Branch Newsletter

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NEWSLETTER No. 8 - Winter 1982/83

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

Last year's severe winter, followed by a warm, dry spring proved an excellent combination for butterflies, and reports from throughout the region suggest that we have enjoyed the best butterfly summer for some years. Apart from the large numbers of many species, the other notable feature of 1982 was early emergence. I do not intend to go into this subject here, but there cannot have been many occasions when more than 25 species have been reported before the end of May.

Most of the early species did well, with the notable exception of the Holly Blue, which was very scarce in both broods; and it was pleasing to hear of new sites being recorded for a number of species. Pete Salmon managed to find the Dingy Skipper in a few sites around Atherstone, where it was previously unknown, while a personal search in woods to the east of Kidderminster turned up another first in the shape of the Wood White. This latter butterfly enjoyed a strange season, abundant in its Herefordshire haunts, as those who joined us on our first field trip of the year will bear witness, yet relatively scarce in Worcestershire, but with sightings of odd specimens from new sites. In the Wyre Forest it was virtually non-existent.

A butterfly that did do well, however, in the Forest, was the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, which had a bumper season. In Gloucestershire, it was recorded for the first time at the site near Cheltenham visited by the Branch back in1980. In the same county, 1982 proved a year when that other early Fritillary, the Marsh, was seen at several sites away from its known breeding colonies. Such dispersal did not take place in Worcestershire, although the county's single colony has a reasonably good year. Bob Sim was able to record a peak count of 44 Marsh Fritillaries on 31st May. A report of a new site for Marsh Fritillary just over the Shropshire border awaits investigation next year.

May also produced the first sightings of migrants, with a number of records of Red Admiral from Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The Red Admiral, in fact, had a good year and was particularly common in late summer. Painted Lady were less numerous, but reported from many places, generally in ones or twos. The earliest being the one seen at Monk Wood, Worcs on 5th June by Bob Sim.

June was without doubt the best month for butterflies with Meadow Brown, Small Skipper, Ringlet and Marbled White all on the wing early in the month. Roger Smith was able to record 22 species in a single day at Stockton, while the Hattons chalked up (!) an incredible 25 on their Cleeve Common survey. The Small Blue had a good season in most places, with small numbers amongst many hundreds of Common Blues at its new Staffs location.

The year brought good news for three of the region's rarer butterflies. The White Admiral underwent a major population explosion in Warks, being recorded in a wood in the west of the county, and another in the far south, for the first time in 20 years. The White letter Hairstreak also staged a significant comeback, being reported from a number of old sites where it had been feared extinct. The Silver-studded Blue continues to hold on to it's sole West Midlands site in Shropshire. Dave Smith, the county recorder ("Curlews", Rosemary Way, Pontesbury, Salop.) reports that the colony is fairly strong, and seems to be altering its range to coincide with the surviving heather. Unfortunately, its habitat remains far from secure, and the long term future of this insect is rather uncertain.

The first Silver-washed Fritillary in the Wyre Forest was seen by John Robinson, the NCC Warden, on 10th June, almost a month early and beating the High Brown Fritillary which is normally out first. John Robinson was also able to confirm the presence of Dark Green Fritillary within the National Nature Reserve, and later took a photo of one being fed by a Flycatcher to its young! The Dark Green tends to be one of the harder butterflies to track down in Worcs. so Bob Sim was fortunate to see a mating pair near Worcester. Fritillaries also did well in Staffs, especially the Small Pearl-bordered, while the High Brown appears to be maintaining itself at low density. There was also an interesting sighting of a single Silver-washed Fritillary by Maurice Waterhouse in the Churnet Valley, which may have been an attempted colonisation.

Another butterfly to have done well, particularly in its first brood, was the Comma. The variety hutchinsoni was very common, and several observers recorded Comma for the first time in their garden. Especially noteworthy were the number of sightings in north Warks and Staffs where this butterfly is not common. In Staffs, most of the records were from the west, although a few pushed the range eastwards, including a first for the Coombes Valley RSPB reserve.

