Introduction and News

Introduction

News

Introduction

Welcome to the website of the Upper Thames Branch of Butterfly Conservation. Founded in 1982, the Branch aims to protect butterflies, moths and their habitats in the three counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire, which includes the beautiful rolling hills of the open Downs and wooded Chilterns, the broad vales of Oxford and Aylesbury with the ancient Bernwood complex, the edge of the picturesque Cotswolds and the threatened heathlands of south-east Berkshire. We have some 800 members and the Branch is managed by the membership on an entirely voluntary basis.

The three counties are home to three quarters of the 60 or so British species of butterfly and two thirds of the 900 or so British macro-moths. Most notable amongst the butterflies are the Black Hairstreak, with half the UK colonies being found in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, and the Adonis Blue and Silver-spotted Skipper, with their most northerly UK populations in the Chilterns. Amongst the macro-moths Buckinghamshire is considered to be one of the strongholds of the Striped Lychnis, a population of the Heart Moth is to be found in Berkshire and colonies of the Barberry Carpet and Pale Shining Brown have recently been discovered in west Oxfordshire.

Thanks to the generosity of Beaconsfield Town Council the Branch has its own reserve at Holtspur Bottom in Bucks. Here we have transformed the northern side of Holtspur Valley from derelict agricultural land back to species rich chalk grassland and over the last few years the Green Hairstreak, Small Blue, Dark Green Fritillary, Chalkhill Blue and Striped Lychnis have all been recorded here. A report by Nick Bowles and Frank Banyard in the Conservation section will update you on the success of the Small Blue in the Holtspur Valley. If you would like to visit our reserve then the location can be found in the Sites section.

The Branch regularly monitors the butterflies and moths within the three counties. We have published two butterfly atlases in 1994 and 2005 and both are still available. Our rare species all receive special attention through our Species Champion programme.

During the winter we carry out conservation work at several sites, including regular work parties at our own reserve, and we arrange a limited number of indoor events. Most notable amongst these are our Members' Day in late October or early November and our Conservation Action Day in February or March. During the spring and summer we have a programme of Field Meetings across the three counties. You can find details of our programme in the Events section.

Butterfly and/or moth records from non-members are very welcome and information on submitting them is given in our Your Records section. Non-members are also very welcome to attend any of our events which are listed on the Events page. If you would like to become a member of Butterfly Conservation you will receive the national magazine, Butterfly, and automatic membership of the Upper Thames Branch if you live in the area. You will also receive our Branch newsletter which is produced twice a year. Please join us now and help save our butterflies, moths and their habitats.

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News

Information about this website can be found in the Sitemap & Updates section. Please revisit this page in the future as it will contain latest news items and other general Branch information.
 

31st March 2013
Appeal for transect surveyors at Little Linford Wood
Do you live near Little Linford Wood (near Milton Keynes) or do you have time to visit it a few times a year? Colin Williams, Reserves Ecology Officer for the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) urgently needs surveyors for the transect at Little Linford Wood and any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Please contact Colin Williams at BBOWT on 01865 775476 ext. 227.

31st March 2013
The national 2012 Wider Countryside Report is now available to read online - click here to read the report. (460Kb PDF file)

20th March 2013
Some of you will already be aware of an online fundraising initiative called Give As You Live. With Give as you Live, thousands of brands including Amazon, Play.com, John Lewis and Expedia have signed up to donate a percentage of every purchase made online to charities - all at no cost to you and at no cost to us. The average shopper will raise £2.10 per month through what they already buy online. If you are an online shopper, please support Butterfly Conservation every time you shop online at no cost to you. Simply visit www.giveasyoulive.com/join/butterflyconservation and discover Give as you Live today. Please pass this message on to as many people as you can and help us to raise funds.
Thank you. Clare Hore, Senior Supporter Officer, chore@butterfly-conservation.org

2nd February 2013
Catch up with "The State of Britain's Larger Moths 2013" - published on 1st February - click here to read the report.

