2007 Magazine Version 05.indd - Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire

Butterfly Conservation 

Magazine 

Warwickshire Branch 

February 2007 

10th Anniversary Edition

Contents 

The First Ten Years by Margaret Vickery 

Ryton Wood Meadows 2006 Report by Mike Slater and Alan Prior 

A Tale Of A Pale Mottled Willow by Peter Thompson 

One September Morning at Highlands in 2006 by Ray Healey 

New Warwickshire Branch Website by Steven Cheshire 

Editors’ Review of 2006 by Debbie Hibbitt and Steven Cheshire 

Holly Blue and Other Observations at Highlands in 2005 by Ray Healey 

My Speckled Wood Baby by Mo Parr 

Solihull Environmental Day by Val Weston 

A Flying Start for Brownfield Butterflies and Moths in the Midlands by Jane Ellis 

How One Woman’s Gift Will Make A World Of Difference 

Conserving Butterflies & Moths at a Landscape Level by Jenny Joy 

John Carter Records Geranium Bronze in Warwickshire by Steven Cheshire 

Welches Meadow, Leam Valley Guided Walk by Phil Parr 

2006 Rugby Area Reports by Phil Parr 

Species Spotlight - The Clouded Yellow 

Guided Walks in the Rugby Area by Phil Parr 

Warwickshire Garden Butterfly Survey 2005/6 by Margaret Vickery 

Clearwings and Furry Gnomes by Keith Warmington 

2006 Butterfly Highlights by Keith Warmington 

Immigrant Larger Moths in Warwickshire 2006 by David Brown 

Warwickshire VC38 Macro Moth Report 2006 by David Brown 

Warwickshire Branch Committee Contacts 

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Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those 

of the Editors or of Butterfly Conservation either locally or 

nationally. 

This magazine is published by the Warwickshire Branch of 

Butterfly Conservation. It is a non-profit company registered in 

England No: 2206468 and a registered Charity No 254937. 

Head Office and membership enquiries to: 

Butterfly Conservation, 

Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP 

t: 0870 7744309 

e: info@butterfly-conservation.org 

w: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org 

Copyright © 2007 

All Rights Reserved 

All photographic images and text remain the copyright of 

the original creators as indicated. 

Cover Photograph 

Clouded Yellow at Coughton Court, Alcester 

© Steven Cheshire 2007 

The Editors welcome written and/or artwork contributions on 

all aspects of Lepidoptera in Warwickshire and its’ surrounding 

areas. Contributions must be neatly hand-written or supplied 

on disk or by e-mail as a Microsoft Word document. 

Photographs and illustrations in both colour and B&W may 

also be submitted separately to the text either as hard copy or 

digitally as high resolution .tiff or .jpeg files. All contributions 

are subject to editing for clarity, correctness, convention and 

space available. 

Whilst all reasonable care will be taken of manuscripts 

and illustrative material, neither the Editors, nor Butterfly 

Conservation can be held responsible for any loss or damage 

during custody or return. 

Contributions should be posted to: 

Steven Cheshire & Debbie Hibbitt 

Editors - Warwickshire BC Magazine 

85 Grasmere Crescent, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 6EB 

or sent by e-mail to: 

steven@steven-cheshire.co.uk or 

debbie@creativebynature.co.uk 

2 

Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007

The First Ten Years 

by Margaret Vickery 

It hardly seems possible that we are ten years old! Reading through a decade of 

newsletters I was struck by the way that Butterfly Conservation and the branch have 

evolved over the years. In particular there was much enthusiasm and voluntary 

effort during the early years in a wide variety of branch activities. This has narrowed 

considerably to the point where now all our efforts are devoted almost entirely to 

saving and improving Warwickshire habitat for butterflies and moths. Once it was 

almost exclusively nature reserves, now our efforts are spread throughout the wider 

countryside of the county, wherever there is, or could be, a colony of lepidoptera. Once 

we had small parties of eager volunteers battling against the all-pervading “scrub” on 

Sunday mornings. Although a few of these rare species do still exist, these days it is 

more likely that contractors with chain saws and bulldozers are doing the work. The 

reduction in voluntary effort is as much due to the stricter health and safety laws as any 

lack of support by members. However, recording is one area in which voluntary effort 

has increased considerably. In our first newsletter Mike Slater made a plea for more 

Warwickshire recorders as we only had 15. The push to cover the whole county for 

the Millennium Atlas resulted in around 200 recorders taking part, more than the total 

membership of the branch! This has now evened out at between 50 and 80 per year. 

Warwickshire was once part of the West Midlands branch, an area which also covered 

Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and West 

Midlands County. In the days when the society was small and members few, such a 

large area was not too difficult to administrate, but as we grew it became apparent in 

the 1990s that a more local approach was called for. So county groups were set up 

with their own committees to concentrate on their own concerns. The overall policy and 

financial management remained in the hands of the West Midlands. However it was 

not long before two of these county group committees felt they had the experience to 

run their own branches. So first Gloucestershire and then Warwickshire left the West 

Midlands to become branches in their own right. This move was welcomed by the 

national society, whose policy was to have a branch in every county. Warwickshire, 

however has always remained part of the West Midlands region. 

Our first branch (acting) committee meeting took place in my living room in the autumn 

of 1996 and we made the momentous decision to inaugurate the new Warwickshire 

branch on 1st January 1997 (although the inaugural meeting was not held until 1st 

March that year). At this meeting Mike Slater was appointed acting chairman/branch 

organiser and conservation officer and I took on the duties of treasurer, newsletter 

editor and membership secretary. We decided to keep our boundaries to the old 

county of Warwickshire and thus the new branch covered Coventry, Solihull and Sutton 

Coldfield as well as parts of eastern Birmingham. We wrote to BC members living in 

these regions as well as in Warwickshire explaining our reasons for setting up our own 

branch and asking for support. At our inaugural meeting in March we had 50 members, 

enough to make the branch viable. Other members joined the committee and I most 

gratefully first shared and then completely off-loaded the newsletter editorship to Keith 

Warmington. 

3 


Keith also helped to take some of the burden off Mike by taking over as branch 

recorder. Besides Mike, Keith and myself, our first committee consisted of Richard 

Lamb (vice branch organiser and joint education officer), Rosemary Plumbley 

(meetings secretary and joint education officer), David Brown (moth conservation 

officer), and committee members: Neil Thompson, Dave Cole, Phil Parr and Jon 

Holmes. Of these, Mike, Keith, Richard, David and Phil are still members. During his 

stint on the committee Jon, who works for Warwick District Council, was instrumental 

in setting up a number of local nature reserves in the District, helping to conserve 

butterflies and moths in the more urban environments. He also instigated the butterfly 

garden in Jephson Gardens in Leamington. One of our first conservation projects 

involved the Brimstone, and Rosemary took a major part in our donation of buckthorn 

bushes to schools. 

The new branch needed an identity which was instantly recognised. The committee 

decided on our White-letter Hairstreak logo because, to quote from our first newsletter, 

“It is a butterfly synonymous with ‘leafy Warwickshire’ and the ancient Forest of Arden. 

It is found throughout the county…. The determination of this shy little creature to 

overcome its decimation caused by Dutch elm disease is an inspiration to us all, and 

last, but by no means least, there is a white W on its wings. What could be more 

appropriate to Warwickshire?” Dutch elm disease is still with us, but so, thankfully, are 

our White-letter Hairstreaks. 

During the early years a feature of the branch was running butterfly trips and holidays 

outside the county. Some may remember the Heath Fritillary trip to Devon and our 

holidays in The Burren in Ireland and in Jersey. Despite some setbacks, such as almost 

continuous rain in Ireland and a minibus that seemed fated to breakdown, we had 

fabulous times and found many species. It was a shame that support fell sharply away 

and we had to cancel both a day trip and a weekend away, which led to the decision 

to abandon such events in future. It is still a puzzle as to why members stopped 

supporting these events. 

By 1999 our membership had increased to 111, today it is 170. At the AGM in 

2000 Rosemary resigned from the committee and Heather Warmington took over 

as meetings secretary, a job she still carries out admirably today. Due to his work 

commitments Mike had to stand down 

as chairman/branch organiser and I took 

over. We decided to drop the branch 

organiser title as all the committee helped 

in the organisation of the branch. Chris 

Johnson, a new committee member, 

took over as treasurer and, later, coordinator 

for transect recording, as 

well as organising our spring/summer 

programme of butterfly walks. 

4 

Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007 

The tremendous recording effort for the 

national Millennium Atlas had resulted in 

a mass of information about Warwickshire

utterflies and their habitats. Rather than let this go to waste we decided to make it 

available to everyone by producing a book, Warwickshire’s Butterflies. In the hope 

of involving as many members as possible we put a plea in the newsletter asking 

for anecdotes and information on favourite butterfly sites. This resulted in much new 

material which we were able in incorporate. 

In 2001 the country suffered the dreadful foot and mouth outbreak and we had to 

cancel our spring meeting at Brandon Marsh through fear of spreading the infection, 

although thankfully it never became the problem in Warwickshire that it was in some 

other counties. 

Although we had always included moths in our remit (David Brown had been Moth 

Conservation Officer from the day our branch was formed), these insects took on a new 

significance in 2002. A project to monitor and improve habitat for the Forester moth in 

Rugby was undertaken and has resulted in some success. Val Weston and Alan Prior, 

both enthusiastic mothers started to write articles on Warwickshire’s moths for the 

newsletter and many of our members attended moth trapping nights. Eventually the 

branch bought moth trapping equipment for the use of members with money raised by 

Val. 

The branch began its change of direction in 2002 when our Regional Officers were 

appointed. The coming of Jane Ellis and Jenny Joy, our first paid staff in the West 

Midlands resulted in a new professionalism. Where volunteers had poked fingers 

into many pies the ROs produced strategies and plans of action. Our task became to 

provide help and advice when needed and to back them up in their efforts. We were 

soon to see the results in many conservation initiatives taking place in Warwickshire 

Photographs © Steven Cheshire 2007 

Above: The Dingy Skipper (inset) and the Small Blue will benefit from the work of our Regional Officers. 

5 


etween Butterfly Conservation and farmers and landowners. Parallel with this activity 

Mike Slater was working hard to acquire a landfill site at Ryton as a branch reserve. 

This took several years of diplomatic effort both with the owners LaFarge and with 

Butterfly Conservation staff and it was not until 2004 that we were able to make the 

possibility of managing our own reserve common knowledge. We hope to be able to 

officially open the reserve this spring. 

Mike has also been working hard behind the scenes with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust 

to bring to fruition the far reaching Princethorpe woodland project, in which all the 

woodland in central Warwickshire will eventually become linked so that species can 

easily travel throughout the habitat, and all will be managed for the benefit of wildlife. 

We are already seeing results: Wood White and Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies have 

significantly increased in numbers, whereas before management took place these 

species were on the point of being declared extinct in the county. The 

Princethorpe woodland complex is also home to several 

rare moths such as Light Orange Underwing, Great 

Oak Beauty, Cloaked Carpet and Mere Wainscot. 

The publication of David Brown’s book, The 

Larger Moths of Warwickshire, was a highlight 

of 2006, and it was during this year that Jane 

Ellis started her wide ranging project to list, 

classify and ultimately conserve all the 

brownfield sites in the West Midlands. 

The landowners of several sites have 

been contacted and management 

plans drawn up. These measures 

will benefit all species found in 

such habitats but especially the 

Dingy Skipper and, hopefully, 

the Small Blue. 

Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007 

Above: A mating pair of Small Blue butterflies 

What of the future? I would 

expect conservation efforts to 

continue to move away from the 

exclusiveness of nature reserves 

and to further embrace the wider 

countryside bringing yet more farmers 

and landowners into the fold. However, 

this will depend as much on the 

government’s grant scheme for farmers 

and landowners as on efforts made by 

Butterfly Conservation. At present these 

are in our favour, long may they remain so. 

Margaret Vickery 

Chairman 

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Ryton Wood Meadows 

Warwickshire Branch Butterfly Conservation Reserve 

2006 Report 

by Mike Slater and Alan Prior 

Welcome to the first annual Ryton Wood Meadows Butterfly Conservation reserve 

report. This is a joint effort - I will comment on the reserve’s butterflies and day-flying 

moths and the nocturnal member of the team, Alan Prior, will review his ongoing 

excellent moth surveying. 

Overall another very good year on our reserve for both our butterflies and day-flying 

moths. However, within this statement individual species performance varied. My 

comments on how well species have done will be based on the 17 years of transect 

monitoring that I have undertaken since 1990. This year 29 of the 33 species that are 

known to breed either in Ryton Wood Meadows or in Ryton Wood were recorded on 

the transect. In addition to these 29 species the Purple Emperor, Wood White and 

Holly Blue were recorded on non-transect days. The only species not recorded was the 

White-letter Hairstreak which is not that surprising because no Elm naturally occurs on 

our reserve. However thanks to the generosity of Michael Darlow, one of our members, 

we have now planted two areas with Elm so it is hoped that this species will colonise 

in a few years’ time. For the record 2,153 butterflies were recorded on the transect 

this year. When the average number seen in any one year is 1,358 this equates to 

an increase of 58% above the average. However before we get too excited it should 

be remembered for most of the survey period the greater part of the reserve was a 

large hole, when it was a sand quarry. It was not until the hole was filled in and it was 

colonised by various plants that the butterflies and moths increased. While most of the 

increase in number can be attributed to this change, those who attended the branch 

AGM will know that recent management of the reserve accounts for at least some of 

this improvement. 

When figures are compared, day-flying moth species have increased at a greater 

rate than the butterflies. This improvement is probably due to the large increase in 

abundance in the two species of Burnet moth. For the record 394 day-flying moths 

were recorded on the transect this year compared to the yearly average of 155, this 

equates to a 154% increase on the average yearly number seen. 

What do I consider to be the highlights this year? Certainly one of mine was the first 

sighting in 2006 of a Purple Emperor. This sighting was of a freshly emerged male 

on one of the reserve’s many sallow bushes, this was also the only Purple Emperor 

recorded on the reserve. 

Since we have acquired the reserve we have carried out substantial and specific 

management to help our rarer species. This management has included mowing, 

some coppicing and the seeding of areas with two Birdsfoot Trefoil and two Cranesbill 

species amongst others. Therefore it is very pleasing to report that species seem to 

have responded to our efforts. The Dingy Skipper, Green Hairstreak, Silver-washed 

Fritillary and Brown Argus recorded their highest number in 2006. Other rarities such 

7 


Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007 Photograph © Debbie Hibbitt 2007 

Above: The winners and losers... White Admiral did well while the Wood White (male) had a disappointing year. 

as the Grizzled Skipper, White Admiral and Small Heath recorded one of their best 

years. The only disappointment this year was the performance of the Wood White 

which appears to generally have had a bad year. On the day-flying moths the Narrowbordered 

Five-spot Burnet also had its best ever year. Migrants also did well this year 

probably benefiting from the long hot summer. Notably the Red Admiral, Humming-bird 

Hawk Moth and Silver Y had their best ever years, the Clouded Yellow and Painted 

Lady also had one of their best years. 

The Warwickshire Branch moth equipment has been playing a major role in recording 

our reserve over the past two years with over 20 visits being made. During 

2006, a further 130+ species were added to the 

list, which currently stands at 475. Hopefully, this 

Photograph © 

knowledge can assist in the management of the 

Keith Warmington 2007 

r eserve. If we don’t know a species is there we 

cannot help it. 

2006 was a good year for migrants with species 

like the Vestal, Pearly Underwing and Scarce 

Bordered Straw being found. More important, 

possibly, was the recording of the first 

Lobster Moth in the county for over 30 

years. Unfortunately, the idiot observer 

(that would be me!) didn’t realise 

its significance as David Brown’s 

excellent book was two weeks from 

publication. 

Other good moths to be found 

were the micro moths Syncopacma 

taeniolella (4th for the county) and 

Sitachroa palealis (3rd for the county). 

8 

Above: The Small Heath has had one of its best years at Ryton. 


Apart from the Lobster, other macro moth highlights were Cloaked Carpet, Grass 

Rivulet, Peacock, Garden Dart, Hedge Rustic and Lesser-spotted Pinion. 

Thanks must go to the moth recorders, Val Weston, Jack Watkins, Martin Kennard, 

Jason Hawkes and Nigel Stone. 

Above: Map of the Warwickshire Branch Ryton Meadows Nature Reserve. 

So, what’s next? Well substantial further habitat improvements are planned. All 

being well, LaFarge will finish their restoration of the site this winter and spring. This 

restoration includes further fencing so grazing can occur and further seeding of key 

larval foodplants. You can all help as well - don’t forget the building of the “Great Wall 

of Ryton” continues. For those who haven’t been to the reserve recently we have 

constructed a low dry stone wall to create habitat for the Grizzled Skipper and Dingy 

Skipper 

Well that’s all for now, and I hope like us, you are looking forward to the reserve official 

opening at the end of May and seeing the first sightings of butterflies and moths on the 

reserve. 

Mike Slater and Alan Prior 

9 


A Tale of a Pale Mottled Willow 

(or the case of the thwarted spider) 

by Peter Thompson 

It was on the morning of 26th October that we found him in the traps at Leeson House, 

Langton Matravers. Not a rare moth in the woolly wilds of Dorset but less frequent in 

Warwickshire, particularly bearing in mind the time of year. 

David Brown, our guide and mentor, therefore decided to keep it until Friday, to show 

it to those inmates of his Warwick evening class who had not come on the annual 

butterfly, moth and ice cream trip to Swanage. 

The daily programme on these trips is to list the contents of the traps in the morning, 

stick the moths in the fridge until that evening, when they get a good staring at before 

their release to the wild, blue yonder and our release to the pub. During this period, the 

photographers get a chance to strut their stuff and to this end they bring in a variety 

of leaves, rocks and other detritus to add verisimilitude to their efforts. The moths are 

temporarily released and arranged artistically on the assembled rubbish. All of this 

takes place in a sports hall type of room, with exposed roof trusses and a high ceiling, 

well out of reach to anyone not carrying a scaffold tower or cherry picker. 

Cutting to the chase to avoid dwelling on the half-wit (me) who allowed the insect to 

escape, the insect escaped and flew rapidly upwards to take up residence in a cobweb 

at the highest point in the centre of the room. As we stood, gazing dumbly upwards 

and wondering what to do next, the webmaster appeared and before our very eyes 

wrapped up our specimen in silk in a matter of seconds. One of the guys, a professor 

at a Scottish University, displaying initiative and great accuracy, threw a wet dishcloth 

at the spot, dislodging part of the web to leave the bemused spider dangling from what 

remained. 

After some searching, we, the 

mothers, found our mummy and I 

carefully peeled back a thread with 

my fingers to reveal a leg. To our 

amazement, the leg wagged, so the 

parcel was handed to the ladies who, 

with great delicacy and eyebrow 

tweezers removed the remaining 

wrapping. 

The moth had lost most of its scales 

but duly appeared at the Friday 

evening class at Warwick University, 

before being released alive, albeit 

some way from its place of capture. 

Peter Thompson 

Above: Photograph of the Pale Mottled Willow 

Photograph © Rosemary Winnall 2007 

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One September Morning at Highlands In 2006 

by Ray Healey 

This particular morning started off quite dull and dreary so on my usual early morning 

stroll round my garden I got quite wet. Particularly so when I walked between two 

cupressus trees. The offending twigs just had to go so I nipped back to the house, got 

my secateurs and snipped them off. 

This started off a day of intrigue and puzzlement because as I snipped off the second 

twig I noticed a flutter on the twig. Looking more closely I noticed a pair of quite 

large moths mating. I thought they were Yellow Underwings and later Chris Johnson 

confirmed they were Lesser Yellow Underwings. I was quite pleased because being a 

novice at moth ID I was almost there. I have now bought the “Field Guide to the Moths 

GB & Ireland” by Paul Waring and Martin Townsend and made myself a couple of 

Skinner style traps. So my ID skills should improve dramatically. I have also seen David 

Brown’s new book “The Larger Moths of Warwickshire” which I think is excellent. 

Sorry, I digress from my story. Usually I have my camcorder with me but on this 

occasion I didn’t so I took the twig, with the moths on, back to just outside my 

conservatory. 

The time was 10.25 am and for about 25 minutes I sat outside filming, on and off, the 

mating. At 10.50 am it started to rain so I took them, still coupled, into the conservatory 

to carry on filming at intervals until 12.55 pm. 

Having had lunch I continued filming periodically throughout the afternoon. Quite often 

they, especially the male, made strenuous efforts to break free. It was becoming quite 

apparent that something was seriously wrong. 

At 4.55 pm they were still coupled and on closer study I noticed the coupling gap had 

increased. Maybe they could break free enabling at least one to survive, but both were 

looking very exhausted now. 

At 5.06 pm, approximately 6½ hours after I first found them, they were still coupled and 

there was no movement from the male (I think). I decided to see if I could part them so 

took the male by the wing and gently tried to pull them apart. No luck, they were stuck 

fast together, so I decided to take them back to the cupressus where I found them. 

They were there for about an hour and then disappeared. Probably eaten by a bird or 

spider or possibly fell on the ground. 

My intrigue and puzzlement at the start of the day turned to sadness by the end of the 

day. It brought home to me, once again, that nature has its ways and sometimes can be 

quite cruel. 

Ray Healey 

Footnote: Chris Johnson contacted Nigel Stone about this sad story and Nigel illuminated on 

another part of the fascinating world of moths: mating behaviours. (Continued overleaf) 

11 


All male moths have claspers which they use to hold the female internally whilst mating. This 

explains why they can fly around and move whilst still coupled. The claspers are of various shapes 

and sizes but are constant within a species, and obviously the female genitalia of each species is 

geared up to accept them. 

Nigel came across a research paper that was looking at mating two closely related species. It was 

found that occasionally, after mating, they could not separate, presumably because of the slight 

differences in the genitalia structure. It is thought that being unable to separate after mating is one 

possible mechanism to isolate species. 

Nigel then asked the question “Were they two Lesser mating or was one a Large Yellow 

Underwing and the other Lesser”. Having examined my video of the mating moths more closely I 

can confirm that they were two Lesser. 

It is clear that the demise of these two poor Lesser Yellow Underwings must be put down to the 

clasping mechanism malfunctioning. 

New Warwickshire Branch Website 

by Steven Cheshire 

As if editing the branch newsletter alongside Debbie isn’t enough, I have also taken 

on the task of developing a new web site for our branch in order to promote our work, 

encourage recording and involvement in branch events, and increase membership. 

Above: Screen capture of the Warwickshire Branch 

web site which is currently under development 

but we need your help... 

The web site is progressing nicely but at 

present lacks some content. We intend to 

include species accounts of all resident 

species of butterfly and moth in the 

county, events lists, latest sightings page 

and online discussion forum. 

If you have any suggestions for the 

web site, articles or information and in 

particular, photographs of butterflies, 

moths and their life-stages, please do 

not hesitate to contact me by email at 

steven@steven-cheshire.co.uk. We hope 

to have the site fully functional by the end of March, in the meantime, please feel free to 

visit the branch site and let us know what you think. 

