Bringing butterflies and moths back to Britain • www.westmidlands-butterflies.org.u

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Regional Magazine of West Midlands Butterfly Conservation

theCommaNo.93 Winter 2015/2016

Butterfly Book:Pre-publication offer

Winter hibernators:A new project

the Comma Winter 2015/2106 3the Comma2

The cover photograph of a female Holly Blue was takenby Mel Mason in his garden inGreat Malvern, Worcestershireon 16th August 2015 .

The broad black band aroundthe edge of the upperwings is typical of a second generation female.

Cover story

Please send articles and im-ages to the editor at phwar-den@sky.com. Photographsshould be sent separatelyrather than embedded in adocument, and of as high aresolution as possible. Theopinions expressed in thisnewsletter are not necessarilythose of the West MidlandsBranch or of Butterfly Conservation.

Copy deadline

Contributions

Chairman’s Address Chairman’s Address

The deadline for copy for the Spring edition of The Comma is 31st March 2016.

The Branch’s landmarkbook ‘Butterflies of the

West Midlands’ is nowwith the publishers – seethe following article andtaster pages for moreinformation, and fordetails of how you can

purchase the book now at a reducedprice. The publication’s three main aims are:• To document the current and historicalstatus of the butterflies of the region.

• To raise awareness of butterflies andto encourage recording.

• To assist the conservation of butterfliesby identifying species of concern andconservation priorities.

In particular, it is hoped that this bookwill stimulate the submission of recordsfrom the under-recorded parts of theregion to help us get a better pictureof butterfly distribution. Can youhelp with this – maybe if youhave a favourite walk bydoing it as a transect?

Value of recordingIf you want to see the value ofrecording you’ll find on thenational Butterfly Conservation websitea recently produced report “The State ofthe UK’s Butterflies 2015.” We knowthat locally the year was a mixed one –impressions (supported by transectrecords) are that Holly and CommonBlue recovered, Marbled Whitecontinued to advance, but fewerPeacocks, Small and Green-veinedWhites emerged. These species do

fluctuate but greater concern is thecontinuing fall in numbers and range of Small Heath and Small Copper.And whilst Gatekeepers were more plentiful, the local trend over the previousfive years is a downward one. Thismirrors the findings in the national report,which shows the Gatekeeper down 44%over the past ten years.

Securing a futureThe good news is that nationwide SilverStudded Blue is up by 21% and Pearl-bordered Fritillary by 45%. The WestMidlands has played its part in securinga future for these species at Prees Heathand Ewyas Harold respectively, and inthe Wyre Forest, reinforcing the pointmade in the State of the UK’s Butterfliesthat intensive conservation efforts havestarted to turn around the fortunes ofsome of our most endangered butterflies.

On that theme we know the WoodWhite has declined 39% in thelast five years, a realizationwhich gave the impetus toour Making a Stand for the Wood White projectreferred to in the last edition

of The Comma.

Sympathetic practicesWhat can be done to protect thecommoner species that are not habitatspecific but whose fortunes are affectedby loss due to changes in agriculture andwoodland management? We can atleast use our influence to preserve openrides in woodland, and advocatesympathetic practices in more urbanareas. One of the revelations from

preparing for our book was to learn ofthe presence of White-letterHairstreak along with Marbled Whitein the Birmingham area, the latterspecies featuring in three of the urbanwalks in the new book. Add this totending gardens for wildlife and we canall make a difference even in a modestway. On that theme do look out for BC’sPlant Pots for Pollinators Project to belaunched in May.

Plans for 2016Turning to our plans for 2016, whereshould we concentrate our efforts? • Clearly promoting and selling ourbook is fundamental to the Branch’sidentity – and bank balance. TheCommittee will be organising eventsto this end, one intention being toorganize walks at some of the 25sites featured in the book, perhapsincluding some midweek fixtures.

• We await news of the HeritageLottery Fund bid to assist the WoodWhite project mentioned above –with the known decline in its numberswe have to take steps to consolidateand extend its range as our region isone of the Wood White’s strongholdsin England.

• Involving members continues to be aBranch priority, with our desire toreinforce this through County groups.The next step is a meeting forHerefordshire members on February4th – for more details see Dates foryour Diary.

