IT WAS not until retirement that David Perkins discovered an interest in butterflies but nearly 20 years on his dedication to the conservation of endangered butterflies and moths has been recognised by the charity he loves.

The Gloucestershire branch of Butterfly Conservation has awarded Mr Perkins with an Outstanding Volunteer Award for his tireless work on the Miserden Estate.

Mr Perkins said: "I was very pleasantly surprised. A lot of other people deserve this award. All I've done is get the organisation going."

This modest 80 year-old who lives in Gloucester has devoted almost 20 years to working as a volunteer on the 3,000 acre estate at Miserden, where 30 butterfly species take refuge.

His work could not have come at a more crucial time for butterflies, with a new study by Butterfly Conservation outlining 23 species which are already extinct here or whose numbers have dropped to such low levels that they are vulnerable to extinction.

"My interest in butterflies only blossomed when I retired," Mr Perkins explained. "Before that I was interested in birds and flowers."

When he moved to Gloucester after retiring from his job as a chemical engineer, Mr Perkins approached the Gloucestershire branch of Butterfly Conservation about becoming a transect walker on the Miserden Estate. A transect walker is when someone walks the same route for 26 weeks, in this case counting butterflies.

"I did this on my own for seven years. It took a lot of commitment," said Mr Perkins.

Over time and through studying his own data, he realised that butterfly numbers on the estate were decreasing. "Shrubs were getting higher and grass was disappearing, so the butterfly species that were going were those that were grass dependent," he explained.

His solution was to reintroduce cattle onto the site, through a joint project with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), to help to keep grassland at the optimum height to encourage butterflies to breed.

"One of the problems was that the owner of the cattle lives in Minchinhampton and it was too far to come every day to check the cattle. The solution was to recruit a band of Miserden villages to check the cattle are fine during the week. They are called lookerers."

Coming up with solutions to problems has been one of Mr Perkins key strengths and has helped to see the total butterfly numbers up by 50 per cent on the Miserden Estate.

At one time the estate was the home of the rare duke of burgundy butterfly and it is hoped that his work may encourage the duke to return to its previous haunts.

"The cattle helped to get the grass into good condition. Numbers of butterflies went up this year because the ground and the habitat were ready for them. But it doesn't happen over night. These things take time."

As well as the duke of burgundy, Mr Perkins is also waiting for the return of another butterfly that disappeared from the site. "We lost the grizzled skipper in around 2004. One day it will come back. Conditions are ripe for it."

As well as his work producing the optimum conditions for butterflies to return at Miserden, Mr Perkins has also led guided walks and conservation work parties and provided habitat advice to countryside wardens.

Sue Smith, chairman of Butterfly Conservation’s Gloucestershire branch was full of praise for Mr Perkins. She said: “David has been instrumental in developing the knowledge and understanding we have of butterflies in the county. He has devoted a lot of time and energy over the last 20 years to the preservation and management of butterflies and their habitats. Without his enthusiasm and commitment the Miserden site would have reverted to woodland by now.”

He now feels that it is time to pass the baton on to someone else. "I am 80 now and I thought it was time to retire and get the succession going."

A new volunteer has been chosen to continue the work on Miserden Estate.

“I feel lucky to have been able to turn a hobby into something that makes a real contribution to protecting the natural world," said Mr Perkins. "Butterflies are valuable indicators of the health of our countryside. The more we can do to protect the landscape for these beautiful creatures the better the environment will be for us all.”

* To find out more about butterflies, moths, and events and activities in your area please visit www.butterfly-conservation.org and www.gloucestershire-butterflies.org.uk

PLANT AND FLOWERS TO GROW IN YOUR GARDEN TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES YEAR-ROUND*:

January/February: Winter aconites and crocus are visited by waking butterflies on sunny days when the temperature reaches 10 degrees centigrade or more.

March: Pussy willow flowers dusted with pollen and fragrant daphne mezereum are a magnet for hungry butterflies. Recommended is the small, umbrella-like salix caprea 'kilmarnock'.

April: Orange tip and green veined white butterflies visit forget me not, honesty and fragrant sweet rocket.

May: Aubretia growing on Cotswold walls.

June: Holly blue butterflies are seen flying around holly bushes, the spring brood caterpillars feed on holly flower buds. A good berry-bearing holly bush attracts these little blue butterflies.

July: Gatekeeper, marbled white, meadow brown and small copper butterflies enjoy the flowers of thyme, marjoram, lavender, echinacea and calendula.

August: Buddleja davidii are butterfly bushes. Some of the best varieties are 'nanho blue', 'lochinch', 'dartmoor', and 'autumn beauty'.

September/October: Long flowering perennials, verbena bonariensis, helenium 'moorheim beauty', sedum spectabile, michaelmas daisies and ivy continue to put on a show through autumn.

November: Hibernating butterflies and chrysalis seek out winter shelter in porches, sheds and garages. Please do not disturb as they need a winter rest.

December: Ivy, hedera helix 'goldheart' the evergreen leaves providing shelter for hibernating red admiral, brimstone and small tortoiseshell butterflies.

* Provided by the Gloucestershire branch of Butterfly Conservation