We need urgent help with monitoring butterflies on various sites so all the recording that has been done on them in the past is not wasted. Today we are appealing specially for help in the Purbeck Area.

These butterfly monitoring walks are called “transect walks” and the aim is for somebody to walk a set route in each of the 26 weeks from April to September – this is done by a team of walkers, so your commitment is as large or small as you wish, but it is important you do the walk if you’ve signed up for it.

The two walks we are looking for help with today are:

Ailwood Down which is an area of chalk grassland we have walked for 16 years and especially important because it records the Lulworth Skipper, which is a butterfly found only in Dorset. It is a walk which saw 28 species of butterfly in 2023 including Adonis Blue and Dingy Skipper.

Corfe Common has been walked for 18 years and the habitat is flower rich grassland. It is described by one of its walkers as “a magical place” and we are pleased to see Dark-green Fritillary numbers have increased here.

Dark Green Fritillary. Photo: Ann Barlow

The length of time we have monitored a site is important because the longer the data we have goes back the better idea we have of how a species is faring, overcoming short-term issues such as extreme weather. If any of these sites are not walked enough times for the data to be of use, the efforts made in the past are wasted, so please help if you can.

We will have someone to show you round the route when you start. You need to be fairly confident in identifying butterflies, but we can tell you what species have been seen where on any of the walks, which gives you a good start to know what you are seeing, and it’s not unusual for walkers to take photographs and confirm identifications when they get home, at which point you can appeal for help if needed.

There is a training session on how to walk a transect “Butterfly Transects and how to walk them”  on 11 April at Wild Woodbury, the area the DWT are re-wilding near Bere Regis, but places are limited so book soon.

If you think you might be able to help, but have queries, please contact Steve Brown, who will be delighted to discuss details. You can reach him via the Contact Page on this website, or by email at [email protected]   Or phone 07748730399