• Focus on recording - John Tilt hasexpanded his role to become BranchRecords Coordinator, with John

Bryan taking on the role ofStaffordshire County Recorder. I alsowould like to acknowledge theimportance of Nigel Stone’scontinuing involvement as BranchRecorder for our Region, as he is thefirst point of contact for casualsightings. This was demonstrated bythe speed with which Nigel was ableto furnish records and graphs for allspecies to be included in the book.

• There are many local initiatives. Lasttime I reported on attempts to save theMalvern Grayling and the Branch’sintention to support a funding bid byMalvern Hills Conservators. Sincethen it has been decided that BC willlead on the bid application withsupport from Head Office and ourlocal Branch will be organising somework parties to clear scrub adjacentto the Grayling’s stronghold on NorthHill (see Dates for your Diary pages).

These are of course just some examplesof what will be taking place in 2016and our Dates for your Diary pages arealready filling up. If you want to highlightsomething in your area in the nextComma please let Stephen Lewis, ourEditor, or myself know.

Peter Seal,Branch Chair

The Branch in focus

Peter Seal

...continuing fall in numbers and range of Small Heath and Small Copper

Silver-studded Blue(Lucy Lewis). This is oneof the species that isdoing better than most.

Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468)

Registered office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth,Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP.

Charity registered in England & Wales

(254937) and in Scotland

(SCO39268)

The Branch doesn’t havejust one Facebook page– it has two! You cancheck out all the latestsightings, photos, events,work parties and gossipat ‘BC West MidlandsButterflies and Moths’,and/or for a slightly different tone go to ‘Butterfly ConservationWest Midlands’. Manythanks to everyone whomakes entries on thepages or comments – always an interestingread. The Editor

Twin-spottedFacebook

the Comma4 Winter 2015/2106 5

This much-anticipated book is now with thepublishers and publication is on schedule for April

2016. The book is packed with photos of all the lifestages of the 40 butterflies of the region, distributionmaps, identification hints, life history charts, butterflywalks, gardening tips as well as lots of localinformation on butterflies. This is a MUST HAVE forall butterfly enthusiasts.

Special offerWe are offering the book at the pre-publication priceof £13.95 plus £4.00 p&p, a saving of £5.00, fororders placed before April 1st 2016. The bookshould be out in April and can be ordered using theflyer circulated with the autumn edition of the Comma.

Alternatively go online at www.naturebureau.co.uk/bookshop or contact Pisces Publications, 36 KingfisherCourt, Hambridge Road, Newbury, RG14 5SJ Tel. 01635 550230. Cheques should be madepayable to Pisces Publications.The editorial team would again like to thank our

sponsors for their generosity and we would stress thatany money not spent on production will be allocatedto schemes for the benefit of butterflies and moths in theWest Midlands. Species accounts are either 2 or 4 pages long and

a stunning example of a 2 page species account forthe Orange-tip is shown on the following pages.

By Ian Duncan and Peter Seal

Ian Duncan and Peter Seal whet your appetite for the forthcoming book.

See below for SPECIALPre-publication price of £13.95

A Taster of ‘Butterflies of the West Midlands’Quiz answers

1 Rotten citrus dump (2 words)2 De-aspirated hippopotamus - Job 40.15 (2 words)3 Could it cause cholera?4 Beth, nun or sin (2 words)5 Spooner knew her as the Lab. drooper (2 words)6 Fish “polaroids” (2 words)7 Flying fish?8 Sounds like a sneeze 9 Serving captain!

10 Ella Mae Ricks Bailey (3 words)11 Fag in prison12 Call to hire13 Fyodor Ushakov for example (2 words)14 Hedge trimmers15 Fragrant tea with unknown in it (2 words)16 Either of these could be sliced! (2 words)17 Where naughty people drink?18 What you can get if you ‘dial green’?19 What goes round a waterfall20 Polish end (hyphen)

Orange-tipBee MothCommaHebrew CharacterDrab LooperAngle ShadesGraylingTissuePeacockMother of PearlSnoutRingletRed AdmiralShearsEarly GreyLarge (or Small) WhiteCinnabarEngrailedWallBuff-tip

Well, how did youget on? Here are

the answers to thequiz devised by

Graham Wenmanthat appeared in

the autumn editionof The Comma.Many thanks toGraham for his

ingenuity.

