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Brown Hairstreak in Worcestershire - Bulletin 41

March 2007

Dear Brownhairstreakers,

Extreme butterflying can take many forms. In my own case, it has included butterflying in the heat and humidity of the Amazon jungle, camping in the wilds of remotest Kazakhstan, netting Apollos on a mountain-top in Norway and being raided by the police on my way back from a moth night (although to be exact this is perhaps an example of extreme mothing!). The latest addition to this list came on 10th March when Trevor Bucknall, Becky Lashley and myself joined Andrew Brett from AmeyMouchel to go looking for Brown Hairstreak eggs at the side of the M5 motorway.

This moment of motorway madness followed the discovery last autumn of an adult female Brown Hairstreak by the side of the motorway near Oddingley. Subsequent discussions with AmeyMouchel, who are agents for the Highways Agency as far as the M5 in Worcestershire is concerned, led to us being given permission to search the stretch of the motorway between junctions 5 and 6 for eggs. An initial survey undertaken by Andrew and a colleague identified the best stretches of blackthorn and, after being kitted out in some very fetching gear and receiving a very thorough health and safety briefing, we set off on our search. (Did you know that a Highways Engineer is the 8th most dangerous profession in the world?) Standing a few feet from speeding traffic on, in places, a steeply sloping embankment is certainly not for the faint-hearted but not an opportunity open to be missed. Fortunately, we lived to tell the tale and are able to report that the motorway verge holds lots of blackthorn, some in ideal laying conditions, plenty of litter, a wide selection of vehicle hubcaps but, as far as we could see, as yet no Brown Hairstreak eggs. Given the Oddingley sighting last year, this was a little disappointing although I am sure it will come as a relief to our regular recorders that next year's core egg count will not now need to include hedgerow M! I am certain it is only a matter of time before eggs are recorded on the side of the motorway and we did take the opportunity to discuss with AmeyMouchel the potential of undertaking blackthorn management where some of the stands have become rather over-mature for egg laying.

A subsequent visit to farmland adjacent to the motorway the following weekend also failed to produce eggs (although I did see my first Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks of the year) and the nearest point at which eggs have been recorded remains Trench Wood which is very visible from the M5 and only 1.5 km away. Around 60 blackthorn cuttings have recently been planted at Trench Wood by Neil Maclean, the Reserve Manager, so hopefully, if numbers of eggs build up there over coming years, this may assist further expansion to the west. Anyway, our thanks to Andrew Brett (who gave up his Saturday morning) and Simon Martin from AmeyMouchel and Dave Lynch from the Highways Agency for their terrific co-operation and willingness to arrange access at such short notice. We look forward to return visits to the motorway in future years!

On to other news. The CSV Action Earth event at Grafton Wood on 11th March went very well and was well attended (see photo).

We managed to complete the coppicing of a stretch of hedgerow on the western edge of Grafton Wood which we had started last year. Regeneration on the stretch cut last winter has been very impressive and we have already found several eggs on the young blackthorn. Thanks to everyone who came along to help. With the 2006/7 egging season coming to a close we can start looking forward to our spring and summer events at Grafton Wood. We have a number of new ideas planned for this year which we hope to finalise in the coming weeks. Watch this space and do get in touch with any Brown Hairstreak related news.

Mike Williams
Brown Hairstreak Species Champion