Field Trips for 2018 Contents Click Item to Go Directly to Page Contacts
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Number 65 SURREY Skipper Spring/Summer 2018 47 field trips for 2018 Contents click item to go directly to page Contacts......................2 Dates ........................10 Quiz ........................21 Chairman ....................3 Egg Hunts ..................11 Robert Byron ..............22 Annual Report ..............4 Email Appeal ..............12 WCBS ........................23 50th Anniversary ..........5 Field Trips..............13-16 Transect data..........24-29 Steve Wheatley ............6 Branch Website ..........17 iRecord ....................30 Big Butterfly Count ........6 Social Media ..............17 New Members ............31 Malcolm Bridge ............7 Transects ..................18 Membership................32 Surrey Atlas ................7 White-letter Hairstreak 19 Garden Moth Scheme ....32 Small Blue Project ........8 Weather Watch............20 Moths ..................33-35 Oaken Wood ..............10 Photo Show ................21 Back-page Picture ........36 Butterfly Conservation Saving butterflies, moths Surrey & SW London & our environment Surrey Skipper 2 Spring 2018 Branch Committee LINK Committee emails Chair: Simon Saville (first elected 2016) 07572 612722 Conservation Adviser: Ken Willmott (1995) 01372 375773 County Recorder: Harry Clarke (2013) 07773 428935, 01372 453338 Field Trips Organiser: Mike Weller (1997) 01306 882097 Membership Secretary: Ken Owen (2015) 01737 760811 Moth Officer: Paul Wheeler (2006) 01276 856183 Skipper Editor & Publicity Officer: Francis Kelly (2012) 07952 285661, 01483 278432 Transects & WCBS Coordinator: Bill Downey (2015) 07917 243984, 020 8949 5498 Treasurer: Peter Camber (2011) 020 8224 2957 Oaken Wood: Harry Clarke & Bill Downey see above Social Media: Francis Kelly (& Mick Rock) see above Website: Francis Kelly & Ken Owen see above Committee member: Clive Huggins (2014) 020 8942 7846 Other contacts County Moth Recorder: Graham Collins see butterfly-conservation.org/surreymoths Media [email protected] Websites butterfly-conservation.org/surrey butterfly-conservation.org/surreymoths Recording irecord.org.uk FACEBOOK Branch page ..Butterfly Conservation in Surrey Twitter @BC_Surrey Mick Rock’s group ............Surrey Butterflies @surreymoths Branch group ........................Surrey Moths Surrey Skipper thank you to all contributors copy deadline published online Spring Feb 28 ..................mid-March ......................includes new season’s field trips Autumn Sep 30 ..................mid-October ......................previews AGM & Members’ Day I The full Surrey Skipper is published online only. A Small (essential) Skipper is posted to the 15% of members for whom we do not have an email address. I Front-page photo: Dark Green Fritillary pair, melanistic female above, Newlands Corner, June 26, 2017. Gary Margetts This was the winner of our Members’ Day Photo Show in November. LINKS When reading on screen, click underlined link to visit webpage ©Surrey Skipper is published by Surrey & SW London branch of Butterfly Conservation, a charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and Scotland (SCO39268). Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468). VAT No: GB 991 2771 89 Registered office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP Tel 01929 400209 Surrey Skipper 3 Spring 2018 Chairman Simon Saville YOU probably all know by now spider have been recorded in that 2018 is Butterfly the past few years. Find out Conservation’s 50th more at: www.insectinside.me Anniversary. In that time it You can see that the Branch has grown into an is increasing its focus on internationally respected conservation. Last year we charity whose work is finalised the Butterfly and underpinned by a sound Moth Regional Action Plan for scientific base. the South East, and this is Although butterflies and driving our priority actions. moths still remain under To support this, we now have severe pressure, much good species champions for some of work has been done to help preserve species our highest priority butterflies. and the environments that support them. The champion is the focal point for The paid staff – now 80+ across the UK – is information and activity about the species supplemented by an army of volunteers within the Branch and liaises with who run the Branches and carry out vital champions in other branches to share conservation work. information and expertise: My thanks to the many volunteers who I Wood White & Silver-studded Blue have joined work parties at Oaken Wood ....................................Harry Clarke (led by Harry Clarke) and on chalk I Grayling ......................Graham Cotten grassland sites for the Small Blue project I (led by Fiona Haynes, see page 8). Adonis & Small Blue ........Gail Jeffcoate I White-letter Hairstreak ......Bill Downey The Branch has received a generous I legacy of £25,970 from the estate of Eric Brown Hairstreak Wynn, a member who lived in Guildford. Harry Clarke & Bill Downey In discussion with the