WILDLIFE charity Butterfly Conservation is warning a rare blue butterfly is in danger of disappearing from East Sussex.

The threatened silver-studded blue is restricted to a handful of colonies across England and Wales, including Ashdown Forest near Crowborough.

But surveys at this site suggest the population has declined 60 per cent in the last 20 years.

Nature lovers are being asked to join BC and the Conservators of Ashdown Forest to look for the butterfly and to report any sightings.

The data collected will help target what type of conservation takes place to help the butterfly.

Steve Wheatley, BC’s senior regional officer for the South East, said: “There are few other blue butterflies on the heath at this time of year, so if you do spot a blue butterfly, there’s a good chance it’s a silver-studded blue.

“We’re also asking golfers to keep an eye out at the various heather-rich golf courses that fringe the forest. It really is a beautiful little thing.”