Commathe No.97 Spring 2017 Regional Magazine of West Midlands Butterfly Conservation iRecord: New recording system Marbled Whites: A record year butterflies and moths back to inging Brita Br in • www .west .uk midlands-butterflies.org Chairman’s Address Chairman’s Address AGM is to be held at Woolhope was still being expressed that The Branch in Focus Village Hall on Saturday November climate change would give us Comma (Stephen Lewis) 18th. Further details of this event warmer summers, and indeed we ince the last time I lot of work to steer us through this. next time. had some good ones then. I’d Swrote to you progress This has been our priority, but we are always felt that nature was surviving has been made on some also still making steady progress with WCBS well in urban settings as a key issues featured in the the new website. We will need material Scott Martin is the Branch Co- counterpoint to the effects of Cover story winter edition. The main to enter onto the website in due course, ordinator for the Wider Countryside intensive agriculture in the open Pearl-bordered Fritillary item is the implementation which will have a facility for photos, Butterfly Survey. This is a national countryside. So it was a shock to photographed by Simon Peter Seal of an online casual blogs and local news. Our success in scheme where volunteers walk a learn from a study carried out by Primrose in the Wyre Forest recording facility to make entering and this depends on members’ contributions. route twice a year on randomly Kent University and the Centre for on 14th May 2014. Guided collating records easier. At our AGM it selected one kilometre squares in Ecology and Hydrology that urban walks to see this butterfly are was resolved that we should seek to New members open countryside. The information butterflies have in the last twenty taking place during May at use iRecord following a presentation When you joined Butterfly Conservation is fed into the national UKBMS years or so declined by 69%, faster Haugh Wood and Wyre Forest by John Tilt. you should have received an Annual Report. To make life easier than the equivalent of 45% in rural – see Dates for your Diary From April, as previously mentioned, information pack from Dorset. I have to for volunteers the scheme has areas. The study recommended three found on the south transect. pages for details. we have regrettably lost the services of acknowledge that more can be done adopted a new online data managing road verges for wild After concerns about numbers seen Nigel Stone, so anyone who wishes by the Branch to engage new entry system – their newsletter flowers and insects, using fewer last summer it shows butterflies are Contributions to send in casual records should now members, so we shall be holding a gives some tips about finding chemicals and leaving more capable of hanging on. use iRecord. It is a straightforward meeting in Worcester on Wednesday volunteers. It requires less wild areas in gardens and Please send articles and ...urban process to register, and John has June 21st (please see Dates for commitment than a parks. The positive side images to the editor at butterflies have [email protected]. persuaded iRecord to set up a separate your Diary page 29). We shall present transect walked every in the last twenty is that we belong Photographs should be sent section for West Midlands records. information about the Branch and week, but is important years or so declined to an established Peter Seal, Branch Chair separately rather than Once you have registered you can opportunities for involvement. The in rounding out a by 69%, faster than charity dedicated to the equivalent of embedded in a document, enter your items either singly or as a list. meeting will also include a talk by picture of butterfly combatting this, and The record(s) will then be subject to on efforts to save the populations. Transects 45% in rural we have evidence that and of as high a resolution as Mel Mason areas. Correction possible. The opinions verification. The Branch is fortunate to Grayling on the Malvern Hills. Do give us extended knowledge BC’s conservation efforts On page 27 of the previous edition of expressed in this magazine are have a number of people who have please also look on Facebook for live of trends over a period