10th November 2012
Ash Die-back
You will be aware from recent media that Ash Die-back has been found quite widely across Britain in the last few weeks. It is potentially a big threat not just to ash trees but also to the 30+ moths that feed on ash and a few other butterflies that use ash for mate location and to feed on honeydew (eg Brown Hairstreak). For more information and to report any suspected trees with symptoms, see the Forestry Commission website: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara

22nd January 2012

New Green Hairstreak aberration discovered in Buckinghamshire - article by Wendy Campbell In April 2011 Chris & Pat Dennis of Princes Risborough photographed a Green Hairstreak with unusual markings at a Wildlife Trust site in Bucks and sent the photograph to the Upper Thames Branch Website for inclusion in our Butterfly Sightings page.
Callophrys rubi ab. dennisorum Photo © Chris Dennis (click photo for larger image)		Chris & Pat noticed that the white 'hairstreak' markings on the underside of the hind wings were unusually well developed and distinctly enlarged. Unable to find anything similar in the British Natural History Museum's on-line Cockayne database, I forwarded the photo to Piers Vigus, an amateur lepidopterist with a particular interest in aberrations and he subsequently sent a copy of the image to the Natural History Museum for identification. Staff there couldn't find any specimens in the British collection that resembled the discovery, nor could a similar specimen be found in the foreign collections and Geoff Martin, Collections Manager, therefore confirmed that to his knowledge this aberration was as yet totally undescribed. In accordance with established convention, Chris & Pat were given the honour of naming their newly discovered aberration and chose: Callophrys rubi ab. dennisorum. The next step in naming the new aberration was to write a technical Note for publication in a well known and respected entomological journal. After further rigorous checks, Colin Plant published my Note in The Entomologist's Record in September 2011, officially naming the new aberration. A News item will also be appearing in the Spring 2012 edition of Butterfly Conservation's national magazine "Butterfly". Congratulations to Chris & Pat!

6th October 2011
An urgent request from Martin Warren, Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation

Natural England Grant Cuts - CALL FOR HELP

Martin Warren, Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation, has issued the following memo to all Branches:

Dear Branch Chairman (cc Branch contacts in England)
I am writing to ask for the help of you and your Branch in fighting the severe cuts we have had to our Species Recovery Grant from Natural England. I am sorry that we feel we have to take this action, but having discussed it with senior staff and key Council members, we feel that it is vital to make our voice heard.

For the last 16 years we have received a grant from NE (and its predecessor) for work to save our most threatened butterflies and moths. Under these grants we wrote our first Species Action Plans and Regional Action Plans which have guided BC’s conservation effort for the last 15 years, in harmony with government priorities of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). We have also employed some wonderful expert staff who have conducted vital research on species, given advice to landowners of hundreds of key sites, written species accounts and management guidelines, developed landscape projects, raised millions of pounds for conservation, and supported our volunteer network in a myriad of ways.

For reasons that have not been properly explained, NE have decided this year to greatly reduce their grant to BC from £300K pa to £40K, the latter just to work on a small number of very rare moths. This amounts to a cut of 85% to our core work, which is part of the 30% cuts that NE are facing over the next 3 years, they made around 400 people redundant this April and another 400 will have to go next year. However, they have made disproportionate cuts to our grant and a big cut of at least 50% to their Species Recovery Programme.

At least one of the factors driving this is the new England Biodiversity Strategy (EBS) which puts much less emphasis on species conservation and more on habitat conservation and landscape/ecosystem. We have pointed out in the strongest possible terms that such initiatives will not work for threatened species without specialist input of our staff and volunteers, but so far this has fallen on deaf ears.

The cuts have put BC in a very difficult position and we had to make 2 conservation staff redundant earlier this year. We are using our financial reserves to retain as many staff as possible this year, but may have to make more redundancies next year if we cannot replace this c.250K of lost income. Although membership has increased well this year, to around 17,000, much of this has been for half price offers and does not bring us in a great net income in the short term.

We are working with other species NGOs to raise our concerns at Ministerial level (eg RSPB, Plantlife, Buglife, Amphibean and Reptile Conservation) but feel we need to express the same concern at local, grassroots level. The new EBS says that it wants to work in partnership with NGOs, and increase the engagement of local groups (the Big Society), but the cuts seem to be sending out a completely opposite message.

