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The 100Th Comma: a Look Back at the Previous 99 Editions Butterfly Conservation's Reserves

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The 100Th Comma: a Look Back at the Previous 99 Editions Butterfly Conservation's Reserves Commathe No.100 Spring 2018 Regional Magazine of West Midlands Butterfly Conservation The 100th Comma: A look back at the previous 99 editions Butterfly Conservation’s Reserves: A whistlestop tour around England and Wales Chairman’s Address Chairman’s Address 40th anniversary as a branch in 2019. Mike mentions that we already have a The Branch in Focus couple of schemes at Shropshire Hills The Editor speaks Discovery Centre and at Coppice Many thanks to everyone who sent me photos of Commas for this celebratory ello everyone and a fixed route in sites known to hold key Leasowes in Church Stretton. The Branch Hwelcome to a changed species or to be good in other ways for will give advice and money for seeds etc 100th edition of The Comma. In the end I had to pick one, which was no easy format for our 100th edition. our butterfly population. This role may and for an information board which will task, but I am sure you will agree that Anthony Woods’ photo of a Comma in I’ll start with the Branch’s appeal to anyone either studying or include the Butterfly Conservation logo. the sunshine on the front cover is a worthy choice. main preoccupation which working in the environmental field who We also hope to recover some costs by is to seek candidates for needs to demonstrate experience in field seeking sponsorship from appropriate I will be stepping down as editor as from this issue, so the search is on for Cover story Peter Seal three vacancies. First, survey work. providers. a new editor of The Comma. My work as volunteer warden at Butterfly Cover photograph of a Comma for our is standing down as Editor I recently attended the national Branch Stephen Lewis Conservation’s Prees Heath Common Reserve requires much time and energy, celebratory 100th edition was taken after a spell of maintaining the high Fundraising Chairs’ meeting where Julie Williams, and taking into account other circumstances I regrettably have to by Anthony Woods. You can read standards to which we in the Branch have So lots of change, but while we may be Chief Executive, and other senior more about the previous 99 editions now become accustomed. This is an losing some experienced input, our BC figures gave us the latest on the relinquish the role of editor. on page 16. excellent opportunity to help maintain organisation is consolidating its reputation organisation’s plans. Key points of Branch activity, and induction and support by celebrating at national level the 50th interest are Three editions of The Comma are published each year, in spring, autumn and will be made available. It is a question of Anniversary of Butterfly Conservation. • 2025 BC Strategy which basically winter. It is an enjoyable and rewarding task, and very much a team effort, organising articles and photos sent in by Head Office is planning various commits to continuing and expanding with Trish Connolly Morgan doing all the design work, and both Peter Seal and Contributions members, and we have Morgan fundraising initiatives which include our activities and can be found on the Mike Williams offering useful input. I know that the quality of The Comma is Photographs should be sent separately Creative doing the design work Our Dan Hoare to run the London national website. very much appreciated by our members, and it needs to be maintained and rather than embedded in a document, and arranging printing with organisation is Marathon, a Radio 4 appeal • Peter Moore is to start soon as Director and of as high a resolution as possible. distribution by Head Office. celebrating at led by , of Development and Engagement and developed. So, if you think this is something you would like to do please national level the Alan Titchmarsh do not hesitate to contact our Chair, Peter Seal. The opinions expressed in this Second, after 10 years, 50th Anniversary of raffles and an online auction. we were told volunteer development will magazine are not necessarily those Joy Stevens will complete Butterfly be an important component of his work. of the West Midlands Branch her spell as Secretary at our Conservation Plants for Pollinators • We have been reviewing our Regional or of Butterfly Conservation. AGM in November. This offers Of more direct interest is the Plants Action Plan. This will become one of the someone an excellent opportunity to for Pollinators campaign, which last County and Regional Strategies and will Trust about improvements at Portway Hill - resources can be redirected to cover the BC West Midlands Butterflies become involved and obtain more insight year saw a national collaboration with be published in spring 2018 as a featured in Joy Stevens’ article in the new Moth Atlas. I have a list of licence and Moths into Branch business. Through the year we B&Q, whose “Nature of Gardens” can