BC Warwickshire Magazine 2007

Butterfly Conservation Magazine Warwickshire Branch February 2007

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Contents The First Ten Years by Margaret Vickery Ryton Wood Meadows 2006 Report by Mike Slater and Alan Prior A Tale Of A Pale Mottled Willow by Peter Thompson One September Morning at Highlands in 2006 by Ray Healey New Warwickshire Branch Website by Steven Cheshire Editors’ Review of 2006 by Debbie Hibbitt and Steven Cheshire Holly Blue and Other Observations at Highlands in 2005 by Ray Healey My Speckled Wood Baby by Mo Parr Solihull Environmental Day by Val Weston A Flying Start for Brownfield Butterflies and Moths in the Midlands by Jane Ellis How One Woman’s Gift Will Make A World Of Difference Conserving Butterflies & Moths at a Landscape Level by Jenny Joy John Carter Records Geranium Bronze in Warwickshire by Steven Cheshire Welches Meadow, Leam Valley Guided Walk by Phil Parr 2006 Rugby Area Reports by Phil Parr Species Spotlight - The Clouded Yellow Guided Walks in the Rugby Area by Phil Parr Warwickshire Garden Butterfly Survey 2005/6 by Margaret Vickery Clearwings and Furry Gnomes by Keith Warmington 2006 Butterfly Highlights by Keith Warmington Immigrant Larger Moths in Warwickshire 2006 by David Brown Warwickshire VC38 Macro Moth Report 2006 by David Brown Warwickshire Branch Committee Contacts

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Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Editors or of Butterfly Conservation either locally or nationally.

This magazine is published by the Warwickshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation. It is a non-profit company registered in England No: 2206468 and a registered Charity No 254937.

Head Office and membership enquiries to: Butterfly Conservation, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP t: 0870 7744309 e: info@butterfly-conservation.org w: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org

Copyright © 2007 All Rights Reserved

All photographic images and text remain the copyright of the original creators as indicated.

Cover Photograph

Clouded Yellow at Coughton Court, Alcester © Steven Cheshire 2007

The Editors welcome written and/or artwork contributions on all aspects of Lepidoptera in Warwickshire and its’ surrounding areas. Contributions must be neatly hand-written or supplied on disk or by e-mail as a Microsoft Word document.

Photographs and illustrations in both colour and B&W may also be submitted separately to the text either as hard copy or digitally as high resolution .tiff or .jpeg files. All contributions are subject to editing for clarity, correctness, convention and space available.

Whilst all reasonable care will be taken of manuscripts and illustrative material, neither the Editors, nor Butterfly Conservation can be held responsible for any loss or damage during custody or return.

Contributions should be posted to: Steven Cheshire & Debbie Hibbitt Editors - Warwickshire BC Magazine 85 Grasmere Crescent, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 6EB or sent by e-mail to: steven@steven-cheshire.co.uk or debbie@creativebynature.co.uk

2 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

The First Ten Years

by Margaret Vickery

It hardly seems possible that we are ten years old! Reading through a decade of newsletters I was struck by the way that Butterfly Conservation and the branch have evolved over the years. In particular there was much enthusiasm and voluntary effort during the early years in a wide variety of branch activities. This has narrowed considerably to the point where now all our efforts are devoted almost entirely to saving and improving Warwickshire habitat for butterflies and moths. Once it was almost exclusively nature reserves, now our efforts are spread throughout the wider countryside of the county, wherever there is, or could be, a colony of lepidoptera. Once we had small parties of eager volunteers battling against the all-pervading “scrub” on Sunday mornings. Although a few of these rare species do still exist, these days it is more likely that contractors with chain saws and bulldozers are doing the work. The reduction in voluntary effort is as much due to the stricter health and safety laws as any lack of support by members. However, recording is one area in which voluntary effort has increased considerably. In our first newsletter Mike Slater made a plea for more Warwickshire recorders as we only had 15. The push to cover the whole county for the Millennium Atlas resulted in around 200 recorders taking part, more than the total membership of the branch! This has now evened out at between 50 and 80 per year.

Warwickshire was once part of the West Midlands branch, an area which also covered Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and West Midlands County. In the days when the society was small and members few, such a large area was not too difficult to administrate, but as we grew it became apparent in the 1990s that a more local approach was called for. So county groups were set up with their own committees to concentrate on their own concerns. The overall policy and financial management remained in the hands of the West Midlands. However it was not long before two of these county group committees felt they had the experience to run their own branches. So first Gloucestershire and then Warwickshire left the West Midlands to become branches in their own right. This move was welcomed by the national society, whose policy was to have a branch in every county. Warwickshire, however has always remained part of the West Midlands region.

Our first branch (acting) committee meeting took place in my living room in the autumn of 1996 and we made the momentous decision to inaugurate the new Warwickshire branch on 1st January 1997 (although the inaugural meeting was not held until 1st March that year). At this meeting Mike Slater was appointed acting chairman/branch organiser and conservation officer and I took on the duties of treasurer, newsletter editor and membership secretary. We decided to keep our boundaries to the old county of Warwickshire and thus the new branch covered Coventry, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield as well as parts of eastern Birmingham. We wrote to BC members living in these regions as well as in Warwickshire explaining our reasons for setting up our own branch and asking for support. At our inaugural meeting in March we had 50 members, enough to make the branch viable. Other members joined the committee and I most gratefully first shared and then completely off-loaded the newsletter editorship to Keith Warmington.

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Keith also helped to take some of the burden off Mike by taking over as branch recorder. Besides Mike, Keith and myself, our first committee consisted of Richard Lamb (vice branch organiser and joint education officer), Rosemary Plumbley (meetings secretary and joint education officer), David Brown (moth conservation officer), and committee members: Neil Thompson, Dave Cole, Phil Parr and Jon Holmes. Of these, Mike, Keith, Richard, David and Phil are still members. During his stint on the committee Jon, who works for Warwick District Council, was instrumental in setting up a number of local nature reserves in the District, helping to conserve butterflies and moths in the more urban environments. He also instigated the butterfly garden in Jephson Gardens in Leamington. One of our first conservation projects involved the Brimstone, and Rosemary took a major part in our donation of buckthorn bushes to schools.

The new branch needed an identity which was instantly recognised. The committee decided on our White-letter Hairstreak logo because, to quote from our first newsletter, “It is a butterfly synonymous with ‘leafy Warwickshire’ and the ancient Forest of Arden.

It is found throughout the county…. The determination of this shy little creature to overcome its decimation caused by Dutch elm disease is an inspiration to us all, and last, but by no means least, there is a white W on its wings. What could be more appropriate to Warwickshire?” Dutch elm disease is still with us, but so, thankfully, are our White-letter Hairstreaks.

During the early years a feature of the branch was running butterfly trips and holidays outside the county. Some may remember the Heath Fritillary trip to Devon and our holidays in The Burren in Ireland and in Jersey. Despite some setbacks, such as almost continuous rain in Ireland and a minibus that seemed fated to breakdown, we had fabulous times and found many species. It was a shame that support fell sharply away and we had to cancel both a day trip and a weekend away, which led to the decision to abandon such events in future. It is still a puzzle as to why members stopped supporting these events.

By 1999 our membership had increased to 111, today it is 170. At the AGM in 2000 Rosemary resigned from the committee and Heather Warmington took over as meetings secretary, a job she still carries out admirably today. Due to his work commitments Mike had to stand down as chairman/branch organiser and I took over. We decided to drop the branch organiser title as all the committee helped in the organisation of the branch. Chris Johnson, a new committee member, took over as treasurer and, later, coordinator for transect recording, as well as organising our spring/summer programme of butterfly walks.

The tremendous recording effort for the national Millennium Atlas had resulted in a mass of information about Warwickshire 4 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

butterflies and their habitats. Rather than let this go to waste we decided to make it available to everyone by producing a book, Warwickshire’s Butterflies. In the hope of involving as many members as possible we put a plea in the newsletter asking for anecdotes and information on favourite butterfly sites. This resulted in much new material which we were able in incorporate.

In 2001 the country suffered the dreadful foot and mouth outbreak and we had to cancel our spring meeting at Brandon Marsh through fear of spreading the infection, although thankfully it never became the problem in Warwickshire that it was in some other counties.

Although we had always included moths in our remit (David Brown had been Moth Conservation Officer from the day our branch was formed), these insects took on a new significance in 2002. A project to monitor and improve habitat for the Forester moth in Rugby was undertaken and has resulted in some success. Val Weston and Alan Prior, both enthusiastic mothers started to write articles on Warwickshire’s moths for the newsletter and many of our members attended moth trapping nights. Eventually the branch bought moth trapping equipment for the use of members with money raised by Val.

Photographs © Steven Cheshire 2007

The branch began its change of direction in 2002 when our Regional Officers were appointed. The coming of Jane Ellis and Jenny Joy, our first paid staff in the West Midlands resulted in a new professionalism. Where volunteers had poked fingers into many pies the ROs produced strategies and plans of action. Our task became to provide help and advice when needed and to back them up in their efforts. We were soon to see the results in many conservation initiatives taking place in Warwickshire

Above: The Dingy Skipper (inset) and the Small Blue will benefit from the work of our Regional Officers.

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between Butterfly Conservation and farmers and landowners. Parallel with this activity Mike Slater was working hard to acquire a landfill site at Ryton as a branch reserve.

This took several years of diplomatic effort both with the owners LaFarge and with Butterfly Conservation staff and it was not until 2004 that we were able to make the possibility of managing our own reserve common knowledge. We hope to be able to officially open the reserve this spring.

Mike has also been working hard behind the scenes with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust to bring to fruition the far reaching Princethorpe woodland project, in which all the woodland in central Warwickshire will eventually become linked so that species can easily travel throughout the habitat, and all will be managed for the benefit of wildlife.

We are already seeing results: Wood White and Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies have significantly increased in numbers, whereas before management took place these species were on the point of being declared extinct in the county. The Princethorpe woodland complex is also home to several rare moths such as Light Orange Underwing, Great Oak Beauty, Cloaked Carpet and Mere Wainscot.

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007

The publication of David Brown’s book, The Larger Moths of Warwickshire, was a highlight of 2006, and it was during this year that Jane Ellis started her wide ranging project to list, classify and ultimately conserve all the brownfield sites in the West Midlands.

The landowners of several sites have been contacted and management plans drawn up. These measures will benefit all species found in such habitats but especially the Dingy Skipper and, hopefully, the Small Blue.

What of the future? I would expect conservation efforts to continue to move away from the exclusiveness of nature reserves and to further embrace the wider countryside bringing yet more farmers and landowners into the fold. However, this will depend as much on the government’s grant scheme for farmers and landowners as on efforts made by Butterfly Conservation. At present these are in our favour, long may they remain so.