Visit the new web site at 

http://www.warwickshire-butterflies.org.uk 

12 




Editors’ Review of 2006 

by Debbie Hibbitt & Steve Cheshire 

Thanks to the continued effects of global warming, 2006 turned out to be another good 

year both for butterflies and for our continued quest to photograph more of Britain’s 

native butterfly and other wildlife species. Once again fashion statements went out of 

the window and we spent most of the year suitably camouflaged in dark shades. 

At the end of April we visited the BC Reserve at Prestbury Hill, Gloucestershire for the 

first time for the start of our hunt for the Duke of Burgundy. The intention of this first visit 

was to familiarise ourselves with the site and probable location of the colony. 

We returned to Prestbury Hill at the end of May after doing more homework by 

contacting Chris Tracey of BC Gloucestershire Branch to gain inside information 

relating to the exact location and feeding habits of the Dukes. On arrival at the site 

we were also fortunate to meet a fellow enthusiast who had spotted several Dukes 

and pointed us in the right direction. We then proceeded to spend half an hour 

excitedly chasing small creatures with chequered markings only to discover that 

they were Latticed Heath moths! Thanks to the appearance of glorious sunshine and 

perseverance we eventually discovered the Dukes now more easily distinguishable by 

their darker chequered markings and willingness to bask long enough in the sunshine 

to enable us to photograph them and study them in more detail. Another one crossed 

off the list at last. 

Above: A mating pair of Duke of Burgundy at Prestbury Hill 

Above: Glanville Fritillary at Compton Bay 

A week later in early June we spent 10 

days on the Isle of Wight, once again 

timed with a specific mission to find the 

Glanville Fritillary. After some research, 

we had booked our accommodation on 

the West side of the Island to hopefully 

coincide with the best locations for 

these beautiful and scarce butterflies. 

On the first evening after our arrival, 

we had a walk locally and within half an 

hour were rewarded with the sight of 

several of them enjoying the remainder 

of the day’s sunshine prior to roosting 

for the evening. Needless to say with 

the warmth and light slowly fading on a 

glorious summer’s evening they were 

more than co-operative for the ensuing 

photo-shoot. We were fortunate to see 

these beautiful fritillaries on a number 

of occasions during our holiday, and 

being able to sit in the grass closely 

alongside them roosting on grass stems 

whilst watching the magnificent sunsets 

in the West was quite a memorable 

13 


experience. The weather was also extremely obliging for the whole 10 days of our 

holiday and we also discovered Adonis and Small Blues in the West of the Island. 

When not staring at the ground hunting for butterflies, we stared skywards instead in 

the pine forests in search of the elusive red squirrel and we had a couple of sightings 

of these “clucking” characters, although unfortunately not close enough to photograph 

in detail. In total we came across around 24 species of butterfly during our holiday, 

resulting in a rather large amount of photographs! 

In July we ventured into 

Northamptonshire to Glapthorn Cow 

Pastures and Fermyn Woods in search of 

the Black Hairstreak, White Admiral and 

Purple Emperor. It was a very hot day and 

the Black Hairstreaks were thin on the 

ground but very active so the chase was 

abandoned by lunchtime. We continued 

to Fermyn Woods in the afternoon and 

were fortunate enough to suddenly come 

across one Purple Emperor feeding 

on sap at the base of a tree. We saw a 

handful of black and white butterflies but 

as they were too active in the sunshine 

and flying so fast it proved difficult to tell 

whether or not they were White Admirals 

or female Purple Emperors. 

Above: Adonis Blue, Afton Down, Isle of Wight 

Keen to find more Purple Emperors, we 

got up early to visit Fermyn Woods again 

two weeks later, which was also another Above: Aberrant Comma (reichstettensis) 

scorchingly hot day. There were several White Admirals flying and we also discovered a 

rather interesting Comma which we later discovered was an aberrant, certainly the first 

time we had seen anything quite like it. The Purple Emperors were typically avoiding 

us until the moment we sat down under a shady tree for a picnic lunch when a male 

flew past and decided to perch hanging upside down from a branch above our heads 

in a neighbouring tree. The picnic was hastily abandoned as we grabbed our cameras, 

but the little devil blended in so nicely with the tree and was so high above our heads it 

proved difficult to see it clearly through binoculars, never mind photograph it. Although 

we did contemplate it, unfortunately our tree-climbing skills are not up to scratch and 

his Majesty the Emperor sat happily resting in the shade and was still there a good 2 

hours’ later when we walked past again, just as if to taunt us. It was good to view this 

attractively-marked butterfly however and has not deterred us from continuing the hunt 

in 2007! 

At the end of July we had a long weekend in Northumberland with the main intention 

of visiting the Farne Islands to photograph the nesting seabirds, which we successfully 

accomplished and was quite spectacular to see. We also visited Holy Island and 

searched for the Dark Green Fritillary on the surrounding coast but were unsuccessful 

having been looking in the wrong place! 


14 


The highlight of July was a day trip to 

Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve 

near Aylesbury, Bucks where we and 

other members of the Warwickshire 

Branch joined a walk led by Frank 

Banyard of the Upper Thames Branch. 

Despite the noise of the traffic roaring 

past on the M40, this grassland reserve 

with its colourful flowers proved excellent 

for the Silver-spotted Skipper and the 

Chalkhill Blue. 


Above: Silver-spotted Skipper at Aston Rowant 

Above: There was plenty to see at Aston Rowant 

In August we returned to Prestbury Hill in search of the Chalkhill Blue and Small Blue. 

We did not have as much luck with the Chalkhill Blue in comparison with Aston Rowant 

due to the flight season being almost over, however we found a good colony of Small 

Blue in the second part of the reserve and saw one or two Dark Green Fritillary. 

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007 


Above: Male Chalkhill Blue at Prestbury Hill 

Above: Small Blue at Prestbury Hill 

The Summer came to a close all too quickly as always, but it has certainly been a good 

experience visiting new places, photographing more different butterflies and crossing 

a few more off our wanted list. We too have also started to experience the effects of 

climate change, noting much milder temperatures, and the continued appearance 

of some of our more common British butterflies such as Red Admirals right until 

December. It will certainly be interesting to see what 2007 has in store. 


Debbie Hibbitt & Steve Cheshire 

15 


Holly Blue & Other Observations at Highlands in 2005 

by Ray Healey 

It was on 24th April at around 2 o’clock in the afternoon when my first Holly Blues of the 

year appeared in my garden. I counted seven individuals. 

Onto the Japanese Larch went the first, settling about fifteen feet up and stayed at this 

height for about three hours. The second and third, after a short skirmish with each 

other, headed for a Cupressus and again settled around the fifteen feet level just like 

the first Holly Blue. The fourth headed for a Redwood hedge and settled at about five 

feet up. The foliage of this particular variety has the resin scent of pineapple if rubbed. 

The fifth made for a Cupressus hedge and the sixth and seventh headed for other 

Redwoods, again with the scent of pineapple. 

They continued to drink the 

honeydew, rather than nectar, 

on these plants until 1st of May. 

On that day the first Holly flowers 

started to bud burst so this then 

became their main nectar source. 

Nearby Forget-me-nots were also 

being used for additional nectar. 

At this stage I decided to 

concentrate on one female, which 

was at the best height to film. 

First it was on the Holly, and then 

flew to a nearby bush of Mahonia, 

then visited the Forget-me-nots, 

Above: Holly Blue 

decided to go back to the Mahonia 

and finally fluttered back to the Holly. This fluttering from one plant to the other went on 

for about two hours. All three plants are within an area of about 4sq metres. 

The female as well as looking for nectar was obviously searching flower buds for eggs 

laying. The base of Holly buds is the favourite in spring, but they do use other flower 

buds and less often leaf-buds. Holly Blues usually have two generations each year and 

prefer to lay their eggs on Holly in spring and Ivy in the summer. 

Over the last five years, in my garden, I have recorded the first sightings of the spring 

Holly Blues between 16th April to 24th April. 

Other observations in 2005 

On 17th August, for the first time, I noticed a Common Blue egg laying on White Clover. 

It then went to egg lay on Plantain. For the first time, since recording, no Painted 

Ladies were seen in my garden. But the Red Admirals were very friendly and whilst 

filming one day one actually landed on my head. On another day, whilst filming in my 

shorts, one took a fancy to my knobbly knees so I just had to film it. 

Photograph © Keith Warmington 2007 

16 


My garden (wilderness more like it) is around 2 acres and I take great delight in 

recording all wildlife. I usually record over twenty species of butterfly in a season, 

several species of Dragon/Damselflies, moths and anything unusual that takes my eye. 

Ray Healey 

Footnote: This year, 2006, has not been a good year for Holly Blues but I have been entertained 

with good numbers of most of the more common species. Painted Ladies have been abundant 

with excellent autumn sightings of Red Admirals, Commas, Painted Ladies, Small Tortoiseshells 

and Peacocks. I was very pleased to see White Admirals in my garden on two occasions. Now the 

not so good news. Small Coppers have had a very poor year with Small and Large Skippers not 

being much better. In the Dragon/damselfly world the “Hawkers”, “Darters” and “Damsels” have 

been only average. 

My Speckled Wood Baby! 

by Mo Parr 

On 24th August 2006 I watched a Speckled Wood laying 

an egg on grass in our back garden in Rugby. 

No camera handy as always, so I noted the spot and 

went to find it. By the time I returned the butterfly had 

flown away. Here is a picture of the egg. 

I checked it every day, not having any idea how long 

it would be before the caterpillar emerged. Eventually 

my patience was rewarded and on the morning of 4th 

September 2006 it hatched, but it immediately appeared 

to be in some danger as a huge spider was just eyeing 

up my newly hatched caterpillar for breakfast. I shooed 

it away. I hadn’t spent all this time watching over the egg 

for it to be a spider’s breakfast. Would you believe I had 

to go to school, so took a couple of very blurred pictures 

and hoped it would still be there in the evening. 

I was fortunate that the caterpillar didn’t move far that 

first day and when I came home I managed a much 

better photo. 

After that the caterpillar became more adventurous 

and had disappeared by the next morning, I hope not 

as spider food but on to pastures new and eventually a 

butterfly or possibly into hibernation to await the spring. 

Mo Parr 

Footnote: It is interesting to remember that Speckled Wood 

was new to the area in 1987 but is now regarded as a common 

species. (Phil Parr) 

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007 Photograph © Mo Parr 2007 Photograph © Mo Parr 2007 

17 


Solihull Environmental Day, Shirley Park, 17 June 2006 

by Val Weston 

Did you know that every year Warwickshire Branch has a stand at the above event? 

For the last two years I’ve organised fund-raising activities. This year it was a tombola 

with help throughout the day by six work mates from Barclays Bank and their families. 

After an all-night moth survey in the Wyre Forest I was able to take along plenty of 

fantastic moths to show to the public including 3 types of Hawk Moth and a spectacular 

Orange Moth, having had just 2 hours’ sleep. I was pleased to be joined by Sheila and 

Sandra who set up the tombola whilst Chris Johnson and Val Hill got to work setting up 

the Butterfly Conservation display. 

We’d got everything looking good and having 74 prizes, all donated by Barclays’ staff, 

family and friends, it was hard work. Then everything was disrupted when John Reeve 

arrived with the moth display cage. We weren’t expecting him to join us this year even 

though he’d managed to get us a prime spot for our stall right by the park entrance. He 

caused chaos as we had to put the display right where our prizes were, as it was the 

shadiest part of the stall. Up to then the moths were in a cool bag so it did make them 

look better and they had room to fly. We just managed to get sorted out again as the 

public started to appear. 