Hence we are asking you to write to your local MPs expressing your concern about these cuts and how they will risk further decline of threatened species and disempower local volunteers such as yourselves. I am attaching a template letter that you can use and adapt as you wish.

We are still having talks with NE and have some strong support from senior conservationists who have written on our behalf. However, your action will be extremely helpful to underline the strength of feeling from our volunteer community.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give to help this dire situation.

With kind regards
Martin

Download MP Template Letter here

Find Your MP here

25th April 2011

An urgent request from Martin Warren, Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation

A very worrying consultation has recently been announced by Government which is considering the scrapping of various environmental laws. I am emailing Branch committee members to ask you to express your opposition to this proposal which could do immeasurable damage to wildlife, including butterflies and moths. Please circulate this email to anyone else who might feel the same.

If you have 30 seconds

Sign the online petition set up by 38 degrees

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/dont-scrap-environment-laws

If you have 2 minutes

Register your views on the Government website

http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/environment/

Further information

The Government has recently launched a consultation on the proposed scrapping of a whole range of regulations, known as the “Red Tape Challenge”. This was launched by Vince Cable on 7 April 2011 in a bid to boost short-term economic growth. Amazingly this includes most of the wildlife legislation that we and our partners have worked so hard to get on the statute books in recent years.

In short, it seems Government is considering getting rid of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, the Climate Change Act, and 278 environment laws (among thousands of laws and regulations). These Acts are essential for protecting key wildlife sites and species from development and have been developed after long campaigns by wildlife NGOs. Scrapping them would result in immeasurable damage to species and habitats, including butterflies and moths.

Environmental regulations fall under “general regulations” on which the Government are inviting comments throughout the process. The Cabinet Office is ‘crowdsourcing’ proposals for which laws should be scrapped, with Ministers facing a basic presumption that laws and regulations listed in the Red Tape Challenge should be scrapped. Once the nation has had its say, Ministers will have three months to work out which regulations they want to keep and why.

The Government’s website invites comments either as an individual or as an organisation, about the need to protect our environment. The website lists the 278 environmental regulations under scrutiny and your comments can be left under 7 broad headings.

My own contribution reads

“The Government has only just signed the new UN target set at Nagoya to halt biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems by 2020. It simply cannot honour this commitment if it scraps its own wildlife laws. Biodiversity is essential to life on earth and needs protection.”

Thank you very much for your support.

Martin

6th April 2011

Newsletter 81 (February 2011) - Garden Survey Report for 2010 - Margaret Price
Due to a misunderstanding the wording in one particular section of the report relating to the completion of the survey form is not clear. The sentence which reads: ‘It has been decided not to drop use of the letter system for recording in favour of the actual number of each species seen at any one time ...’ should read: ‘It has been decided not to use the letter system for recording but the actual number of each species seen at any one time ...’ This has been reflected in the latest version of the Garden Survey 2011 form which went out with the last Newsletter (No. 81) and this form is also now available to download from the "Your Records" page of this website.

28th March 2011

Oxford Brookes University Science Bazaar went with flying colours!
As part of the Oxfordshire Science Festival, Butterfly Conservation members Casper Breuker (Oxford Brookes University) and Melanie Gibbs (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford) hosted 'The ABC of Amazing Butterfly Colours' at the Oxford Brookes University Science Bazaar on Saturday the 12th of March 2011. The bazaar was part of the National Science Week, with the aim of getting young children excited about nature and science. Equipped with a variety of brochures provided by Butterfly Conservation, including 'Caterpillars a brief guide' and 'All about moths', Casper and Melanie told the children, and their parents, all about the amazing colour patterns found on caterpillars and on the wings of moths and butterflies and explained the importance of these patterns for camouflage, thermoregulation, mate choice and predator avoidance. Furthermore, they explained what kinds of butterfly research people do, and why. The children learned that humans are destroying and modifying the landscape with the result that, for example, butterflies and moths may be required to travel over larger distances in search of plants to lay their eggs on. Melanie and Casper presented the visitors at the science bazaar with the recent results of a collaborative research project between Oxford Brookes University and CEH Wallingford, showing that when female Speckled Wood butterflies (Pararge aegeria) need to fly more to find resources and plants for egg laying, they lay smaller eggs. These smaller eggs do not always hatch and the caterpillars that do hatch from these small eggs grow slowly and may be more susceptible to diseases (Gibbs et al 2010a,b). The children were very keen to help butterflies and moths and were most keen to use the Butterfly Conservation brochure 'Gardening for Butterflies' to provide extra resources for butterflies and moths in their gardens. Overall, more than 200 people attended the science bazaar, and great fun was had by all! This event will be run again in 2012.

