Launched in 2024 it, initially, focussed on plant species found on the hills. It has since expanded to include butterflies and we’re delighted to share with you four works that focus on the hairstreak species that are found, or have been found, in and around the local area. Huge thanks to Mary and to fellow SWSBA member, Angie Girling for allowing us to use their artwork.

Mary has also put together a lovely summary of each species, including information on when to see them and where to look as well as information on their life cycle and feeding habits.

The Green Hairstreak is our only green butterfly, the adults emerge in late April and through May. They can often be seen sunning themselves on gorse on the top of Quantock Common and seek nectar from a range of plants including bird’s Foot Trefoil and bramble. They lay their greenish coloured eggs singly on the young growth of gorse bushes or bilberry, The eggs hatch into caterpillars after 7 to 10 days, these feed on the buds and young leaves of their host plant; the caterpillar’s are also cannibalistic. They pupate in August and the pupa remains in the leaf litter for 8 to 10 months until late spring the following year when the adult butterfly emerges. The pupa can make squeaking sounds that are attractive to ants. The Green Hairstreak is the only species of hairstreak butterfly to overwinter as a pupa.

The Purple Hairstreak butterfly spends its entire life cycle in oak trees. Historically the coppicing of oaks was an important industry producing both bark for tanning and charcoal for iron working. These iridescent purple butterflies emerge in July through to September. They have a wing span of 3 to 4 cm and spend their brief lives flying high in the leaf canopy feeding on honeydew and, as such, are very hard to spot! The butterflies lay their eggs individually at the base of the terminal oak buds where they overwinter. The caterpillars hatch in early spring the following year and immediately bore into the swelling buds feeding on the developing flowers and leaves. The small caterpillars resemble an expanding leaf bud, feeding at night to avoid day-time predation. They pupate in July in the leaf litter under the oak trees, emerging as adults in August . This stunning little butterfly is thought to be wide-spread in oak woodland on the Quantocks but is under-recorded as it is so hard to spot; however 10 were seen in 2025.

The White-letter Hairstreak butterfly has recently been rediscovered on Wych Elm growing in several locations on the Quantocks. These host trees have to be large enough to produce flowers. In the 1970s, elm species were devastated by an outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease. However, Wych Elms have survived as ‘hedgerow shrubs,’ mainly growing from root suckers. These suckers can grow for about 20 years forming small trees. Sadly, most of them will eventually succumb to Dutch Elm Disease once their girth increases. White-letter Hairstreak butterflies emerge in June through to mid-August.

They spend most of their lives flying high in trees growing in the hedgerow. They occasionally descend to the ground to gather nectar from bramble, thistle, fleabane or hemp agrimony plants. The adults lay their eggs on elm twigs, these over winter and hatch early the following spring when the elm buds are opening. The caterpillars burrow into the buds feeding on the developing elm flowers and on the young leaves and are well camouflaged. They pupate in late spring and the pupa are attached to the underside of a leaf or an elm twig by a thread of silk. The adult butterfly emerges a couple of months later in June & July. 

The Brown Hairstreak is the largest of the Hairstreak butterflies with a wing-span of 3.6 to 4.5 cm. The host plant for this species is mature blackthorn growing in scrub or hedgerows. The butterflies emerge in August through to September and spend most of their lives high in the hedgerows or in the tops of ‘master trees’, usually ash growing nearby where they feed on honey-dew.  Adult butterflies are occasionally seen flying near mature blackthorn hedges on the Quantocks. The adults usually lay a single lay egg on young blackthorn shoots usually in the axil between the shoot and a thorn, but occasionally multiple eggs can be found…possibly from multiple butterflies. These eggs are white and the size of a pin head and look like miniature sea urchins.  The eggs are found by examining blackthorn shoots in the winter when they are easier to see. The eggs hatch out in April the following year as the blackthorn leaves open. The caterpillars are the same green colour as the young leaves and are well camouflaged; they pupate in July and drop to the ground where they are hard to find, the adult butterfly emerges a month later.  Farming practices have led to a significant loss of habitat, not only were hedge rows grubbed out, but those that remain are flailed in the winter destroying the young growth where the eggs have been laid. The success of this species is dependent on sympathetic management of blackthorn hedges.