of years in do pay dividends. For instance The Comma there was a photograph not necessarily those of the stepped forward to act as County information about what has been key locations, but we also need to in spite of few adult sightings in with the caption Starry-night Cracker, West Midlands Branch Recorders and Verifiers. Please have a spotted around the West Midlands, survey what is happening 2016, 555 Brown Hairstreak which was also referred to in the text. or of Butterfly Conservation. look at John’s article on page 11 for a forthcoming events, information about elsewhere. I know I am repeating eggs were found within our Grafton Eagle-eyed member Pauline Morgan has list of County Recorders and an butterflies and moths and varied what has already been stated in a Wood reserve – that makes cutting pointed out that the butterfly is in fact BC West Midlands Butterflies and Moths explanation of how to use iRecord to feedback on a host of activities. previous address, but if you are blackthorn worthwhile! I can only Red Cracker, Hamadryas amphinome. Butterfly Conservation enter online casual records. I would like Herefordshire still leads the way interested please support Scott by report what I know about, so do Many thanks to Pauline for the correction. West Midlands to extend a big thank you to John on in having an active local membership offering to undertake a couple send in other examples of how the @WestMidlands_BC behalf of the Branch as he has done a group, so to mark this our Branch of walks. Scott’s email address is Branch’s conservation activity is We are bringing forward the deadline [email protected] succeeding to the editor. dates for The Comma by one month. At the time of writing I have just The deadline for the next issue is 31st Copy deadline Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468) Urban decline seen my first butterflies of the year, August. Please send your items for The deadline for copy for the Registered office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP. Twenty years ago when I was living which brings me a note of inclusion to the editor as soon as autumn edition of The Comma in Birmingham I remember seeing encouragement because two of possible before that date, as The Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) is 31st August 2017, but about 20 Red Admirals well into them were Commas at Monkwood, Comma is sent to the printers shortly after contributions are welcomed and in Scotland (SCO39268) November feeding on fallen pears where we failed to record any last the deadline. well in advance of that date. next door. At that time optimism year on the north transect, with only 2 the Comma Spring 2017 3 Table of Six Year Trends Malvern Hills - 9 transect sites (average counts) West Midlands - 25 transect sites (av. counts) UK trends Species % ch.2011-2016 ch.2011-2016 % YEARS SIX 2011 Av 2015 Av 2012 Av 2013 Av 2014 Av 2015 Av 2016 Av 2011 Av 2012 Av 2013 Av Av - 2011-2015 ch.2015-2016 % YEAR ONE 2016 Av Av - 20112015 ch.2015-2016 % YEAR ONE ch.2011-2016 % YEARS SIX ch.2005-2014 % SHORT ch.1976-2014 % LONG 2014 Av Purple Hairstreak 3 4 10 11 11 19 8 81 147 3 1 0 1 1 2 1 10 25 -10 -54 Marbled White 48 24 33 46 52 67 41 30 66 31 23 15 30 38 47 28 23 71 25 50 White Admiral 4 1 5 4 4 6 4 38 53 2 2 3 4 2 2 3 -2 -26 25 50 Green Hairstreak 4 1 5 3 5 5 4 0 39 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -38 -38 -34 -41 Painted Lady 2 3 2 2 2 3 2 18 23 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 7 110 -84 133 Brimstone 6 6 8 10 13 10 9 -19 21 20 20 32 33 36 26 28 -28 -8 -1 1 Holly Blue 5 7 6 4 7 6 6 -3 10 4 4 3 2 3 3 3 6 -9 -61 37 Speckled Wood 85 45 56 97 77 78 72 1 8 117 50 91 110 79 93 89 18 4 84 Marbled White, Brotheridge Green 4 Comma 11 13 16 18 21 17 16 -19 7 19 12 17 15 17 11 16 -35 -33 -28 150 Red Admiral 7 11 2 10 6 8 7 28 6 16 10 4 11 9 11 10 29 12 -40 257 Large Skipper 10 5 10 20 24 14 14 -41 1 34 11 17 25 30 23 23 -25 -3 23 -17 Record Numbers of Marbled White Green-veined White 148 37 115 103 71 88 95 24 -8 151 32 125 125 70 105 101 51 5 72 -7 Mel Mason crunches the numbers in the Malvern Hills, and highlights one very successful species Orange-tip 27 25 20 28 27 23 25 -14 -8 37 35 24 42 31 29 34 -6 -15 59 10 Ringlet he decline in butterfly numbers on our transect years.