Above: A mating pair of Small Blue butterflies 6 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Margaret Vickery Chairman

Ryton Wood Meadows Warwickshire Branch Butterfly Conservation Reserve 2006 Report

by Mike Slater and Alan Prior

Welcome to the first annual Ryton Wood Meadows Butterfly Conservation reserve report. This is a joint effort - I will comment on the reserve’s butterflies and day-flying moths and the nocturnal member of the team, Alan Prior, will review his ongoing excellent moth surveying.

Overall another very good year on our reserve for both our butterflies and day-flying moths. However, within this statement individual species performance varied. My comments on how well species have done will be based on the 17 years of transect monitoring that I have undertaken since 1990. This year 29 of the 33 species that are known to breed either in Ryton Wood Meadows or in Ryton Wood were recorded on the transect. In addition to these 29 species the Purple Emperor, Wood White and Holly Blue were recorded on non-transect days. The only species not recorded was the White-letter Hairstreak which is not that surprising because no Elm naturally occurs on our reserve. However thanks to the generosity of Michael Darlow, one of our members, we have now planted two areas with Elm so it is hoped that this species will colonise in a few years’ time. For the record 2,153 butterflies were recorded on the transect this year. When the average number seen in any one year is 1,358 this equates to an increase of 58% above the average. However before we get too excited it should be remembered for most of the survey period the greater part of the reserve was a large hole, when it was a sand quarry. It was not until the hole was filled in and it was colonised by various plants that the butterflies and moths increased. While most of the increase in number can be attributed to this change, those who attended the branch AGM will know that recent management of the reserve accounts for at least some of this improvement.

When figures are compared, day-flying moth species have increased at a greater rate than the butterflies. This improvement is probably due to the large increase in abundance in the two species of Burnet moth. For the record 394 day-flying moths were recorded on the transect this year compared to the yearly average of 155, this equates to a 154% increase on the average yearly number seen.

What do I consider to be the highlights this year? Certainly one of mine was the first sighting in 2006 of a Purple Emperor. This sighting was of a freshly emerged male on one of the reserve’s many sallow bushes, this was also the only Purple Emperor recorded on the reserve.

Since we have acquired the reserve we have carried out substantial and specific management to help our rarer species. This management has included mowing, some coppicing and the seeding of areas with two Birdsfoot Trefoil and two Cranesbill species amongst others. Therefore it is very pleasing to report that species seem to have responded to our efforts. The Dingy Skipper, Green Hairstreak, Silver-washed Fritillary and Brown Argus recorded their highest number in 2006. Other rarities such 7 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007

Above: The winners and losers... White Admiral did well while the Wood White (male) had a disappointing year.

as the Grizzled Skipper, White Admiral and Small Heath recorded one of their best years. The only disappointment this year was the performance of the Wood White which appears to generally have had a bad year. On the day-flying moths the Narrowbordered Five-spot Burnet also had its best ever year. Migrants also did well this year probably benefiting from the long hot summer. Notably the Red Admiral, Humming-bird Hawk Moth and Silver Y had their best ever years, the Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady also had one of their best years.

The Warwickshire Branch moth equipment has been playing a major role in recording our reserve over the past two years with over 20 visits being made. During 2006, a further 130+ species were added to the list, which currently stands at 475. Hopefully, this Photograph © knowledge can assist in the management of the Keith Warmington 2007 r eserve. If we don’t know a species is there we cannot help it.

2006 was a good year for migrants with species like the Vestal, Pearly Underwing and Scarce Bordered Straw being found. More important, possibly, was the recording of the first Lobster Moth in the county for over 30 years. Unfortunately, the idiot observer (that would be me!) didn’t realise its significance as David Brown’s excellent book was two weeks from publication.

Other good moths to be found were the micro moths Syncopacma taeniolella (4th for the county) and Sitachroa palealis (3rd for the county).

Above: The Small Heath has had one of its best years at Ryton.

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Apart from the Lobster, other macro moth highlights were Cloaked Carpet, Grass Rivulet, Peacock, Garden Dart, Hedge Rustic and Lesser-spotted Pinion.

Thanks must go to the moth recorders, Val Weston, Jack Watkins, Martin Kennard, Jason Hawkes and Nigel Stone.

Above: Map of the Warwickshire Branch Ryton Meadows Nature Reserve.

So, what’s next? Well substantial further habitat improvements are planned. All being well, LaFarge will finish their restoration of the site this winter and spring. This restoration includes further fencing so grazing can occur and further seeding of key larval foodplants. You can all help as well - don’t forget the building of the “Great Wall of Ryton” continues. For those who haven’t been to the reserve recently we have constructed a low dry stone wall to create habitat for the Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper Well that’s all for now, and I hope like us, you are looking forward to the reserve official opening at the end of May and seeing the first sightings of butterflies and moths on the reserve.

Mike Slater and Alan Prior 9 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

A Tale of a Pale Mottled Willow (or the case of the thwarted spider)

by Peter Thompson It was on the morning of 26th October that we found him in the traps at Leeson House, Langton Matravers. Not a rare moth in the woolly wilds of Dorset but less frequent in Warwickshire, particularly bearing in mind the time of year.

David Brown, our guide and mentor, therefore decided to keep it until Friday, to show it to those inmates of his Warwick evening class who had not come on the annual butterfly, moth and ice cream trip to Swanage.

The daily programme on these trips is to list the contents of the traps in the morning, stick the moths in the fridge until that evening, when they get a good staring at before their release to the wild, blue yonder and our release to the pub. During this period, the photographers get a chance to strut their stuff and to this end they bring in a variety of leaves, rocks and other detritus to add verisimilitude to their efforts. The moths are temporarily released and arranged artistically on the assembled rubbish. All of this takes place in a sports hall type of room, with exposed roof trusses and a high ceiling, well out of reach to anyone not carrying a scaffold tower or cherry picker.

Cutting to the chase to avoid dwelling on the half-wit (me) who allowed the insect to escape, the insect escaped and flew rapidly upwards to take up residence in a cobweb at the highest point in the centre of the room. As we stood, gazing dumbly upwards and wondering what to do next, the webmaster appeared and before our very eyes wrapped up our specimen in silk in a matter of seconds. One of the guys, a professor at a Scottish University, displaying initiative and great accuracy, threw a wet dishcloth at the spot, dislodging part of the web to leave the bemused spider dangling from what remained.

Photograph © Rosemary Winnall 2007

After some searching, we, the mothers, found our mummy and I carefully peeled back a thread with my fingers to reveal a leg. To our amazement, the leg wagged, so the parcel was handed to the ladies who, with great delicacy and eyebrow tweezers removed the remaining wrapping.

The moth had lost most of its scales but duly appeared at the Friday evening class at Warwick University, before being released alive, albeit some way from its place of capture.

Peter Thompson

Above: Photograph of the Pale Mottled Willow

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One September Morning at Highlands In 2006

by Ray Healey

This particular morning started off quite dull and dreary so on my usual early morning stroll round my garden I got quite wet. Particularly so when I walked between two cupressus trees. The offending twigs just had to go so I nipped back to the house, got my secateurs and snipped them off.

This started off a day of intrigue and puzzlement because as I snipped off the second twig I noticed a flutter on the twig. Looking more closely I noticed a pair of quite large moths mating. I thought they were Yellow Underwings and later Chris Johnson confirmed they were Lesser Yellow Underwings. I was quite pleased because being a novice at moth ID I was almost there. I have now bought the “Field Guide to the Moths GB & Ireland” by Paul Waring and Martin Townsend and made myself a couple of Skinner style traps. So my ID skills should improve dramatically. I have also seen David Brown’s new book “The Larger Moths of Warwickshire” which I think is excellent.

Sorry, I digress from my story. Usually I have my camcorder with me but on this occasion I didn’t so I took the twig, with the moths on, back to just outside my conservatory.

The time was 10.25 am and for about 25 minutes I sat outside filming, on and off, the mating. At 10.50 am it started to rain so I took them, still coupled, into the conservatory to carry on filming at intervals until 12.55 pm.

Having had lunch I continued filming periodically throughout the afternoon. Quite often they, especially the male, made strenuous efforts to break free. It was becoming quite apparent that something was seriously wrong.

At 4.55 pm they were still coupled and on closer study I noticed the coupling gap had increased. Maybe they could break free enabling at least one to survive, but both were looking very exhausted now.

At 5.06 pm, approximately 6½ hours after I first found them, they were still coupled and there was no movement from the male (I think). I decided to see if I could part them so took the male by the wing and gently tried to pull them apart. No luck, they were stuck fast together, so I decided to take them back to the cupressus where I found them.

They were there for about an hour and then disappeared. Probably eaten by a bird or spider or possibly fell on the ground.

My intrigue and puzzlement at the start of the day turned to sadness by the end of the day. It brought home to me, once again, that nature has its ways and sometimes can be quite cruel.

Ray Healey Footnote: Chris Johnson contacted Nigel Stone about this sad story and Nigel illuminated on another part of the fascinating world of moths: mating behaviours. (Continued overleaf) 11 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

All male moths have claspers which they use to hold the female internally whilst mating. This explains why they can fly around and move whilst still coupled. The claspers are of various shapes and sizes but are constant within a species, and obviously the female genitalia of each species is geared up to accept them.

Nigel came across a research paper that was looking at mating two closely related species. It was found that occasionally, after mating, they could not separate, presumably because of the slight differences in the genitalia structure. It is thought that being unable to separate after mating is one possible mechanism to isolate species.

Nigel then asked the question “Were they two Lesser mating or was one a Large Yellow Underwing and the other Lesser”. Having examined my video of the mating moths more closely I can confirm that they were two Lesser.

It is clear that the demise of these two poor Lesser Yellow Underwings must be put down to the clasping mechanism malfunctioning.

New Warwickshire Branch Website

by Steven Cheshire

As if editing the branch newsletter alongside Debbie isn’t enough, I have also taken on the task of developing a new web site for our branch in order to promote our work, encourage recording and involvement in branch events, and increase membership.

but we need your help...

The web site is progressing nicely but at present lacks some content. We intend to include species accounts of all resident species of butterfly and moth in the county, events lists, latest sightings page and online discussion forum.

If you have any suggestions for the web site, articles or information and in particular, photographs of butterflies, moths and their life-stages, please do Above: Screen capture of the Warwickshire Branch not hesitate to contact me by email at web site which is currently under development steven@steven-cheshire.co.uk. We hope to have the site fully functional by the end of March, in the meantime, please feel free to visit the branch site and let us know what you think.

Visit the new web site at

http://www.warwickshire-butterflies.org.uk 12 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Editors’ Review of 2006

by Debbie Hibbitt & Steve Cheshire Thanks to the continued effects of global warming, 2006 turned out to be another good year both for butterflies and for our continued quest to photograph more of Britain’s native butterfly and other wildlife species. Once again fashion statements went out of the window and we spent most of the year suitably camouflaged in dark shades.