There is a great opportunity to see the work of the SWSBA from the 22nd September until 2nd October at Taunton Library. To find out more about SWSBA, their work and upcoming events click here

• Time: Meet at 10.30 for an 11.00 start
• Where: Meet at Lydeard Hill car park at 10.30 (OS reference 180 338 Explorer Map 140 Quantock Hills & Bridgwater)
• Distance: Approximately 6km
• Duration: Approximately 2hrs
• Other: The walk is over undulating ground and stout footwear is essential.  
• The upstairs area of The Rising Sun in West Bagborough has been booked for after the walk for anyone interested in a pub lunch.

You won’t be alone in saying, “Who?” when reading the title of this post. Although, perhaps, not as well known as some of his peers the fact he is commemorated in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey speaks volumes for Thomas’ work.

Edward Thomas (1878–1917) was an English poet, critic and writer whose poetry is celebrated for its vivid depictions of the English countryside and its exploration of solitude, change and the impact of the First World War. Although he wrote poetry for only three years, he is regarded – by some – as one of the most important British poets of the twentieth century. Encouraged by his friend Robert Frost, Thomas developed a distinctive, modern style that combined a deep love of nature with reflections on loss and alienation. He was killed at the Battle of Arras in 1917, shortly after his first collection of poems was published

“At any rate the Quantocks were to be my goal. I had a wish of a mildly imperative nature that Spring would be arriving among the Quantocks at the same time as myself”. – In Pursuit of Spring

The walk will offer the chance to see the landscape Edward Thomas described in the concluding chapter of In Pursuit of Spring, where he describes his bike ride from London to the Quantocks over the Easter weekend of 1913…on a journey to find spring coming the other way.

Thomas’ journey included stops at Kilve, East Quantoxhead and Crowcombe as well as the Rising Sun in West Bagborough, before he finished his expedition at the top of Cothelstone Hill.

If you’re interested in joining the walk please contact Nick Denton of the Edward Thomas Fellowship at edwardthomas1917@gmail.com The walk is free to attend and non-members are very welcome. 

To book on to this – free – event – find out more about Edward Thomas, his works and the Fellowship click on the link below.

2025 saw more than 125,000 people take part and recording around 1.7 million butterflies and day-flying moths in the process. The most commonly record species were; large white, small white, gatekeeper, red admiral and meadow brown.

Why bother?

Launched in 2010 the Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide citizen science survey that helps assess the health of our environment.

Butterflies are more than just beautiful—they’re vital pollinators and an important part of the food chain. Their numbers have fallen dramatically since the 1970s, making them a key warning sign for the health of nature. By counting butterflies, you’re helping scientists monitor biodiversity and protect wildlife for the future. Every count makes a difference.

Taking part is very easy, involving just three steps.

Step 1. Download the butterfly ID chart or free app ready to help with identification.

Step 2. Choose a place to spot butterflies and moths and watch for 15 minutes. It could be your garden, a local park or green space or somewhere on the hills. Then record which species you see.

Step 3. Add your sightings to the Big Butterfly Count website or via the app and have look at the  interactive map to see how your data is contributing to conservation science and research.

Take part

To find all the details, download the identification sheet or app and to view the interactive map visit click on the button below

SongBird Survival is a UK charity focused on helping to save the dramatically declining populations of songbirds across the country.

Their new research delves deeper into the well-known impact of flea and tick treatments on the environment. Their article offers suggestions of how we can help protect those environments whilst still caring for our pets.

Read on to find out more and to join in their campaign.

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Toxic pesticides from pet treatments contaminating songbirds in UK gardens

Many of us use spot-on flea and tick treatments for our dogs and cats every month without really thinking about what’s in them. But a number of these products contain pesticides that are banned for agricultural use as they are considered too toxic.

New research, funded by SongBird Survival and published today by the University of Sussex, has found these pesticides – fipronil and imidacloprid,ingredients in products such as Frontline and Advocate – in bird feathers, eggs and chicks. One study found them both in the feathers of five common garden songbirds: blackbirds, blue tits, chaffinches, dunnocks and goldfinches. The second study revealed the pesticides can transfer from contaminated fur-lined nests, sadly being found in dead chicks and unhatched eggs.

