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No. 46 NEWSLETTER Summer 2000
WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION
Guide to Moth Identification:
Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata)
This very colourful geometer is an absolute favourite of my wife, Corinna, who
endeavours to have one on her finger at every moth night. For the most part the
Brimstone Moth is a bright yellow colour. This is interspersed with small brown
patches on the leading edge of the forewings
It is a delightful moth and is very common. So common in fact that it is found
in many habitats such as hedgerows, scrubby places and gardens. The larva feeds
on hawthorn, blackthorn, woodbine, willow, plum, rowan and others. It is seen
flying from April until October sometimes in three separate broods. You can
often disturb this moth from the hedgerows in the day time, but it usually comes
to a moth trap or light. If you have a porch light (especially an energy
efficient one) you may well find it on your front door in the morning. It
overwinters as a larva or a pupa. There are no similar moths so it is a good
starting point for identification. If you see one or more of these moths, send
details of the date and grid reference to the recorder.
Neil Gregory
Conservation Corner
Large Coppers in Warwickshire
No, not the latest in a growing list of unofficial releases and introductions in
our neighbouring county (Duke of Burgundy reported this year!), but news that
the Stratford Butterfly Farm, managed by West Midlands Branch Education Officer
Richard Lamb, are to be involved in a breeding programme for the Large Copper
butterfly. There have been a number of attempts to reintroduce Large Coppers to
Britain over the years most notably at Woodwalton Fen in Cambridgeshire but they
have been singularly unsuccessful. Recent research undertaken by Andrew Pullin
from Birmingham University, who has studied the Large Copper in the Netherlands
as well as Britain, has concluded that the area of habitat at Woodwalton is
probably too small and isolated for the butterfly to survive there and a more
viable option might be a larger scale introduction to the Norfolk Broads. At the
moment, this remains a medium/long term strategy but, in the meantime, Stratford
Butterfly Farm is taking the lead in maintaining the existing stock until a new
attempt at an introduction can be attempted. Watch this space.
Another success for the West Midlands mothers group
After the first record of the Silurian moth in England last year (see 1999
Butterfly & Moth Annual Review enclosed in this newsletter), our intrepid
mothers have made another amazing discovery with the first ever record of Pauper
Pug outside the Wye Valley and south west Norfolk. The Pauper Pug is a Red Data
Book species which is associated with flowering Small-leaved Lime and there are
few known sites. It is one of six high priority moth species with full action
plans included in the West Midlands Regional Action Plan. In the company of Dr.
Tony Simpson, the county recorder for Lepidoptera, the mothers group visited
Worcestershire’s premier lime wood, Shrawley Wood near Stourport, at the
beginning of June in a deliberate attempt to search for this moth. Although
there had never been any previous historical sightings, Shrawley Wood is an
ancient woodland with an abundance of mature lime coppice but still very
under-recorded. Our efforts were more than rewarded when two specimens came to
light on the night of June 3rd. Tony took the specimens away for further study
and was delighted to confirm their identification as Pauper Pug. Enthused by
this remarkable success, the group plan to return to Shrawley at the end of June
to search for that other rare lime specialist, which is also only currently
known from the Wye Valley, the Scarce Hook-tip. For further information on
future moth work and details of our expanding programme of moth nights contact
Neil Gregory or visit the branch moth website at www.droitwich.btinternet.co.uk/moth/
In praise of the urban
Details appear elsewhere in this newsletter about the Branch’s success at
conserving the Dingy Skipper at Anchor Meadow. What this case illustrates, apart
from the fact that concerted efforts in saving such sites can be worthwhile even
late in the day, is the increasing value of urban areas for butterflies.
Conservationists have tended to overlook the importance of such areas in the
past and put most of their effort into preserving flower-rich meadows and areas
of ancient woodland in what remains of our countryside. As a result, we have
perhaps missed the fact that for some species, including Dingy Skipper, Common
Blue and Green Hairstreak, urban areas are becoming increasingly significant as
their more traditional rural habitats continue to be destroyed. This is perhaps
all the more strange when the majority of the membership of wildlife
organisations, including our own, live in cities and towns. Much reference has
been made in this column of late about the importance of the wider countryside
as opposed to a conservation strategy primarily centred on the acquisition of
nature reserves. We perhaps need to remind ourselves that the wider countryside
also includes those old industrial sites, areas of vacant land, overgrown street
corners, canal towpaths, disused railway lines, old allotments and similar
which, while urban in character, often hold key habitats for butterflies and
moths which more rural areas have long lost. These sites are very worthy of our
attention and in future we may need to redirect more of our resources and effort
to this end.
Mike Williams
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