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NEWSLETTER No. 42 -  Spring 1999

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

 

Events

Spring Meeting Saturday April 24th

The Spring Meeting will be held at Bishops Wood Environmental Centre (see map) on Saturday April 24th at 6.30pm. Mike Harper will give a talk on day-flying moths. Andy Nicholls and Richard Southwell will outline the progress of Branch recording for the Millennium Atlas and the action needed to achieve the fullest coverage this year. Members are encouraged to bring slides (maximum 10). There will also be a quiz, a raffle and refreshments.
 

Gardens for Butterflies - 1999 Events

May 7th, 8th and 9th
Malvern Hills Spring Garden Show

The National “Gardens for Butterflies” campaign continues in 1999 and we have again been asked to organise the display at the Malvern Hills Spring Show. We need 3 or 4 volunteers for each day of the show, i.e. Friday 7th, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th May. If you are unable to manage a whole day then offers of half days may well be useful.

It is an excellent Show rivalling the Chelsea Show and it provides us with the opportunity to meet hundreds of gardeners. We also usually manage to get an hour or so off to see the rest of the show. If you would like to help please ring Digby Wood on 01905 830391, and please do it soon, because several volunteers left it too late last year and were disappointed.
Digby Wood

July 17th - 18th
Notcutts Garden Centre, Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 4EN

Volunteers needed to help man the West Midlands Branch stand during this weekend. Saturday 9.00am - 6.00pm, Sunday 10.00am - 4.30pm. Any one who could spare an hour or two would be very welcome. Contact Jim and Christine Chance (0121 427 1706).

August 22nd
Garden open day, Eudon Mill, Eudon George

There will be a Garden Open Day at Eudon Mill on August 22nd at 2.30 pm. There will be a guided tour of the garden. See Diary for details.
Leader Rex Lane Harvey

Frank Lancaster describes a typical moth night, see Diary of Events for dates – Ed.

A Night Out with a Difference

I detect a quiet ground swell across the West Midlands in the World of Moths. It has been reported to me that three members have been presented with Moth Traps for Christmas. Further more there are now readers wishing to gate crash the Wyre Forest Millennium Project now in its third year - you will be more than welcome.

The programme is well rehearsed:-

1) Assemble at dusk and set up 6/8 Moth Traps at strategic locations.

2) A short break for coffee, (bring own flask and torch), whilst listening to the night calls
of the forest, before visiting and emptying the traps.

3) Depending on climatic conditions, the evening draws to a close at approximately 3.00 a.m.

Permission is needed to visit this site: it is therefore essential that, should you wish to join the moth night, please contact me on 01299 266168.
Frank Lancaster

Brown Fritillary Conservation Day

The High Brown Fritillary did very badly in the Malvern Hills last year. You may recall that the annual count dropped to an all-time low of 9, having fallen from a reasonable 61 in 1996, then to 34 after the cold, wet end to June in 1997. The reason for this catastrophic fall was almost certainly the dull, damp weather in May and June last year. We hope for better things this year and we can help to sway the balance by optimising the egg laying conditions on the breeding site by some timely bracken cutting.

We meet at the Gullet Quarry, car park (OS map 150) at 10 am on Sunday June 13th. Please be there, this could be make or break year. See Diary page 28, for more details.

Digby Wood