Thanks to this during the summer our Garden was full of Small tortoiseshell Butterflies. Sadly the dry summers seem to severely hurt this species.

[janetrussell]

Gorgeous. And there’s a lot of potential for road verges in rural areas and nature strips in urban areas to host meadow plants and butterflies too. I’ve been able to plant my nature strip here in Australia with a surprising number and variety of indigenous plants. And growing grass that has a natural height of 15 cm allows it to host some local moths.

[oldgold]

I have a wildflower area in my garden, but so few butterflies this year in my garden and locally in general

[conlethberry]

One of the best videos yet... something we can all do.And please do a video about the CAP.

[joanaguine]

After 2 years following and supporting you on youtube you got me with the butterflies. I am oficially a Mossy Earth member supporting you every month! I hope there has been a butterfly effect! Everything you do is so important nowadays and you do it with wisdom and proper research, respecting and colaborating with the people that really know their field. It's wonderful. I wish I could be working in projects like yours, it's so inspiring! May you keep growing and inspiring the rest of world to care for what is really important!

[alexh]

I love this!! And i love the pushback to the idea that humans are outside of the ecosystem. It shows the ways in which humans CAN be a keystone species.

[marco-lsfm]

Its just straight up awesome that you are preserving the things the public hasnt noticed yet. You guys are doing some great work!

[NirvanaFan]

So happy I finally signed up to donate. Watching this video, aside from the hope your vids always give me, I feel a sense of pride in knowing I'm playing a role. Keep up the amazing work =]

[veldawells]

Agree, the C.A.P is a disaster. The diversity of herbaceous plants and grasses are so important for the flourishing of bees, butterflies and other insects. Different ways of grazing management to promote meadows and heathlands is so important for rewilding. Wonderful conservation video. So educational.

[LourdVicious]

Lol. You haven’t seen large monoculture until you come to the American midwest and see Kansas and Nebraska.

[Tarodenaro]

7:30 as a person who keeps coming back to rural area sometimes, this situation immediately put me in a very relatable predicament. (Cute Goat)