It was a great day, the weather was perfect and everyone seemed very interested in 

the moths (they were released later and the rarer ones were taken back to the Wyre 

Forest the next day by Richard Southwell). They also put in a guest appearance at a 

Stourbridge Moth Night that we attended that night. 

The tombola was very popular and all the prizes went with the star prize not being won 

until gone 4 o’clock when there were only half a dozen tickets left in the box. We raised 

a grand total of £182.42 – how we managed that we don’t know as it was £1.00 a go! A 

little old man donated his last 2p but how did we get 40p? This amount will be matched 

by Barclays Bank through the employee matched funding scheme so Warwickshire 

Branch will receive £364.84 – not a bad sum for a fun day out. We even had an official 

visit from John Reeve in his role of Mayor of Solihull – he was only too happy to pose 

for a photo with the Barclays Fundraisers which is now displayed on our office wall. 

Chris and Val always do a great job with the official business of encouraging 

membership and spreading information about our local lepidoptera, but why don’t more 

people get involved with helping out at this annual event and others? It’s fun and it 

makes you feel good. It’s also not too hard to organise your own fund-raising event or 

work day. Try it sometime, you’ll be surprised. 

We’d like to thank everyone who helped out on the day – Sheila, Sandra, Jay, 

Harminder, Bev, Louise and their children Abigail, Josh and Nikita plus of course all the 

public who “paid to play”. 

Val Weston 

18 


A Flying Start for 

Brownfield Butterflies & Moths 

in the Midlands 

by Jane Ellis 

Exciting progress has been made since the launch in March this year of “Brownfield 

Sites of Importance for Butterflies and Moths in the West Midlands”- a report based on 

the brownfields sites dossier. This report was a compilation of existing species records 

and other site information gathered with the help of Butterfly Conservation volunteers 

across the region and was a key output from the Regional Officer’s EAF funded project 

which finished in March 2006. 

The report could not have been produced without the tremendous input from volunteers 

and all thanks goes to them for spending time focusing on some of our less attractive 

and sometimes intimidating local sites. Particular thanks go to Phil Parr, Mike Slater, 

Chris Johnson, Maurice Arnold, John Bryan, Dave Jackson, James Hill, Richard 

Southwell and Phil Thompson for their substantial help. 

The report lists 134 sites across the West Midlands with information on the colony size, 

land ownership and type and level of threat to the colonies on the site. The biggest 

threat to the sites visited was succession (52%) followed by development (17%). 

However, the process of compiling the report highlighted the fact that there are many 

brownfield sites in the West Midlands with potential to hold colonies of key species 

such as Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Green Hairstreak and Chalk Carpet moth 

which have never been surveyed for butterflies and moths. 

Photograph © Steve Houghton 2007 

Above: Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper are key species often found on brownfield sites 


The report highlighted the need for better awareness of the importance of Brownfield 

sites for declining Lepidoptera and the need for BC to work with developers and 

planners at an earlier stage of the planning process to ensure better outcomes for 

brownfield species. However, in order to do this we need more data on brownfield sites. 

We need to consider networks of sites at a landscape scale and the number of habitat 

patches needed at any one time. 

19 


Fortunately, funding from Esmee Fairbairn and Countdown 2010 has enabled staff 

in the Midlands to start to implement some of the actions identified in the brownfields 

sites dossier in a number of brownfield landscape areas. This stage of work 

commenced in April 2006 focusing on the following landscape areas: Southam Lias 

Quarries, Warwickshire, North Warwickshire brownfields, Black Country brownfields 

(including Cannock and Stoke-on-Trent), Telford and Wrekin brownfields (Shropshire), 

Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire Coalfields and the Ketton Limestone area of Rutland. 

Progress since April 2006 

A new habitat and survey recording form for brownfields has helped BC to work 

effectively with volunteers to gather detailed information about new and existing sites. 

These forms are proving invaluable for prioritising effort and the information obtained 

from them will be used to develop a GIS database. I have visited many of the sites in 

the key areas and have been thrilled at the opportunities that are out there. 

One example is a 11-13 hectare site on former colliery land which is being restored to 

limestone meadow by Nottinghamshire County Council. Jane and Barry Prater of East 

Midlands Branch met with the Restoration Engineer and Ecologist and were invited to 

draw up plans of whatever features we wanted for Dingy Skipper!! Hundreds of tonnes 

of crushed limestone, maerl, something called paper crumble (made from waste paper, 

inert and slightly alkaline that can be used to provide a rooting material) and a couple 

of bulldozers were already on site. As this is being written a 300m south-facing bank of 

maerl and crushed limestone is being sown with Bird’s-foot Trefoil. A broken hedgerow 

of hawthorn will be planted later in the season to provide further shelter. A series of trial 

plots with different substrates and seed mixes has also been established and will be 

monitored to determine which techniques give the best results. There are plans to work 

with the local community through Nottinghamshire County Council to do further planting 

and seeding, produce interpretation and to record the butterflies on the site. 

Another example is the chance to work with the Groundwork Trust on the development 

of a Quarryman’s footpath around the Hartshill quarries complex near Nuneaton 

in Warwickshire. The aims of the footpath are to raise awareness of the history of 

quarrying, local geology and impacts of quarrying on the area. Following a meeting with 

the project officer, BC are looking at opportunities to raise awareness of the importance 

of these quarries for Dingy Skipper through mentions in the project leaflet and a guided 

walk for the footpath launch in May. There is also the chance to create habitat corridors 

between the quarries where footpath maintenance can be adapted to benefit Dingy 

Skipper eg. by seeding Bird’s-foot Trefoil and by scrub clearance. 

A meeting of those with an influence over land management in the areas around 

the Blue Lias quarries near Southam, Warwickshire was held in August to discuss 

opportunities for managing, restoring and re-connecting sites in this area of huge 

importance for butterflies, moths and many other invertebrates. The Southam area 

has the only two sites for Small Blue in the West Midlands and the only site for Chalk 

Carpet moth in the whole of Warwickshire, as well as strong populations of Grizzled 

Skipper, Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper. Attendees at the meeting included 

English Nature, Cemex, the Wildlife Trust and Warwickshire County ecologists. The day 

went well and generated a number of actions to follow-up. A project proposal for the 

area will be produced from the meeting. 

20 


A key outcome from the meeting is that Cemex are keen to be involved with 

management and restoration work that benefits key species on a number of their sites 

in this part of Warwickshire which include Nelson’s Quarry, Southam Quarry and parts 

of Stockton Cutting. 

Since the start of Countdown 2010 in 

April this year, four training events have 

been held within the Midlands involving 

over 60 individuals, looking at habitat 

assessment, management and survey 

for Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, 

Chalk Carpet and Four-spotted. The 

habitat assessment training event for 

Dingy Skipper and Green Hairstreak 

at Cannock Chase has led to the 

discovery of 5 Dingy Skipper sites in 

the Cannock Chase District previously 

unknown to BC. A report has been sent Above: Habitat Assessment Training in the East Midlands 

to Staffordshire County Council with recommendations for management and habitat 

creation for three sites that they own in the Cannock Chase area. Contact has also 

been made with The Coal Authority who own one of the newly discovered colony sites 

at Huntington. They are keen to work with BC to manage the site appropriately and to 

do some small scale habitat enhancement works. Hopefully, this collaboration will lead 

to positive outcomes at other coalfield sites across England and Wales. 

Photograph © Jane Ellis 2007 

The first 3-6 months of the 

Countdown 2010 project have been 

much about filling gaps in survey 

information for key species and 

determining potential opportunities 

to protect and where possible 

expand or link existing colonies. 

We are now starting to focus effort 

in areas which can be used to 

demonstrate good practice and 

where the project can make a real 

difference. 

If you would like more information 

on the brownfields and butterflies 

project or perhaps you would like 

to help with some species survey 

work or habitat monitoring in one of 

the key areas then please contact 

me on 01788 510695 or email 

jellis@butterfly-conservation.org. 

Jane Ellis 

Above: Nelson’s Quarry near Southam, Warwickshire 

Photograph © Jane Ellis 2007 

21 


How One Woman’s Gift Will Make A World Of Difference 

When Pamela Lewis was alive, she visited Butterfly Conservation’s reserve at 

Prestbury Hill in Gloucestershire. She was inspired by that wonderful place and its 

profusion of butterflies. When Pamela died she remembered Butterfly Conservation in 

her Will with a generous gift. 

Above: View from Prestbury Hill, Gloucestershire 

In 2005 we used Pamela’s legacy to create a new nature reserve at Alners Gorse 

so that we could conserve one of the most important areas in Dorset for the Marsh 

Fritillary (and countless other rare butterflies and moths). We shall be using this new 

reserve to show other landowners from this beautiful part of Dorset, and further afield, 

how to create and maintain the habitat that the Marsh Fritillary needs for it to thrive. 

Photograph © S Cheshire 2007 

In time, Pamela’s influence on the conservation of the Marsh Fritillary could be 

enormous. 

We welcome legacy gifts of any size and every legacy we receive is put to work to 

make a lasting difference. This could be through our educational work with young 

people, or in the development of a landscape conservation project in an important 

butterfly area, or by paying for the ongoing management of our nature reserves. 

Leaving a legacy to Butterfly Conservation will not cost you anything in your lifetime 

and could reduce the amount of inheritance tax your family may have to pay on the 

value of your estate, as all legacy gifts to charity are free of tax. Best of all, though, 

you will be making a lasting contribution to the conservation of Britain’s butterflies and 

moths. 

Butterfly Conservation relies heavily on the support of 

its members and friends, so please will you consider 

making a gift to the Society in your Will? 

To talk informally, and in confidence, about 

helping Butterfly Conservation with a gift in 

your Will, please telephone me on 01403 256175, 

or write to me at our Lulworth Head Office. 

David Bridges 

Head of Fundraising 

(Butterfly Conservation Head Office) 

22 

Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire Branch Magazine 2007 

Below: Marsh Fritillary 

Photograph © Steven Cheshire 2007

Countdown 2010 

Conserving Butterflies & 

Moths at a Landscape Level 

by Jenny Joy 

The 1st April was a very special date for Butterfly Conservation in the East and 

West Midlands as it was the starting date for a new project ‘Conserving Butterflies 

and Moths at a Landscape level’. The grant for this project was provided from the 

Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund run by English Nature on behalf of Defra, 

to help the UK Government achieve its commitment to halt biodiversity loss by 2010 

(with some additional funding for the Butterfly Conservation project coming from the 

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation). A wide range of projects were funded by the Countdown 

2010 Action Fund in every region of England ranging from the ‘Cool Seas Roadshow’ 

put forward by the Marine Conservation Society to the ‘Yorkshire Dales Woodland 

Restoration Project’ but the plan is that all these projects will directly contribute to 

Biodiversity Action Plan and England Biodiversity Strategy targets. 

The Butterfly Conservation project ‘Conserving Butterflies and Moths at a Landscape 

Level’ aims to implement a targeted programme of action in 30 priority landscape 

areas across the Midlands and the East of England (covering 3 English regions). It 

is anticipated that this will involve giving management advice on more than 250 sites 

across these priority landscape areas. Developing effective partnerships with a range of 

government agencies, voluntary organisations and landowners etc. in these landscape 

areas will also be a key part of this process. 

Photograph © Mike Williams 2007 

Above: Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the Wyre Forest 2006 by Mike Williams taken during visits to collect adults as 

captive breeding stock for the re-establishment programme planned for the Forest of Feckenham area. 