The previous edition of The Comma included an unusual picture of a Tortoiseshell butterfly taken by

Andrew Tullo and reproduced again here, and readers were asked to send in their ideas regarding itsidentification. Many thanks to Julian Taylor andRichard Woolley for their submissions, which both concluded that it was an aberrant Small Tortoiseshell,and which were as follows:

An Aberrant Butterfly in an Oswestry Garden

I have 'The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland’ by JeremyThomas and Richard Lewington. In the chapter onthe Small Tortoiseshell is an illustration with the followingcaption: ‘Female – Aberrant form semi-ichnusoides produced by high temperatures during the pupal stage’.The forewings in the photo in The Comma seem to bean almost perfect match. The hindwings have slightlymore red on them than shown in my book.Richard Woolley

Frohawk’s ‘Varieties of British Butterflies’, published byWard Lock & Co. in 1938, has the following descrip-tion which seems to match the photograph: ‘A recurringform which occasionally turns up in widely separated localities throughout the country is known as ab. ichnu-soides, Selys-Long and has the costal blotches confluent,forming a black bar; the central spots are very small orabsent, and the hind wings are generally dark.’Julian Taylor

Shown here is a 2 page speciesaccount for the Orange-Tip

Order before April 1st 2016 at the pre-publicationprice of £13.95 plus £4.00 p&p.

6 Winter 2015/2106 7

HURRY!Don’t miss out -place your order before April 1st 2016

An Extract from the Forthcoming Book'Butterflies of the West Midlands'

the Comma

the Comma8 Winter 2015/2106 9

West Midlands Butterfly Conservation Winter Project

Mel Mason seeks your help to expand our knowledge ofbutterflies in the winter months. His contact details to report yoursightings are shown under the Feedback panel to the right.

The Red Admiral is one of ourmost common and best loved

butterflies in the UK but it is, in fact,a migrant from the Continent. It arrives in large numbers duringMay with many females alreadymated and ready to lay eggs. Eventually the final brood in the UKflies back to the Mediterraneanbreeding areas – usually by midOctober - where it will mate, lay

eggs and then die. The next broodemerges the following spring andthe cycle repeats itself.However, on 20th October

2015 I saw a fresh looking RedAdmiral flying in my garden andsettling on a Mexican Orange Blos-som in second flower. Then on 1stNovember I spotted another on thetop of Sugarloaf (368m) in theNorth Malvern Hills. It was circling

the narrow ridge, flying into a prevailing southerly wind and thenturning with the wind, settling onvarious piles of sheep muck, and repeating this behaviour several

Comma hibernating in woodland (Lucy Lewis)

The Red Admiral and our Winter Hibernators

times. It looked healthy at first andflew very strongly, but a photo reveals a missing antennae and aclipped wing – perhaps not surpris-ing as the Malvern Hills seemed tobe over-run with gangs of MeadowPipit and some Stonechat. I watchedthe Red Admiral for up to 20 minuteswhen a Painted Lady appeared.The Red Admiral immediatelychased the Painted Lady as they spiralled in the air, causing the latterto fly to the west while the formerstood its ground. On 30th Octoberanother observer commented, “Atabout 12 o’clock today in light drizzle, we saw a pristine Red Admiral in the garden. It was onlyabout 3 feet off the ground, flyingstrongly and heading south. Had itbeen a sunny day, we would havebeen less surprised, but in drizzle, itwas an astonishing sight”.

ControversyHad these individuals becametrapped by unfavourable conditions?The Red Admiral rises on warm thermals and flies at high altitudes toreach favourable winds that willcarry it to the Southern Continent. Or is it feeding in preparation to hibernate over winter in the hope ofemerging next spring ready to mateand avoid an exhausting migration?There is some controversy amongstlepidopterists about the behaviourof this large and easily observedbutterfly. It is now thought that mostindividuals remaining in the UKdie during the winter, while veryfew might survive in very goodconditions in southern Britain andIreland, but these survivors may belucky rather than truly hibernating.

Please forward your sightings,photos and observations of ourwinter survivors, especially theRed Admiral, including egg,larva or adult, via WestMidlands Butterfly ConservationFacebook page or email to:mbg.records@btinternet.com

Target species: Red Admiral,Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone,Peacock plus any other butterflyseen over the winter monthsbetween now and May 2016.

I will report back to members ofWMBC on our findings in futureeditions of The Comma.

The new and much-anticipatedpublication from the WMBC‘Butterflies of the WestMidlands,’ contains furtherinformation about the RedAdmiral, including expertopinion on the nature of ourwinter hibernators.

