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NEWSLETTER No. 12 -  Winter 1984/85

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

 

Butterfly Round-Up

Another good Summer, but, for butterflies, quite a contrast to 1983. If last year was a Clouded Yellow year, 1984 has been notable for the almost at total absence of migrant butterflies. Painted Ladies have been virtually nonexistent in the Midlands, Red Admirals decidedly scarce, and even the normally ubiquitous Large White (also a partial migrant) has been far from numerous. If migrants did badly, however, most of our resident species fared well.

Around Easter is often the time when butterflies are first seen in force, and so it proved this year. The week prior to Easter produced a number of sunny days and Brimstones and Peacocks were reported in good numbers. Margaret Vickery from Kenilworth commented on how the first Brimstones to emerge from hibernation are invariably males, with the first females a few days later. This may also be true of the other hibernators but much less easily observed. By the Easter weekend, Small Whites had been seen in various places, and Orange Tips and Holly Blues reported from Herefordshire. Amongst this first batch of sightings was a Red Admiral seen by Mike Harper in Ledbury, which almost certainly must have hibernated, and, for good measure, the Hattons saw a further two in Gloucestershire.

The continuing warm weather produced a crop of early records. Roger Smith visited the two WARNACT reserves at Harbury and Stockton on 28th April and saw nine species on the wing, including Green Hairstreak, Speckled Wood and Grizzled Skipper. Green Hairstreaks enjoyed a particularly good season and Dave Hatton sent me a number of excellent photographs all taken on Cannock Chase, one of four colonies in Staffordshire he had located in the first half of May. I was interested to notice the variation amongst the photos in the amount of hairstreak marking, as I have read that this was due to geographical factors. This appears not to be the case, as from one site Dave had photographed butterflies with a complete hairstreak, some without any and others in between. Phil Parr was pleased to record Green Hairstreak at Ashlawn railway cutting in Rugby after an eight year absence, and there were new Warwickshire records for Brandon Marsh and Ufton Fields. Within the Birmingham conurbation, Alan Cutler found a small colony at Cotwall End, Dudley, while new member Phillip Hopson reported them not far away at Baggeridge Country Park. Orange Tips and Holly Blues both did extremely well, and I had a number of phone calls in May from non-members, who, for the first time, had seen a "blue" butterfly in their garden.

The pattern of early emergence continued through May. Martyn Davies reported the first Pearl-bordered Fritillary from a site in west Herefordshire on 7th May. They had a fairly average year, although not in Wyre Forest where numbers were low. Wall Browns and Small Coppers were also reported earlier than usual but, with the exception of Staffs, did poorly. Garth Lowe reported the first Wood White at the Knapp Worcs NCT reserve on 12th May and Small Blues were out in Warwickshire two days later.

Amongst the more intriguing records for May were the reports of Clouded Yellows. Just after Easter a dead female was handed in to Warwick Museum, having been picked up on the road near Chesterton Wood. It was not in very good condition but, nevertheless, it seemed hard to believe that it had lain there all Winter. Then, on 8th May, Pete Salmon saw two Clouded Yellows while on holiday in south Devon - this time very much alive. Five days later, Dave Hatton spotted a male on a railway line near Stafford, and finally, at the end of the month, new member, David Badham, reported one near Swanage. Hopes that we might be in for a repeat of last year's bonanza were not realised, and weather conditions over this period did not appear to favour migration. One perhaps should conclude that these isolated sightings were the result of eggs laid last year which had reached the pupal stage before the onset of Winter and managed to survive. Certainly later evidence seems to lend support to this view.

The first of Worcs' Marsh Fritillaries emerged on 14th May and were quite prolific. I had counted over 40 larval nests during the Winter and, on a visit in mid-April, had found literally hundreds of larvae swarming across the woodland rides, forcing a hasty retreat on my part for fear of trampling them underfoot! Peter Newton-Lewis reported a similar phenomenon with Glanville Fritillaries on the Isle of Wight. The peak count this year was an amazing 334, the highest ever recorded. There was some evidence of dispersal away from the wood, but sadly there is very little suitable habitat for them in the surrounding countryside. The mystery of Marsh Fritillaries appearing at a second Worcs site, mentioned in the last newsletter, will now never be solved as the site has been destroyed!