Research also continues to show widespread contamination of waterways with these pesticides, far beyond the pets they were designed to protect.

Read the full report.

Pet owners should be able to trust that the products they use protect their pets without impacting the wider environment. That’s why, together with conservation organisations Buglife and WildFish, we’ve coordinated a letter to government, signed by over 30 scientists and conservation groups, including the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, BTO, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace calling for urgent action.  

Read the Open Letter

UK Government ministers are currently investigating whether these products, which can currently be sold anywhere and do not require any professional advice from vets or suitably qualified persons on their use, should be restricted to distribution only by veterinary practitioners or pharmacists. We are urging the government to move them to prescription-only. This would ensure vets provide tailored advice for each pet, and unnecessary use is reduced.

What you can do right now to protect pets and save songbirds

1. Don’t put fur outside if you treat your pets for fleas and ticks
2. Check the product label for usage instructions
3. Speak to your vet and get advice tailored to your pet

Veterinary medicines are vital for protecting animal welfare and human health. The more people understand the issue, the more people can help protect pets AND save songbirds.

Get involved in protecting songbirds from toxic pesticides. Sign up to support urgent action, receive practical advice, and help us push for safer regulation.

Sign up to SongBird Survival’s campaign.

These two butterfly species have not been recorded on the Quantocks since 1996 and thus may be extinct, however they are both small and easily confused with moths and could be easily missed and under-recorded.

We would like to make a point of specifically looking for these butterflies, as well as continuing to look for White-letter hairstreak (rediscovered after an 18-year gap in 2025 under our Elm & Hairstreak Project).

Dingy Skipper

Habitat – Grassland (particularly Chalk grassland), woodland clearings, heathland.

Flying- May/June, early July, late August

Foodplants – Common & Greater birds-foot trefoil, Horseshoe Vetch

Possible sites – Bromfield Hill, Great Hill, Marrow Hill, Firebeacon, Triscombe.                

Grizzled Skipper

Habitat – Unimproved grassland, woodland clearings

Flying- May/June & August

Foodplants – Wild strawberry, Agrimony, Avens, Dog Rose, Tormentil

Possible sites – Bromfield Hill, Great Hill, Marrow Hill, Firebeacon, Triscombe, also Enmore Road, Durleigh.                         

These are the two main areas that we understand that previous records exist for ~

Please report any sightings to us on the following email

wildlifewatch@friendsofthequantocks.org

Include the date, location and species, and a photograph (if you managed to get one!).

Thanks!

These tiny creatures glow in the dark under UV light and so armed with special UV torches, the team discovered 16 caterpillars in their search around the village. Later that same evening, six more caterpillars were spotted in East Quantoxhead.

22 sightings is a hugely encouraging increase on last year’s total of three and also means we have now discovered WLH in three villages – two of which never had official records for the butterfly before we started. 

We are now aware of some further flowering elm in other locations including Enmore (last sighting 1954) and will be looking out for butterflies at these sites too later in the year. 

As this newsletter goes ‘to press’, we’re getting ready to host an Elm & Hairstreaks project talk in Bicknoller on Monday 15th June. Everyone’s invited and there’s no need to book. Come and hear about the latest findings, the forward plan for tree-planting and how you can get involved in surveying elm trees and the White-letter Hairstreaks (and other butterflies) throughout the coming seasons.

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Become a Friend of the Quantocks and help us develop this and other projects that will help survey and protect threatened species and habitats.

In 2023 a concerted effort by members of the Somerset Ornithological Society found a probable nine territories and five nests. In 2024 three nests were found but then only one in the 2025 season, albeit with six chicks – which is the joint largest successful brood in UK history.

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are most commonly found by recognising their characteristic calls and drums which differ from their larger cousins the Great Spotted Woodpecker (GSW). LSW are smaller than GSW, just the size of a sparrow. LSW don’t have red under their tails or a white stripe down either side of their back. The drums of GSW are louder and tail off at the end, whereas LSW sound like a sewing machine with a sudden start and end. There’s an excellent guide to telling them apart, complete with videos of calls and drums here: Woodpecker Network – Home

Technology and Partnerships

Recent technological advances have allowed recording devices to listen for these drums and calls which have shown that these birds may be more widespread than we thought, although still declining.

