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NEWSLETTER No. 42 -  Spring 1999

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

 

Butterflies Lead the Way

In 1985 the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust was presented with a great opportunity and a great financial problem. L. G. Harris - the Harris Brush Company - decided to sell their large woodland holding. Amongst their woods were many of outstanding wildlife interest with records of rarities from the early 1800’s to the present day. Eventually, after negotiations with many people and organisations, we were able to purchase two of the jewels in the Harris crown - Trench Wood and Monk Wood.

These purchases were only possible because we received many grants and donations, and the close co-operation of Butterfly Conservation including financial help. The Trust and Butterfly Conservation became joint owners of Little Monk Wood and both organisations are closely and jointly involved with conservation work in both Monk Wood and Trench Wood reserves. We also had a great joint celebration when Gordon Benningfield came to open Monk Wood Reserve!

More recently the Trust and Butterfly Conservation have jointly purchased Grafton Wood, again with the aid of many contributors, with its exciting colony of Brown Hairstreaks. The advantages of these co-operative ventures are many. Between them both organisations reach a far bigger pool of help and expertise - volunteers, administrative and scientific - than either could alone, and this is excellent news for conservation work in the woods.

Co-operation between the Trust and Butterfly Conservation does not stop there! Mike Williams, a leading light in Butterfly Conservation, has recently been elected to the Trust’s Council along with Ian Duncan who also has his feet deep in both organisations. Many people belong to both Butterfly Conservation and the Trust and even if they do not they work with each other on both the jointly owned reserves and many others. We don’t always agree (this obsession with coppicing!!) but we do succeed in improving the woods for butterflies and many other species.

There is also a cross-over in other fields. The Trust has given much publicity and support to the Butterfly Millennium Atlas through its Newsletter and the Worcester Biological Records Centre Newsletter. Many Trust members have sent in records from outlandish tetrads in far flung corners of Worcestershire! Although there are still holes, the coverage of Worcestershire for the Atlas is (so far) much better than other Midland Counties! There’s a challenge!.

I am personally delighted with the partnership which has evolved between the Trust and Butterfly Conservation - it benefits us both, and much more importantly, it improves wildlife conservation in our county. Wildlife conservation was, until recently, based largely on plants, for obvious reasons. In the last few years the crucial importance of invertebrate conservation has at last been recognised. Butterflies are glamorous and fairly easily recognised invertebrates. But the understanding of their complex life cycles for example, blues and hairstreaks, and habitat requirements should lead to a better appreciation of the needs of the vast array of invertebrates (over 30,000 species) in Britain. Many invertebrates are in serious decline: if butterfly conservation can help reverse the trend then long live the partnership between Butterfly Conservation and Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Between us we can make it happen!

Harry Green
Vice-President Worcestershire Wildlife Trust