Gibbs, M., Breuker, C.J., Hesketh, H., Hails, R.S. & Van Dyck, H. 2010a. Maternal effects, flight versus fecundity trade-offs and offspring immune defence in the Speckled Wood butterfly, Pararge aegeria. BMC Evolutionary Biology 10: 345.

Gibbs, M., Breuker, C.J. & Van Dyck, H. 2010b. Flight during oviposition reduces maternal egg provisioning and influences offspring development in Pararge aegeria (L.). Physiological Entomology, 35: 29-39.

13th March 2011

The Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey (WCBS) continues in 2011 - by Dr Zoë Randle, Surveys Officer
Once again this will be a collaborative project with BTO and CEH. We would like to thank everyone who took part last year and especially the WCBS Champions who helped promote the survey within the Branches. The survey had another successful year with nearly 700 squares sampled. We hope you will continue to survey the same squares in the same way as last year. Our priority is to re-survey these squares for at least the next 2 years so that we can determine trends in the wider countryside and see whether they differ from transect trends. We also welcome new participants either to help re-survey old squares, or to survey new ones for the first time. New surveyors will be allocated randomly selected 1-km squares in their Branch area. The squares need to be surveyed in July and August by two visits at least ten days apart. Anyone interested in taking part in the WCBS in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire in the coming season should contact Mike Wilkins (the Upper Thames Branch WCBS Champion) for further information.

12th March 2011

New members for Upper Thames Branch - by Martin Harvey, Membership Secretary
During January and February 2011 29 new members joined Upper Thames Branch - welcome to you all! With increased membership the Branch, and Butterfly Conservation as a whole, can do more to help conserve butterflies, moths and the places where they are found. If you're not yet a member, please consider supporting us by joining the national society and specifying membership of the Upper Thames Branch. For a limited period only, you could also take advantage of a special offer - three months free membership when you join online by direct debit!

We're a friendly group and there are plenty of activities and events that you can join in with if you wish: field trips to see a range of species in fantastic habitats, butterfly recording in your garden or local area, helping run the branch through our Committees, helping maintain sites in good condition for butterflies. Do get in touch if you'd like to know more about any of this, but equally just by being a member of the society you are playing your part and supporting our work.

30th January 2011

25th January 2011

31st December 2010

18th July 2010

Butterfly Conservation is teaming up with Marks and Spencer to launch the biggest ever public butterfly and moth count to date.

Butterflies are both beautiful and vital to the health of our environment. Their survival is crucial yet they are in serious decline. Be part of the big butterfly count from the 24th July to the 1st of August this year and help us gather information to save them. Just find a place where you might see butterflies and moths, such as a garden or park, and count the different butterflies and moths you see in just 15 minutes. You can make counts in several places during the week. Butterflies are disappearing fast and we can’t help them without your support. For more information, to download an ID chart and submit your sightings please visit the Big Butterfly Count website.
 