The Quantock Hills National Landscape team invested in two Song Meter Mini 2 devices which have been deployed in various locations on the Quantock Hills from the 6th of April this year until late April. During this time Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were detected in the majority of sites, despite only recording for three weeks of the 8 week drumming/calling season. The best time for lesser spotted woodpecker calling and drumming is from February to late April, peaking in late March. Early in the morning on clear and still days gives you the best chances of hearing them, although they will often drum on the other side of the tree or branches and can be a real challenge to see.

Once birds have paired and laid eggs (typically 4 to 6 eggs in late April) they become very quiet and difficult to find until late May early June when young may be heard calling from the nest sites (a 3 cm hole, often 10-30 feet up and usually in a dead tree limb or stump). Nest examination using a bespoke camera can count the number of young, useful data that is combined with observation of the nest to see what feeding items are brought in: sometimes caterpillars peak earlier and so aphids or other invertebrates are caught by the parent birds instead.

The Woodpecker Network are working with Quantock Hills National Landscape, the National Trust, the RSPB, the wildlife trusts and Natural England to better assess this rare bird’s declining population and look into the reasons for this.

In 2026, we intend to use the acoustic recorders to assess more Quantock sites from February until late April, hopefully discovering further sites in which these birds may be present.

Sincere thanks go to the QHNL team (Iain Porter, Owen Jones, Andy Stevenson) as well as the National Trust and Somerset Wildlife Trust teams too. Thanks also go to the many birders who have helped with the effort to find these fantastic birds.

Thanks to Ewan Flynn for his excellent photographs.

Dr Angus Robin, SW woodpecker network co-ordinator

www.woodpecker-network.org.uk

X/Twitter: @lesserspotnet

Bluesky: @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

~ by Mary Taylor, South West Society of Botanical Artists

We are a group of members of the South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA) from Somerset and Devon. For a long time, we have mulled over the idea of forging links with local wildlife organisations and were seeking a ‘painting project with a purpose’.  We were inspired by the botanical art project set up by SWSBA members in Hampshire and Dorset, in partnership with the New Forest National Park Authority, to create an archive of pictures of the flora of the New Forest. In the spring of 2024 we approached the Quantock Hills National Landscape Team to discuss ideas for a joint project.

Raising the profile of plants

The Quantock Team would like to raise the profile of the plant life on the Quantock Hills and tell the stories of links between the plants that grow and the animals that live here. Our aim is to get the message over that by managing the habitats and plant life, the animal species will survive. After joint site visits with the Quantocks team and SWSBA members, the Quantock Project was established in the summer of 2024 and is expected to last several years.

We hold monthly painting days at Fyne Court where the National Trust is very kindly allowing us to use the Music Room. We are not aiming to produce a florilegium, but all the work will be botanically accurate. The Quantock Partnership prepared an initial list of species of interest for us to paint. In the long term they would like to have an archive of prints of our paintings that could be used for promotional work. We also hope to hold an exhibition of the paintings at Fyne Court and possibly at other venues in Somerset.

What have we painted so far?

In the first year we have painted over 40 different species, with our main focus being the plants growing on Quantocks Common including heather species, Western Gorse, Cow-wheat, Bilberry and Tormentil. In the autumn of 2024, we had a wonderful day painting the waxcap fungi growing on unimproved pasture near Fyne Court. A couple of us have started to paint lichens growing on the sessile oaks in Holcombe and were surprised by the number of different species growing on an oak tree; we have also made a start on the fern species. One of our painters is keeping a monthly picture record of the species of interest.

Community engagement

In March this year we held the first of our free open workshops at Fyne Court, promoted by the Quantocks team. The aim of these workshops is to raise the profile of the project and to introduce people to botanical art. The ‘Primroses in Pen and Water Colour Wash’ session was very successful. Some of those who attended were new to painting, others were experienced in other types of painting but wanted to explore botanical painting. In September we held our second free workshop: ‘Autumn Fruits and Berries’. Eighteen people attended this workshop and some of them are now joining our monthly painting days at Fyne Court. We have also started painting the small species that grow on the grass rides, including heath bedstraw, heath speedwell and grass species. This year has been challenging as the exceptionally hot summer meant the flowering period for many of the plants was early and very short.

