It is noted for a wide diversity of species, some extremely rare including the Marsh Fritillary butterfly.
It is occasionally used by the Marsh Fritillary as a foodplant instead of its usual foodplant of Devils Bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis).
A colony of Marsh Fritillary butterfly (Eurodryas aurinia), a nationally scarce species, are also found on the site.
Devon Wildlife Trust manages a number of strongholds for the species including Volehouse Moor, Dunsdon, Meshaw Moor and Vealand farm
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The Devon Wildlife Trust owns a number of sites for which it monitors this species.
Of the of 23 butterfly species recorded at Murlough, the Marsh Fritillary, is of European importance - other notable species include Dark-green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja, Grayling Hipparchia semele and Cryptic Wood White Leptidea juvernica.
marsh | Rod Marsh | Jordan Marsh | Stan Marsh | Marsh Harrier | Marsh Fritillary | Garry Marsh | Shaun Marsh | Othniel Charles Marsh | Moreton-in-Marsh | Bacchus Marsh | Silver-washed Fritillary | Romney Marsh | Ngaio Marsh | Natasha Marsh | Marsh & McLennan Companies | Marsh Creek State Park | High Brown Fritillary | Geoff Marsh | Dave Marsh | Richard Marsh, Baron Marsh | Richard Marsh | Mitchell Marsh | Michelle Marsh | Michael Marsh | Marsh Lake | Marsh | Mae Marsh | James Holt Marsh | Henry Marsh |
Twenty species of butterfly have been recorded in the valley including the nationally scarce Marsh Fritillary (Eurodryas aurinia) and nationally vulnerable High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe).
Of these Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurina), High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis cydippe), Wood White (Leptidea sinapis) and Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) all have a local distribution in Somerset.
It is a good source of nectar and is the foodplant of Marsh fritillary, whose eggs are laid in groups on the underside of the plant, and Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth Hemaris tityus.