At the end of April we visited the BC Reserve at Prestbury Hill, Gloucestershire for the first time for the start of our hunt for the Duke of Burgundy. The intention of this first visit was to familiarise ourselves with the site and probable location of the colony.

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007

We returned to Prestbury Hill at the end of May after doing more homework by contacting Chris Tracey of BC Gloucestershire Branch to gain inside information relating to the exact location and feeding habits of the Dukes. On arrival at the site we were also fortunate to meet a fellow enthusiast who had spotted several Dukes and pointed us in the right direction. We then proceeded to spend half an hour excitedly chasing small creatures with chequered markings only to discover that they were Latticed Heath moths! Thanks to the appearance of glorious sunshine and perseverance we eventually discovered the Dukes now more easily distinguishable by their darker chequered markings and willingness to bask long enough in the sunshine to enable us to photograph them and study them in more detail. Another one crossed off the list at last.

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007

Above: A mating pair of Duke of Burgundy at Prestbury Hill

Above: Glanville Fritillary at Compton Bay

A week later in early June we spent 10 days on the Isle of Wight, once again timed with a specific mission to find the Glanville Fritillary. After some research, we had booked our accommodation on the West side of the Island to hopefully coincide with the best locations for these beautiful and scarce butterflies.

On the first evening after our arrival, we had a walk locally and within half an hour were rewarded with the sight of several of them enjoying the remainder of the day’s sunshine prior to roosting for the evening. Needless to say with the warmth and light slowly fading on a glorious summer’s evening they were more than co-operative for the ensuing photo-shoot. We were fortunate to see these beautiful fritillaries on a number of occasions during our holiday, and being able to sit in the grass closely alongside them roosting on grass stems whilst watching the magnificent sunsets in the West was quite a memorable

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experience. The weather was also extremely obliging for the whole 10 days of our holiday and we also discovered Adonis and Small Blues in the West of the Island.

When not staring at the ground hunting for butterflies, we stared skywards instead in the pine forests in search of the elusive red squirrel and we had a couple of sightings of these “clucking” characters, although unfortunately not close enough to photograph in detail. In total we came across around 24 species of butterfly during our holiday, resulting in a rather large amount of photographs!

Above: Adonis Blue, Afton Down, Isle of Wight

Keen to find more Purple Emperors, we got up early to visit Fermyn Woods again Above: Aberrant Comma (reichstettensis) two weeks later, which was also another scorchingly hot day. There were several White Admirals flying and we also discovered a rather interesting Comma which we later discovered was an aberrant, certainly the first time we had seen anything quite like it. The Purple Emperors were typically avoiding us until the moment we sat down under a shady tree for a picnic lunch when a male flew past and decided to perch hanging upside down from a branch above our heads in a neighbouring tree. The picnic was hastily abandoned as we grabbed our cameras, but the little devil blended in so nicely with the tree and was so high above our heads it proved difficult to see it clearly through binoculars, never mind photograph it. Although we did contemplate it, unfortunately our tree-climbing skills are not up to scratch and his Majesty the Emperor sat happily resting in the shade and was still there a good 2 hours’ later when we walked past again, just as if to taunt us. It was good to view this attractively-marked butterfly however and has not deterred us from continuing the hunt in 2007!

At the end of July we had a long weekend in Northumberland with the main intention of visiting the Farne Islands to photograph the nesting seabirds, which we successfully accomplished and was quite spectacular to see. We also visited Holy Island and searched for the Dark Green Fritillary on the surrounding coast but were unsuccessful having been looking in the wrong place!

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Photographs © Steven Cheshire 2007

In July we ventured into Northamptonshire to Glapthorn Cow Pastures and Fermyn Woods in search of the Black Hairstreak, White Admiral and Purple Emperor. It was a very hot day and the Black Hairstreaks were thin on the ground but very active so the chase was abandoned by lunchtime. We continued to Fermyn Woods in the afternoon and were fortunate enough to suddenly come across one Purple Emperor feeding on sap at the base of a tree. We saw a handful of black and white butterflies but as they were too active in the sunshine and flying so fast it proved difficult to tell whether or not they were White Admirals or female Purple Emperors.

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007

The highlight of July was a day trip to Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve near Aylesbury, Bucks where we and other members of the Warwickshire Branch joined a walk led by Frank Banyard of the Upper Thames Branch.

Despite the noise of the traffic roaring past on the M40, this grassland reserve with its colourful flowers proved excellent for the Silver-spotted Skipper and the Chalkhill Blue.

Above: Silver-spotted Skipper at Aston Rowant

Above: There was plenty to see at Aston Rowant

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007

In August we returned to Prestbury Hill in search of the Chalkhill Blue and Small Blue.

We did not have as much luck with the Chalkhill Blue in comparison with Aston Rowant due to the flight season being almost over, however we found a good colony of Small Blue in the second part of the reserve and saw one or two Dark Green Fritillary.

Above: Male Chalkhill Blue at Prestbury Hill

Above: Small Blue at Prestbury Hill

The Summer came to a close all too quickly as always, but it has certainly been a good experience visiting new places, photographing more different butterflies and crossing a few more off our wanted list. We too have also started to experience the effects of climate change, noting much milder temperatures, and the continued appearance of some of our more common British butterflies such as Red Admirals right until December. It will certainly be interesting to see what 2007 has in store.

Debbie Hibbitt & Steve Cheshire 15 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Holly Blue & Other Observations at Highlands in 2005

by Ray Healey

It was on 24th April at around 2 o’clock in the afternoon when my first Holly Blues of the year appeared in my garden. I counted seven individuals.

They continued to drink the honeydew, rather than nectar, on these plants until 1st of May. On that day the first Holly flowers started to bud burst so this then became their main nectar source.

Nearby Forget-me-nots were also being used for additional nectar.

At this stage I decided to concentrate on one female, which was at the best height to film.

First it was on the Holly, and then flew to a nearby bush of Mahonia, then visited the Forget-me-nots, Above: Holly Blue decided to go back to the Mahonia and finally fluttered back to the Holly. This fluttering from one plant to the other went on for about two hours. All three plants are within an area of about 4sq metres.

The female as well as looking for nectar was obviously searching flower buds for eggs laying. The base of Holly buds is the favourite in spring, but they do use other flower buds and less often leaf-buds. Holly Blues usually have two generations each year and prefer to lay their eggs on Holly in spring and Ivy in the summer.

Over the last five years, in my garden, I have recorded the first sightings of the spring Holly Blues between 16th April to 24th April.

Other observations in 2005 On 17th August, for the first time, I noticed a Common Blue egg laying on White Clover.

It then went to egg lay on Plantain. For the first time, since recording, no Painted Ladies were seen in my garden. But the Red Admirals were very friendly and whilst filming one day one actually landed on my head. On another day, whilst filming in my shorts, one took a fancy to my knobbly knees so I just had to film it.

16 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Keith Warmington 2007

Onto the Japanese Larch went the first, settling about fifteen feet up and stayed at this height for about three hours. The second and third, after a short skirmish with each other, headed for a Cupressus and again settled around the fifteen feet level just like the first Holly Blue. The fourth headed for a Redwood hedge and settled at about five feet up. The foliage of this particular variety has the resin scent of pineapple if rubbed.

The fifth made for a Cupressus hedge and the sixth and seventh headed for other Redwoods, again with the scent of pineapple.

My garden (wilderness more like it) is around 2 acres and I take great delight in recording all wildlife. I usually record over twenty species of butterfly in a season, several species of Dragon/Damselflies, moths and anything unusual that takes my eye.

Ray Healey Footnote: This year, 2006, has not been a good year for Holly Blues but I have been entertained with good numbers of most of the more common species. Painted Ladies have been abundant with excellent autumn sightings of Red Admirals, Commas, Painted Ladies, Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks. I was very pleased to see White Admirals in my garden on two occasions. Now the not so good news. Small Coppers have had a very poor year with Small and Large Skippers not being much better. In the Dragon/damselfly world the “Hawkers”, “Darters” and “Damsels” have been only average.

My Speckled Wood Baby!

I was fortunate that the caterpillar didn’t move far that first day and when I came home I managed a much better photo.

After that the caterpillar became more adventurous and had disappeared by the next morning, I hope not as spider food but on to pastures new and eventually a butterfly or possibly into hibernation to await the spring.

Mo Parr

Footnote: It is interesting to remember that Speckled Wood was new to the area in 1987 but is now regarded as a common species. (Phil Parr) 17 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Mo Parr 2007

I checked it every day, not having any idea how long it would be before the caterpillar emerged. Eventually my patience was rewarded and on the morning of 4th September 2006 it hatched, but it immediately appeared to be in some danger as a huge spider was just eyeing up my newly hatched caterpillar for breakfast. I shooed it away. I hadn’t spent all this time watching over the egg for it to be a spider’s breakfast. Would you believe I had to go to school, so took a couple of very blurred pictures and hoped it would still be there in the evening.

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007

On 24th August 2006 I watched a Speckled Wood laying an egg on grass in our back garden in Rugby.

No camera handy as always, so I noted the spot and went to find it. By the time I returned the butterfly had flown away. Here is a picture of the egg.

Photograph © Mo Parr 2007

by Mo Parr

Solihull Environmental Day, Shirley Park, 17 June 2006

by Val Weston

Did you know that every year Warwickshire Branch has a stand at the above event?

For the last two years I’ve organised fund-raising activities. This year it was a tombola with help throughout the day by six work mates from Barclays Bank and their families.

After an all-night moth survey in the Wyre Forest I was able to take along plenty of fantastic moths to show to the public including 3 types of Hawk Moth and a spectacular Orange Moth, having had just 2 hours’ sleep. I was pleased to be joined by Sheila and Sandra who set up the tombola whilst Chris Johnson and Val Hill got to work setting up the Butterfly Conservation display.

We’d got everything looking good and having 74 prizes, all donated by Barclays’ staff, family and friends, it was hard work. Then everything was disrupted when John Reeve arrived with the moth display cage. We weren’t expecting him to join us this year even though he’d managed to get us a prime spot for our stall right by the park entrance. He caused chaos as we had to put the display right where our prizes were, as it was the shadiest part of the stall. Up to then the moths were in a cool bag so it did make them look better and they had room to fly. We just managed to get sorted out again as the public started to appear.

It was a great day, the weather was perfect and everyone seemed very interested in the moths (they were released later and the rarer ones were taken back to the Wyre Forest the next day by Richard Southwell). They also put in a guest appearance at a Stourbridge Moth Night that we attended that night.

