The Butterfly Effect

Wildflowers are at their peak and our countryside is a vibrant mosaic of colour, accompanied by the constant hum and buzz of insects making the most of this seasonal abundance. Among the easiest and most rewarding insects to spot are butterflies, with their incredible variety of shapes, sizes and colours.

Butterflies rely on a rich diversity of plants throughout their lives. Caterpillars need specific food plants to grow and develop whilst adults seek out nectar-rich flowers to provide vital energy to fuel their flights, find a mate and survive. Without a healthy mix of larval food plants and nectar sources, many butterfly species simply would not thrive.

Comma Butterfly on lavender in Fiona’s garden

Butterfly watching

Monitoring butterflies is incredibly important not only to keep an eye on their number and variety but because butterflies are key indicators of biodiversity. An annual record of the abundance and diversity of butterflies helps build a picture of the health of the wider environment.

How are butterfly populations monitored?

We are fortunate to have dedicated volunteers to carry out butterfly transects on Brill Common. A butterfly transect is a fixed-route walk completed every week from April to September. Although each survey has specific criteria, the basic principle is straightforward: every butterfly seen within a standard recording area - an imaginary 5m cube - is identified and counted. The same route and method are repeated each week to produce reliable data that can be compared over time.

This methodology forms the backbone of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS), one of the world's longest-running insect monitoring programmes.

So how can I help?

The annual Big Butterfly Count (website opens in new tab) is about to begin, and they need YOU!

All you have to do is spend 15 minutes in a sunny spot in your garden, on Brill Common, in The Walks or any other open space and record the butterflies and day-flying moths you see. When you've finished, upload your sightings to the Big Butterfly Count website or use the free iOS or Android app. There’s an interactive map on the website showing how your records contribute to a picture of butterfly populations across the UK.

Peacock Butterflies are easy to spot in Brill!

Every butterfly counts, and so does every person taking part - so what are you waiting for? Get outside and get counting!

Resources

🦋 Big Butterfly Count ID Chart for England (pdf opens in new tab)

🦋 Identifying butterflies is fun but can be quite bewildering! This Butterfly Conservation Identify a Butterfly interactive tool is excellent (website opens in new tab).

🦋 A delightful child-friendly spotter sheet (pdf opens in new tab) from Munching Caterpillars (website opens in new tab), the educational arm of Butterfly Conservation. Visit the Munching Caterpillars website for lots of other activities for children and families.

Bitten by the butterfly bug?

Why not build a Butterfly Feeder? Try this simple Wildlife Trust Butterfly Feeder (pdf opens in new tab) - or tackle this slightly more complicated Butterfly Café from the RSPCA (website opens in new tab).

Why a Little Wildness Matters

Pretty wildflowers may attract the most attention but a healthy ecosystem depends on variety. Even over-looked plants - so-called “weeds” - play their part. Stinging nettles, for example, support more than 40 insect species and provide food and shelter for other wildlife. By allowing a little wildness into our green spaces - public and private - we create irreplaceable habitats and a thriving eco-system.

No Mow May

No Mow May has now finished. A nation-wide campaign led by Plantlife, every year No Mow May encourages us to pause mowing and allow wildflowers to bloom, providing nectar and shelter for pollinators. But supporting wildlife doesn’t stop on May 31st: We’re now in Let It Bloom June!

Let it Bloom June (also promoted by Plantlife) is all about rethinking how we manage green spaces throughout the growing season. It encourages us to see our surroundings differently. Rather than viewing every patch of greenery as something to be controlled, we can start seeing it as valuable habitat - and, in a village like Brill where the landscape and community are closely intertwined, that shift in perspective can as important as any wider management decision.

Two species of Bumblebees feeding on the nectar of a Musk Thistle on The Walks a day or so ago - and note the tiny Pollen Beetles on the petals. So much happening on one small flower!

(Photo F B-M.)