23 


The Countdown 2010 project is now funding four Butterfly Conservation staff - myself, 

Jane Ellis and Anna Jordan in the Midlands, and Sharon Hearle in the East of England. 

In the Midlands area, the way the Countdown project is organised is that Jane is now 

the Midlands Brownfields sites officer (see Jane’s separate brownfields update). Anna 

is the Herefordshire Woodlands Project Officer (with Countdown funding allowing Anna 

to increase her hours to full time), and I am the West Midlands Regional Officer working 

in eleven landscape areas spread across the region. I am also now the senior officer in 

the region who organises the Midlands team which also includes Stephen Lewis (the 

Prees Heath Project Officer). As the Countdown 2010 grants run for two years we have 

obviously set ourselves ambitious targets and that is where you as branch members 

can really help us achieve this project (and in many places and landscape areas are 

already doing so)! 

During the first six months of Countdown I have been focusing on trying to ensure 

that essential survey and monitoring work takes place on important butterflies and 

moths in each of my eleven landscape areas. This has been done a) by trying to 

encourage more volunteer recording b) by employing contractors to undertake specific 

projects often involving research and c) by carrying out survey work myself. In some 

places, efforts by volunteer recorders have substantially increased our knowledge of 

key species e.g. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary at Cannock Chase, Wood White in 

south Shropshire, and Grayling and High Brown Fritillary on the Malvern Hills. This 

winter I will now be working to ensure that these records now inform site management 

by developing partnerships with key local organisations. Projects undertaken by 

contractors funded through my part of the Countdown project have included survey 

and research work on Argent & Sable moth in Shropshire and Staffordshire, Common 

Standards Monitoring for Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the Oswestry area, and High 

Brown Fritillary work in the Malvern Hills. Butterfly Conservation has also been 

successful in attracting funds from other organisations to carry out specific survey and 

monitoring projects which are as follows: a) survey for Welsh Clearwing and Argent & 

Sable on Cannock Chase Country Park (mostly as a result of funding from Staffordshire 

County Council but with some funding from Countdown), b) survey and monitoring work 

on Dingy Skipper in the Telford & Wrekin 

area (with funding from Telford & Wrekin 

Council), c) butterfly and moth survey of 

selected Herefordshire Commons (with 

funding from the Herefordshire Nature 

Trust), d) Grayling survey in the Malvern 

Hills (with funding from the Malvern 

Hills Conservators) and e) monitoring 

work on Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the 

Wyre Forest (with funding from English 

Nature). We are very grateful to all these 

organisations for providing these extra 

funds for this specific work which has 

enabled our knowledge of these species 

Above: Yatton Hill - one of the Herefordshire 

Community Commons which supports a good Dark 

Green Fritillary colony. 

to go one stage further. It is a requirement that all consultants carrying out specific 

survey work for Butterfly Conservation write up their project in the form of a report. 

Photograph © Jenny Joy 2007 

24 


Therefore, in future a brief summary of each report will be posted on branch web sites 

so that any branch members then interested in learning more about specific projects 

can contact the appropriate Butterfly Conservation officer to obtain more details. The 

first report summary to go on the web site will be ‘Common Standards Monitoring in the 

Oswestry Area JCA 2006’ by Peter Boardman. 

So where do I go from here in the next six months? Obviously my work will move 

away from the field into writing reports and having meetings to make sure we raise the 

profile of butterflies and moths in my landscape areas by making key organisations 

and local groups more aware of their presence. Perhaps one thing we have not done 

well in the past is to make the most of our good news stories by writing press releases 

and getting articles into magazines - the winter months are obviously a good time to 

be doing this! Ultimately what Butterfly Conservation really wants is for this improved 

knowledge of butterflies and moths to lead to their better conservation on the ground. 

We will obviously not achieve this on all sites we are currently involved with but we can 

hopefully begin to make a good start by giving sound management advice. 

So if you are thinking of perhaps doing more recording next year and think you could 

help with this landscape project please do get in touch with Jane, Anna or myself. 

Our landscape areas in the West Midlands are currently: Warwickshire brownfields, 

Black Country brownfields, Telford & Wrekin brownfields, Princethorpe Woodlands, 

South Shropshire Metal Mines, Cannock Chase, Forest of Feckenham, Malvern Hills, 

Herefordshire Commons, South Shropshire and Herefordshire Woods, Wyre Forest, 

South Shropshire wet flushes and rush pasture, Oswestry Uplands, and the North 

Shropshire and Staffordshire Mosses and woodlands. 

Jenny Joy 

John Carter Records Geranium Bronze in Warwickshire 

by Steven Cheshire 

The Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli) is a species 

originating from South Africa and has spread to Europe with 

imported Pelargonium plants. It is now common in parts of 

southern Spain, France and Italy with occasional records 

from Holland, Belgium and more recently, England. 

John discovered this individual on his Pelargonium plants in 

his garden in Pillerton Priors and as the photos show, this 

female had clearly mated with a male and was busily laying 

eggs on the buds of his plants. 

This is no doubt one of the most unusual Warwickshire 

butterfly records of 2006. 

Steven Cheshire 

Right: Female Geranium Bronze ovipositing on Geranium buds 

Photographs © John Carter 2007 

25 


Welches Meadow, Leam Valley - Guided Walk 9 July 2006 

by Phil Parr 

This visit to Welches Meadow, Leam Valley was my first. As usual my timing to get 

there was a bit on the tight side, so when I arrived at Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre I 

did not know its relationship to the reserve. I must have missed the rest of the party by 

seconds, but fortunately bumped into John & Maureen from Polesworth. They also did 

not know the area, but John had found the reserve entrance so we set off to explore. 

We first found woodland near the river and then found ourselves on the edge of playing 

fields with hedge rows and patches of bramble. We found the summer brood of Comma 

were on the wing – glorious in their freshness – first one, then two together, and 

then another, and then three more. Some were sunning themselves and others were 

challenging each other in spectacular aerobatic flight. The tick list grew quickly with 

Red Admirals, Meadow Browns and Ringlets added but more Commas kept appearing. 

A Humming-bird Hawkmoth seemed to take a particular interest in a patch of nettles 

– we couldn’t understand why – but then it zoomed right under our noses to give us a 

really good look. Yet another Comma landed on my shirt front – maybe that’s where the 

beer lands! 

As we neared Radford Semele just over the river we were greeted by the ringing of 

church bells – most pleasant on a sunny afternoon. Then we came across a bird hide, 

and to find what view it would give we opened the door. Inside was a surprised Jack 

Watkins with the rest of the party. It was good to meet up with them. The pool in front 

of the hide, dug only a year or two ago, had islands and shore suitable for waders, and 

Jack pointed out reeds he and the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust team planted over a year 

ago, that were getting established and will provide further habitats for bird life. A Red 

Admiral glided into view. 

Jack kindly retraced his steps to show us work he and his team have been doing in 

the woodland – ride widening and the creation of glades. They certainly have done a 

lot of work to improve the site. He said the trees were planted very close together as 

originally the site was a tree nursery, the idea being that the trees would then be moved 

to other locations, but that never happened. On our way we were still totting up more 

Commas and found seven in just one small glade. He said there seemed to be more 

than ever this year. He then directed us to the meadow and spoil bank before chasing 

off to catch up with the rest of the group. We found Marbled Whites 

but missed the Clouded Yellow that had been seen 

earlier. We puzzled over whether a Skipper was Small 

or Essex and then found another that definitely was 

Essex. We arrived back at the leisure centre having 

had a very enjoyable afternoon butterflying and 

chatting. We totalled up the number of Commas 

seen and were amazed to find a figure of 

42. Thank you Jack, and also John and 

Maureen for a good outing. 

Phil Parr 

26 


2006 Rugby Area Reports 

by Phil Parr 

Wolfhampcote 

This important local site which is part of the disused Great Central Railway has a new 

owner. The site holds colonies forming the core of local meta-populations of Grizzled 

Skipper and Green Hairstreak. The second stage of action under the management 

plan was not implemented because of the change of ownership and the well-publicised 

problems that DEFRA had with payments to farmers. It looks as if the new owner will 

take on the Stewardship Agreement including the management plan for the cutting, but 

it has taken a lot of hard work on the part of Sandra and Matt at DEFRA to persuade 

him. He is not an enthusiast of wildlife conservation, but we hope this will change once 

he gets to know us and begins to understand our aims. 

The wet May hindered recording of key species with only numbers in single figures 

seen, so this year’s survey results do not reflect how good the site really is. John 

Hoyle and John Bates saw seven Green Hairstreak on 31st May and the best count of 

Grizzled Skipper was just four. Marbled White numbers were up to their usual strength 

with 47 being seen on 12th July. 

Newbold Grounds 

This site is about a mile to the south of Wolfhampcote on the same disused railway. 

Most of the site is just across the county border in Northamptonshire. Grizzled 

Skipper was recorded here up until 2004 and hopefully is still present but the area of 

suitable habitat is relatively small. The owners are planning to take on a Higher Level 

Stewardship Agreement this year which may give opportunities to carry out some 

management to help the species. The Marbled Whites seen in 2005 did not show this 

year though 42 Common Spotted orchids were counted on the same patch. Small 

Heath still breed on set aside on a hill brow near the old railway. 

Ashlawn Cutting 

This site to the north of the previous two sites is a Local and Warwickshire Wildlife 

Nature reserve managed with help from BC members. Only two Forester moths 

were seen this year despite ten visits by recorders. Iain Reid was the lucky man on 

26th June. On the 28th June this year Paul Nicholas and I were lucky enough to find 

Sitochroa palealis, a moth which is resident along the south and south-east coast, and 

also an occasional migrant. It was perching under a flower head of its food plant Wild 

Carrot, and it proved quite difficult to photograph. There have been only two previous 

sightings of this species in Warwickshire, both from Bishops Hill in 2004 and 2005. 

Comma did very well indeed with thirty-five being recorded on a walk along the whole 

length of the cutting on 11th July. Marbled White is restricted to the grasslands to the 

south of Ashlawn Road but also did well with 107 counted on 2nd July. 

Draycote Water 

This large Severn Trent site has a number of areas of importance for butterflies and 

others with potential for improvement. The engineering department controls the 

regularity of grass cutting, and keeps it very short to spot potential trouble spots in the 

earth dams. Senior Ranger Corinne Thorpe has been keen to help where she can, and 

27 


Above: Senior Ranger Corinne Thorpe & Phil Parr planting disease-resistant Elms at Draycote 

has negotiated for an area of the Hensborough Embankment which has a magnificent 

display of wild flowers each year, but is in a less critical position from the engineer’s 

point of view, to be cut much less regularly. This should much benefit the butterfly 

population as well as our enjoyment of the plants. Large numbers of Bee Orchid have 

occurred here. 


Corinne granted us permission to plant a couple of disease-resistant elms. A 

tremendous number of dead elms are in the hedgerows of the old Bridle Road but 

we think White-letter Hairstreak is still present. Severn Trent has been advertising a 

position for a Ranger with biodiversity skills and this is a very positive step in the right 

direction. I understand they had a good response to the advert, but Corinne was very 

disappointed to find that problems with funding have meant that the employment of 

someone for this position has been put on hold. 

Due to poor weather and my not being available in the spring we didn’t see more than a 

couple of Grizzled Skipper, but are confident the Farborough colony is still strong. 

Small Heath haven’t been seen for a couple of years now on the Farborough 

Embankment but Cyril Cleaver reports seeing some on the top of Hensborough Hill 

in the Country Park. Five Clouded Yellows were seen by Sarah Parr on Farborough 

Embankment on 26th September. 

