Hoop voor het Gentiaanblauwtje?

A personal account of a reintroduction experiment with Maculinea alcon by an amateur in Cassette (province Drenthe). Butterflies were released on two sites, previously arable land and now laid out with small woods and plentiful vegetation among which Gentiana pneumonanthe. Observations were made from 1983 til 1989. The number of M. alcon has declined considerably in The Netherlands, mainly due to a deterioration of habitat conditions. The results of this reintroduction experiment were promising, which gives rise to hopes that future reintroduction of this species on a larger scale will prove successful.