Readers Ken and Hilary Witts contacted me to say that they came across a couple of adders while walking on Horsell Common last week.

“It was quite a surprise, particularly as we nearly stepped on one. Our daughter’s dog was also unaware!” said Ken.

“This is the first time we have seen these snakes in the open, seemingly taking advantage of the warmth.”

Being cold-blooded, adders take advantage of the sun’s rays, but tend to be rather timid and usually disappear into the undergrowth at the first hint of danger, as evidenced in a video Ken and Hilary shared with me.

However, adders usually take the opportunity to emerge back into the sunshine when the danger has passed, often to the same spot.

As adders hibernate from October, sightings will soon be unusual locally. According to Surrey Wildlife Trust, they will emerge in the first warm days of March, which is the easiest time of year to find them, basking on a log or under a warm rock.

The big nature story this week has been the release of the results from Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count for 2025. The top five species were the large white, small white, gatekeeper, red admiral and meadow brown.

The sunniest spring and hottest summer recorded in the UK provided good weather conditions for butterflies after 2024’s record-breaking lows. However, the results show that it was definitely not a bumper summer for our butterflies and was a pretty average year for them by modern standards.

Dr Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservation, said: “We may feel like we’ve seen lots of butterflies this summer, but that’s only because last summer’s results were so awful – the lowest we’ve seen.

“The 15-year Big Butterfly Count trends show that more than twice as many widespread species have declined significantly than have increased. And, while most species had a better than average summer, one-third of species fared poorly even in the generally beneficial weather.”

Over 125,000 people took part in this year’s Butterfly Count – more than ever – between July 18 and August 10. They recorded 1.7 million butterflies and moths.

The large white and small white both recorded their best ever Butterfly Count result. Meanwhile the small tortoiseshell, which had its worst-ever Big Butterfly Count result in 2024, showed some improvement but still recorded a below average year and has declined by 60 per cent since 2011.

Locally we have seen a steady increase in the numbers of the Jersey tiger moth – as our readers regularly confirm – as the moth’s range extends northwards. The Big Butterfly Count agrees, the species being recorded more widely and in higher numbers than ever.

By contrast, Holly Blue had its second worst Big Butterfly Count result, common blue its third worst and meadow brown its fourth worst count.

Dr Fox observed: “There remains a need for us to take urgent action to support our butterfly populations, including by improving the environment in which they live, restoring habitats and reducing pesticide use. This is why Butterfly Conservation is calling for an end to the unlicensed use of butterfly-killing synthetic pesticides, and asking retailers to take them off the shelves.

“Until we do we are unlikely to see a great recovery in butterfly numbers, regardless of how much the sun shines.”

To see the full results visit butterfly-conservation.org