The tombola was very popular and all the prizes went with the star prize not being won until gone 4 o’clock when there were only half a dozen tickets left in the box. We raised a grand total of £182.42 – how we managed that we don’t know as it was £1.00 a go! A little old man donated his last 2p but how did we get 40p? This amount will be matched

by Barclays Bank through the employee matched funding scheme so Warwickshire Branch will receive £364.84 – not a bad sum for a fun day out. We even had an official visit from John Reeve in his role of Mayor of Solihull – he was only too happy to pose for a photo with the Barclays Fundraisers which is now displayed on our office wall.

Chris and Val always do a great job with the official business of encouraging membership and spreading information about our local lepidoptera, but why don’t more people get involved with helping out at this annual event and others? It’s fun and it makes you feel good. It’s also not too hard to organise your own fund-raising event or work day. Try it sometime, you’ll be surprised.

We’d like to thank everyone who helped out on the day – Sheila, Sandra, Jay, Harminder, Bev, Louise and their children Abigail, Josh and Nikita plus of course all the public who “paid to play”.

Val Weston 18 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

A Flying Start for Brownfield Butterflies & Moths in the Midlands

by Jane Ellis

Exciting progress has been made since the launch in March this year of “Brownfield Sites of Importance for Butterflies and Moths in the West Midlands”- a report based on the brownfields sites dossier. This report was a compilation of existing species records and other site information gathered with the help of Butterfly Conservation volunteers across the region and was a key output from the Regional Officer’s EAF funded project which finished in March 2006.

The report could not have been produced without the tremendous input from volunteers and all thanks goes to them for spending time focusing on some of our less attractive and sometimes intimidating local sites. Particular thanks go to Phil Parr, Mike Slater, Chris Johnson, Maurice Arnold, John Bryan, Dave Jackson, James Hill, Richard Southwell and Phil Thompson for their substantial help.

Photograph © Steve Houghton 2007

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007

The report lists 134 sites across the West Midlands with information on the colony size, land ownership and type and level of threat to the colonies on the site. The biggest threat to the sites visited was succession (52%) followed by development (17%).

However, the process of compiling the report highlighted the fact that there are many brownfield sites in the West Midlands with potential to hold colonies of key species such as Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Green Hairstreak and Chalk Carpet moth which have never been surveyed for butterflies and moths.

Above: Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper are key species often found on brownfield sites

The report highlighted the need for better awareness of the importance of Brownfield sites for declining Lepidoptera and the need for BC to work with developers and planners at an earlier stage of the planning process to ensure better outcomes for brownfield species. However, in order to do this we need more data on brownfield sites.

We need to consider networks of sites at a landscape scale and the number of habitat patches needed at any one time.

19 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Fortunately, funding from Esmee Fairbairn and Countdown 2010 has enabled staff in the Midlands to start to implement some of the actions identified in the brownfields sites dossier in a number of brownfield landscape areas. This stage of work commenced in April 2006 focusing on the following landscape areas: Southam Lias Quarries, Warwickshire, North Warwickshire brownfields, Black Country brownfields (including Cannock and Stoke-on-Trent), Telford and Wrekin brownfields (Shropshire), Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire Coalfields and the Ketton Limestone area of Rutland.

Progress since April 2006 A new habitat and survey recording form for brownfields has helped BC to work effectively with volunteers to gather detailed information about new and existing sites.

These forms are proving invaluable for prioritising effort and the information obtained from them will be used to develop a GIS database. I have visited many of the sites in the key areas and have been thrilled at the opportunities that are out there.

One example is a 11-13 hectare site on former colliery land which is being restored to limestone meadow by Nottinghamshire County Council. Jane and Barry Prater of East Midlands Branch met with the Restoration Engineer and Ecologist and were invited to draw up plans of whatever features we wanted for Dingy Skipper!! Hundreds of tonnes of crushed limestone, maerl, something called paper crumble (made from waste paper, inert and slightly alkaline that can be used to provide a rooting material) and a couple of bulldozers were already on site. As this is being written a 300m south-facing bank of maerl and crushed limestone is being sown with Bird’s-foot Trefoil. A broken hedgerow of hawthorn will be planted later in the season to provide further shelter. A series of trial plots with different substrates and seed mixes has also been established and will be monitored to determine which techniques give the best results. There are plans to work with the local community through Nottinghamshire County Council to do further planting and seeding, produce interpretation and to record the butterflies on the site.

Another example is the chance to work with the Groundwork Trust on the development of a Quarryman’s footpath around the Hartshill quarries complex near Nuneaton in Warwickshire. The aims of the footpath are to raise awareness of the history of quarrying, local geology and impacts of quarrying on the area. Following a meeting with the project officer, BC are looking at opportunities to raise awareness of the importance of these quarries for Dingy Skipper through mentions in the project leaflet and a guided walk for the footpath launch in May. There is also the chance to create habitat corridors between the quarries where footpath maintenance can be adapted to benefit Dingy Skipper eg. by seeding Bird’s-foot Trefoil and by scrub clearance.

A meeting of those with an influence over land management in the areas around the Blue Lias quarries near Southam, Warwickshire was held in August to discuss opportunities for managing, restoring and re-connecting sites in this area of huge importance for butterflies, moths and many other invertebrates. The Southam area has the only two sites for Small Blue in the West Midlands and the only site for Chalk Carpet moth in the whole of Warwickshire, as well as strong populations of Grizzled Skipper, Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper. Attendees at the meeting included English Nature, Cemex, the Wildlife Trust and Warwickshire County ecologists. The day went well and generated a number of actions to follow-up. A project proposal for the area will be produced from the meeting.

20 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Since the start of Countdown 2010 in April this year, four training events have been held within the Midlands involving over 60 individuals, looking at habitat assessment, management and survey for Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Chalk Carpet and Four-spotted. The habitat assessment training event for Dingy Skipper and Green Hairstreak at Cannock Chase has led to the discovery of 5 Dingy Skipper sites in the Cannock Chase District previously unknown to BC. A report has been sent Above: Habitat Assessment Training in the East Midlands to Staffordshire County Council with recommendations for management and habitat creation for three sites that they own in the Cannock Chase area. Contact has also been made with The Coal Authority who own one of the newly discovered colony sites at Huntington. They are keen to work with BC to manage the site appropriately and to do some small scale habitat enhancement works. Hopefully, this collaboration will lead to positive outcomes at other coalfield sites across England and Wales.

Photograph © Jane Ellis 2007

A key outcome from the meeting is that Cemex are keen to be involved with management and restoration work that benefits key species on a number of their sites in this part of Warwickshire which include Nelson’s Quarry, Southam Quarry and parts of Stockton Cutting.

The first 3-6 months of the Countdown 2010 project have been much about filling gaps in survey information for key species and determining potential opportunities to protect and where possible expand or link existing colonies.

We are now starting to focus effort in areas which can be used to demonstrate good practice and where the project can make a real difference.

Jane Ellis

Photograph © Jane Ellis 2007

If you would like more information on the brownfields and butterflies project or perhaps you would like to help with some species survey work or habitat monitoring in one of the key areas then please contact me on 01788 510695 or email jellis@butterfly-conservation.org.

Above: Nelson’s Quarry near Southam, Warwickshire 21 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

How One Woman’s Gift Will Make A World Of Difference

Photograph © S Cheshire 2007

When Pamela Lewis was alive, she visited Butterfly Conservation’s reserve at Prestbury Hill in Gloucestershire. She was inspired by that wonderful place and its profusion of butterflies. When Pamela died she remembered Butterfly Conservation in her Will with a generous gift.

Above: View from Prestbury Hill, Gloucestershire

In 2005 we used Pamela’s legacy to create a new nature reserve at Alners Gorse so that we could conserve one of the most important areas in Dorset for the Marsh Fritillary (and countless other rare butterflies and moths). We shall be using this new reserve to show other landowners from this beautiful part of Dorset, and further afield, how to create and maintain the habitat that the Marsh Fritillary needs for it to thrive.

In time, Pamela’s influence on the conservation of the Marsh Fritillary could be enormous.

We welcome legacy gifts of any size and every legacy we receive is put to work to make a lasting difference. This could be through our educational work with young people, or in the development of a landscape conservation project in an important butterfly area, or by paying for the ongoing management of our nature reserves.

Leaving a legacy to Butterfly Conservation will not cost you anything in your lifetime and could reduce the amount of inheritance tax your family may have to pay on the value of your estate, as all legacy gifts to charity are free of tax. Best of all, though, you will be making a lasting contribution to the conservation of Britain’s butterflies and moths.

To talk informally, and in confidence, about helping Butterfly Conservation with a gift in your Will, please telephone me on 01403 256175, or write to me at our Lulworth Head Office.

David Bridges Head of Fundraising (Butterfly Conservation Head Office) 22 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Below: Marsh Fritillary

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007

Butterfly Conservation relies heavily on the support of its members and friends, so please will you consider making a gift to the Society in your Will?

Countdown 2010 Conserving Butterflies & Moths at a Landscape Level

by Jenny Joy

The 1st April was a very special date for Butterfly Conservation in the East and West Midlands as it was the starting date for a new project ‘Conserving Butterflies and Moths at a Landscape level’. The grant for this project was provided from the Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund run by English Nature on behalf of Defra, to help the UK Government achieve its commitment to halt biodiversity loss by 2010 (with some additional funding for the Butterfly Conservation project coming from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation). A wide range of projects were funded by the Countdown 2010 Action Fund in every region of England ranging from the ‘Cool Seas Roadshow’ put forward by the Marine Conservation Society to the ‘Yorkshire Dales Woodland Restoration Project’ but the plan is that all these projects will directly contribute to Biodiversity Action Plan and England Biodiversity Strategy targets.

Photograph © Mike Williams 2007

The Butterfly Conservation project ‘Conserving Butterflies and Moths at a Landscape Level’ aims to implement a targeted programme of action in 30 priority landscape areas across the Midlands and the East of England (covering 3 English regions). It is anticipated that this will involve giving management advice on more than 250 sites across these priority landscape areas. Developing effective partnerships with a range of government agencies, voluntary organisations and landowners etc. in these landscape areas will also be a key part of this process.

Above: Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the Wyre Forest 2006 by Mike Williams taken during visits to collect adults as captive breeding stock for the re-establishment programme planned for the Forest of Feckenham area.