Feedback

Peacock that over-wintered in a log pile (Lucy Lewis)

Small Tortoiseshell, Herald moth and Peacock hibernating in the former RAF control tower at Prees Heath (Lucy Lewis)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

On 23rd November 2015 Lucy Lewis counted 29 Small Tortoiseshells, 9 Peacocks and 5 Herald moths in the former RAF control tower at Prees

Heath, but no Red Admirals. So please get searching and let Mel know what you can find this winter. Editor

the Comma10 Winter 2015/2106 11

Scarlet Tiger mothupdateJoy Stevens provides anupdate on a project inStourbridge that benefitedfrom a legacy.

In order to protect the colony ofScarlet Tiger moths in RomanRoad/Sandy Lane in Stourbridgelast year we persuaded DudleyCouncil not to flail the road vergebank along Roman Road, thus protecting the Tigers’ chosen foodplant, Evergreen Alkanet. Instead

New notice board (Joy Stevens)

LegacyLeaving a gift to ButterflyConservation in your will is oneof the most effective ways tohelp ensure butterflies andmoths thrive in years to come.Legacies represent a significantportion of voluntary income –over a third - and so make a crucial contribution toconservation work. It is possibleto specify a particular species,region, reserve or project thatyou would like to benefit.

To find out more about leavinga legacy to ButterflyConservation and sharing yourlove of butterflies with futuregenerations please contact HelenCorrigan on 01273 453313 orat hcorrigan@butterfly-conservation.org

there was a simple cut carried outin the autumn once we were surethat the caterpillars were hibernat-ing. In the spring the Alkanet grewthick and lush and the Scarlet Tigercaterpillars thrived. This summeralso brought a bountiful crop ofadult moths – our highest count oneearly July evening was over 50.They were at their most spectacularin the evening, with several malesfluttering around the females, flash-ing their spectacular scarlet under-wings. And now there are an awfullot of holes in the Alkanet….

LegacyOur work has been carried out bya committed group of volunteersand the wildflowers we haveplanted have been funded by several sponsors. A legacy from aformer member, Edith Harper,gave us a sound base and we have received further funding via Blakey’s Eastern PromiseRestaurant in Lye and the Waitrose

Community Matters initiative. Ourwildflowers fared better than expected with a strong showing ofYellow Rattle, boding well for next year. Funding from Natural England allowed us to purchase a notice board, erected by DudleyCouncil, thus enabling us to keeplocals informed.

By Joy StevensScarlet Tiger (Joy Stevens)

Yellow Rattle (Joy Stevens)

Dedicated surveyorsJeremy Thomas1, one of the UK’sleading lepidopterists, states: “Itwas once thought that adult RedAdmirals hibernated in the warmersouth, but this is another myth…although a few Red Admirals mayseem to hibernate in the British Islesduring mild winters, these generallysettle in exposed places, such as ontree trunks or under branches, andusually perish.” He goes on tostate: “The few adults that are seenon sunny days between Decemberand February are believed to resultfrom late caterpillars that were ableto develop in warm spots”. Research in Eire by Frank Smythand David W. Nash2 during theexceptionally mild winter andspring 2006-07 showed that someindividuals were laying eggs aslate as November and resumingegg laying the following March.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Some larvae emerged and survivedto the final instar stage. A fewpupae were found in March andApril and single female adultsemerged during April and May.Similar findings have been observed in the south of England. There is no doubt, however, that

individuals are seen during everymonth of the year in different parts of the UK, including the WestMidlands, and many very experi-enced recorders working with Butterfly Conservation may feelmore research is necessary to helpexplain these apparently diverseopinions.

Report by Mel MasonWMBC Committee MemberMBG Casual Sightings Recorder

References:1.Professor Jeremy Thomas & RichardLewington – The Butterflies of Britain& Ireland, British Wildlife Publishing,revised edition 2014.2.Frank Smyth and David W. Nash –Overwintering of the Red Admiralbutterfly on Howth Peninsular, CountyDublin – The Irish Naturalist’s JournalVol. 29, Part 2, December 2008.

The Malvern Butterfly Group (MBG) has started a project to monitor the Red Admiral butterfly and other possible hibernators to determine when and where these butterflies are seen over the winter months.

However, it has been suggested that this project would be more meaningful if extended to the whole of the West Midlands through West Midlands Butterfly Conservation (WMBC). With your help we might be able

to discover the real behaviour of these under-recorded “hibernators”.

