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30-Dec-2023
To recognize Karen Saxl's outstanding voluntary effort in the Conservation of Butterflies and Moths over many years, the committee of the Upper Thames branch made her the first recipient of the Frank Banyard conservation award, and presented her with a Richard Lewington print.
The picture could not be presented at the Members' Day as Karen could not attend. The image shows her being presented with the print by the artist (and UTB member) Richard Lewington.
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19-Dec-2023
Holtspur Bottom is open again, as sheep grazing has ceased.
The next work party is on Sunday 7th January.
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16-Dec-2023
The Winter 2023 edition of Hairstreak is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Newsletters/newsletter120.pdf
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05-Nov-2023
Another very fine day saw a fine crew of 12 out doing conservation work at Holtspur Bottom. We reduced the height of a hedge, planted Dark Mullein (for Striped Lychnis larvae) and Devil's-bit Scabious as a late nectar source, cut back some path side bramble, and marked the 80 wobbly fence posts (for replacement). Red Admirals flew past repeatedly, which was distracting when we were supposed to be working, but only one Brimstone danced about within sight. Spot the 22 sheep in the image - how can animals that are either white (most of them ) or black (three of them) disappear in green grass?
Next task at Holtspur Bottom on Sunday 3rd Dec. Plenty of other tasks on the 'events' page.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/holtspur_bottom
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22-Sep-2023
Thank you the 6 UTB members who erected fencing to protect our scrapes at Holtspur Bottom from the (soon to arrive) sheep. A beautiful morning with 5 species of butterfly to delight us as we worked. We posted notices to the effect that the reserve is shut while the sheep are in, and locked all the external and internal gates. The perimeter public footpath is open, though overgrown. We don't like locking the reserve but dog attacks on the sheep in last few years, including a fatality last year, give us little choice.
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20-Sep-2023
In the late spring edition of Hairstreak (No 118) a map was published showing gaps in recording coverage in the three counties since 2020, in the current 5-year recording window (2020-2024). Help was requested to fill the gaps. The results of this can be seen in the linked article.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/recording_targets_2023
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18-Sep-2023
The Autumn 2023 edition of Hairstreak is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Newsletters/newsletter119.pdf
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17-Aug-2023
During the summer it was confirmed that the land that UTB previously rented in the Holtspur Valley and claimed Countryside Stewardship grant money upon, jointly with (the friends of) Holtspur Bank, would now be managed by us exactly as before but without the continued rental payment. Beaconsfield Town Council own the land, and from August onwards we have a management agreement to act as persons responsible for delivery of management at Holtspur Bottom but the responsibility for meeting costs associated with that management will fall to the council. Visitors will notice absolutely no change. There will still be masses of flowers and clouds of butterflies, moths and other lovely insects, but we are spared the onerous paperwork associated with being the persons claiming and dispensing the grant money.
So, conservation work, guided walks, informal surveys and transects walks continue exactly as before. We need to note our thanks to the five regular transect surveyors and the ten volunteers that helped on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 16th with routine maintenance of the reserve. We have removed Canadian Goldenrod and New England Aster (roots and stems) from the reserve. In themselves they pose no real problem, but their very dense root balls mean that nothing else gets a chance to grow in the same
space, and once they are established, they gradually spread, squeezing out other native plants from an increasingly large area. We have also brushcut two very dense patches of dogwood regrowth. We believe this will weaken it and over several years of repeat cutting will allow other plants to germinate and grow in areas that are to be maintained largely scrub free (under the Countryside Stewardship, Higher Level Scheme). We only had time to rake one of those areas. Images of us working are on the UTB's Facebook page - but you do need to join the group to view them.
There will be another session to finish raking and control the amount of ragwort that could seed onto our neighbour's land. We plan that session for Friday 25th August at 10.00. If you live close enough and are available to help (10.00 - 13.00), please contact Nick Bowles (nick.bowles@ntlworld.com) for more information.
www.facebook.com/groups/458565932924345
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25-Jun-2023
The Summer 2023 edition of Hairstreak is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Newsletters/newsletter118.pdf
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24-May-2023
The 2022 Silver-spotted Skipper Species Champion Report is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Reports/SilverSpottedSkipper_Report_2022_TDunbar.pdf
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27-Apr-2023
The 2022 Purple Emperor Species Champion Report is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Reports/PurpleEmperor_Report_2022_MRobinson.pdf
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26-Apr-2023
The 2022 Adonis Blue Species Champion Report is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Reports/AdonisBlue_Report_2022_MCross.pdf
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23-Mar-2023
The 2022 Grizzled Skipper Species Champion Report is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Reports/GrizzledSkipper_Report_2022_DHastings.pdf
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20-Mar-2023
The Spring 2023 edition of Hairstreak is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Newsletters/newsletter117.pdf
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14-Mar-2023
The 2022 Chalk Hill Blue Species Champion Report is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Reports/ChalkHillBlue_Report_2022_NBowles.pdf
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09-Mar-2023
Andy Spragg has produced a document about the butterflies of the Ridgeway.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Downloads/Butterflies-of-the-Ridgeway.pdf
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06-Mar-2023
The 2022 Grayling Species Champion Report is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Reports/Grayling_Report_2022_DSussex.pdf
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14-Feb-2023
The 2022 White-letter Hairstreak Species Champion Report is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Reports/WhiteLetterHairstreak_Report_2022_PCuss.pdf
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03-Feb-2023
The State of UK Butterflies 2022 report has been published by Butterfly Conservation.
butterfly-conservation.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/State%20of%20UK%20Butterflies%202022%20Report.pdf
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01-Feb-2023
The 2022 Wood White Species Champion Report is available to view or download.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/Reports/WoodWhite_Report_2022_NBoard.pdf
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08-Jan-2023
Very grateful thanks to the eight intrepid volunteers at today's task at Holtspur Bopttom. The day started out dry but that didn't last and ended up as wet as it could possibly have been. None-the-less we removed more of the scrub that's starting to grow in Upper and Lower Field after three years in which the sheep have been removed early and were never hungry enough to eat scrub.
Until we find a solution to dog walkers who ignore the obvious implication of locked gates and multiple signs warning of grazing livestock, yet still release their dogs into the flock, we will have to remove the growing scrub ourselves. Extra work for us caused by dog walkers who feel that their wishes about exercising their dogs are more important than the safety of the sheep and our management of the site.
We popped a hundred or so small hawthorns from Upper Field and Mark brushcut more of the dogwood regrowth on Triangle Bank.
Our next task is on Sunday 29th Jan. I hope that normal weather will be resumed and we will be remarking on how lovely it seems for the time of year.
www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/holtspur_bottom
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