23 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

During the first six months of Countdown I have been focusing on trying to ensure that essential survey and monitoring work takes place on important butterflies and moths in each of my eleven landscape areas. This has been done a) by trying to encourage more volunteer recording b) by employing contractors to undertake specific projects often involving research and c) by carrying out survey work myself. In some places, efforts by volunteer recorders have substantially increased our knowledge of key species e.g. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary at Cannock Chase, Wood White in south Shropshire, and Grayling and High Brown Fritillary on the Malvern Hills. This winter I will now be working to ensure that these records now inform site management by developing partnerships with key local organisations. Projects undertaken by contractors funded through my part of the Countdown project have included survey and research work on Argent & Sable moth in Shropshire and Staffordshire, Common Standards Monitoring for Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the Oswestry area, and High Brown Fritillary work in the Malvern Hills. Butterfly Conservation has also been successful in attracting funds from other organisations to carry out specific survey and monitoring projects which are as follows: a) survey for Welsh Clearwing and Argent & Sable on Cannock Chase Country Park (mostly as a result of funding from Staffordshire County Council but with some funding from Countdown), b) survey and monitoring work on Dingy Skipper in the Telford & Wrekin area (with funding from Telford & Wrekin Council), c) butterfly and moth survey of selected Herefordshire Commons (with funding from the Herefordshire Nature Trust), d) Grayling survey in the Malvern Hills (with funding from the Malvern Hills Conservators) and e) monitoring work on Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the Wyre Forest (with funding from English Nature). We are very grateful to all these Above: Yatton Hill - one of the Herefordshire organisations for providing these extra Community Commons which supports a good Dark funds for this specific work which has Green Fritillary colony. enabled our knowledge of these species to go one stage further. It is a requirement that all consultants carrying out specific survey work for Butterfly Conservation write up their project in the form of a report.

24 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Jenny Joy 2007

The Countdown 2010 project is now funding four Butterfly Conservation staff - myself, Jane Ellis and Anna Jordan in the Midlands, and Sharon Hearle in the East of England.

In the Midlands area, the way the Countdown project is organised is that Jane is now the Midlands Brownfields sites officer (see Jane’s separate brownfields update). Anna is the Herefordshire Woodlands Project Officer (with Countdown funding allowing Anna to increase her hours to full time), and I am the West Midlands Regional Officer working in eleven landscape areas spread across the region. I am also now the senior officer in the region who organises the Midlands team which also includes Stephen Lewis (the Prees Heath Project Officer). As the Countdown 2010 grants run for two years we have obviously set ourselves ambitious targets and that is where you as branch members can really help us achieve this project (and in many places and landscape areas are already doing so)!

Therefore, in future a brief summary of each report will be posted on branch web sites so that any branch members then interested in learning more about specific projects can contact the appropriate Butterfly Conservation officer to obtain more details. The first report summary to go on the web site will be ‘Common Standards Monitoring in the Oswestry Area JCA 2006’ by Peter Boardman.

So where do I go from here in the next six months? Obviously my work will move away from the field into writing reports and having meetings to make sure we raise the profile of butterflies and moths in my landscape areas by making key organisations and local groups more aware of their presence. Perhaps one thing we have not done well in the past is to make the most of our good news stories by writing press releases and getting articles into magazines - the winter months are obviously a good time to be doing this! Ultimately what Butterfly Conservation really wants is for this improved knowledge of butterflies and moths to lead to their better conservation on the ground.

We will obviously not achieve this on all sites we are currently involved with but we can hopefully begin to make a good start by giving sound management advice.

So if you are thinking of perhaps doing more recording next year and think you could help with this landscape project please do get in touch with Jane, Anna or myself.

Our landscape areas in the West Midlands are currently: Warwickshire brownfields, Black Country brownfields, Telford & Wrekin brownfields, Princethorpe Woodlands, South Shropshire Metal Mines, Cannock Chase, Forest of Feckenham, Malvern Hills, Herefordshire Commons, South Shropshire and Herefordshire Woods, Wyre Forest, South Shropshire wet flushes and rush pasture, Oswestry Uplands, and the North Shropshire and Staffordshire Mosses and woodlands.

Jenny Joy

John Carter Records Geranium Bronze in Warwickshire

by Steven Cheshire

John discovered this individual on his Pelargonium plants in his garden in Pillerton Priors and as the photos show, this female had clearly mated with a male and was busily laying eggs on the buds of his plants.

This is no doubt one of the most unusual Warwickshire butterfly records of 2006.

Steven Cheshire Right: Female Geranium Bronze ovipositing on Geranium buds 25 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photographs © John Carter 2007

The Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli) is a species originating from South Africa and has spread to Europe with imported Pelargonium plants. It is now common in parts of southern Spain, France and Italy with occasional records from Holland, Belgium and more recently, England.

Welches Meadow, Leam Valley - Guided Walk 9 July 2006

by Phil Parr

This visit to Welches Meadow, Leam Valley was my first. As usual my timing to get there was a bit on the tight side, so when I arrived at Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre I did not know its relationship to the reserve. I must have missed the rest of the party by seconds, but fortunately bumped into John & Maureen from Polesworth. They also did not know the area, but John had found the reserve entrance so we set off to explore.

We first found woodland near the river and then found ourselves on the edge of playing fields with hedge rows and patches of bramble. We found the summer brood of Comma were on the wing – glorious in their freshness – first one, then two together, and then another, and then three more. Some were sunning themselves and others were challenging each other in spectacular aerobatic flight. The tick list grew quickly with Red Admirals, Meadow Browns and Ringlets added but more Commas kept appearing.

A Humming-bird Hawkmoth seemed to take a particular interest in a patch of nettles – we couldn’t understand why – but then it zoomed right under our noses to give us a really good look. Yet another Comma landed on my shirt front – maybe that’s where the beer lands!

As we neared Radford Semele just over the river we were greeted by the ringing of church bells – most pleasant on a sunny afternoon. Then we came across a bird hide, and to find what view it would give we opened the door. Inside was a surprised Jack Watkins with the rest of the party. It was good to meet up with them. The pool in front of the hide, dug only a year or two ago, had islands and shore suitable for waders, and Jack pointed out reeds he and the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust team planted over a year ago, that were getting established and will provide further habitats for bird life. A Red Admiral glided into view.

Jack kindly retraced his steps to show us work he and his team have been doing in the woodland – ride widening and the creation of glades. They certainly have done a lot of work to improve the site. He said the trees were planted very close together as originally the site was a tree nursery, the idea being that the trees would then be moved to other locations, but that never happened. On our way we were still totting up more Commas and found seven in just one small glade. He said there seemed to be more than ever this year. He then directed us to the meadow and spoil bank before chasing off to catch up with the rest of the group. We found Marbled Whites but missed the Clouded Yellow that had been seen earlier. We puzzled over whether a Skipper was Small or Essex and then found another that definitely was Essex. We arrived back at the leisure centre having had a very enjoyable afternoon butterflying and chatting. We totalled up the number of Commas seen and were amazed to find a figure of 42. Thank you Jack, and also John and Maureen for a good outing.

Phil Parr 26 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

2006 Rugby Area Reports

by Phil Parr

Wolfhampcote This important local site which is part of the disused Great Central Railway has a new owner. The site holds colonies forming the core of local meta-populations of Grizzled Skipper and Green Hairstreak. The second stage of action under the management plan was not implemented because of the change of ownership and the well-publicised problems that DEFRA had with payments to farmers. It looks as if the new owner will take on the Stewardship Agreement including the management plan for the cutting, but it has taken a lot of hard work on the part of Sandra and Matt at DEFRA to persuade him. He is not an enthusiast of wildlife conservation, but we hope this will change once he gets to know us and begins to understand our aims.

The wet May hindered recording of key species with only numbers in single figures seen, so this year’s survey results do not reflect how good the site really is. John Hoyle and John Bates saw seven Green Hairstreak on 31st May and the best count of Grizzled Skipper was just four. Marbled White numbers were up to their usual strength with 47 being seen on 12th July.

Newbold Grounds This site is about a mile to the south of Wolfhampcote on the same disused railway.

Most of the site is just across the county border in Northamptonshire. Grizzled Skipper was recorded here up until 2004 and hopefully is still present but the area of suitable habitat is relatively small. The owners are planning to take on a Higher Level Stewardship Agreement this year which may give opportunities to carry out some management to help the species. The Marbled Whites seen in 2005 did not show this year though 42 Common Spotted orchids were counted on the same patch. Small Heath still breed on set aside on a hill brow near the old railway.

Ashlawn Cutting This site to the north of the previous two sites is a Local and Warwickshire Wildlife Nature reserve managed with help from BC members. Only two Forester moths were seen this year despite ten visits by recorders. Iain Reid was the lucky man on 26th June. On the 28th June this year Paul Nicholas and I were lucky enough to find Sitochroa palealis, a moth which is resident along the south and south-east coast, and also an occasional migrant. It was perching under a flower head of its food plant Wild Carrot, and it proved quite difficult to photograph. There have been only two previous sightings of this species in Warwickshire, both from Bishops Hill in 2004 and 2005.

Comma did very well indeed with thirty-five being recorded on a walk along the whole length of the cutting on 11th July. Marbled White is restricted to the grasslands to the south of Ashlawn Road but also did well with 107 counted on 2nd July.

Draycote Water This large Severn Trent site has a number of areas of importance for butterflies and others with potential for improvement. The engineering department controls the regularity of grass cutting, and keeps it very short to spot potential trouble spots in the earth dams. Senior Ranger Corinne Thorpe has been keen to help where she can, and 27 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Keith Warmington 2007

Above: Senior Ranger Corinne Thorpe & Phil Parr planting disease-resistant Elms at Draycote

has negotiated for an area of the Hensborough Embankment which has a magnificent display of wild flowers each year, but is in a less critical position from the engineer’s point of view, to be cut much less regularly. This should much benefit the butterfly population as well as our enjoyment of the plants. Large numbers of Bee Orchid have occurred here.

Corinne granted us permission to plant a couple of disease-resistant elms. A tremendous number of dead elms are in the hedgerows of the old Bridle Road but we think White-letter Hairstreak is still present. Severn Trent has been advertising a position for a Ranger with biodiversity skills and this is a very positive step in the right direction. I understand they had a good response to the advert, but Corinne was very disappointed to find that problems with funding have meant that the employment of someone for this position has been put on hold.

Due to poor weather and my not being available in the spring we didn’t see more than a couple of Grizzled Skipper, but are confident the Farborough colony is still strong.

Small Heath haven’t been seen for a couple of years now on the Farborough Embankment but Cyril Cleaver reports seeing some on the top of Hensborough Hill in the Country Park. Five Clouded Yellows were seen by Sarah Parr on Farborough Embankment on 26th September.

Fenny Compton Tunnel Following on from our meetings with British Waterways Ecologist Penny Foster in 2005 we produced a detailed site plan. Penny was keen to see some progress being made, but Waterways had some unexpected serious problems with all its canal side maintenance when a man was drowned when a mini tractor ended up in the cut (not local). She persuaded her boss to let her do the work herself with fellow ecologist Hannah Graves, and they spent a number of days working hard.

28 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Phil Parr 2007

Above: British Waterways Ecologist Penny Foster in action at Fenny Compton

When I found out I went and joined them. Penny is pretty efficient with a chain-saw and two substantial areas of Hawthorn and Blackthorn were cleared to encourage the spread of Cinquefoil for the benefit of Grizzled Skipper. They were rewarded on a later visit by finding two Grizzled Skipper eggs, and on yet another visit seeing two adult butterflies. It is most pleasing to meet and work with two such enthusiastic people and a very good start to this project, and they are hoping to continue management work this year.