26th November 2009

UTB Member Becky Woodell receives the BC 2009 Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Becky is a founder member of the Upper Thames Branch of Butterfly Conservation and is also its Wood White Champion. However, her main contribution to the well-being of our lepidoptera has been through Whitecross Green Wood, a local Wildlife Trust reserve. Becky was highly instrumental in the Trust securing the site in the early 70’s and since then has acted as its voluntary Warden, playing a leading role in determining and carrying out the site management. In spite of being in her seventies Becky is still to be found every Sunday throughout the winter leading a work-party within the reserve. Largely through her efforts Whitecross Green Wood is now a premier butterfly site which attracts visitors from across the UK. During 2009 she has played a leading role in assessing the implications of the proposed re-opening of the Oxford to Milton Keynes railway line which was known to be home to colonies of Wood White, Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper. The investigations inspired by Becky have also brought to light that a previously unknown Black Hairstreak colony is potentially threatened.

26th September 2009

Sheepdrove Rare Butterfly Project needs volunteers to monitor and boost project progress.
The Upper Thames Branch of Butterfly Conservation is a founding partner of the Sheepdrove Rare Butterfly Project, which has ambitious plans to bring priority species back to Sheepdrove Organic Farm, located on the border of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. With help from local nature fans and the farm’s cattle, new habitat is being created to suit Marsh Fritillary, Small Blue, Chalkhill Blue and more. Hundreds of caterpillar host plants are being invested at key plots. "We aim to establish the most southern colony of Marsh Fritillary in Oxfordshire and the second colony known in Berkshire, where it is almost extinct.” explains Jason Ball, who devised the project, co-funded by Natural England and the farm.
The farm needs volunteers to monitor and boost project progress and 2 survey transects are up for grabs! Please contact Jason on 01488 674727 or email jason.ball@sheepdrove.com.

25th April 2009

Andrew Masterton of south-west Scotland branch is calling for help with some important surveys of Priority butterflies in south-west Scotland. They are Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Chequered Skipper, Mountain Ringlet, Dingy Skipper, Northern Brown Argus. Andrew has developed a marvellous website with interactive maps to show you where the colonies are that he wants re-surveyed. All records are to be sent to him via the website:
http://www.southwestscotland-butterflies.org.uk/
This is a vast area, in a beautiful part of Scotland, with some very important colonies so any help would be greatly appreciated. If you know somebody who is visiting this area please pass this link on.

9th April 2009

Stuart Hodges receives Outstanding Volunteer Award at BC's national AGM in York
For the last decade Stuart Hodges has been the Upper Thames Branch Black Hairstreak Champion and in this role has been an exemplar for other Species Champions. His work has greatly enhanced our understanding and conservation of the Black Hairstreak. It has directly led to not only the re-confirmation of several historic colonies which were thought to be extinct but also to the discovery of a number of new colonies. He regularly liaises with the relevant landowners to ensure the continuing well-being of the colonies on their land and as a result several now take a positive and active pride in their colonies. On 22nd November 2008 Stuart's achievements were recognised when he was presented with an Outstanding Volunteer Award by Chairman Maurice Avent at BC's national AGM in York.

14th March 2009

The Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey (WCBS) goes ahead in 2009
by Dr Katie Cruickshanks, WCBS co-ordinator
After two years of pilot testing, a new method of monitoring butterflies in widespread habitats, such as farmland and upland moorland, is to be rolled out nationwide this year. The Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey method has been developed by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology as part of the UKBMS project. The existing Transect network provides invaluable data on the status of butterflies, yet widespread habitats are under-recorded. More information on the fate of butterflies in these areas is needed. The new survey is intended to fill these gaps by complementing, rather than replacing, the existing Transect network.

The pilot testing has thrown up some interesting information. Last year, despite the unsettled weather, nearly two thirds of the 1-km squares visited in 2007 were revisited by volunteers. In total 40 species were recorded. Importantly all 23 target species were detected in both pilot years which means that trends can be analysed to test whether classic Transects provide a truly representative picture of butterflies in the UK landscape as a whole. Volunteers who have participated in the pilot testing have shown considerable enthusiasm and it is hoped this will continue to grow. There has been close involvement with the British Trust for Ornithology and the method is based on the highly successful Breeding Bird Survey. We hope that many BTO recorders will be returning to their bird sites this summer to collect butterfly data as part of the survey along with many new surveys completed by BC recorders.