Aberrations are mainly the concern of the collector, but they are not without interest and this summer a number have occurred. A most striking albino Pearl-bordered Fritillary was photographed in the Wyre Forest by Peter Hughes and passed on to me by Ron Thomas. While possessing the normal dark markings, the background colour was completely white. Ron Thomas also told me of the Small Tortoiseshell aberration "nigra", which was seen at Dosthill, Warks at the end of August. I saw a very similar aberration of this butterfly at Kidderminster at around the same date, with completely brown hindwings, no blue edging to any wings, no white or yellow on forewings, just a couple of black marks on an orange background - unfortunately I didn't have a camera! Pete Salmon showed me a photo he had taken of a gynandromorph (half male/half female) Gatekeeper, and Ron hatton reported a Chalkhill Blue ab. striata, where the spots on the underside of the upperwing are replaced by bars.

Peacocks also emerged early, the first being seen on 10th July and, although in good numbers, it went into hibernation rather early. Their numbers, however, certainly didn't compare with those of the Small Tortoiseshell, which had a tremendous season. According to Richard Warren, the Staffs county recorder, they were in larger numbers than he had ever seen, being present in thousands on the heather at Cannock Chase on 2nd September. Nine days later, Madge Payne was able to count 70 on her Ice Plant at her home in Balsall Common, Warks.

The fortunes of the Purple Hairstreak were more mixed. Richard Warren failed to record it for the second year running in Burnt Wood, and it was also very scarce in the Wyre Forest. In Glos., however, it was reported from several new locations, and in Staffs, for the first time, from Kinver Edge. Like other Hairstreaks, the Purple can be elusive, and, according to Dr. Harper, the Herefordshire county recorder, he has found caterpillars when beating for moth larvae in locations where he has never seen the adult. The Brown Hairstreak was another of the few species to have a poor season, although Bob Sim managed to find a new Worcs location, his third in 3 years. How does he do it?

Another interesting feature of the year, very much linked to early emergence, was the number of normally single or double brooded species which managed an extra brood. This was true of the Small Blue in Warks and Glos (for the second successive year in the latter county), the Wood White in Worcestershire and, more generally, the Small Copper, which had a partial third generation in October. Richard Warren also reported that at a north Staffs site, where the Common Blue is generally single brooded, a second generation was on the wing in early September. More remarkable still was the case of the Small Tortoiseshell, which would appear to have had certainly three, and possibly four generations in some areas.

The first of this year's Small Tortoiseshells emerged in early June, with a second generation on the wing around the end of July. Normally, the second brood go into hibernation without pairing, but this year caterpillars were spotted in late August. Some larvae collected by Worcester member, Pat Daniels from a patch of roadside nettles, hatched out on 14th September. Subsequently, Bob Sim found further larvae in his garden at the end of the month, and these finally emerged on 24th October!

Unfortunately, the Clouded Yellow bonanza of last year was not to be repeated, only one being reported on 15th September from Kemerton, Worcs. Another disappointment was the failure to find Silver-spotted Skipper at its Glos. site this year. Another failure was Roger Smith's survey of the extended woodland system around Fillongley and Maxstoke in N. Warks, which revealed a total absence of Gatekeeper, Ringlet or Purple Hairstreak in sites which, despite coniferisation, looked very suitable for them. Rather more successful was Pete Salmon's search of woods around Hockley Heath, where he found a strong colony of Purple Hairstreak in a location destined to be dissected by the M42 motorway! Also of interest was the discovery of the Marbled White in considerable numbers in a site where it had been last discovered in 1907!

Last sightings this year were, not surprisingly, on the early side for many species, although John Walton did well to record two Peacocks at Baddesley Common, Warks on 3rd October and Ron Hatton a Wall Brown in Glos on 10th. Red Admirals lasted well into October, enjoying to the full the sweetness of over-ripe fruit. Two particularly late sightings come from Bob Sim, who saw Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Small Copper and, most surprisingly, Large White in Worcs on 27th October, and, on the following day, rounded off his season in style, by spotting a male Brimstone at Wadborough!*

All in all, then, an excellent year - perhaps hard winters are worth suffering after all? Particular thanks to all those members, and others, who have passed on their records. I would like, especially, to mention two of the Branch's junior members - Nicholas Penrose and Roger Paton - who are obviously full of enthusiasm over the butterflies they see. Thanks also to Ron Thomas from Hartshill near Nuneaton, who came to my rescue on more than one occasion over questions of moth identification. If anyone still has recording forms to send in, I'd be pleased to have them.

* Mrs Walker of Catherton Common, Salop went one better, when she found a Red Admiral sheltering in her porch on 29th, but final honours go to Bob for a Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone in his garden on 9th November.