On later visits I recorded a Marbled White here for the first time since 1999. It’s pleasing to think that if they are not currently breeding here, that an improvement in habitat could soon encourage their return. There was a good showing of Peacock here on 29th July.

Elliot’s Field Canal Embankment This is another site where we have been able to meet Waterways ecologist Penny Foster. She was fascinated by the presence of White-letter Hairstreak in the Wych Elms and we were both pleased to find that most of the Elm re-growth along the embankment showed the tell-tale signs of larval feeding. This appears to be the best year for a long time for this species here. As was typical for this year the sun went in as we got to the site so we were only able to catch a glimpse of a couple of adults high in a bush. The Elms on the embankment are still succumbing to Dutch Elm disease, but the two disease-resistant Elms we planted earlier in the year seemed to have established well. Penny says she will monitor both the numbers of White-letter and the state of the diseased Elms and re-growth. I’m sure we can provide some useful help.

The Malpass Site – Rugby Cement Apart from the successful guided walk, we held a couple of work parties. BC members John Rea, Cyril Cleaver and Chris Johnson and enthusiast Tony Wynn worked hard and we are just about managing to keep up with the inevitable scrub invasion, on this private site. Our thanks to Cemex for allowing us access. It was at this site that we had the best number of Grizzled Skipper sightings on what was otherwise a poor year for spring species, seven being seen on 17th June. Just two Green Hairstreak had been seen a week earlier. Marbled White and Small Heath numbers remain stable.

Phil Parr 29 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Species Spotlight - The Clouded Yellow Colias croceus The summer of 2006 was an excellent year for one of the common migrants of Warwickshire with many reports of Clouded Yellows being seen in the county and across the whole of the UK. Photograph © John Rea 2007

The front cover of this magazine features a wonderful example of this species feeding on Verbena bonariensis in the gardens of Coughton Court.

Above: Helice form at Wolston in 2006

The Clouded Yellow is a truly migratory butterfly and a regular visitor to Britain usually in small numbers.

The species is however famous for occasional mass immigrations from mainland Europe and subsequent breeding in the UK, episodes which are fondly and long remembered as ‘Clouded Yellow Years’.

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007

A small proportion of female Clouded Yellows are of the helice form where the rich yellow colouration is replaced by a very pale, almost white colouration, an example of which was seen at Wolston.

Clouded Yellows can be seen almost anywhere but do tend to congregate in flowery places where the larval foodplants grow. As clovers are still commonly cultivated, the Clouded Yellow easily finds breeding habitat in our modern farmed countryside.

Above: One of several individuals seen on Weddington disused railway, Nuneaton

The larvae feed on a range of leguminous plants including wild and cultivated clovers, Lucerne and occasionally Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil.

Forthcoming Events Warwickshire Branch Spring Meeting

This year’s Spring Meeting will take place at Lapworth Village Hall on Saturday 17 March at 2.00 pm including raffle, quiz, slides, etc. Further details to follow in the Warwickshire Branch Spring Newsletter.

Ryton Wood Meadows Butterfly Reserve

It is hoped that our new reserve will be officially opened later this Spring. Further details will be circulated to all members once the date has been confirmed.

Butterfly Conservation National AGM

This year the Warwickshire Branch will host the National Annual General Meeting of Butterfly Conservation on Saturday 17 November 2007. The meeting will take place at The Trident Centre, Warwick. Further details will be distributed to all members by Head Office nearer the date.

30 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Guided Walks in the Rugby Area

by Phil Parr

Draycote Water 14th May am The weather on the morning of our walk didn’t look promising but I was pleased that five other diehards turned out to see what we could find. John Rea, Chris Johnson and Val Hill, and Eric and Julie from Higham were all eager to go. We first visited the amusingly named Sailboard Graveyard in hope of Grizzled Skipper. The first sightings of the day were not to everyone’s taste, but certainly produced some excitement. We lifted a corrugated iron sheet to find a couple of grass snakes - one with a substantial bulge indicating a recent meal. Val took a couple of steps backwards. My camera battery failed at the critical moment of course.

We scanned the leaves of the Buckthorn bush but could see no sign of larval damage to the leaves where I had seen Brimstone eggs on my previous visit. There was masses of Cinquefoil but it was too cool for Grizzled Skipper to show, so we spent a while looking for pupae in the brambles. Talk about needles in haystacks!

We moved on to the next paddock where we, with Severn Trent support, have recently planted a couple of disease-resistant Elms. These were provided by the West Midlands Biodiversity Partnership and our aim is to try to ensure that White-letter Hairstreak continues to survive here. The trees were just coming into leaf and looked healthy.

There are a large number of dead Elms in the hedgerow of the old bridle road and a small amount of re-growth from root suckers, some of which are inconveniently in the middle of the old carriageway. At the very top of one of the taller trees we could see one or two leaves showing crescents of holes outlined against the sky. This is typical of White-letter larva, so we are confident that the species is still here even though we have not seen adults flying since 2003.

Photograph © Phil Parr 2007

A Speckled Wood was briefly spotted, and that was about it for the morning. We were grateful to the Severn Trent Rangers for allowing us to visit areas not normally open to the public. The idea of a pint and meal at The Shoulder of Mutton seemed a very good one, and we were soon warm and chatting in the convivial atmosphere.

Above: Brimstone Eggs on Buckthorn

Wolfhampcote 14th May pm Thus fortified we headed for Wolfhampcote a few miles away. The weather had not improved but there is always plenty to see when out in the countryside. We had more luck with the Buckthorns on this site. A few weeks ago we had held a small work-party here.

John Rea, Keith Warmington and I had opened out small hollows against these Buckthorns by removing Hawthorn to create hot spots, and this had paid off as we counted ten Brimstone eggs. One was particularly white indicating recent laying.

31 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Both the disease-resistant Elms we had planted were coming into leaf, so again we were pleased. We spent some time trying to pinpoint where a Turtle Dove was calling from, but we never did see it. Three Silver Y’s and a Small White were the best we could do with flying lepidoptera, but we had enjoyed the walk.

Malpass Site 7th June Twelve enthusiastic people joined me to look at this site on a day that was cloudy, bright and warm. We met in Parkfield Road but relocated to Lea Crescent because we were met by new locked gates and had to use the alternative informal entrance. This had been cleared with CEMEX’s security staff. We forged our way through tall grasses, nettles and thistles to the base of the old spoil bank disturbing Banded Demoiselle damselflies. We were soon picking up numbers of Small Heath and Large Skipper, but not in the numbers I expected. We had a glimpse of a possible first Ringlet, a couple of Meadow Browns, and brilliant – a Grizzled Skipper – a first I think for Jan. John Rea discovered a Small Copper which was rather reluctant to open its wings. The day had become overcast but it was still very warm. Moth expert Martin Kennard had quietly added to the day’s count with species whose identity defeated the rest of us. The display of Orchids on the area of chalk was impressive for those who had not seen it before, but was perhaps not as vibrant as some previous years. Numbers in the glade were very much reduced despite Cyril’s coppicing of the willow to introduce a bit more light at our recent work party. We had only seen the one Grizzled Skipper up to now but had confirmed the earlier glimpse of Ringlet by a positive sighting. We headed through the long grasses and thickening hawthorn scrub to the north east corner where the day really picked up. The sun appeared. Two Grizzled Skipper chased by at a great rate.

Shouts of another Large Skipper here and I’ve got a Burnet Companion, plus confusion over where the latest sighting of Grizzled Skipper had got to and how many there were added to the fun of the afternoon. Eventually we thought there were about five. One or two Common Blue, Latticed Heath, Yellow Shell, Speckled Wood and some Small Tortoiseshell larvae were found. We eventually crossed over the large flat area where the Malpass Quarry had been years ago, finding Bee Orchid, Meadow Vetchling and the first Knapweeds in flower. The increased amount of nectar sources brought an increase in sightings with more Grizzled Skipper to total seven for the day, Painted Lady, and Latticed Heath added to the list. We also found the lovely plant Grass Vetchling – a member of the pea family – its leaves look like grass and it has the most delicate pinkie/violet flower on a very long stem. The flowers only last for a day or two.

The day had built up to a fine finish with lots of sunshine, butterflies and flowers. We all agreed it was a very successful walk. We appreciated CEMEX allowing us access to this site.

Female Large Skipper

Phil Parr 32 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007

Warwickshire Garden Butterfly Survey 2005/6 The spring/summer weather of 2005 was quite different from that of 2006 and this had quite an effect on the majority of butterfly species recorded in Warwickshire gardens.

One species that showed a considerable difference was the Orange-Tip. In 2005 we had an early spring, whereas in 2006 it was about a month later. It was possibly the extra time for egg laying and larval feeding resulting from the early spring of 2005 that was responsible for the 9% increase in the number of gardens recording this species in 2006. Most people recorded Orange-Tips during the spring of last year but it was present in at least two gardens in June. It will be interesting to see if the late spring of 2006 reduces the numbers of Orange-Tips seen this year, or if the long flight season will have compensated for such a late start.

Red Admirals were recorded both so early and so late in the year that they must be over-wintering in Warwickshire. This has surely now become a resident species in the midlands. The increase of 6% of gardens recording this species in Warwickshire in 2006 over 2005 would have been due to the large migration from Europe during the summer. Similarly, the migration of Painted Ladies resulted in a huge jump of 35% more gardens recording this species in 2006 compared to 2005.

Comparing 2005 and 2006 as far as resident species were concerned, Large White declined by 7%, while Small White and Peacock increased by 3%. Peacocks emerging in August were not around for long as the near perfect weather meant that they could feed up for hibernation very quickly. I found one hibernating in my shed in the second week in August! Thus few Peacocks were recorded in the autumn.

For Small Tortoiseshell it was quite a different story. A decline of 7% would have been much worse if some recorders had not seen their first Small Tortoiseshell of 2006 in the autumn. It seems to be the majority opinion of experts that the decimation of the Small Tortoiseshell, which started in Kent and Sussex and is now spreading westwards and northwards, is due to a parasitic fly which has reached England from Europe. Although I have not yet analysed the data from the 2006 survey for the whole country, I get the impression that there has been some recovery of this species in the south east, especially in the autumn emergence. As with White-letter Hairstreak and Dutch Elm disease there would seem to be indications that a balance is being established between the butterfly and its parasite. Whether we will ever again see Small Tortoiseshell in the numbers we used to see in the early 1990s, when often 100% of gardens would record a visit, remains to be seen.