Fenny Compton Tunnel 

Following on from our meetings with British Waterways Ecologist Penny Foster in 

2005 we produced a detailed site plan. Penny was keen to see some progress being 

made, but Waterways had some unexpected serious problems with all its canal side 

maintenance when a man was drowned when a mini tractor ended up in the cut (not 

local). She persuaded her boss to let her do the work herself with fellow ecologist 

Hannah Graves, and they spent a number of days working hard. 

28 


Photograph © Phil Parr 2007 

Above: British Waterways Ecologist Penny Foster in action at Fenny Compton 

When I found out I went and joined them. Penny is pretty efficient with a chain-saw 

and two substantial areas of Hawthorn and Blackthorn were cleared to encourage the 

spread of Cinquefoil for the benefit of Grizzled Skipper. They were rewarded on a later 

visit by finding two Grizzled Skipper eggs, and on yet another visit seeing two adult 

butterflies. It is most pleasing to meet and work with two such enthusiastic people and 

a very good start to this project, and they are hoping to continue management work this 

year. 

On later visits I recorded a Marbled White here for the first time since 1999. It’s pleasing 

to think that if they are not currently breeding here, that an improvement in habitat could 

soon encourage their return. There was a good showing of Peacock here on 29th July. 

Elliot’s Field Canal Embankment 

This is another site where we have been able to meet Waterways ecologist Penny 

Foster. She was fascinated by the presence of White-letter Hairstreak in the Wych 

Elms and we were both pleased to find that most of the Elm re-growth along the 

embankment showed the tell-tale signs of larval feeding. This appears to be the best 

year for a long time for this species here. As was typical for this year the sun went in 

as we got to the site so we were only able to catch a glimpse of a couple of adults high 

in a bush. The Elms on the embankment are still succumbing to Dutch Elm disease, 

but the two disease-resistant Elms we planted earlier in the year seemed to have 

established well. Penny says she will monitor both the numbers of White-letter and the 

state of the diseased Elms and re-growth. I’m sure we can provide some useful help. 

The Malpass Site – Rugby Cement 

Apart from the successful guided walk, we held a couple of work parties. BC members 

John Rea, Cyril Cleaver and Chris Johnson and enthusiast Tony Wynn worked hard 

and we are just about managing to keep up with the inevitable scrub invasion, on this 

private site. Our thanks to Cemex for allowing us access. It was at this site that we had 

the best number of Grizzled Skipper sightings on what was otherwise a poor year for 

spring species, seven being seen on 17th June. Just two Green Hairstreak had been 

seen a week earlier. Marbled White and Small Heath numbers remain stable. 

Phil Parr 

29 


Species Spotlight - The Clouded Yellow Colias croceus 

The summer of 2006 was an excellent year for one of the common migrants of 

Warwickshire with many reports of Clouded Yellows being seen in the county and 

across the whole of the UK. 

Photograph © John Rea 2007 

Above: Helice form at Wolston in 2006 

The front cover of this magazine features a wonderful 

example of this species feeding on Verbena 

bonariensis in the gardens of Coughton Court. 

The Clouded Yellow is a truly migratory butterfly and 

a regular visitor to Britain usually in small numbers. 

The species is however famous for occasional mass 

immigrations from mainland Europe and subsequent 

breeding in the UK, episodes which are fondly and long 

remembered as ‘Clouded Yellow Years’. 


Above: One of several individuals 

seen on Weddington disused railway, 

Nuneaton 

A small proportion of female Clouded Yellows are of 

the helice form where the rich yellow colouration is 

replaced by a very pale, almost white colouration, an 

example of which was seen at Wolston. 

Clouded Yellows can be seen almost anywhere but 

do tend to congregate in flowery places where the 

larval foodplants grow. As clovers are still commonly 

cultivated, the Clouded Yellow easily finds breeding 

habitat in our modern farmed countryside. 

The larvae feed on a range of leguminous plants 

including wild and cultivated clovers, Lucerne and 

occasionally Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil. 

Forthcoming Events 

Warwickshire Branch Spring Meeting 

This year’s Spring Meeting will take place at Lapworth Village Hall on Saturday 17 

March at 2.00 pm including raffle, quiz, slides, etc. Further details to follow in the 

Warwickshire Branch Spring Newsletter. 

Ryton Wood Meadows Butterfly Reserve 

It is hoped that our new reserve will be officially opened later this Spring. Further 

details will be circulated to all members once the date has been confirmed. 

Butterfly Conservation National AGM 

This year the Warwickshire Branch will host the National Annual General Meeting of 

Butterfly Conservation on Saturday 17 November 2007. The meeting will take place at 

The Trident Centre, Warwick. Further details will be distributed to all members by Head 

Office nearer the date. 

30 


Guided Walks in the Rugby Area 

by Phil Parr 

Draycote Water 14th May am 

The weather on the morning of our walk didn’t look promising but I was pleased that 

five other diehards turned out to see what we could find. John Rea, Chris Johnson 

and Val Hill, and Eric and Julie from Higham were all eager to go. We first visited the 

amusingly named Sailboard Graveyard in hope of Grizzled Skipper. The first sightings 

of the day were not to everyone’s taste, but certainly produced some excitement. We 

lifted a corrugated iron sheet to find a couple of grass snakes - one with a substantial 

bulge indicating a recent meal. Val took a couple of steps backwards. My camera 

battery failed at the critical moment of course. 

We scanned the leaves of the Buckthorn bush but could see no sign of larval damage 

to the leaves where I had seen Brimstone eggs on my previous visit. There was 

masses of Cinquefoil but it was too cool for Grizzled Skipper to show, so we spent a 

while looking for pupae in the brambles. Talk about needles in haystacks! 

We moved on to the next paddock where we, with Severn Trent support, have recently 

planted a couple of disease-resistant Elms. These were provided by the West Midlands 

Biodiversity Partnership and our aim is to try to ensure that White-letter Hairstreak 

continues to survive here. The trees were just coming into leaf and looked healthy. 

There are a large number of dead Elms in the hedgerow of the old bridle road and a 

small amount of re-growth from root suckers, some of which are inconveniently in the 

middle of the old carriageway. At the very top of one of the taller trees we could see 

one or two leaves showing crescents of holes outlined against the sky. This is typical 

of White-letter larva, so we are confident that the species is still here even though we 

have not seen adults flying since 2003. 

A Speckled Wood was briefly spotted, and that was about it for the morning. We were 

grateful to the Severn Trent Rangers for allowing us to visit areas not normally open to 

the public. The idea of a pint and meal at The Shoulder of Mutton seemed a very good 

one, and we were soon warm and chatting in the convivial atmosphere. 

Photograph © Phil Parr 2007 

Above: Brimstone Eggs on Buckthorn 

Wolfhampcote 14th May pm 

Thus fortified we headed for 

Wolfhampcote a few miles away. The 

weather had not improved but there is 

always plenty to see when out in the 

countryside. We had more luck with the 

Buckthorns on this site. A few weeks ago 

we had held a small work-party here. 

John Rea, Keith Warmington and I had 

opened out small hollows against these 

Buckthorns by removing Hawthorn to 

create hot spots, and this had paid off as 

we counted ten Brimstone eggs. One was 

particularly white indicating recent laying. 

31 


Both the disease-resistant Elms we had planted were coming into leaf, so again we 

were pleased. We spent some time trying to pinpoint where a Turtle Dove was calling 

from, but we never did see it. Three Silver Y’s and a Small White were the best we 

could do with flying lepidoptera, but we had enjoyed the walk. 

Malpass Site 7th June 

Twelve enthusiastic people joined me to look at this site on a day that was cloudy, 

bright and warm. We met in Parkfield Road but relocated to Lea Crescent because we 

were met by new locked gates and had to use the alternative informal entrance. This 

had been cleared with CEMEX’s security staff. We forged our way through tall grasses, 

nettles and thistles to the base of the old spoil bank disturbing Banded Demoiselle 

damselflies. We were soon picking up numbers of Small Heath and Large Skipper, but 

not in the numbers I expected. We had a glimpse of a possible first Ringlet, a couple 

of Meadow Browns, and brilliant – a Grizzled Skipper – a first I think for Jan. John Rea 

discovered a Small Copper which was rather reluctant to open its wings. The day had 

become overcast but it was still very warm. Moth expert Martin Kennard had quietly 

added to the day’s count with species whose identity defeated the rest of us. The 

display of Orchids on the area of chalk was impressive for those who had not seen it 

before, but was perhaps not as vibrant as some previous years. Numbers in the glade 

were very much reduced despite Cyril’s coppicing of the willow to introduce a bit more 

light at our recent work party. We had only seen the one Grizzled Skipper up to now but 

had confirmed the earlier glimpse of Ringlet by a positive sighting. We headed through 

the long grasses and thickening hawthorn scrub to the north east corner where the day 

really picked up. The sun appeared. Two Grizzled Skipper chased by at a great rate. 

Shouts of another Large Skipper here and I’ve got a Burnet Companion, plus confusion 

over where the latest sighting of Grizzled Skipper had got to and how many there were 

added to the fun of the afternoon. Eventually we thought there were about five. One 

or two Common Blue, Latticed Heath, Yellow Shell, Speckled Wood and some Small 

Tortoiseshell larvae were found. We eventually crossed 

over the large flat area where the Malpass Quarry had 

been years ago, finding Bee Orchid, Meadow Vetchling 

and the first Knapweeds in flower. The 

increased amount of nectar sources 

brought an increase in sightings with more 

Grizzled Skipper to total seven for the day, 

Painted Lady, and Latticed Heath added 

to the list. We also found the lovely plant 

Grass Vetchling – a member of the pea family 

– its leaves look like grass and it has the most 

delicate pinkie/violet flower on a very long 

stem. The flowers only last for a day or two. 

The day had built up to a fine finish with lots 

of sunshine, butterflies and flowers. We all 

agreed it was a very successful walk. We 

appreciated CEMEX allowing us access to 

this site. 

Female Large Skipper 


Phil Parr 

32 


Warwickshire Garden Butterfly Survey 2005/6 

The spring/summer weather of 2005 was quite different from that of 2006 and this had 

quite an effect on the majority of butterfly species recorded in Warwickshire gardens. 

One species that showed a considerable difference was the Orange-Tip. In 2005 we 

had an early spring, whereas in 2006 it was about a month later. It was possibly the 

extra time for egg laying and larval feeding resulting from the early spring of 2005 that 

was responsible for the 9% increase in the number of gardens recording this species 

in 2006. Most people recorded Orange-Tips during the spring of last year but it was 

present in at least two gardens in June. It will be interesting to see if the late spring of 

2006 reduces the numbers of Orange-Tips seen this year, or if the long flight season 

will have compensated for such a late start. 

Red Admirals were recorded both so early and so late in the year that they must be 

over-wintering in Warwickshire. This has surely now become a resident species in the 

midlands. The increase of 6% of gardens recording this species in Warwickshire in 

2006 over 2005 would have been due to the large migration from Europe during the 

summer. Similarly, the migration of Painted Ladies resulted in a huge jump of 35% 

more gardens recording this species in 2006 compared to 2005. 

Comparing 2005 and 2006 as far as resident species were concerned, Large White 

declined by 7%, while Small White and Peacock increased by 3%. Peacocks emerging 

in August were not around for long as the near perfect weather meant that they could 

feed up for hibernation very quickly. I found one hibernating in my shed in the second 

week in August! Thus few Peacocks were recorded in the autumn. 