The new method involves making a minimum of two visits to a randomly selected square near to your home between May and August to count butterflies along two 1km survey lines running roughly north-south through the your square. The survey will be co-ordinated centrally by BC but we aim to find a Champion in each Branch to help find willing volunteers. We are aiming for 20 squares per Branch.

Please email survey@butterfly-conservation.org or call 01929 406036 to register interest in taking part and you will be contacted in early spring with instructions and the location of your random 1km survey square. Keep an eye on www.butterfly-conservation.org/wcbs for more information.

BC National Recorders’ Meeting: Saturday 4th April 2009
Booking is now open for the 2009 National Butterfly Recorders’ Meeting. It will take place once again at the Birmingham and Midland Institute, Margaret Street, Birmingham B3 3BS (see www.bmi.org.uk for a map). The National Recorders’ Meeting provides key feedback to volunteers about the butterfly recording and monitoring undertaken through national projects – Butterflies for the New Millennium and the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. Butterfly population trends for 2008 will be unveiled for the first time at the meeting and we will also hear about the launch of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey in 2009. Guest speakers will give presentations about several exciting butterfly projects making use of recording and monitoring data, including research into the decline of the Small Tortoiseshell by Owen Lewis (Oxford University). We do require advanced booking for this event and there is a (heavily subsidised) registration fee of £5 per person, which will be collected on the day, to help cover the costs of venue hire, tea/coffee and buffet lunch. If you would like to book a place please contact Ian Middlebrook at Butterfly Conservation providing your name and contact details (Telephone 01929 400209 or Email imiddlebrook@butterfly-conservation.org).

National Moth Night is on 18th and 19th September 2009
Recording can take place on either night or on both. There are no target species, but the theme is migration and we are planning some exciting activities. More details will follow later in the year.

National AGM / Members Day – Saturday 21 November 2009
This year’s BC AGM and Members Day will take place on Saturday 21 November at Winchester University and will be hosted by Hampshire & IOW Branch. Further details will be available later in the year.

International Symposium – March 2010
Butterfly Conservation will be holding its 6th International Symposium on 26-28 March 2010 at Reading University. The meeting will address the key target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 which was set across Europe almost a decade ago. There will be reviews of progress from the UK, Europe, and countries throughout the world, as well as the latest science on how to reverse declines and conserve habitats. The Symposium will conclude with an analysis of future challenges, including the impact of climate change. Further information and details of how to book will be posted on BC’s national website over the coming months.

30th January 2009

MPs alarmed at butterfly declines - BC member and MP Bob Russell has produced an Early Day Motion which calls on Government departments to work co-operatively to help our beleaguered butterflies. He already has over 50 signatures from other MPs but your local MP might not have signed. Please visit this link to see the Early Day Motion (EDM 8):
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37000&SESSION=899

Assuming you find this a sensible and positive proposal, please write to your MP. Even as few as 10 letters, on any one subject, will tend to dominate their correspondence and certainly make them think. An EDM which attracts large numbers of signatures is still unlikely to be debated in the House of Commons but just might be. They certainly alert the Government to the strength of feeling of the members (across all parties). For this reason they are assumed to impact on Government direction. There is a sample letter here (Word document) or here (plain text document) that you can download and use as a basis for your own. Of course, if your MP has signed then equally we wish to thank them. More details are available on the BC Head Office website, where you can also find the name of your local MP.

8th October 2008

On 8th October 2008, Professor Jeremy Thomas will give a ‘Café Scientifique’ in Wallingford entitled ‘Back from the brink? Saving Britain’s butterflies’. The venue is the Wallingford Corn Exchange Café/Bar. The talk is free and starts at 7.30 pm but due to the limited capacity of the venue it is best to get there at 7.00 pm.
For more details see the website: http://www.cafescientifique.org/wallingford.htm

22nd August 2008

Butterfly Week on BBC1's One Show next week (each night, from Monday 25th - Friday 29th August), will be presented by Miranda Krestovnikoff with contributions from Matthew Oates, National Trust. It will star the Large Blue at Collard Hill, an almost unsuccessful pursuit of the Swallowtail in the Broads (note that the larva shown is not a Swallowtail), a good performance from the High Brown Fritillary at Heddon Valley, Cabbage Whites etc. at Barrington Court garden, Soms, and best of all, Friday 29th: The Emperor's Breakfast, in Fermyn Woods. Do not miss the latter, it is Matthew Oates' personal fantasy acted out and shows that when it comes to eccentricity British natural history still has what it takes...