Other species to show significant increases in visits to Warwickshire gardens in 2006 compared with 2005 included Common Blue (8%), Holly Blue (6%), Speckled Wood (9%) and Small Copper (11%). Smaller increases were shown by Green-veined White (3%) and Large Skipper (4%).

The only species to show a significant decline in 2006 was the Ringlet , down by 5%.

Those showing smaller declines were Brimstone (1%), Comma (1%), Meadow Brown (4%) and Small Skipper (2%). Gatekeeper was recorded in the same number of gardens in 2006 as in 2005.

33 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

The results of the surveys for 2005 and 2006 for the 19 species which regularly visit Warwickshire gardens are shown in the table below: Species

% Gardens recording presence of species 2002*

2003*

2004*

2005

2006

Large White

100

96

89

90

83

Small White

83

88

77

84

87

Red Admiral

67

88

71

84

90

Small Tortoiseshell

79

100

86

84

77

Peacock

84

84

83

87

90

Brimstone

75

68

69

84

83

Green-veined White

63

52

57

47

50

Orange-Tip

79

68

60

74

83

Common Blue

21

31

26

25

33

Holly Blue

92

60

57

71

77

Painted Lady

58

80

66

42

77

Comma

79

64

63

74

73

Speckled Wood

79

77

66

68

77

Gatekeeper

75

64

69

77

77

Meadow Brown

54

56

66

71

67

Small Skipper

25

36

34

32

30

Large Skipper

22

21

9

19

23

Small Copper

13

28

37

19

30

Ringlet

25

24

31

32

27

Most Widespread Species

Photographs © Steven Cheshire 2007

Less Widespread Species

Least Widespread Species

Every year there are recorders lucky enough to receive visits from rarer species. In 2006 five gardens had one or more visits from a Clouded Yellow, another migrant to come with the southerly winds. Brown Argus, Essex Skipper, Marbled White, Purple Hairstreak, Silver-washed Fritillary, Small Heath and White Admiral were all seen in Warwickshire gardens in both 2005 and 2006.

The forecast seems to be for an even hotter 2007, not good news for butterflies if this is also accompanied by drought.

Gardens will then be very important nectar sources and we should use every drop of waste water we can to keep our plants healthy, especially buddleia, which needs regular watering in order to produce ample nectar.

Margaret Vickery Above: Small Copper 34 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007

* Data for 2002-2004 reproduced from last year’s magazine for comparison purposes

Clearwings And Furry Gnomes

by Keith Warmington

With my interest in moths growing by the day I decided to go thirds with my good friends John Liggins and Ron Thomas towards the purchase of a set of six pheromones from Anglian Lepidoptera for the attraction of Clearwing moths. Clearwings are a group of small to medium-sized day-flying moths that have scale-free areas on their wings (hence their name) and resemble wasps.

To quote from David Brown’s ‘Larger Moths of Warwickshire’, there are 14 accepted resident species of ‘Clearwing’, of which 10 have been found in Warwickshire. The majority of species in this moth group are most elusive and consequently very much under-recorded in the County.

Our intention was to add any species of Clearwing moth to our day-flying moth records from North Warwickshire sites that we visited throughout the year. None of us had ever seen a Clearwing moth in all of our combined years (nearly 190)!

A chart was made showing habitat preference, most productive times of day and pheromone type for each of the likely Clearwing species. We also added likely sites in the County.

We carried the pheromones with us on all our early summer site visits and usually hung them for ten minutes or so if we felt the habitat was suitable. Apart from many false alarms when flies, hoverflies and bees investigated our lures, we had no success at any woodland or grassland sites in North Warwickshire.

Photographs © Keith Warmington 2007

Undeterred, we carried on until on 15th June we visited Pooley Fields Nature Reserve at Alvecote where we had our only success of the year. We were aware that there were historical records of Six-belted Clearwing having been sweep netted at this site (the last in 2002), so we thought we may have a chance.

Above: A pair of Six-belted Clearwings attracted to a pheromone lure and close-up 35 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

The larval foodplant of the Six-belted Clearwing is Bird’s-foot-trefoil so we hung up the appropriate lure near a patch of this plant and I wandered off to photograph Bee Orchids while John kept lookout and Ron stood by with the net. I had just got myself into a prone position to photograph a particularly good orchid specimen when the shout went up from John ‘We’ve got one’! I looked up to see Ron doing a dance in his excitement and wielding the net in front of him. With excitement that didn’t become gentlemen of our years we had seen our first Six-belted Clearwing. We continued with the lure in two other areas of the reserve and attracted a total of 5 individuals.

Finding our first species of Clearwing fired our enthusiasm for the rest of the summer but alas we never struck lucky again. We will be carrying on in 2007 as the pheromones last a couple of years if stored in the freezer between uses. Hopefully we will find more species or record in a new map square now we have been bitten by the pheromone bug (or furry gnome as we like to call it).

Keith Warmington

Branch Publications Warwickshire Butterflies

Copies of “Warwickshire’s Butterflies” are still available - please contact Keith Warmington (Branch Vice Chairman) directly for further details.

Warwickshire Moths

Also still available, direct from the author is the “Larger Moths of Warwickshire” publication by David Brown.

This wealth of information brings together the knowledge of local lepidopterists past and present, thereby providing for the first time a complete history of almost 600 species of macro-moths which have occurred in Warwickshire since the 19th Century.

• Hardback • Over 380 pages, 24 full colour plates • Information on Foodplants • Flight Periods • Historic Changes in Distribution • Population Trends • Habitat Requirements • Moth Conservation If you wish to purchase a copy of this book at a cost of £35.00 (plus P&P) please contact David Brown (Branch Moth Conservation Officer) directly.

36 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

2006 Butterfly Highlights – A Triumph for Woodland Species!

by Keith Warmington

As the butterfly records from 2006 still tumble through my letter box I thought I would review the highlights of the year.

Records of the Grizzled Skipper were widespread but I don’t think any single count reached double figures. Dingy Skipper on the other hand was seen in good numbers, particularly at North Warwickshire sites where 47 were counted on one day at Alvecote, 46 at Mancetter Quarry and 32 at Kingsbury Colliery Spoilheap.

Wood White had a poor showing at Ryton and Wolford. Brimstone seemed to have a good year with 3 seen in Ilmington as late as 29th October.

Green Hairstreak seemed somewhat elusive although recorded in small numbers at the usual sites. Our own Ryton Wood Meadow reserve had good numbers with 14 counted on 4th June. The exceptional number of Purple Hairstreak sightings can probably be attributed to the hot summer weather drying up the honeydew on the tree top leaves forcing the butterflies to nectar low down where they were easily seen.

White-letter Hairstreak sightings were sporadic and once again the hedgerow Elms were badly hit with disease.

Brown Argus was widespread but in very small numbers and appears to be spreading with records from the Tame Valley for the first time. Marbled White was also found in the Tame Valley and at Hartshill Quarry which are our most northerly sightings.

Photograph © Keith Warmington 2007

The Small Blue at Bishops Heaps peaked at about 23 on 6th June.

Common Blue were perhaps not as numerous as in some previous years and did not seem to last as long into late summer.

Above: Marbled White

The most amazing sighting of Holly Blue was of a female fished out of a garden pond (alive!) in Yardley, Birmingham on 4th December! We still can’t decide if this is a late third brood or an early spring emergence!

White Admiral had an excellent year particularly at Ryton.

Purple Emperor continued to survive another year at Ryton and Oversley Wood and many of us were rewarded with early morning views of males on the ground at Oversley Wood and Ryton Country Park.

37 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Red Admiral was without doubt the star of the late summer and autumn and regular sightings of 40 to 60 individuals nectaring together on ivy flowers in September and October were reported. No doubt the high numbers were of migrants from continental Europe and north Africa.

Painted Lady was another migrant that had a good showing throughout the year (43 seen at Ladywalk on 28th July), but in my opinion the migrant of the year was the Clouded Yellow with sightings throughout the county including 15 together near Gaydon. This species was still being seen well into November.

On the subject of migrants, the record of a Monarch from Great Alne Mill was interesting and appears to be one of the only non-coastal sightings in the UK. Other exotics reported included Geranium Bronze and Long-tailed Blue. Alas, the expected invasion of Camberwell Beauty didn’t materialise!

Photographs © Keith Warmington 2007

Small Tortoiseshell is the species that stands out as having a very poor year and was easily eclipsed by the Peacock and the Comma. The latter doing particularly well, with double figure sightings from many sites.

Above: The Small Tortoiseshell and a Female Silver-washed Fritillary at Ryton Wood.

Silver-washed Fritillary is my butterfly of the year. An exceptional showing at known breeding sites (particularly Ryton Wood and Coughton Park) led to this species roaming far and wide in Warwickshire. Many people were lucky enough to attract them into their garden with buddleia. Garden sightings ranged from Middleton and Arley in the north of the county, through Kenilworth and Warwick and as far south as Ilmington. There were many sightings from woodlands where the species had not previously been recorded, such as Kingsbury Wood, New Park Wood and Brandon Wood.

Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Gatekeeper all did well but did not seem to last long on the wing. Small Heath numbers were generally low.

Thanks to all our members who sent in records and please keep them coming in 2007.

Keith Warmington 38 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Immigrant Larger Moths in Warwickshire 2006

by David Brown

2006 was a remarkable year for immigrants throughout the British Isles with this County being no exception. The year was highlighted by 2 new migratory species for VC38, Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera and Golden Twin-Spot Chrysodeixis chalcites.

The Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera showed the most notable increase with an incredible 107 individuals recorded, eclipsing the previous annual best of 7 in 1992. The significance of this huge figure becomes even more apparent when compared to a total of 40 noted between 1859 and 2005.

Other species to enjoy record years in Warwickshire were: Great Brocade Eurois occulta, (5 records) previous best 3 in 1995 Delicate Mythimna vitellina, (12 records) previous best 10 in 1992 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua, (49 records) previous best 23 in 1996 Two Blair’s Mocha Cyclophora puppillaria were caught adding to a solitary record in 1978.

Seven Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli were reported, making it the best year for this spectacular species in the County since 1846.

Detailed records of less Common Species:

Blair’s Mocha Cyclophora puppillaria 25th September, Guys Cliffe, Warwick (M Walsh) 29th October, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas)

Vestal Rhodometra sacraria 25th July, Hillmorton, Rugby (D I Porter) 14th September, Hampton Magna (P J Robbins) 15th (2), 16th, 22nd (2) September, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 16th September, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 16th September, Ryton Meadows (A J Prior, V Weston) 16th September, Tile Hill, Coventry (A J Kolaj) 20th, 22nd September, Warwick (S D Taylor, A T Visick) 21st September, Keresley, Coventry (N J Stone) 23rd September (2), Brandon Marsh (Warwickshire Bird Group) 23rd September, Leamington Spa (M Kennard) Above: Humming-bird Hawk-Moth 24th September, Bilton (D Cox) feeding on Buddleia 20th October, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 39 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © Keith Warmington 2007

The Commoner migrants fared well too and good numbers of Humming-bird Hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum were reported throughout the Summer in many gardens. Mild weather continued to the end of the year and Silver Y Autographa gamma was still in evidence at light traps in late December.