Let It Bloom June

We’re not neglecting ground that is left a little wild, we’re giving nature a chance to recover from a century of wildflower meadow depletion. Our efforts - or rather, lack of effort! - is quickly rewarded by the hum of pollinators, an abundance of wildflowers, and a growing variety of wildlife.

Why not join in with Let it Bloom June? Leave a corner of your garden uncut, allow nettles to flourish in an unused spot - or simply appreciate the movement and beauty of longer grass. Small changes can make a huge difference, I promise. Every wildflower left to bloom is a small step towards a wilder, richer Brill.

Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars; just one of a number of species who depend on stinging nettles, along with the caterpillars of Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma and Painted Lady butterflies. (Photo by Rod Williams on The Woodland Trust website.)

Brill Common this month

Our common is looking splendid right now; swathes of wildflowers, a rich diversity of plants and grasslands full of life. It’s so rewarding to see the impact of conservation work and countless volunteer hours reflected in the landscape.

This month we’ll be carrying out detailed habitat surveys and comparing what we find with historical records. This work helps us understand how habitats are changing and ensures we continue to manage Brill Common for the widest possible range of wildlife.

Do come and say Hello if you see me - and, whilst you’re out and about, see if you can spot Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars and butterflies. (Other butterflies are available! There’s an excellent identification guide on The Woodland Trust website.)

Great Crested Newts are back in Brill!

Ponds are one of the UK’s most valuable yet often overlooked habitats. Despite their small size, they provide vital breeding, feeding and shelter for a wide range of wildlife - from amphibians and insects to birds and mammals. They also act as important stepping stones across the landscape, helping species move, survive and adapt in a changing climate.

I knew from chatting with residents that Great Crested Newts have been reported in previous years but we need to know what’s happening right now - so I was delighted when Jen Curtis, a project officer for the Newt Conservation Partnership, and Emily Coulam, RBOR* Nature & Greenspaces Officer at BBOWT, came to Brill to survey our ponds.

A protected species

Great Crested Newts are a fully protected species - meaning their eggs receive the same legal protection as the creatures themselves. Disturbing eggs - or the vegetation to which they are attached - without the appropriate licence is an offence. This is why surveys that involve searching for eggs on aquatic plants must be carried out by licensed ecologists - and why Jen waded in to help!

Jen and Emily surveying the pond in The Walks in late April (photo F B-M).

One of the most fascinating behaviours of Great Crested Newts is how females lay and protect their eggs. Eggs are laid on submerged plant leaves in Spring and early Summer, one egg to a leaf. The newt then uses her hind legs to carefully fold the leaf around the egg. This helps shield the egg from predators, sunlight and damage, and is a key sign used by licensed surveyors to confirm breeding activity. 

Success!

And guess what? Our surveys revealed numerous Great Crested Newt eggs in both ponds, indicating successful breeding activity this season!

The Walks pond is particularly rich in vegetation, with floating sweet grass, water mint and thread-leaved water-crowfoot. These plants are vital, providing egg-laying surfaces as well as shelter for newts and other pond life. The pond was also teeming with aquatic invertebrates; an important food source for newts, which are carnivorous both in and out of the water.

Newt eggs folded in the leaves of water mint in The Walks pond (photo F B-M).

The important bit

This is a crucial time in newt egg development, with newts facing a 50% mortality rate at this stage in their lifecycle. Giving them space can make a real difference so it’s critical the ponds remain undisturbed. THIS MEANS KEEPING DOGS OUT OF THE WATER.

I understand the challenge (I’m a dog owner myself) but if we can protect the ponds until September, when the newts leave the water and return to a largely terrestrial life, we’ll have done something genuinely helpful to support this important species.

*RBOR stands for Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor & the Ray, a partnership project supporting nature recovery and community access across a nationally important landscape in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. I’m working with RBOR to develop projects in the area, including in Brill.

Did you know?

by Matilda Tuffley, Brill resident

Did you know that hedgehogs are rather promiscuous? That they curl in a ball by frowning? That they are actually lactose intolerant? If it wasn’t for the wildlife talk I attended by Hugh Warwick last month, I wouldn’t know either - and I wouldn’t be endlessly repeating these facts to nearly everyone I meet.

