Fames Rough, part of the Chipstead Downs Site of Special Scientific Interest, is a haven for many rare plant species as well as butterflies including the Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper – both of which have suffered major population declines in recent decades as chalk grassland has been lost to intensive agriculture.

These tiny brown-and-white butterflies need the sparse vegetation that thrives on Surrey’s chalk grassland to survive, so the volunteers spent the day using giant pliers called ‘tree poppers’ to remove the hawthorn and invasive cotoneaster plants that threaten to smother smaller and more delicate plants like wild birds’ foot trefoil, rock rose, wild strawberry, agrimony, salad burnet and creeping cinquefoil. 

The Butterfly Volunteer Day was organised by Butterfly Conservation and Surrey Wildlife Trust, which are working together to preserve some of Surrey’s most delicate and beautiful habitats. Surrey has over 40 species of butterfly, from the small blue to the green hairstreak. 

Jo Saunders, Conservation Manager at Surrey Wildlife Trust says: “Two tiny butterflies may not seem like the most glamourous species, but the more you look at them, the more charming and intricate they are.  And these insects are vital signifiers of the health of our environment.  If we can help them survive and thrive, it means the wider landscape is in a healthy state too.”

To further keep invasive vegetation under control and promote the growth of butterfly-friendly plants, Fames Rough is grazed by sheep under the care of Surrey County Council’s Downlands Partnership.  Surrey Wildlife Trust manages Fames Rough and is also being supported in its work to protect and boost nature on the Downs by car firm Kia UK Ltd

Fames Rough is free to visit.  There’s a public car park off Holly Lane, Chipstead