Comma No94 Spring 2016
32 page Butterfly Magazine designed for the West Midlands branch of Butterfly Conservation
32 page Butterfly Magazine designed for the West Midlands branch of Butterfly Conservation
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Butterfly Transects 2015<br />
John Tilt, Branch Transects Co-ordinator, highlights some recent trends in the West Midlands<br />
Since1970 volunteers have walked a<br />
predetermined route for 26 weeks recording<br />
numbers and species of butterflies seen. In recent<br />
years the data from the walks can be recorded on<br />
line at http://www.ukbms.org/mydata/ This system<br />
has greatly improved the inputs and the amount of<br />
information we can obtain from the data.<br />
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary<br />
The stronghold of this species is in Wyre Forest where<br />
a tremendous amount of habitat work has been done. The<br />
numbers vary considerably from year to year but numbers on<br />
the transects are decreasing.<br />
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary<br />
In the West Midlands:<br />
57 Transects were walked in 2015 – the most in the<br />
last 10 years<br />
87,807 butterflies were recorded and 41 species<br />
(exc. moths)<br />
Estimated recorder time 2200 hours<br />
The lowest recorded species – Clouded Yellow<br />
The highest recorded species – Meadow Brown<br />
2015 can be classified as a good year - above<br />
average for the last 5 years<br />
Losses and gains over the last 5 years on<br />
regularly walked transects<br />
Significant Losers<br />
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary<br />
Pearl-bordered Fritillary<br />
Small Copper<br />
White-letter Hairstreak<br />
Small Heath<br />
Peacock<br />
Significant Winners<br />
Brimstone<br />
Small Tortoiseshell<br />
Large Skipper<br />
Brown Hairstreak<br />
Common Blue<br />
Dark Green Fritillary<br />
If anyone is interested in helping or even setting up a<br />
transect please contact John Tilt at 01386 792458<br />
or email john.tilt2@btopenworld.com<br />
Pearl-bordered Fritillary<br />
This butterfly is experiencing a similar decline to its close<br />
relative, and again we have great variation in results from<br />
year to year. Unlike the Small Pearl-bordered we have a<br />
number of transects monitoring this species, at Coppett<br />
Hill, Ewyas Harold Common, Haugh Wood and three in<br />
Wyre Forest. Again Wyre Forest is the core site. These<br />
rarer species are also monitored with time counts which is<br />
often the best survey method. The new on-line transect<br />
system now has a facility to record timed counts so in the<br />
future the data will be available on line.<br />
Pearl-bordered Fritillary<br />
Brimstone<br />
This species shows a positive increase over the last 5 years.<br />
In 2015 we had 45 sites recording Brimstone and Grafton<br />
Wood had by far the highest count. Amazingly, although<br />
Grafton has such a good population there is very little larval<br />
food plant (Buckthorn). So Brimstone relies on the flower<br />
rich rides as a nectar source.<br />
8<br />
the <strong>Comma</strong>
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