It has been a year with considerable changes at all levels within Butterfly Conservation. Simon Saville has become the National BC Chair. He has cycled the length of the UK in support of butterflies and gave us a talk a few years ago, so is a familiar figure.  

As Somerset and Bristol Branch’s Acting Chair, I would like to welcome Rani Koya who has become the Branch Chair and who will be creating this equivalent report this time next year!  She has given a little of her ‘history’ in the latest Arion Autumn 2025 vol.131.  As she lives near Wiveliscombe, she will be a welcome branch presence on Exmoor. 

We’d like to welcome Anna Guerin who has become the BC HQ Branch Support Officer. Heidi Dalgarno is joining the branch committee; she has been involved in transect walking and record verification. She did a good job as an interviewee for ITV South West News as a response to government data recording the dramatic falls in butterfly numbers over the last 30 years. It went out on 8th October and was a good presentation encouraging a pesticide free and less tidy countryside as a way forward.  Being aware that the branch area stretches from West Exmoor to North Bristol the branch committee is hoping to recruit representatives involved in the many conservation activities of the Greater Bristol area.  

Last November the branch had a stand at the BC National AGM, when Angus Walker presented a report on his Wild Spaces in Schools project. He worked with Lucy Greenslade whom the branch has been funding in the guise of ‘Munching Caterpillars’.  See his articles in Arion 130 and 131 - they have worked with 47 primary schools and plans are being made to enable some of the project to continue led by Lucy.  We then had our branch AGM where Ellie Wyatt talked about her Heddon Valley fritillary project where she, as BC, and the National Trust were involved in landscape scale management particularly for High Brown Fritillaries though Small Pearls and Marsh Fritillaries might well be beneficiaries. 

Chris Woods talked about the Bannerdown transect near Bath which was one of the earliest transects established in Somerset – maybe 1995. This year’s AGM is a celebration of the UKBMS, Pollard Walk or transect walk system that has now been going for 50 years. 

For our March Spring Social meeting we were able to welcome Matthew Oates to talk about the Purple Emperor.  We had a great turn out for this meeting.   His book and his expertise showed just how much of a world expert he is.  I had last seen him helping in the Heddon Valley with the Fritillary project. 

Ross gave his review of the year 2024, which was characterised by wet weather. His thoughtful and well-researched presentation explored the data both national and across Somerset and offered valuable insights into other factors influencing the prospects for butterflies. Details are in Arion 130. Ross has kept the butterfly records up to date responding to requests for ‘Where have Small Pearls been seen?’ or ‘Who had the earliest butterfly of the year?’  He is the recorder for the vice counties, VC5 and VC6, which amounts to pretty much all of the old county of Somerset.  For 2024 he has dealt with some 53,000 records of 160,000 butterflies – no mean feat! Thank you.

Sue Davies has continued to challenge all of us with 3 editions of our newsletter Arion 129, 130 and 131.  Quizzes on moths, the Southern Small White, and luminescent eggs and caterpillars are just some of her creations.  She will always welcome articles on any butterfly or moth-based topics. Thank you Sue for this.

Alison has acted as chief Arion proofreader – thank you. She has kept the Branch’s paperwork under control and  written the minutes for all committee meetings. She organised the Guided Walks programme which, this year, was favoured by the weather and had, by my calculations 99 participants in 9 separate walks.  Thank you in particular to the walk leaders.  More are always welcome, and I would particularly like one that features Brown Hairstreaks? 

Nick Redman has kept track of the changing circumstances and procedures over finances and head office and it looks as if we will be able to continue to support our ‘usual activities’ as well as Lucy in continuing the Wild Spaces in Schools Project.   Jen Harley has kept our Social Media presence up to the minute – so that branch events are accessible online and she passes queries on to whoever can most sensibly deal with them. 

Fred Giles has continued to enthuse the Recorders of the Avalon Marshes and has supported a large number of transect walkers across the wider Somerset countryside.  Deservedly he has received not one, but two Marsh Awards, specially commended as a volunteer mentor and winner of the Butterfly Conservation Special Recognition Award -   congratulations to Fred!

Thank you to the committee as a whole who have contributed to the overall activities of the branch and we have much to look forward to.

John Ball and Peter Bright have continued as Hon. wardens for the BC reserves at Westbury Beacon and Stoke Camp.  Ian Walker and Tony Spiess have played a similar role at Mount Fancy amidst a variety of changing and uncomfortable circumstances.  Diana Downs has been part of a team walking the transects at Haddon Moor and Haddon Hill after a short gap. Keeping track of the Heath Fritillaries and Small Pearls on each of these sites is valuable given their relative rarity across the UK as a whole.  Thank you for these often-unsung efforts.  

Jenny Plackett at BC HQ has continued to provide support across the South West region.  We welcome Nick Purdew who has arrived as South West Reserves Officer who will be supporting activities across the region as a whole.  His ‘history’ will appear in the next Arion 132.

Peter Bright    

Acting Chair    

 October 2025