Hugh was hilarious and so engaging. His passion for hedgehogs really shone through. He stressed the importance of making sure our gardens aren’t too neat - and enabling ‘hedgehog highways’ by making holes in our garden fences for them to travel through. I came away with so much more insight and knowledge. 

This talk was the absolute highlight of my week and reminded me of what beauty there is right in front of our noses. I came away inspired and absolutely determined to protect not just hedgehogs but all the wonderful species Brill has to offer. Huge thanks to Fiona for organising this event!

PS Did you know baby hedgehogs are called hoglets?!

Why should we care about Nature?

In March, my husband and I attended a talk during Oxford Literary Festival that left a lasting impression on us both. We listened to Chris Packham, Michael Morpurgo, Isabella Tree and Philip Lymbery discuss why nature matters and what each of us can do to protect it. We came away inspired, better informed - and with a sense of responsibility to share those messages as widely as possible.

Take action

At the close of the discussion, Philip Lymbery asked the panel one final question: what single piece of advice would they give the audience?

Chris Packham shared a story about a conversation he had with Sir David Attenborough at the close of the COP26 summit. He asked Sir David how he felt his speech had gone. Sir David replied, “I think they listened and took it in but I fear tomorrow they will all have forgotten it.” Chris Packham’s message was both simple and urgent: don’t let the ideas shared in the talk just fade away. Take one action for nature - whatever you can manage - and inspire others to do the same.

Isabella Tree echoed that call with powerful clarity: just do something. Plant a seed. Pick up a piece of litter. Listen to birdsong. Meaningful change does not begin with grand gestures; it begins with small, deliberate acts repeated by ordinary people. You do not need to lead a celebrated rewilding project like Isabella Tree to make a real difference.

Sir Micheal Morpurgo highlighted the vital role of education and the need to connect children with the natural world. Every child should have the chance to experience nature firsthand, to understand where food comes from and to recognise the consequences of human choices and actions. If we want a healthier planet and a more responsible future, we must nurture curiosity, awareness and respect for the world around us from the very beginning.

The Goldfinch in my garden. Find out more about this bird and its call on the RSPB website (website opens in new tab)..

Movement & music

If these words can encourage just one person to step outside, then they will have served their purpose. The countryside is alive with movement and music; buzzing insects, fluttering wings and birdsong rising from every corner. As I sit writing this at home, a Goldfinch is gathering old lavender stems and carrying them to its nest. Yesterday, I picked herbs from containers I planted a few years ago using repurposed old boxes. These may seem like small moments, but they are reminders that nature is always there, waiting for us to notice it.

So, go for a walk, identify a flower, or share a picnic outdoors. The possibilities are endless - because nature offers something to everyone, wherever you are and whatever space you have. Imagine how much brighter and more hopeful our planet could be if each of us did one thing today for nature. Pass it forward!

Where hope takes root. From snowdrops to shelter-building

February settles in, wrapped in grey skies and steady rain, yet something hopeful is stirring beneath the surface. The first flowers of the year begin to push through. Snowdrops nod in the cool morning air and crocuses and early daffodils reassure us that spring is drawing closer.

Hope springs eternal - and perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in children discovering the natural world. Their muddy boots and open curiosity carry the same quiet promise as those first snowdrops. Give a child a patch of earth, a fallen branch or a glimpse of something stirring beneath the leaves, and they will find wonder.

Wonderfully named Scarlet Elf Cap seen on Brill Common.

As a child, I was endlessly fascinated by the natural world. You were far more likely to find me knee-deep in mud hunting for worms or constructing dens, than inside four walls. Forest School wasn’t available when I was young but Brill School offers sessions throughout the year, some at the Hollow on the edge of Brill Common, where I joined a Key Stage 2 class this month.

Yellow Brain Fungus held by one of the Forest School children.

