Kent & South East London Branch The Adonis ISSUE 94 | SPRING 2021 1 | The Adonis Committee Members President - Dick Vane-Wright Chair & Media - Nathan Jones - [email protected] Treasurer - Trevor Manship - [email protected] Secretary - Peter Riley - [email protected] Butterfly Recorder - Mike Easterbrook - [email protected] Micro Moth Recorder - David Shenton - [email protected] Macro Moth Recorder - Ian Hunter - [email protected] Conservation & H&S Officer - Peter Kirby - [email protected] Website & IT Officer - Ben Kirby - [email protected] Membership Secretary - Jackie Kirby - [email protected] Transect Officer - Paul Tinsley-Marshall - [email protected] Conservation Officer - Simon Ginnaw - [email protected] Project Officer - John Bangay - [email protected] WCBS Officer - Paolo Farina - [email protected] Follow us and keep in touch: Websites: www.kentbutterflies.org / www.kentmothgroup.wordpress.org @BCKentBranch / @mothsinkent Butterfly Conservation Kent & SE London Branch / Kent Moth Group Kent Butterflies Please add Butterfly Conservation to your approved email addresses! Butterfly Conservation. Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468). Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP. Charity registered in England and Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268). VAT No GB 991 2771 89 Cover photo: Heath Fritillaries, Gary Faulkner 2 | The Adonis Contents Silver-spotted Skipper, Bob Eade Green Hairstreak, Joe Beale Heath Fritillary, Lesley Brown Committee Members 2 Chair’s Welcome 4 Regional Conservation Manager’s Report 6 Highlights of the 2020 Butterfly Season 8 Remembering Tony Orsborne 10 Kent Butterfly Book 11 Our August Hog 12 Butterflies of Blackheath & Greenwich Park 18 Kent’s Heath Fritillaries 23 Gardening for a Wilder Kent 29 Brilliant Butterfly Banks 30 Kent’s Magnificent Moths 33 Big City Butterflies 34 Dates for Your Diary 36 3 | The Adonis Chair’s Welcome Hello everyone! I hope that as you read this spring is well and truly on the way and we can begin to put a tumultuous 2020 behind us. My apologies that our newsletters took a pause last year and that sadly, under the restrictions, we were unable to hold an AGM & Branch Member’s Day, field trips or work parties. t feels like a long time since our AGM into this butterfly’s fortunes in his at Lenham which rounded off the article. Going one better, the diminutive 2019 season, and strange to think Duke of Burgundy saw its best year on Ihow we used to be allowed to gather record for 25 years! This is in no small inside in crowds! We had a great part down to the work of Natural turnout - thank you to everyone who England’s Dan Tuson, who has been came along, and special thanks to our advising farmers and landowners on guest speakers Dan Tuson, May Webber nature recovery in East Kent for many and Dick Vane-Wright for their insightful years. Claire Ward’s ongoing work presentations. After many years, Dr Jim leading volunteer efforts for the Duke in Flegg’s retirement as Branch President the Denge Woods was also recognised was announced. We offer him our with a thoroughly deserved award at heartfelt thanks for all his support. the 2019 Butterfly Conservation National AGM. 2020 wasn’t without good news though and we were very fortunate to welcome The start of our National Lottery a new Branch President, with Dick Vane- Heritage Fund supported project Kent’s Wright kindly accepting our invitation to Magnificent Moths was postponed due take on the role. An eminent to the pandemic but we’re very excited entomologist and taxonomist who has that this has now been given permission been associated with the Natural to start in April. The largest and most History Museum for nearly 60 years, ambitious moth conservation project in Dick is also a prolific author and a history, we look forward to getting as Trustee of Friends of Westgate Parks in many people as possible involved over Canterbury. I hope you enjoy his the next three years. The inter-branch contribution to this edition of The project planned for London, Big City Adonis! Butterflies, was also well received by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and 2020 was also a fantastic year for two of has been given permission to start this Kent’s highest priority species. The year too! A first of its kind for BC, Big Heath Fritillary enjoyed its best year in a City Butterflies will inspire and engage decade in the Blean woodland complex urban communities with the nature on and our regional conservation manager their doorsteps. On the theme of urban Steve Wheatley takes a detailed look wildlife, Joe Beale’s article on the 4 | The Adonis butterflies of Blackheath and Greenwich field trips will be able to go ahead, but demonstrates just how impressive this of course will be subject to the biodiversity in cities can be, given the changing restriction levels. Ever chance. optimistic, we’ve published proposed dates at the end of this