Gem Orthonama obstipata 28th October, Bidford on Avon (R M Cox) Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli 2nd September, Oxhill Nr Tysoe (G Moore) 16th September, Warwick (S D Taylor) 23rd September, Brandon Marsh (Warwickshire Bird Group) 23rd September (2), Cross Hands Quarry (C Ivin, R G Bliss) 25th September, Oken Road, Warwick (Mr Kelsy) 29th September, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica 1st June, Pillerton Priors (C Ivin) Great Brocade Eurois occulta 3rd August, Central Rugby (I G M Reid) 4th August, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 14th August, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 15th, 17th August, Solihull (R Ledbury) Delicate Mythimna vitellina 21st, 24th, 29th September, 14th October, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 23rd September (2), Cross Hands Quarry (C Ivin, R G Bliss) 1st, 18th, 25th, 27th October, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 16th October, Cheylesmore, Coventry (M Doughty-Lee) 24th October, Hillmorton, Rugby (D I Porter) White Speck Mythimna unipuncta 5th December, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua 19th June, 29th, 30th July, 1st, 4th (2), 6th (3), 11th, 13th, 19th, 25th August, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 25th, 26th, 27th (3) July, 4th (3), 13th August, 30th September, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 25th, 28th July, 4th August, 2nd September, Warwick, (S D Taylor, A T Visick) 14th July, 8th August (2), Bidford on Avon (R M Cox) 25th, 27th July, 6th (2), 24th August, 14th September, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 25th, 28th July (2), 23rd September (2), Leamington Spa (M Kennard) 29th July (4), Toft Farm, Dunchurch (M Kennard, N J Stone, D C G Brown) 1st, 16th August, Bilton (D Cox) 16th August, Ryton Meadows (M Astley, A Prior, V Weston) 25th September, Coventry (P Cashmore) Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera 1st (2), 16th August, 14th October, Bilton (D Cox) 2nd, 10th, 13th, 28th August, 16th, 17th, 20th, 29th September, 2nd, 21st, 28th (2), 31st October, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 40 Buttery Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

2nd August, Earlsdon, Coventry, (D Cox) 4th, 6th, 15th August, 3rd, 4th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 17th (2), 20th, 23rd September, 6th October, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 6th August, 14th September, Hampton Magna (P J Robbins) 15th, 29th August, 27th September, Central Rugby (I G M Reid) 5th, 24th August, 4th, 5th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th September, 18th October, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 12th August (2), Wyken, Coventry, (C Potter) 15th, 24th August, Tile Hill, Coventry (A J Kolaj) 20th, 25th, 29th August, 1st, 4th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th (2), 20th, 26th, 27th, 30th September, 2nd, 7th (2), 12th October, Warwick, (S D Taylor, A T Visick) 25th, 31st August, 3rd (2), 12th, 16th (3), 20th, 23rd, 27th, 30th (3) September, Leamington Spa (M Kennard) 26th (2), 31st August, 17th, 23rd September, Bidford on Avon (R M Cox) 4th, 16th September, Baddesley Ensor (K Warmington) 16th September (2), Ryton Meadows (A Prior, V Weston) 23rd September (8), Cross Hands Quarry (C Ivin, R G Bliss) 23rd September, Oversley Wood (D Grundy) 23rd September (2), Brandon Marsh (Warwickshire Bird Group) 25th September Earlsdon, Coventry (S Howarth) 18th October, Coundon, Coventry (M Smyth) Bordered Straw Heliothis peltigera 26th May, 30th June, Leamington Spa (J Watkins) 21st June, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 13th August, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 22nd, 29th June, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 17th June (2), Hampton Magna (P J Robbins) 15th June, Pooley Country Park, Alvecote (K Warmington) 28th July, 8th August, Leamington Spa (M Kennard) 29th July (3), Toft Farm, Dunchurch (M Kennard, D C G Brown) 30th July, 4th August, Bidford on Avon (R M Cox) 8th, 21st, 27th, 31st August, 1st, 15th September, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 21st August, Central Rugby (I G M Reid) 20th August, Warwick (S D Taylor)

Photograph Š Keith Warmington 2007

Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera (New for Warwickshire) 24th June, Charlecote (D C G Brown) Golden Twin-spot Chrysodeixis chalcites (New for Warwickshire) 18th September, Grendon (R J Thomas) Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni 25th July, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) David C G Brown

Above: Golden Twin-Spot 41 Buttery Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Warwickshire VC38 Macro Moth Report 2006

by David Brown

2006 was one of the most exciting years on record for moths in Warwickshire. Many interesting and unusual species were recorded, including four completely new to the County. Two of these were uncommon migrants, the Eastern Bordered Straw at Charlecote on 24 June (D Brown) and the Golden Twin-spot on 18 September at Grendon (R J Thomas). The Silver Hook was noted for the first time when two were caught in Sutton Park on 17 June (N Stone, H Skelcher) followed by a third on 16 July (D Grundy). It seems likely these are the result of a recent colonisation as the area was thoroughly worked by lepidopterists during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The 4th new addition, the Small Ranunculus, had virtually disappeared from Great Britain by 1914 and apart from half a dozen records up to 1939 was not seen again until 1997.

In the past decade the species has spread north and westward from a nucleus in NorthWest Kent. This year for the first time it was recorded in Warwickshire at Rugby on 30 August and 18 September (I Reid, D Porter).

The Feathered Ranunculus was also recorded in Rugby on 12 October (P Nicholas), this being a significant record as the previous two records were from the Stratfordupon-Avon district.

Other interesting catches included: Red Sword-grass, 9 May, Solihull (R Ledbury); 18 October, Warwick, (A Visick); Light Knot Grass, 7 June, Earlsdon Coventry (S Howarth) (first record since 1899); Four-dotted Footman, 26 June, Oversley Wood (D Grundy) and Neglected Rustic, 9 September, Sutton Park, (D Grundy).

In a year full of surprises the sighting of an Argent & Sable in Hay Wood on 8 June (D Brown) after a 9 year absence was proof the species is still hanging on at this location.

The Scarlet Tiger, assisted by some very hot weather during July, made northward progress into Warwickshire with individuals recorded in garden moth traps on 1 July in Warwick (S Taylor), Kenilworth (P Thompson) and Bidford on Avon (R Cox), followed by two more at Warwick on 3 and 6 July (S Taylor, A Visick). There is evidence this species may have already colonised Cross Hands Quarry in the South of the County, where an unprecedented 18 were attracted to light traps on 2 July at a Warwickshire Moth Group recording evening. This occasion was also memorable for 10 Privet Hawk, 50 Coronet, a Reddish Light Arches and a Marbled Green.

The warm summer followed by a mild September and October produced the best and most prolonged showing of uncommon to rare immigrants in the County since recording began. It was an exceptional year for Scarce Bordered Straw with over 100 recorded (previous highest total 7 in 1992). Other highlights were Blair’s Mocha, 25 September, Guys Cliffe Warwick (M Walsh) and 29 October, Hillmorton Rugby (P Nicholas); Striped Hawk-moth, 1 June, Pillerton Priors (C Ivin); Cosmopolitan, 31 October, Hillmorton Rugby (P Nicholas) and Ni Moth, 25 July, Temple Grafton (A Gardner).

David C G Brown 42 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Warwickshire Branch Committee Margaret Vickery Chairman, Membership Secretary Kenilworth Area Liaison Officer 3 The Deer Leap, Kenilworth, CV8 2HQ

t: 01926 512343 e: margaret@kworth71.freeserve.co.uk

Mike Slater Butterfly Conservation Officer Coventry Area Liaison Officer 149 Norton Leys, Rugby, CV22 5RS

t: 01788 335881 e: mike.slater@rugby.gov.uk

Richard Lamb Education Officer, Stratford Liaison Officer Stratford Butterfly Farm, Swan’s Nest Lane, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7LS

t: 01789 299288 e: sales@butterflyfarm.co.uk

John Liggins Treasurer, Nuneaton & Bedworth Liaison Officer 42 Manor Park Road, Nuneaton, CV11 5HR

t: 024 7673 5227 e: john.liggins@ntlworld.com

Heather Warmington Branch Meeting Secretary 30 New Street, Baddesley Ensor, Atherstone, CV9 2DW

t: 01827 715873 e: heather@warmies.co.uk

Keith Warmington Vice Chairman, Branch Butterfly Recorder, North Warwickshire Liaison Officer & Field Trip Organiser 30 New Street, Baddesley Ensor, Atherstone,CV9 2DW

t: 01827 715873 e: keith@warmies.co.uk

David Brown Moth Conservation Officer Warwickshire Branch Moth Recorder Jacksons Lawn, Charlecote, Nr. Warwick, CV35 9EW

t: 01789 840295 e: davidcgbrown@yahoo.co.uk

Phil Parr Deputy Conservation Officer, Rugby Area Liaison Officer 174 Hillmorton Road, Rugby, CV22 5AW

t: 01788 578272 e: phil.parr@prismicblue.com

John Reeve Solihull/Sutton Coldfield/Birmingham Area Liaison Officer 172 Stroud Road, Shirley, B90 2LA

t: 0121 744 3869 e: johnreeve@ic24.net

Nigel Stone Micro Moth Recorder/Deputy Moth Officer 8 Grove Lane, Keresley End, Coventry, CV7 8PN

t: 024 7633 5189 e: njstone@hotmail.com

Steven Cheshire & Debbie Hibbitt Magazine Editors 85 Grasmere Crescent, Nuneaton, CV11 6EB

t: 07870 598691 / 07814 035363 e: steven@steven-cheshire.co.uk e: debbie@creativebynature.co.uk

Regional Officers Jane Ellis 15 Morrison Park Road, West Haddon, NN6 7BJ

t: 01788 510695 e: jellis@butterfly-conservation.org

Dr Jenny Joy The Croft, Off Haygate Road, Wellington, Telford, TF1 2BW

t: 01952 249325 e: jjoy@butterfly-conservation.org

43 Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

Photograph © David Green 2007

Above: Hummingbird Hawk-moth - A common sight for many in the summer of 2006

Head Office, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP t: 0870 7744309 f: 0870 7706150 e: info@butterfly-conservation.org w: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org

This Magazine is published by the Warwickshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England No. 2206468 Registered Charity No. 254937 VAT No. 565 9070 16 Designed & printed in the UK by Brimstone Design & Print Ltd, Nuneaton t: 024 7637 4663 e: enquiries@brimstoneprint.co.uk w: http://www.brimstoneprint.co.uk