Please book with the event leader in advance – anytime up to the afternoon before the event. Please include your mobile phone number and email address, as we may have to contact you if numbers on the walks are limited, or if we have to cancel the event due to the weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Please don’t forget to let us know if you wish to change your plans. We will only use your personal details to contact you about the events you have booked for.
If you enjoy the event, we would be very grateful if you would consider a donation to the Dorset Branch of Butterfly Conservation. You can donate online or if you would rather not use an online payment, please see our ways to donate page.
- Contact: Nigel Spring
- Phone: 07981 776767
- Email: [email protected] Event booking information
- Meeting point: Meet at 9.30. Access to the parking area is via the farm track that leads east from the Ansty to Milborne St Andrew road at What3Words: batches.defected.fronted OS map ref ST781019. Follow the track for about 800 metres and meet at 9.30 am beside the track. See site map for details.
- Grid ref.: ST789018
- what3words: ///gradually.deform.desks
Friday 14 February
Woodland Glade Maintenance
Monmouth Hill, Milton Abbas
Last winter we were invited by Forestry England to do some clearance work on Monmouth Hill (also called Melmoth's Hill) followed by butterfly recording this last summer. This had been an open grassland area for hundreds of years but had become scrubbed over and the grass very rank. We had several very successful meetings on the site last winter and opened up a large swathe of grassland. We would like to finish this season's recut of this area and also continue with the coppice coup nearby (pea sticks and beanpoles for everyone who wants...?) Please bring your refreshments and lunch, wear work gloves and thornproof clothing, and if you are a brushcutter operator, bring your PPE. Please let me know if you would like to attend and include your phone number so that I can call or text you if we need to change the plans because of the weather.
- Contact: Stephen Brown
- Phone: 07748 730399
- Email: [email protected] Event booking information
- Meeting point: 2.00 pm at Toller Porcorum Village Hall. From the A356, drive down into Toller Porcorum, over a small bridge then second right(School Lane) then left into Church Mead to Village Hall. From Bridport follow sign to Toller Porcorum, then down into village, over old railway bridge, then first left (School Lane) and then left into Church Mead to Village Hall.
- Grid ref.: SY562980
- Postcode: DT2 0DT
- what3words: ///convinced.emptied.putts
Saturday 22 February
Butterfly Trends in West Dorset and Portland
Toller Porcorum
All are welcome to attend this presentation of the results of the West Dorset Transect surveys, Wider Countryside project, casual, website and garden records in 2024 and the resulting trends in butterfly numbers. Please come along if you might also be interested in helping with any sort of butterfly recording in 2025 or joining in several of the butterfly counting walks. After a presentation on the county and regional results for 2024, we will have talks by invited experts, but if members would like to contribute news, photos or other information from their walks feel free to do so. Please, if possible, contact Stephen Brown in advance if you wish to do so. The programme includes presentations: James Cartwright - Species Recovery Project in Dorset Photos, news and videos from members Jack Oughton - Recording Dorset's moths Refreshments will be available and contributions of cake and biscuits will be welcome.
- Contact: Colin Burningham
- Phone: 01935 873219 or 07849 921594 Event booking information
- Meeting point: Meet 10.00 am and park in the lay-by just outside the village on the A3030 Sherborne to Sturminster road, about 250 yards from its junction with the A357.
- Grid ref.: ST735135
- Postcode: DT10 2JD
- what3words: ///competes.range.cabinet
Sunday 23 February
Conservation Action Day
Lydlinch Common
Lydlinch is part of an area crucial to the Marsh Fritillary, and conservation work is vital to ensure that the habitat is kept suitable for its survival at this site. 10.00 am to 3.30pm.
- Contact: Steve Brown
- Phone: 07748 730399
- Email: [email protected] Event booking information
- Meeting point: 7.00 pm at Broadstone War Memorial Hall in Tudor Road postcode, BH18 8AW. This is in a one-way system and best accessed via Station Approach and Moor Road.
- Postcode: BH18 8AW
- what3words: ///chill.reef.armed
Friday 28 February
Butterfly Trends in East Dorset
Broadstone
All are welcome to this presentation on the trends in butterfly numbers revealed by the monitoring in east Dorset surveys in 2024 including casual, website and garden records. Walks covered are those at Avon Heath, Badbury Rings, Bishops Court, Garston Wood, Hengistbury Head, Kinson Common, Moors Valley, Mude Valley, Pamphill Moor, Redhill, Sopley Common, Sovell Down, Stanpit, Stour Valley, Upton Heath, West Moors and Wimborne St. Giles and also the Wider Countryside walks After a presentation on the county and regional results for 2024 we will have talks by invited experts, but if members would like to contribute news, photos or other information from their walks feel free to do so. Please, if possible, contact Stephen Brown in advance if you wish to do so to rearrange the programme. The programme includes presentations: Dr Martin Warren - The Remarkable Rise of Silver-studded Blues in Dorset! Seb Elwood - Species Recovery Project in Dorset Photos and videos from members Please come along if you are interested in helping with any sort of butterfly recording in 2025. Refreshments will be available and contributions of cake and biscuits will be welcome.
- Contact: Lorraine Munns
- Phone: 07973 853628
- Email: [email protected] Event booking information
- Meeting point: 7.00 pm at Harman's Cross Village Hall near Corfe. The hall is in Haycrafts Lane just north of the Swanage Railway. There is a car park opposite.
- Grid ref.: SY984800
- Postcode: BH19 3EB
- what3words: ///pokes.ramp.spades
Thursday 6 March
Butterfly Trends in South Dorset
Harman's Cross
All are welcome to attend this presentation of the results of the south Dorset Transect surveys, Wider Countryside project, casual, website and garden records in 2024 and the resulting trends in butterfly numbers. Please come along if you might also be interested in helping with any sort of butterfly recording in 2025 or joining in several of the butterfly counting walks. Before a presentation on the county and Purbeck results for 2024, attendees are encouraged to contribute to the meeting by way of a short presentation on their experiences or with pictures. Please contact the organiser in advance if you wish to do so. There will also be presentations: Gen Crisford (National Trust) - An update on the beavers at Little Sea, Studland Wareham Arc - The Wareham Arc Landscape Recovery Project Dr Martin Warren - (Author and leading Butterfly Ecologist – BC Europe) The continuing success of the Silver-studded Blue population at Studland Refreshments (namely tea/coffee and cakes) will be available during the interval and contributions of cake and biscuits will be welcome.
- Contact: Steve Brown
- Phone: 07748 730399
- Email: [email protected] Event booking information
- Meeting point: 7.30pm. East Stour Village Hall, next to the playing field on the left of the B3092 road from East Stour to Gillingham.
- Postcode: SP8 5JY
- what3words: ///promoting.ranted.poppy
Friday 14 March
Butterfly Trends in North Dorset
East Stour, near Gillingham
All are welcome to attend this presentation of the results of the north Dorset Transect surveys, Wider Countryside project, casual, website and garden records in 2024 and the resulting trends in butterfly numbers. Please come along if you might also be interested in helping with butterfly recording in 2025 or signing up for any of the butterfly counting walks. Members are welcome to contribute to the meeting by way of a short presentation on their experiences or with pictures. Please contact the organiser in advance if you wish to do so. The programme includes presentations: Seb Elwood - Species Recovery Project in Dorset Jack Oughton - Recording Dorset's moths Photos and videos from members. Refreshments will be available and contributions of cake and biscuits will be welcome.