family, we have If you are interested in becoming a allocated £10,000 each to the Small Blue species champion for a particular butterfly and Wood White projects (when that is fully or moth, please get in touch. funded). We will reserve the remainder for It is not just about butterflies – I am keen future projects, e.g. London. that we do more for moths. Have you Along with the other “London” Branches, thought of joining the Surrey Moths Group? we are helping Head Office to prepare a butterfly-conservation.org/surreymoths funding proposal for a Big City Butterflies Or maybe taking part in the project in the capital. If we are successful, Garden Moths Scheme? this exciting initiative will start next year Alan Lobb has succeeded Janet Cheney as and run for several years. coordinator for our area. You need to be We are proposing a project that combines quick, as registration closes on March 26. habitat management with surveying and Alongside the conservation work, we monitoring, and focuses on community need to make more people aware of what engagement – connecting people with the we do and how they can get involved – green spaces around them. We are taking whether by joining a field trip, helping out inspiration from a study of Warwick at a work party, or recording. This leads me Gardens, a small and nondescript park in on to publicity and events. Peckham, where 555 species of insect and I continued next page Surrey Skipper 4 Spring 2018 I SIMON SAVILLE from previous page We have produced a new A5 leaflet (right) about our Branch – you can download it from the welcome module on our website’s home page. It is aimed at non-specialist audiences and is something to hand out whenever we are at an event, giving a talk – or just chatting with friends. If you would like some copies, please contact me. This leaflet will soon be supplemented by others from the Branch (Small Blue, Oaken Wood) and from Head Office. A presence at public events is an important and effective way of raising the profile of Butterfly Conservation and attracting new Branch members and volunteers. Thanks to Clive Huggins and a small army of volunteers, we had a successful stand at the RHS Wisley Butterflies in the Greenhouse event in February, attracting a lot of interest from visitors. Front page of our new Branch leaflet Mark your calendar for these events throughout the year: I Apr-Sep: Branch field trips to some of the best sites in the area Please get in touch if you are able to help I Apr 6-8: BC’s International Symposium, at these events in any way. Southampton University At the AGM in November, four of the I May 19: Branch stand, Wildlife Committee stood down: Malcolm Bridge, Gardeners’ Day, London Wetland Centre Geoff Eaton, Janet Cheney and Jenny I May/June: Open Day at a Small Blue Shalom. I thank them all for their support site (details being finalised) and dedication. In particular, Geoff served I Jul 14: New Members’ Day, Juniper Hall for nine years and Malcolm for a I Nov 3: Members’ day & 2018 AGM, remarkable 18 years (see page 7). King George V Hall, Effingham Let’s hope for a good summer! Annual Report 2017 Simon Saville AS last year, we are again producing an I An alert will be emailed when the 2017 Annual Report. This time we will focus on Report is available to download. the online version, and send a hard copy I only to people who request one. If you would like a printed copy , This approach will save us around of the 2017 report £1,000, money that we can direct to much- please email: needed conservation projects. [email protected] Surrey Skipper 5 Spring 2018 50th Anniversary Simon Saville BUTTERFLY Conservation grassland – a priority habitat was registered as a charity on in London – and supports 26 March 7, 1968. species of butterfly, including To mark the 50th White-letter Hairstreak, anniversary, branches all Purple Hairstreak, over the UK held a Small Copper, Conservation Day of Action Marbled White and on Saturday, March 10. Clouded Yellow. Ours was at Barnes There is nature under our Common in SW London, noses, even in London! although it will have taken There will be other place by the time you read activities throughout the year this. Together with the to mark the anniversary. Friends of Barnes Common, We will hold an open day we had a stall on Barnes in the summer on one of our Green, plus conservation work parties, Small Blue project sites – look out for an nature walks and a family butterfly trail. email on this, or get in touch with me later The Friends produced a special edition of for information. their newsletter On the Common. Listen out for Butterfly Conservation Our message is: “Butterfly Conservation on the Radio 4 Appeal, read by has been saving butterflies and moths for Alan Titchmarsh, to be broadcast 50 years; together, we can continue to between March and May. protect wildlife and the world we share”. See national plans for the anniversary in Barnes Common has areas of acid the March issue of Butterfly. Organiser Could you contribute to the success of Feb: RHS Wisley; Jul: New Members’ Day Surrey Branch? Nov: Members’ Day We need an Events Organiser.