20th June 2008

As a way of celebrating the 40th anniversary of Butterfly Conservation, the Gloucestershire Branch has produced a booklet of 40 good butterfly walks in the county. "40 Butterfly Walks in Gloucestershire" has even made members of the committee want to go out and visit places they have never been to before! About 25 members of the branch have contributed the walks and the whole project was co-ordinated by Roger Wasley. It is hoped that other people will find the booklet useful and that it will heighten their interest in butterflies and the countryside around them. As Matthew Oates says in his Forward 'This book opens up some of the most wonderful English butterfly walks imaginable. Enjoy, and engage!'
The price is £4.50 to include postage and packing and details of how to order your copy are available on the Homepage of the BC Gloucestershire Branch website:
http://www.gloucestershire-butterflies.org.uk/

12th May 2008

A UTB Conservation & Publicity Success - In September 2006 the Upper Thames Branch (UTB) was involved in the refurbishment of a small area in Wood Farm Estate, Oxford as part of the ITV Big Clean-up Campaign organised by the Conservation Volunteer Service (CSV). One element of this was the planting of a new hedge and blackthorn was included at the request of UTB as the Brown Hairstreak was known to be within 1km of the site. UTB members Caroline Steel, Jim Asher and David Redhead joined local residents in helping to plant the hedge. We are now very proud to announce that last summer a Brown Hairstreak found this new hedge and laid three eggs on it. The CSV Press Office announced this via a press release this morning (Monday 12th May) and this afternoon UTB Brown Hairstreak Champion, David Redhead, spent some time at the site with the Oxford Mail & Times photographer getting pictures of the 5mm long caterpillar which had emerged from one of these eggs. Hopefully, it will also be figuring on ITV local news in the next few days.
Update 16/05/07: An article appeared in the Oxford Mail on 13th May and is currently available to read on the internet at the following link:
http://www.oxfordmail.net/search/display.var.2265747.0.rare_butterfly_settles_in_city.php
The article may be largely repeated in the weekly sister publication on Friday 16th May, the Oxford Times.

22nd October 2007

New Publication: "THE MOTHS OF HERTFORDSHIRE by Colin Plant." As Hertfordshire is one of our neighbouring counties we thought that some of you might be very interested in this 500-page A4-sized colour atlas which is due for publication by the Hertfordshire Natural History Society during the spring of 2008. It will cover all 1,523 species of macro- and micro-moth that have been recorded in Hertfordshire between 1834 and 2006. Until 31st January 2008 advanced orders are being taken at a special pre-publication price offer of £26 (including post and packing). After that date the cost will rise to the cover price of £45. To reserve your copy, go to the Herts Moth Group web-site: http://www.hnhs.org/whatsnew1.html and download an order form.

20th March 2007

A new White-letter Hairstreak Recording Project has been initiated by the Herts & Middlesex branch of Butterfly Conservation.

This three-year nationwide project aims to discover the distribution of the White-letter Hairstreak Butterfly. It has two distinct phases: locating flowering elm in springtime and looking for active males in the treetops at the start of the flight period.
If you would like to help, or would just like to learn more about this fascinating butterfly, visit the following excellent website: http://w-album.hertsmiddx-butterflies.org.uk/

15th March 2007

A new group has been established for Butterfly Conservation members wanting to help conserve butterflies and moths in Europe.

The European Interests Group is a member-based organisation within Butterfly Conservation. It aims to promote conservation work, encourage recording in Europe and work with partner organisations to lobby European governments.

BC members can join for an additional £10 fee. All correspondence,newsletters, etc., will only be sent electronically. To ask for more information click here.

   Click the logo to visit EIG's website.