newsletter, but Our County Recorder Mike Easterbrook please do check our website and social has been working for several years now media for updates closer the time and on a book of the butterflies of Kent & SE you must confirm with the walk leaders London. To help with the publication before attending. costs we’re offering the chance to sponsor your favourite butterfly, so see As ever, if you have any suggestions for the details in his article and get in quick! improving our branch or would like to A huge amount of work has gone into help in some way, please do get in this book, and it wouldn’t have been touch. We’re always in need of possible without all the records you volunteers and there really are have submitted. Thank you and please opportunities for everyone, whatever keep sending us your data. your interest, ability, or availability! Looking ahead to the summer, we’re Nathan Jones, Branch Chair very hopeful that at least some of our Duke of Burgundy on Lady Orchid: Iain Leach 5 | The Adonis Regional Conservation Manager’s Report We are now half-way through the delivery of Butterfly Conservation’s ten-year Regional Action Plan for South East England (2016 to 2025). Delivering action is of course the most important element of making a plan, and I’m pleased to report that in the last five years we have made plenty of progress to protect and conserve the species we agreed and highlighted as those most in need of conservation action. e are a relatively small Woods volunteers and the long-term organisation (compared efforts of Natural England and the W with organisations like the Woodland Trust. The delicate Straw RSPB and the Woodland Trust), but our Belle moth is also being well looked enthusiastic volunteers, and recorders after, thanks to volunteers and the continue to make a big and significant support of the White Cliffs Countryside contribution to delivering wildlife Partnership, Kent Wildlife Trust, conservation. In addition, we are National Trust and others. working closer than ever with other organisations in Kent, such as the Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Forestry England, the Woodland Trust and National Trust, and the Kent Nature Partnership. By sharing our priorities with them, we are greatly increasing the potential and scale of positive action – delivering positive change for some of Straw Belle: Bill Dykes our most special species. The Brilliant Butterflies project (in Working with others we have ensured Partnership with London Wildlife Trust) the Heath Fritillary has just enjoyed its is extending into South East London, third season of very high numbers. The delivering high-quality habitat creation Kent population is now undoubtably the work. Our Kent’s Magnificent Moths best and strongest colony in the UK. The project will launch in the spring – Duke of Burgundy colony remains boosting the conservation of some of strong and well distributed thanks in no Kent’s highest priority moths, and small part to our dedicated Denge increasing further the interest and 6 | The Adonis action for the county’s wildlife. In is at a county scale or even in their own addition, we are now developing a new street or garden. Important too, will be downland project for West Kent that the recording and surveying of these will help the Small Blue butterfly, Adonis species, so that we continue to have the Blue, and moths such as the Chalk best evidence to highlight and celebrate Carpet and the Lace Border. If all goes our positive impact. For this I thank all well, this project could potentially volunteers, members. and supporters of extend all the way along the Downs to the Kent & South East London Branch of the white cliffs. Butterfly Conservation, and I encourage others to get involved over these next I’m sure that in five years’ time we’ll be exciting five years! able to report back on lots of activity, positive results, and great examples of Steve Wheatley, conservation. Volunteers are key to this Regional Conservation Manager for success and I thank everyone who is South East England helping us to deliver action, whether it 7 | The Adonis Highlights of the 2020 Butterfly Season The glorious weather in Spring 2020 brought some colour to our gardens and countryside in the form of good numbers of Brimstones, Orange-tips, Peacocks and Holly Blues. ome of these emerged quite David Harper saw around 50 at Wye in early, such as the Orange-tip seen mid-June. on 23 March at Erith Marshes by S Some of the summer butterflies Mike Robinson. Dingy Skippers were in high numbers at some sites, including emerged very early, including an Essex White Hill, Shoreham and Monica Skipper seen on 30 May at Eltham by Percival discovered a new site for Mike Robinson and a Silver-spotted Grizzled Skipper on a road verge near Skipper seen by John and Liz Pell at Farningham, though annoyingly the site Queendown Warren on the remarkably fell victim to the mad strimmers of Kent early date of 29 June.