Apollo in Flight – Targeted Shrub Clearing in Virgen Enhances Key Habitat
In July 2025, a full-day debushing action took place at a key Apollo butterfly site near Virgen in East Tyrol, carried out under the EU-LIFE project Apollo2020. The work targeted a confirmed habitat of the rare alpine subspecies Parnassius glocnericus and aimed to secure its long-term survival through hands-on habitat restoration.
Prior to the action, a field team visited four sites—Hinterbichl, Karteis, Virgen, and Leisach—to assess and map suitable areas for intervention. Based on these site assessments, nine overgrown patches in Virgen were selected for immediate clearing.
The effort was led by Otto Feldner, supported by two professional debushing experts, with active assistance from the local landowner. Over the course of the day, all woody growth—shrubs, young trees, and encroaching vegetation—was removed from the selected areas, creating bright, open spaces ideal for the butterfly’s host and nectar plants.
The timing of the work was perfect: during the field visits, several male Parnassius glocnericus butterflies were observed actively flying. No females had yet emerged, meaning that the restoration work could proceed with minimal disturbance to reproduction.
This kind of precise, well-timed intervention boosts breeding potential for years, By opening up these microhabitats now, we’ve created space for Sedum and other essential plants to return—benefiting the Apollo for at least the next five years.
Thanks to the combined efforts of local stakeholders, habitat managers, and butterfly specialists, the Virgen site is once again an open, sunlit refuge for Parnassius glocnericus—a jewel of the Eastern Alps.