What are our future plans?

In 2026 we hope to paint the significant species growing on the coastal strip and the Orchid species growing on unimproved pasture.

Another area we’re exploring are the plants linked with the different species of Hairstreak butterflies. For example, Elm trees and the White-letter hairstreak that has now been rediscovered on the Quantocks. We are planning another workshop in the late spring of 2026 focusing on painting leaves.

We hope to include paintings from the project at our annual exhibition to be held in Taunton Library in the autumn. If you are interested in finding out more about our project, come and visit us at Fyne Court, our final painting day for this year is Wednesday 19^th November.

We have now completed our third full season of weekly butterfly surveys on a specified route across the Common. Four or five of us have taken it in turns to walk the route on the sunniest day we can find each week. Along the way we count all the butterflies that are near to the path, and the results are then collated. They are sent into the UK butterfly monitoring group which uses them to add to the national picture, not to mention the keen interest taken by our Chair and former Chair, Robin and John. 

In designing the route we tried to take in different habitats on the Common which are relevant to the types of butterfly that we can expect to find. So we have dry heathland, woodland and marshy ground (mire), amongst others in the 3 km route. The route was also designed to ensure that the option of a visit to see the Styles ice cream van is not forgotten.

The year was slow to get going but numbers were beginning to rise quickly by late May.

This was the warmest year we’ve formally counted butterflies on the Common

• In 2024 we had 4 butterfly walk days in the 20’s (centigrade): 3 in 2023. There were 11 this year!
• Based on cloud cover assessments on the two-hour walks, we had an average of 69% sunshine in 2025 with an identical figure in 2024. Perhaps surprisingly this was 80% in 2023
• We counted a total of 809 butterflies (645 in 2024 and 1,285 in 2023)
• In terms of butterfly diversity, 147 of 18 species was our best day this year (91 of 11 species in 2024; 161 of 14 species in 2023)

We hit a new species total of 27 this year

We saw all the species seen previously bar two (Dark green fritillary and Brimstone) and with two new species, Purple Hairstreak and Clouded Yellow added to our list.

Can we extend that further in years to come? It will be difficult, but we will be out looking! 

Over the years the pond had slowly filled up with sediment and in 2024 the grazing livestock, mostly Highland cattle, had breached the pond’s bund so that this year all that remained was a muddy puddle. We approached the land owner and farmer to see if they would like the pond repaired, which they did.  A contractor with a digger was engaged and the pond was reinstated digging down to its original depth.  These works took just over a morning to complete.

Losing ponds

Two thirds of ponds present in England and Wales during the 19^th Century have gone.  For centuries ponds played an important part of the farming landscape.  All livestock farms unless access could be obtained from a stream or river had a pond to drink from.  Sadly as time progressed and with the advent of mains water more and more ponds fell into decay.  To maximize food production, at one stage the Government even paid for ponds to be filled in.  Many farms also changed from livestock to just growing cropped foods so the pond became redundant and hindered food production. 

And reclaiming them

Luckily ponds are now being appreciated for their wildlife value.  Ponds are a very important habitat and contain such a rich variety of life that supports local biodiversity.  They support an amazing range of species from invertebrates, wetland plants and amphibians, and provide an important drinking and bathing spot for birds and mammals.

If you have a back garden one of the best ways to benefit and increase local biodiversity is to create a pond.  Even an old washing up bowl can be turned into a mini pond habitat. Please always remember when making your pond to have a piece of wood or stone so that any animal that falls in can climb out safely.

After the Fire Beacon pond was restored the three supervising members of FotQ and the digger driver had a sweepstake (a drink at the Carew Arms, Crowcombe) as to when the pond would be full. By Christmas, end of January, April or May…?  Who will be right?

Our wildlife and habitat conservation work is only possible due to the support of our membership and you can help by becoming a Friend of the Quantocks –

Membership fees help to fund pond restoration and similar conservation efforts. Annual membership is £25 and you’ll be making a valuable contribution to protecting the special habitats and wildlife of the Quantock Hills. Become a Friend of the Quantocks