Branch Newsletter

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NEWSLETTER No. 7 - Summer 1982

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

From G. Meredith,
23 Highland Road,
Charlton Kings,
Cheltenham.

I became butterfly recorder for the Gloucestershire Naturalists Society earlier this year, and I am trying to build up a set of distribution maps for the county based on two km. squares, so I would be grateful for recent records (1975 onwards) with map references.

I did visit the silver-spotted skipper site (see last Newsletter) twice in August without seeing the species, so I will try again in 1982. I am familiar with the butterfly from several other sites in southern England; I have rarely seen more than a few at a time even at good sites, so I wasn't too surprised when I missed it last year. The Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation and the Nature Conservancy Council are taking an interest in the site; I will keep in contact with ,Mike McCrea and Ron Hatton over any developments such as management work. It would be interesting to know about the history of the site. I was glad to see that you didn't mention the exact locality in your Newsletter - there are still too many collectors who use nets instead of cameras

Guy Meredith.

From G. Nall,
33 Elmcroft Road,
Yardley,
Birmingham.

Thank you for the Newsletter of the West Midlands branch of the BBCS. I hope to see you perhaps at one of your field visits but one of my two difficulties is that I do not have my own transport, and the other is that I am not able to do a lot of walking - about two miles at present, and am not very good over uneven terrain. I don't know whether there are members in Birmingham that may be able to give me a lift sometime, perhaps you could give me names and addresses of any Birmingham members. I have a general interest in natural history, including butterflies, but am no expert, and I appreciate the need for conservation of wild life in general.

G. Nall.

From J. Green,
Rostrevor,
25 Knoll Lane,
Poolbrook,
Malvern.

It was most kind of you to send me a complimentary copy of your extensive Newsletter, I congratulate you on an excellent compilation which I read with interest. This year was best forgotten as far as I'm concerned for Lepidoptera field-work, although even observations of poor emergences in a bad year make a contribution to one's understanding of the bewildering range of influencing factors.

Concerning the Marsh Fritillary in Worcestershire, it did reasonably well at our only site. I like to think that the support breeding which we did, September 1979 to June 1980 made a contribution. We used our Worcestershire stock of course, and the 1980 imagines which were released back at the site were strong. We have deliberately not bred last year, because there is some evidence that two successive broods in partially protected conditions can result in a weakening of the strain. Also, if the population gets too high, natural predators will move in, and we should experience the marked drop in population following a "very good year". I hope you can follow my line of thought. It is a subject that wants more study.

Regarding the Brown Hairstreak, I remain concerned that our only sites in the West Midlands could disappear. The habitat requirements are so specialised and it is so at risk to farming methods - cutting tall hedges, grubbing out the outlying favoured blackthorn suckers etc. There is still an undercurrent of doubtful characters trying to find out where our Worcestershire sites are, and I saw definite signs last winter of secateur action on one or two bushes in the extremely limited known ovipositing area. At the present (apparent) small population level we way well be at the point where any reduction by collectors could hazard the ability of the colony to survive a bad year. A really cold hard winter would help, although it would worry the bird watching fraternity.

Richard Peplow had told me of his discovery of a new and quite unexpected location for the Wood White (see last Newsletter). I'm mystified about these new locations for this species. It is not a species which provokes interest for experimental introductions, however all the new plots over the last 15 years suggest strongly that it is spreading in our part of the country - northwards and eastwards. But it is so local in its habits, how does this occur? Or has it always had a wider distribution than we realised? It is pretty obvious when present in a wood, and I find it hard to accept that all our Worcs recorders were "blind". In many cases only single butterflies have been seen in the new locations - how illogical. Maybe this is an illustration of how your members may do a useful job by visiting places which are normally never mentioned. It can sometimes prove unexpectedly rewarding. So many lepidopterists only visit the well known locations, it is only natural if they want to see a particular scarce species - the probability will be high. I have deliberately explored unpublicised places for many years.

The booklet I've written for the Trust "A Practical Guide to the Butterflies of Worcestershire" is scheduled for the market this Spring*. The booklet is around 10,000 words with 64 enlarged slide pictures in 8 colour plates. It reviews the Worcs. butterflies comprehensively, all species in all time (58 species), distribution and chronological guides etc. It should be a "must" for your members. We don't know how many will sell, but the text has been carefully compiled to attract the general public as well as more serious students and schools. The present plan is to produce 3000 copies initially. I hope you will like it.

Jack Green

* Copies of Jack's booklet are now available at a special introductory price of £2 (plus 25p p&p) from Worcs. NCT, The Lodge, Beacon Lane, Rednal, Birmingham. We hope to review the booklet in our next newsletter.