For Small Tortoiseshell it was quite a different story. A decline of 7% would have been 

much worse if some recorders had not seen their first Small Tortoiseshell of 2006 

in the autumn. It seems to be the majority opinion of experts that the decimation 

of the Small Tortoiseshell, which started in Kent and Sussex and is now spreading 

westwards and northwards, is due to a parasitic fly which has reached England from 

Europe. Although I have not yet analysed the data from the 2006 survey for the whole 

country, I get the impression that there has been some recovery of this species in 

the south east, especially in the autumn emergence. As with White-letter Hairstreak 

and Dutch Elm disease there would seem to be indications that a balance is being 

established between the butterfly and its parasite. Whether we will ever again see 

Small Tortoiseshell in the numbers we used to see in the early 1990s, when often 100% 

of gardens would record a visit, remains to be seen. 

Other species to show significant increases in visits to Warwickshire gardens in 2006 

compared with 2005 included Common Blue (8%), Holly Blue (6%), Speckled Wood 

(9%) and Small Copper (11%). Smaller increases were shown by Green-veined White 

(3%) and Large Skipper (4%). 

The only species to show a significant decline in 2006 was the Ringlet , down by 5%. 

Those showing smaller declines were Brimstone (1%), Comma (1%), Meadow Brown 

(4%) and Small Skipper (2%). Gatekeeper was recorded in the same number of 

gardens in 2006 as in 2005. 

33 


The results of the surveys for 2005 and 2006 for the 19 species which regularly visit 

Warwickshire gardens are shown in the table below: 

Species 

% Gardens recording presence of species 

2002* 2003* 2004* 2005 2006 

Most Widespread Species 

Large White 100 96 89 90 83 

Small White 83 88 77 84 87 

Red Admiral 67 88 71 84 90 

Small Tortoiseshell 79 100 86 84 77 

Peacock 84 84 83 87 90 

Less Widespread Species 

Brimstone 75 68 69 84 83 

Green-veined White 63 52 57 47 50 

Orange-Tip 79 68 60 74 83 

Common Blue 21 31 26 25 33 

Holly Blue 92 60 57 71 77 

Painted Lady 58 80 66 42 77 

Comma 79 64 63 74 73 

Speckled Wood 79 77 66 68 77 

Gatekeeper 75 64 69 77 77 

Meadow Brown 54 56 66 71 67 

Least Widespread Species 

Small Skipper 25 36 34 32 30 

Large Skipper 22 21 9 19 23 

Small Copper 13 28 37 19 30 

Ringlet 25 24 31 32 27 

* Data for 2002-2004 reproduced from last year’s magazine for comparison purposes 

Every year there are recorders lucky enough to receive visits from rarer species. In 

2006 five gardens had one or more visits from a Clouded Yellow, another migrant 

to come with the southerly winds. Brown Argus, Essex Skipper, 

Marbled White, Purple Hairstreak, Silver-washed Fritillary, Small 

Heath and White Admiral were all seen in Warwickshire gardens 

in both 2005 and 2006. 

The forecast seems to be for an even hotter 2007, not good 

news for butterflies if this is also accompanied by drought. 

Gardens will then be very important nectar sources and we 

should use every drop of waste water we can to keep our 

plants healthy, especially buddleia, which needs regular 

watering in order to produce ample nectar. 




Above: Small Copper 

34 


Clearwings And Furry Gnomes 

by Keith Warmington 

With my interest in moths growing by the day I decided to go thirds with my good 

friends John Liggins and Ron Thomas towards the purchase of a set of six pheromones 

from Anglian Lepidoptera for the attraction of Clearwing moths. Clearwings are a group 

of small to medium-sized day-flying moths that have scale-free areas on their wings 

(hence their name) and resemble wasps. 

To quote from David Brown’s ‘Larger Moths of Warwickshire’, there are 14 accepted 

resident species of ‘Clearwing’, of which 10 have been found in Warwickshire. The 

majority of species in this moth group are most elusive and consequently very much 

under-recorded in the County. 

Our intention was to add any species of Clearwing moth to our day-flying moth records 

from North Warwickshire sites that we visited throughout the year. None of us had ever 

seen a Clearwing moth in all of our combined years (nearly 190)! 

A chart was made showing habitat preference, most productive times of day and 

pheromone type for each of the likely Clearwing species. We also added likely sites in 

the County. 

We carried the pheromones with us on all our early summer site visits and usually hung 

them for ten minutes or so if we felt the habitat was suitable. Apart from many false 

alarms when flies, hoverflies and bees investigated our lures, we had no success at 

any woodland or grassland sites in North Warwickshire. 

Undeterred, we carried on until on 15th June we visited Pooley Fields Nature Reserve 

at Alvecote where we had our only success of the year. We were aware that there were 

historical records of Six-belted Clearwing having been sweep netted at this site (the last 

in 2002), so we thought we may have a chance. 

Photographs © Keith Warmington 2007 

Above: A pair of Six-belted Clearwings attracted to a pheromone lure and close-up 

35 


The larval foodplant of the Six-belted Clearwing is Bird’s-foot-trefoil so we hung up 

the appropriate lure near a patch of this plant and I wandered off to photograph Bee 

Orchids while John kept lookout and Ron stood by with the net. I had just got myself 

into a prone position to photograph a particularly good orchid specimen when the 

shout went up from John ‘We’ve got one’! I looked up to see Ron doing a dance in his 

excitement and wielding the net in front of him. With excitement that didn’t become 

gentlemen of our years we had seen our first Six-belted Clearwing. We continued with 

the lure in two other areas of the reserve and attracted a total of 5 individuals. 

Finding our first species of Clearwing fired our enthusiasm for the rest of the summer 

but alas we never struck lucky again. We will be carrying on in 2007 as the pheromones 

last a couple of years if stored in the freezer between uses. Hopefully we will find more 

species or record in a new map square now we have been bitten by the pheromone 

bug (or furry gnome as we like to call it). 

Keith Warmington 

Branch Publications 

Warwickshire Butterflies 

Copies of “Warwickshire’s Butterflies” 

are still available - please contact Keith 

Warmington (Branch Vice Chairman) 

directly for further details. 

Warwickshire Moths 

Also still available, direct from the author 

is the “Larger Moths of Warwickshire” 

publication by David Brown. 

This wealth of information brings together 

the knowledge of local lepidopterists past 

and present, thereby providing for the 

first time a complete history of almost 

600 species of macro-moths which have 

occurred in Warwickshire since the 19th 

Century. 

• Hardback 

• Over 380 pages, 24 full colour plates 

• Information on Foodplants 

• Flight Periods 

• Historic Changes in Distribution 

• Population Trends 

• Habitat Requirements 

• Moth Conservation 

If you wish to purchase a copy of this 

book at a cost of £35.00 (plus P&P) 

please contact David Brown (Branch 

Moth Conservation Officer) directly. 

36 


2006 Butterfly Highlights – A Triumph for Woodland Species! 

by Keith Warmington 

As the butterfly records from 2006 still tumble through my letter box I thought I would 

review the highlights of the year. 

Records of the Grizzled Skipper were widespread but I don’t think any single count 

reached double figures. Dingy Skipper on the other hand was seen in good numbers, 

particularly at North Warwickshire sites where 47 were counted on one day at Alvecote, 

46 at Mancetter Quarry and 32 at Kingsbury Colliery Spoilheap. 

Wood White had a poor showing at Ryton and Wolford. Brimstone seemed to have a 

good year with 3 seen in Ilmington as late as 29th October. 

Green Hairstreak seemed somewhat elusive although recorded in small numbers 

at the usual sites. Our own Ryton Wood Meadow reserve had good numbers with 

14 counted on 4th June. The exceptional number of Purple Hairstreak sightings can 

probably be attributed to the hot summer weather drying up the honeydew on the tree 

top leaves forcing the butterflies to nectar low down where they were easily seen. 

White-letter Hairstreak sightings were sporadic and once again the hedgerow Elms 

were badly hit with disease. 

The Small Blue at Bishops Heaps 

peaked at about 23 on 6th June. 

Common Blue were perhaps not as 

numerous as in some previous years 

and did not seem to last as long into 

late summer. 

Brown Argus was widespread but in 

very small numbers and appears to 

be spreading with records from the 

Tame Valley for the first time. Marbled 

White was also found in the Tame 

Valley and at Hartshill Quarry which 

are our most northerly sightings. 

Above: Marbled White 

The most amazing sighting of Holly Blue was of a female fished out of a garden pond 

(alive!) in Yardley, Birmingham on 4th December! We still can’t decide if this is a late 

third brood or an early spring emergence! 

White Admiral had an excellent year particularly at Ryton. 

Purple Emperor continued to survive another year at Ryton and Oversley Wood 

and many of us were rewarded with early morning views of males on the ground at 

Oversley Wood and Ryton Country Park. 


37 


Red Admiral was without doubt the star of the late summer and autumn and regular 

sightings of 40 to 60 individuals nectaring together on ivy flowers in September and 

October were reported. No doubt the high numbers were of migrants from continental 

Europe and north Africa. 

Painted Lady was another migrant that had a good showing throughout the year 

(43 seen at Ladywalk on 28th July), but in my opinion the migrant of the year was 

the Clouded Yellow with sightings throughout the county including 15 together near 

Gaydon. This species was still being seen well into November. 

On the subject of migrants, the record of a Monarch from Great Alne Mill was 

interesting and appears to be one of the only non-coastal sightings in the UK. 

Other exotics reported included Geranium Bronze and Long-tailed Blue. Alas, the 

expected invasion of Camberwell Beauty didn’t materialise! 

Small Tortoiseshell is the species that stands out as having a very poor year and was 

easily eclipsed by the Peacock and the Comma. The latter doing particularly well, with 

double figure sightings from many sites. 

Photographs © Keith Warmington 2007 

Above: The Small Tortoiseshell and a Female Silver-washed Fritillary at Ryton Wood. 

Silver-washed Fritillary is my butterfly of the year. An exceptional showing at known 

breeding sites (particularly Ryton Wood and Coughton Park) led to this species roaming 

far and wide in Warwickshire. Many people were lucky enough to attract them into their 

garden with buddleia. Garden sightings ranged from Middleton and Arley in the north of 

the county, through Kenilworth and Warwick and as far south as Ilmington. There were 

many sightings from woodlands where the species had not previously been recorded, 

such as Kingsbury Wood, New Park Wood and Brandon Wood. 

Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Gatekeeper all did well but did not seem to last long on the 

wing. Small Heath numbers were generally low. 

Thanks to all our members who sent in records and please keep them coming in 2007. 


38 


Immigrant Larger Moths in Warwickshire 2006 

by David Brown 

2006 was a remarkable year for immigrants throughout the British Isles with this County 

being no exception. The year was highlighted by 2 new migratory species for VC38, 

Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera and Golden Twin-Spot Chrysodeixis 

chalcites. 

The Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera showed the most notable increase 

with an incredible 107 individuals recorded, eclipsing the previous annual best of 

7 in 1992. The significance of this huge figure becomes even more apparent when 

compared to a total of 40 noted between 1859 and 2005. 

Other species to enjoy record years in Warwickshire were: 

Great Brocade Eurois occulta, (5 records) previous best 3 in 1995 

Delicate Mythimna vitellina, (12 records) previous best 10 in 1992 

Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua, (49 records) previous best 23 in 1996 

Two Blair’s Mocha Cyclophora puppillaria were caught adding to a solitary record in 

1978. 

Seven Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli were reported, making it the best 

year for this spectacular species in the County since 1846. 

The Commoner migrants fared well too and good numbers of Humming-bird Hawkmoth 

Macroglossum stellatarum were reported throughout the Summer in many 

gardens. Mild weather continued to the end of the year and Silver Y Autographa 

gamma was still in evidence at light traps in late December. 