Duke of Burgundy, although not rivalling the Marsh Fritillary for sheer numbers, did well in the Cotswolds, particularly on the new branch reserve. Wood Whites were very scarce in Warks, but much stronger in the more western parts of our region, turning up in strength at a number of sites where they have only been recorded sporadically in the past. A gratifying new record was at Grovely Dingle, where Jim Cook has taken on the butterfly survey requested in the last newsletter. Paradoxically, they were well down in numbers at their traditional county stronghold north of Worcester. Small Pearl-bordered had a variable season and also attracted the unwanted attention of collectors. I challenged a man armed with a net in Wyre Forest, who admitted to be after this species. He produced a county trust membership card and tried to imply that this gave him the right to collect butterflies. On a brighter note, Richard Warren reported a good season for this species in Staffs.

The ability of some of our commoner species to recover their numbers given reasonable weather conditions was illustrated this year by the Small Tortoiseshell. After a disastrous 1983, relatively few emerged from hibernation in the Spring. A warm May and early June, however, enabled a speedy recovery and the Summer brood emerged in excellent numbers from the middle of June onwards. Comma numbers sadly failed to recover in the same way and the butterfly has once again been rather uncommon this year, although Gareth Robinson recorded one in his garden at Rushall near Walsall for the first time.

Early emergence still continued into June, with the first Dark Green Fritillaries being seen on the Cotswolds as early as 20th. High Brown Fritillaries, Ringlets and Marbled Whites were all well out before the end of the month. Dark Greens were in tremendous form and proved a real highlight along with Marbled Whites on the guided walks undertaken as part of the Butterfly Festival. They also reappeared at their Warks station after not being recorded at all in 1983 and there was a report from a second site in the county. A Dark Green was also reported from Bredon Hill in Worcs on 24th July, the first from this locality for some time. High Browns showed a marked revival in all their West Midlands' sites after several years of decline, and, most exciting, even turned up in a couple of areas where they had not been seen for some time. A number of members phoned in with reports of White Letter Hairstreaks (see separate article) which seem to have continued their partial recovery started last year - or is it just that more people are looking? Perhaps the most interesting report was one seen by Phillip Pain at Ashorne, Warks on a red Riley car! Signs of new outbreaks of Dutch Elm disease were reported particularly in Staffs, which is ominous as far as the long term is concerned. Would those members reporting White Letters please complete one of the survey forms obtainable from Martyn Davies and return it as soon as possible.

The Marbled White continues to expand its range in the region especially in Herefordshire, where Martyn Davies reported two new colonies, and in Warks, where for the first time a number were seen by Phil Parr along the disused railway line through Rugby. The second good Summer in succession has likewise enabled the White Admiral to push its range northwards. It has now re-established itself locally in Wyre Forest and in one or two woods in the north of Worcs, while, over in Warks, it can now be seen in around ten localities whereas two years ago it was confined to just two. Someone actually reported a White Admiral in their conservatory at Cubbington near Leamington! A visit to a Herefords wood on 16th July produced a totally black specimen (aberration nigrina) which reminded me of a giant Ringlet.

Silver-washed Fritillary did reasonably well, especially in Herefords, and once again a number were seen away from their usual haunts. One appeared on Bob Sim's buddleia in Worcester for the third year running (some people get all the luck!) and another turned up in David Brown's garden at Charlecote, Warks - an interesting sighting this as there have been a number of odd sightings from this area in recent years. Not too far away Ron Thomas spotted one at Oxhouse Farm reserve and Ray Langdon was able to photograph another at Kingsbury Water Park. Richard Warren reported a Silver-washed from Staffs on 24th July in the Churnet valley.

