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The habitat in Somerset was completed at the end of May and the site will receive long-term management. It is one of 10 established Large Blue Butterfly sites in Britain, with three of these on Network Rail land. There are six sites in Somerset, two on Dartmoor, and one site in both Cornwall and the Cotswolds. The three Network Rail populations account for 35% of the national population of the species. Dean and Dyball were contracted by Network Rail to carry out this project. The Marsh Lepidoptera Awards, presented in partnership with Butterfly Conservation, form part of a programme of 22 awards presented by the Marsh Christian Trust in the fields of science, ecology, conservation, heritage, literature and volunteering. The Awards recognise individuals and organisations in the UK and further afield who devote their lives to improving the world in which we live, and the world we’re leaving our children. The programme is managed in association with partners including the National Trust, the RSPB, Barnardos and English Heritage. These partners recommend a shortlist of worthy award winners, but the final decision rests with the Marsh Award Trustees, ensuring complete independence and giving real value to the winners in terms of recognition earned. The Marsh Lepidoptera Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Professor Roger Dennis, who has dedicated vast amounts of his free time to butterflies for the last 30 years. Roger has written essential works including The British Butterflies. Their Origin and Establishment and The Ecology of Butterflies in Britain, and has contributed an inestimable amount to the study of butterflies and their ecology. The Large Blue remains on the endangered list globally and is a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan species. The large blue butterfly larvae (Maculinea arion) initially feed on wild thyme, but after a few weeks they fall off the plants and are adopted by the red ant, (Myrmica sabuleti). They spend the rest of their larval stage in the ant nest, feeding on the ant grubs to eventually emerge as adult butterflies. Butterfly Conservation has 12,000 members and is the largest organisation of its kind in Europe. It is the UK charity taking action to save butterflies and moths. Butterfly Conservation staff and volunteers manage habitats to ensure their survival, with particular attention being given to threatened species. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology carried out the research that identified the precise life-cycle of the large blue butterfly and the science that continues to underpin the successful reintroduction programme. Butterflies are in serious decline in the UK, with dramatic reductions in both distribution and numbers reported in this year’s The State Of Butterflies In Britain and Ireland. This Butterfly Conservation report showed that 3 out of 4 of all UK species are in decline.