Led by the Two Hannahs*, the children focused on whittling wood, exploring - and the simple joys of sliding through mud and hauling themselves up slopes with ropes. They built shelters by weaving willow around hazel stakes and constructed ration lines - with varying degrees of success!

I showed them different types of fungi, encouraging them to look closely at the shapes, textures and colours often missed at first glance. We paused to listen to the woodland, tuning into birdsong and trying to identify the calls. Stories were shared about birds visiting garden feeders and animals spotted locally, each account weaving the group’s experiences into the wider landscape.

Whether working together as a team or scaling a slope independently for the first time, the joy and sense of achievement were clear to see. It’s a testament to the Two Hannahs, who support the children so thoughtfully. They bring enthusiasm and encouragement while stepping back just enough to allow space for mistakes so resilience can grow and real learning can take root.

Connecting children with the natural world is so important because they are the future custodians of these places. In their curiosity and care lie hope, much like the first flowers of Spring and their promise of brighter days ahead.

*Hannah Tuffley and Hannah Chisholm

PS Do let me know what events and activities you’d like to see happening on Brill Common! If you haven’t already done so, please complete my two-minutes survey.

Family fun on Brill Common

Fiona has prepared a lovely family activity sheet to get us out enjoying the common. Activities are divided into four age groups - including Grown-Ups - and they’re all inspiring, fun, and really do-able.

Here’s how to access the activity sheet:

• Visit the nature activity page on your mobile

• Download a copy of the activity sheet (pdf opens in new tab) and print it at home or in a library

The activity sheet was originally intended for the February 2026 half-term - but it’s relevant all year round.

The stillness of January

January brings a natural pause, reminding me to slow down and notice winter’s understated resilience and the promise it holds. I’ve always had a fondness for this month - and not just because I celebrate my birthday (and, hopefully, a husband-funded dinner out!) - but also because the recent clear blue skies, hard frosts, and even snow make it the perfect time to observe wildlife and reconnect with the landscape.

Redwing; a Scandinavian visitor enjoying our wild fruit and berries. All the bird pictures in this month’s newsletter are from the brilliant RSPB website.

After time off over the festive period, my first week back at work has been up-lifting. By allowing space for stillness - listening carefully and observing closely - I’ve recognised bird calls I hadn’t heard in a long time, reminding me of the importance of patience in conservation work. Not everything is immediately visible. In conservation progress is often measured through careful observation over time, with results emerging gradually as consistent management takes effect.

So which species have piqued my interest this month?

I was first drawn to some high pitched reedy “tseep” calls from the treetops bordering the common. Using my trusty binos, I confirmed these to be flocks of Redwings (Turdus iliacus) the smallest of our thrushes and regular Winter visitors from Iceland and Scandinavia, here to feed on our fruit-laden trees and shrubs. Although Redwings are a gregarious species they’re very skittish and the flock will fly off as one when disturbed. 

Lapwings are native to the UK and feed mainly on earthworms, leatherjackets, and insects and their larvae.

It was then I recognised another call; a distinctive “tow-ip” carrying across the adjacent fields. I peered over a gate and was thrilled to see a flock of around ten Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus). The Lapwing is a Plover species, instantly recognisable by its striking black crest and bold black-and-white underwings, clearly seen during their characteristic buoyant, tumbling flight. Lapwings breed and over-winter on arable fields and salt marshes. Although native to the UK, their numbers have declined significantly in recent decades.

What a New Year’s treat!

January reminds us that not all progress is visible or immediate. In the quieter months, when the land appears dormant, stillness becomes an essential tool - allowing us to listen, observe, and appreciate. It is in these moments of attention that connections are renewed, knowledge deepens, and hope quietly takes hold. This is the rhythm of conservation work, and one of the many reasons I love this work.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, with time to notice nature, appreciate its resilience and renewal, and remain present in the landscapes around us.

Survey on Brill Common activities and events

I’d love to share Redwings, Lapwings and all the other wildlife on Brill Common with you - but how best to do this? I’ve got lots of ideas but I need to hear from you! Please take two minutes to complete my survey on this website and we’re start planning.