It is always good to receive records from the more urban parts of the region, and they often prove how valuable such areas can be as well as proving that it is not always necessary to travel miles to see interesting butterflies. Gareth Robinson has on several occasions turned up unsuspected species in the heart of the Black Country and this year has been no exception with sightings of Dingy Skipper at Stubbers Green, Walsall and Purple Hairstreak in the Sandwell valley, West Bromwich. Another Purple Hairstreak turned up in someone's garden at Coleshill, Warks!

Second brood Wood Whites were seen in several Worcs sites and the Small Blue managed a partial second brood at one of its Warks stations, as well as on the Cotswolds. Ron Hatton raised an interesting point when he noticed second brood Small Blues laying on heads of Kidney Vetch that had completely gone to seed - do any of these eggs actually survive? Obviously with the semi-drought conditions of this year, Kidney Vetch possibly finished flowering earlier than normal, but I would be interested in hearing other members' observations from a perhaps more typical year. The ability of the Green Hairstreak to throw a partial second brood in good Summers, something not usually referred to in the literature, was demonstrated once again when for the second year running the Hattons found a Green Hairstreak on the Malverns in early August, and another was spotted by Tony Hatton on 28th near Evesham.

If I was asked to nominate a butterfly of the year for 1984 it would have to be the Holly Blue which was present in unprecedented numbers from the middle of July onwards. Apart from regular sightings in our Stourport garden, a visit to the Malverns produced at least six individuals at the same time nectaring on one small patch of bramble. They lasted for much of August, in fact my final sighting was lst September.

Apart from the early sightings already mentioned, the 1983 butterfly of the year, the Clouded Yellow put in a belated appearance, with most reports coming from Worcs and Staffs. The first report came via John Hodson of one seen at Holt gravel pits. Worcs on 21st July, and this was followed by a scattering of other sightings during August and September. Richard Warren made the interesting observation that, with one exception, all the Staffs records came from places where the butterfly had been numerous last year, which again points towards local breeding rather than a new immigration. Roger Smith at the time of writing had only received three Warks records, and once again this included a report from a lucerne field at Marton where there had been a good breeding colony last year. Finding Clouded Yellows was very much a question of luck - one flew out of a blackthorn hedge a few yards ahead of me while I was looking for Brown Hairstreaks! Other members who happened to be in the right place at the right time included Gareth Robinson (Launceston), Garth Lowe (Knapp), John Bingham (Stiperstones NNR), Tony Hatton (Bishops Cleeve) and Bob Sim (Hereford). Gareth's Clouded Yellow was in fact his 44th species of the year! The final sighting was at Hampton Wood, the new WARNACT reserve, on 9th October.

August is the peak time for butterflies in the garden but I suspect that Madge Payne's count of 189 at one time on 21st will take some beating, although David Brown's 121 on one white buddleia is also impressive. Madge was also able to claim one of the few Painted Lady sightings when one graced her garden for the first few days of September. Bob Sim had another confirmed sighting at Tiddesley Wood, Worcs on 20th August. while Barry Fleming had seen one at Haugh Wood, Herdfords in early July. Prior to these, the only reported sightings had been from Derbyshire back in May. Tiddesley Wood, incidentally, is about to be purchased by Worcs NCT for £80,000, and the Trust would welcome donations towards the cost. Some members may remember visiting the wood with Jack Green in the pouring rain last year. If anyone would like to make a contribution I would be happy to send the money on. August, as always, produces its share of the inexplicable, like the Swallowtail reported by Margaret Vickery from a north Coventry garden on 22nd, and the Brown Argus photographed at Ashlawn railway cutting, although in this latter case Common Storksbill, one of the butterfly's foodplants, is present.

The shortage of migrants meant a disappointing Autumn, although Small White and Small Coppers lasted well into October. All branch recording forms should be returned as soon as possible.

Mike Williams.