MP Rachel Gilmour helped plant trees on the Quantock Hills as part of a project to restore rare butterflies on the brink of extinction and other wildlife.

Mrs Gilmour (Lib Dem, Minehead and Tiverton) visited the Crowcombe Estate with the Friends of the Quantocks Group to assist with planting, as part of the Quantock Elm and Hairstreak Project, on Saturday, January 11.

The Quantock Elm and Hairstreak Project, led by Friends of the Quantocks in association with the Quantock Hills National Landscape group, aims to restore rare wildlife, particularly butterflies.

Statistics from the Friends of Quantocks highlight that since the formation of the group 75 years ago, there has been a loss of up to 25 per cent of the butterfly species in the area. Last year was particularly bad for the 31 species of butterfly regularly recorded, with a 50 per cent decline in sightings from the previous year.

In 2023, although weather was a contributing factor, the group cited habitat loss as a major cause for this decline.

The two types of butterflies the project is hoping to restore are the White-letter Hairstreak and Brown Hairstreak. By planting new elm trees, the group aims to encourage agricultural practices to conserve and grow the available habitat for these butterflies.

Mrs Gilmour said: “It was an absolute pleasure to attend the planting of these disease-resistant elm trees on The Crowcombe Estate. The work that the Friends of the Quantocks do is vital for the natural environment, and I commend what they have been doing for Somerset’s wildlife.

“I hope that the planting of new trees in the area encourages the numbers and variations of butterflies, and I look forward to working with the Friends of the Quantocks on future projects.”