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NEWSLETTER No. 3 -  Summer 1980

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

 

Local News

In contrast to the previous year, this winter has proved exceptionally mild, and one suspects that natural predation on butterflies may have been accordingly higher. It will be interesting to compare butterfly numbers this season with last, and I look forward to receiving members' observations later in the year. As in 1979, the Fine weather over Easter tempted a good number of butterflies out of hibernation. Bob Sim, a Worcester member, was able to record 32 butterflies on 3rd April in his area, including 22 Brimstones, and we have also received a similarly encouraging report of Brimstones from other parts of the region. The Following weekend Roger Smith recorded no less then 80 Commas in Oversley Wood, Warwickshire.

The start of a new season is a good time to make a plea concerning recording, which is something all members can be involved with, and which is fundamental to any conservation work. All counties have a local Biological Records Centre, usually located in the County Museum, which is responsible for maintaining an atlas of butterflies on behalf of the national B.R.C. at Monks Wood. These local centres will issue on request a series of blank report sheets which can be very easily filled in and returned from time to time. Each county also has an official lepidoptera recorder, and this is the person to turn to for advice or to report any unusual sightings. The Recorder for Warwickshire is Mr. Roger Smith, 22 Milverton Crescent, Leamington Spa; for Worcestershire, Mr. Jack Green, 'Rostrevor', Knoll Lane, Poolbrook, Malvern; and for Staffordshire, Mr. R.G. Warren, 'Wood Ridings',32 Whitmore Road, Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent.

Naturally, your observations and comments are always welcome for publication in this Newsletter. We rely on members to keep us in the picture, so that we can make our Newsletters as interesting and informative as possible.

While on the subject of recording, we have been asked by Roger Smith to seek members' assistance in filling in some of the gaps in the Warwickshire survey. The following 10 Km squares are seriously under-recorded - SP14/38/39/48 - that is the north and east Coventry/Bedworth/Nuneaton area and the extreme south-western corner of Warwickshire. There is also significant under-recording of the following species - Ringlet (particularity in the north-west), Small Copper, Comma, Holly Blue and Painted Lady. We hope members will make particular note of these species if seen over the summer months. Two rarer butterflies which we would also ask members to watch out for in Warwickshire and elsewhere are the Brown and the White-letter Hairstreak. We would like news of any sighting of either of these butterflies - in confidence, of course.

The publication of Roger Smith's and David Brown's "Atlas of Lepidoptera in Warwickshire" (reviewed in our last newsletter) has apparently prompted a number of new records to surface. One interesting, if old, record is of an Essex Skipper seen at Barby in 1931 by Dr. N. V. Sidgwick. This would appear to be the only definite sighting of an Essex this century, although this butterfly is often confused with the very similar Small Skipper. It may just be worth paying closer regard to that "Small Skipper" this summer, especially if you are in the Barby area!

In our last newsletter we mentioned the good season enjoyed by the Purple Hairstreak, which appeared in good numbers in most of its woodland locations. News has now come to hand of a number of sightings away from woodlands in more open locations - a private garden in Sherborne, a recreation ground in Warwick and a long avenue of oaks in Weston Park. It will be interesting to revisit these sites this summer to see if this was just a one-off occurrence or whether the Purple Hairstreak is succeeding in establishing itself in rather different habitats.

An account of another butterfly, which has succeeded in re-establishing itself in Worcestershire after a gap of 23 years, is included in the January issue of the Newsletter of the Worcestershire Nature Conservation Trust. A small colony of the Marsh Fritillary was first re-discovered in 1976, and, after two poor seasons, it had an exceptionally good year in 1979. So much so that support breeding has proved feasible, and there are hopes of reintroducing stock into another suitable location.

A report has recently come to hand of butterflies recorded last year at Brandon Marsh on the outskirts of Coventry. Mention was made in Newsletter No. 2 of the Clouded Yellows, the first since 1970, but records of more common species are also interesting. Two species which seemed to have a good year in 1979 were the Small Copper and Common Blue. The former had previously only been recorded in one or two sites at Brandon, but last year were to be found over a wide area. The Common Blue is the only member of the blue family to be recorded at Brandon and seems to be increasing in number, last year being a particularly good year. In contrast, and this appears to be the case in many parts of the country, the Wall Brown continued to decline with only a few being seen. The reason for this is a mystery, and it will be worth noting the trend this year.

While butterflies may be dormant in the winter this need not be the case for butterfly enthusiasts! Seventeen West Midlands members braved the weather to attend our Slide Evening before Christmas. Most were from the Coventry area, but special tribute must be made to Bob Sim, who drove across from Worcester in torrential rain and gale-force winds to join in what proved to be an enjoyable and successful evening. Thanks are particularly due to Neil Sharpe, a professional photographer, who made comments on the high quality of the slides shown; Dave Kenningale for the use of the room and equipment; Angela Pimlott and Mary Williams, who laid on some excellent refreshments; and last, but not least, Messrs. Shirley, Porter, Millington and Kenningale, who showed us some splendid slides and drove away all thoughts of the weather outside!

Members have also been involved in conservation work to improve local habitats for butterflies. In Warwickshire, the main effort has been focused on Harbury, Stockton and Oxhouse Farm, where a good deal of scrub clearance has taken place on all three sites. It is hoped that this summer will see all our efforts rewarded. If you haven't been involved this winter perhaps you could have a go next year, as extra help is always needed. The work need not be over-strenuous and can be really enjoyable exercise. Your local nature conservation trust are the people to whom you should offer your services.

To finish on a lighter note, we are indebted to Roger Smith for the following story, originally told to him by a Birmingham naturalist. Apparently, in early July, 1970, two carpet salesmen from Kidderminster stopped for a picnic near Miserden in the Cotswolds. On the return journey they realised that inadvertently a butterfly had flown into the car and was flapping about in the back window. Not knowing anything about butterflies, on arrival in Kidderminster they consulted a rather old reference book which told them the mystery butterfly was, in fact, a Large Blue, but which said nothing about its rarity. Unsure what to do for the best, the two salesmen decided there was only one thing for it - they let it go!

Roger Smith went back to the same area the following year but there was no sign of the Large Blue, and it has never been seen in the Cotswolds since (see Letters Page). If the story is true, and the late Roger Clark, a well-respected entomologist, definitely sighted the species in the same locality the previous year, clearly Kidderminster has a lot to answer for!

Mike Williams