Detailed records of less Common Species: 

Blair’s Mocha Cyclophora puppillaria 

25th September, Guys Cliffe, Warwick (M Walsh) 

29th October, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 

Vestal Rhodometra sacraria 

25th July, Hillmorton, Rugby (D I Porter) 

14th September, Hampton Magna (P J Robbins) 

15th (2), 16th, 22nd (2) September, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 

16th September, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 

16th September, Ryton Meadows (A J Prior, V Weston) 

16th September, Tile Hill, Coventry (A J Kolaj) 

20th, 22nd September, Warwick (S D Taylor, A T Visick) 

21st September, Keresley, Coventry (N J Stone) 

23rd September (2), Brandon Marsh (Warwickshire Bird Group) 

23rd September, Leamington Spa (M Kennard) 

24th September, Bilton (D Cox) 

20th October, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 

Above: Humming-bird Hawk-Moth 

feeding on Buddleia 


39 


Gem Orthonama obstipata 

28th October, Bidford on Avon (R M Cox) 

Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli 

2nd September, Oxhill Nr Tysoe (G Moore) 

16th September, Warwick (S D Taylor) 

23rd September, Brandon Marsh (Warwickshire Bird Group) 

23rd September (2), Cross Hands Quarry (C Ivin, R G Bliss) 

25th September, Oken Road, Warwick (Mr Kelsy) 

29th September, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 

Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica 

1st June, Pillerton Priors (C Ivin) 

Great Brocade Eurois occulta 

3rd August, Central Rugby (I G M Reid) 

4th August, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 

14th August, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 

15th, 17th August, Solihull (R Ledbury) 

Delicate Mythimna vitellina 

21st, 24th, 29th September, 14th October, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 


1st, 18th, 25th, 27th October, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 

16th October, Cheylesmore, Coventry (M Doughty-Lee) 

24th October, Hillmorton, Rugby (D I Porter) 

White Speck Mythimna unipuncta 

5th December, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 

Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua 

19th June, 29th, 30th July, 1st, 4th (2), 6th (3), 11th, 13th, 19th, 25th August, 

Charlecote (D C G Brown) 

25th, 26th, 27th (3) July, 4th (3), 13th August, 30th September, Temple Grafton (A F 

Gardner) 

25th, 28th July, 4th August, 2nd September, Warwick, (S D Taylor, A T Visick) 

14th July, 8th August (2), Bidford on Avon (R M Cox) 

25th, 27th July, 6th (2), 24th August, 14th September, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 

25th, 28th July (2), 23rd September (2), Leamington Spa (M Kennard) 

29th July (4), Toft Farm, Dunchurch (M Kennard, N J Stone, D C G Brown) 

1st, 16th August, Bilton (D Cox) 

16th August, Ryton Meadows (M Astley, A Prior, V Weston) 

25th September, Coventry (P Cashmore) 

Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera 

1st (2), 16th August, 14th October, Bilton (D Cox) 

2nd, 10th, 13th, 28th August, 16th, 17th, 20th, 29th September, 2nd, 21st, 28th (2), 31st 

October, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 

40 


2nd August, Earlsdon, Coventry, (D Cox) 

4th, 6th, 15th August, 3rd, 4th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 17th (2), 20th, 23rd September, 6th 

October, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 

6th August, 14th September, Hampton Magna (P J Robbins) 

15th, 29th August, 27th September, Central Rugby (I G M Reid) 

5th, 24th August, 4th, 5th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th September, 18th 

October, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 

12th August (2), Wyken, Coventry, (C Potter) 

15th, 24th August, Tile Hill, Coventry (A J Kolaj) 

20th, 25th, 29th August, 1st, 4th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th (2), 20th, 26th, 27th, 30th 

September, 2nd, 7th (2), 12th October, Warwick, (S D Taylor, A T Visick) 

25th, 31st August, 3rd (2), 12th, 16th (3), 20th, 23rd, 27th, 30th (3) September, 

Leamington Spa (M Kennard) 

26th (2), 31st August, 17th, 23rd September, Bidford on Avon (R M Cox) 

4th, 16th September, Baddesley Ensor (K Warmington) 

16th September (2), Ryton Meadows (A Prior, V Weston) 


23rd September, Oversley Wood (D Grundy) 

23rd September (2), Brandon Marsh (Warwickshire Bird Group) 

25th September Earlsdon, Coventry (S Howarth) 

18th October, Coundon, Coventry (M Smyth) 

Bordered Straw Heliothis peltigera 

26th May, 30th June, Leamington Spa (J Watkins) 

21st June, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 13th August, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 

22nd, 29th June, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 

17th June (2), Hampton Magna (P J Robbins) 

15th June, Pooley Country Park, Alvecote (K Warmington) 

28th July, 8th August, Leamington Spa (M Kennard) 

29th July (3), Toft Farm, Dunchurch (M Kennard, D C G Brown) 

30th July, 4th August, Bidford on Avon (R M Cox) 

8th, 21st, 27th, 31st August, 1st, 15th 

September, Hillmorton, Rugby (P F Nicholas) 

21st August, Central Rugby (I G M Reid) 

20th August, Warwick (S D Taylor) 

Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera 

(New for Warwickshire) 

24th June, Charlecote (D C G Brown) 

Golden Twin-spot Chrysodeixis chalcites 

(New for Warwickshire) 

18th September, Grendon (R J Thomas) 

Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni 

25th July, Temple Grafton (A F Gardner) 

David C G Brown 

Above: Golden Twin-Spot 


41 


Warwickshire VC38 Macro Moth Report 2006 

by David Brown 

2006 was one of the most exciting years on record for moths in Warwickshire. Many 

interesting and unusual species were recorded, including four completely new to the 

County. Two of these were uncommon migrants, the Eastern Bordered Straw at 

Charlecote on 24 June (D Brown) and the Golden Twin-spot on 18 September at 

Grendon (R J Thomas). The Silver Hook was noted for the first time when two were 

caught in Sutton Park on 17 June (N Stone, H Skelcher) followed by a third on 16 July 

(D Grundy). It seems likely these are the result of a recent colonisation as the area was 

thoroughly worked by lepidopterists during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The 

4th new addition, the Small Ranunculus, had virtually disappeared from Great Britain 

by 1914 and apart from half a dozen records up to 1939 was not seen again until 1997. 

In the past decade the species has spread north and westward from a nucleus in North- 

West Kent. This year for the first time it was recorded in Warwickshire at Rugby on 30 

August and 18 September (I Reid, D Porter). 

The Feathered Ranunculus was also recorded in Rugby on 12 October (P Nicholas), 

this being a significant record as the previous two records were from the Stratfordupon-Avon 

district. 

Other interesting catches included: Red Sword-grass, 9 May, Solihull (R Ledbury); 

18 October, Warwick, (A Visick); Light Knot Grass, 7 June, Earlsdon Coventry (S 

Howarth) (first record since 1899); Four-dotted Footman, 26 June, Oversley Wood (D 

Grundy) and Neglected Rustic, 9 September, Sutton Park, (D Grundy). 

In a year full of surprises the sighting of an Argent & Sable in Hay Wood on 8 June (D 

Brown) after a 9 year absence was proof the species is still hanging on at this location. 

The Scarlet Tiger, assisted by some very hot weather during July, made northward 

progress into Warwickshire with individuals recorded in garden moth traps on 1 July in 

Warwick (S Taylor), Kenilworth (P Thompson) and Bidford on Avon (R Cox), followed by 

two more at Warwick on 3 and 6 July (S Taylor, A Visick). There is evidence this species 

may have already colonised Cross Hands Quarry in the South of the County, where 

an unprecedented 18 were attracted to light traps on 2 July at a Warwickshire Moth 

Group recording evening. This occasion was also memorable for 10 Privet Hawk, 50 

Coronet, a Reddish Light Arches and a Marbled Green. 

The warm summer followed by a mild September and October produced the best and 

most prolonged showing of uncommon to rare immigrants in the County since recording 

began. It was an exceptional year for Scarce Bordered Straw with over 100 recorded 

(previous highest total 7 in 1992). Other highlights were Blair’s Mocha, 25 September, 

Guys Cliffe Warwick (M Walsh) and 29 October, Hillmorton Rugby (P Nicholas); Striped 

Hawk-moth, 1 June, Pillerton Priors (C Ivin); Cosmopolitan, 31 October, Hillmorton 

Rugby (P Nicholas) and Ni Moth, 25 July, Temple Grafton (A Gardner). 

David C G Brown 

42 


Warwickshire Branch Committee 


Chairman, Membership Secretary 

Kenilworth Area Liaison Officer 

3 The Deer Leap, Kenilworth, CV8 2HQ 

Mike Slater 

Butterfly Conservation Officer 

Coventry Area Liaison Officer 

149 Norton Leys, Rugby, CV22 5RS 

Richard Lamb 

Education Officer, Stratford Liaison Officer 

Stratford Butterfly Farm, Swan’s Nest Lane, 

Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7LS 

John Liggins 

Treasurer, Nuneaton & Bedworth Liaison Officer 

42 Manor Park Road, Nuneaton, CV11 5HR 

Heather Warmington 

Branch Meeting Secretary 

30 New Street, Baddesley Ensor, Atherstone, CV9 2DW 


Vice Chairman, Branch Butterfly Recorder, North 

Warwickshire Liaison Officer & Field Trip Organiser 

30 New Street, Baddesley Ensor, Atherstone,CV9 2DW 

David Brown 

Moth Conservation Officer 

Warwickshire Branch Moth Recorder 

Jacksons Lawn, Charlecote, Nr. Warwick, CV35 9EW 

Phil Parr 

Deputy Conservation Officer, Rugby Area Liaison Officer 

174 Hillmorton Road, Rugby, CV22 5AW 

John Reeve 

Solihull/Sutton Coldfield/Birmingham 

Area Liaison Officer 

172 Stroud Road, Shirley, B90 2LA 

Nigel Stone 

Micro Moth Recorder/Deputy Moth Officer 

8 Grove Lane, Keresley End, Coventry, CV7 8PN 

Steven Cheshire & Debbie Hibbitt 

Magazine Editors 

85 Grasmere Crescent, Nuneaton, CV11 6EB 

t: 01926 512343 

e: margaret@kworth71.freeserve.co.uk 

t: 01788 335881 

e: mike.slater@rugby.gov.uk 

t: 01789 299288 

e: sales@butterflyfarm.co.uk 

t: 024 7673 5227 

e: john.liggins@ntlworld.com 

t: 01827 715873 

e: heather@warmies.co.uk 

t: 01827 715873 

e: keith@warmies.co.uk 

t: 01789 840295 

e: davidcgbrown@yahoo.co.uk 

t: 01788 578272 

e: phil.parr@prismicblue.com 

t: 0121 744 3869 

e: johnreeve@ic24.net 

t: 024 7633 5189 

e: njstone@hotmail.com 

t: 07870 598691 / 07814 035363 

e: steven@steven-cheshire.co.uk 

e: debbie@creativebynature.co.uk 

Regional Officers 

Jane Ellis 

15 Morrison Park Road, West Haddon, NN6 7BJ 

Dr Jenny Joy 

The Croft, Off Haygate Road, Wellington, Telford, TF1 2BW 

t: 01788 510695 

e: jellis@butterfly-conservation.org 

t: 01952 249325 

e: jjoy@butterfly-conservation.org 

43 


Photograph © David Green 2007 

Above: Hummingbird Hawk-moth - A common sight for many in the summer of 2006 

Head Office, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP 

t: 0870 7744309 

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w: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org 

This Magazine is published by the Warwickshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation 

Company Limited by Guarantee 

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2007 Magazine Version 05.indd - Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire

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