section of the National Strategy. previous edition. numbers but most do not have the Butterfly Conservation only hold two formal meetings plus the be found on their website. We will be • Head Office is to organize a stall at the recorder’s name against them. I know West Midlands AGM, however the interesting work goes reflecting this in a West Midlands initiative Malvern Spring Show. Website news some do find MapMate useful, so if you @WestMidlands_BC on elsewhere. aimed at engaging the wider public in • We continue to develop, with 34,000 The new website continues in its hold a licence funded by the Branch Third, we need a new Coordinator for practical steps to conserve butterflies: members across the UK, 1550 of whom development and we are keen to add please email me to confirm whether you the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey. Places for Pollinators. Please see Mike are members of the West Midlands more of your favourite sites, please see still use it. Please ignore this if I have Our thanks go to Scott Martin who in Williams’ article on page 12, where he Branch. An increasing proportion are in John Tilt’s article on page 28. The already been in contact. addition to helping set up our Facebook describes a scheme aimed at celebrating the younger age group. Attrition rate – Committee agreed to find some money to Branch website address pages has been overseeing this vital BC’s 50th, and looks forward to our own resignations – only 8%, with 70% set up an online Moth Atlas on the new Looking forward www.westmidlands-butterflies.org.uk coordinating work. This is a national retention rate in respect of our 12 free site, and County Moth Recorders are Another winter nearly over, but at the time scheme where volunteers walk a route months deal. being consulted about setting this up. of writing the forecast suggests we won’t twice a year on randomly selected one see too many butterflies over the next week kilometre squares in open countryside. We are planning other initiatives with MapMate or so. However, by the time you read this Copy deadline The information is fed into the national money committed for conservation. For In connection with this I am reviewing our they should be on the wing. I’m looking The deadline for the autumn edition UKBMS Annual Report. To make life instance we are in dialogue with the use of MapMate, as we are paying for forward to the emergence of Wood easier for volunteers the scheme adopted Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife licences no longer needed – these Whites in the introduction sites and of The Comma is 31st August, but all contributions are welcome in a new online data entry system - their hoping our Peacocks bounce back .Have advance of that date. newsletter gives some tips about finding Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468) a good summer. Email contributions to me at volunteers. This scheme is important Registered office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP. [email protected] and I will because, in being randomly selected, the Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) Peter Seal, Branch Chair forward them to the new editor. walks give us a different perspective from and in Scotland (SCO39268) the many UKBMS transects which follow Joy Stevens 2 the Comma Spring 2018 3 Maps showing how the Brown Hairstreak’s range has increased over time that the butterfly was under recorded, maybe even back as far as when Jack made his early discoveries at Grafton – we shall never know….. Annual increase Streaking ahead A steady annual increase in recorded distribution then became the norm, and within ten years it was found to be occupying 100 grid squares in 2006-07. Another 10 years on and we’re almost A Worcestershire Success Story up to date, at the end of the 2016-17 winter, and the total range at that point extended to 215 squares. This represents a fairly amazing increase in the butterfly’s known range in the thirty years since 1986-87. Why this large increase or this special 100th edition Grafton Wood has occurred is difficult to fully explain. Fof The Comma I thought it Seventeen years on from Jack Undoubtedly, the modern farm stewardship schemes have been BrH Distribution1987 v1 would be interesting to Green’s discovery, and thirty invaluable in helping the butterfly expand its range. However this examine the phenomenal years prior to today, the can only be part of the story as the general health of the countryside, spread in range of one of our butterfly was still only officially together with hedgerow management practices, of 100 years ago region’s rarest butterflies – the recorded from egg records on would almost certainly have provided a much better overall habitat Brown Hairstreak – over the those same few hedgerows for the butterfly than today’s intensively managed land, and this period since our newsletter immediately surrounding species was always considered rare in the county, even in those (now The Comma magazine) Grafton Wood.
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