Red Admiral in November on the Malverns (Mel Mason)

Worse-for-wear Red Admiral on the Malverns in November(Mel Mason)

the Comma12 13Winter 2015/2106

Michael Southall shows how you canattract migrant moths to your garden, andmaybe win a prize.

The year 2015 has been exceptional for migrantmoths in the region. By targeting the right conditions

for trapping, and preparing my garden at Norchard inWorcestershire with attractive flowers and shrubs, it hasbeen possible to build an impressive inland migrantmoth list, as follows:

Migrants have been seen in every month here, startingin mid April and including December.Ni Moth and Small Marbled were both new siterecords and were also recorded elsewhere in the Midlands, along with Striped Hawk-moth andOlive-tree Pearl.

ConvolvulusHawkmoth(Michael Southall)

Ni Moth (MichaelSouthall)

Small Marbled (Michael Southall) The Gem (Michael Southall)

Migrant Moth Bonanza Flying erraticallyButterfly Conservation and Atropos had jointly organised National Moth Night for September withmigrant moths, and particularly the ConvolvulusHawk-moth, as a target, and 17 people came alongto a public event I hosted at my home. After receivingNicotiana seed in the spring, I had raised these plantsin my garden and was rewarded when a ConvolvulusHawk-moth visited them on the nights of the 9th and

10th of September. I was also delighted to win the best photograph taken of the moth during the National Moth Night period. Winning a prize fromThompson and Morgan has enabled me to order fifty pounds worth of scented and nectar bearingflower and shrub seeds ready for next year’s lepidoptera and other insects.

By Michael Southall

28 Silver Y

26 Rush Veneer

19 Small Mottled Willow

9 Diamond-back Moth

5 Bordered Straw

4 Dark Sword-grass

3 Hummingbird Hawkmoth

2 Vestal

1 Convolvulus Hawkmoth

1 Scarce Bordered Straw

1 Rusty-dot Pearl

1 Small Marbled

1 Ni Moth

1 The Gem

1 Tunbridge Wells Gem

Olive-tree Pearl

Teabreak during National Moth Night (Michael Southall)

Winter 2015/2106 15the Comma14

Wardlow Quarry lies justnorth of the Weaver Hills,

off the A52 Ashbourne to Stokeroad. The extraction of limestoneceased in 2009, and at presentit is used by JCB to train heavymachinery drivers to make largeholes and tyre tracks around theglobe. A public footpath circum-vents the quarry itself, and it wasby this route we intended to tryand locate our target species ofthe day, Dark Green Fritillary.

John Bryan enjoys a day out in a Staffordshire Quarry.

Dark Green Fritillary (Simon Primrose)

Six-belted Clearwings attracted toa pheromone lure (Mel Mason)

A wealth of floraThe quarry sides rise up awayfrom the footpath, so you can't actually see the workings them-selves, but the well-drained slopesgive rise to a wealth of flora. Thesemi-improved calcareous grass-land is grazed by sheep who,thankfully, find Common Dog-violet unpalatable, and so do an excellent job of keeping it exposed for the female fritillariesto lay their eggs on. On our

Frits & FrogsFrog Orchid(John Bryan)

arrival, a juvenile Redstart sat forus on a fence post, a Hobby liftedand drifted over the quarry'sslope, and an Emperor Dragonflywisely hawked closer to thehawthorn trees avoiding saidhunter.

Flying majesticallyAs the clouds cleared and the winddropped, the air temperature roseand it wasn't long before the firstDark Green Fritillary, flying majesti-cally, came gliding into view, flittingbetween thistle, knapweed andscabious head, soon to be joined byothers. Males and females both freshand worn made it at times hard tocount how many were around us. Afemale dropped suddenly into thegrass and then walked to some violets and gave us a good view ofher ovipositing.

Good numbersBy this time, the browns were well into their season and all in good numbers, especially Small Heath.Common Blue was just making areappearance for the second time,but the cold spring had obviouslymade a mark on the second generation of Wall Brown as thereweren't any to be seen. A single Six-belted Clearwing came to alure, and and a Depressaria badiellamicro-moth disturbed from the swardwas a first county record since1985. In total, around ten DGFswere seen (a general consensus asthey were tricky to count), and fordessert we crossed the A52 to theland opposite. Here, old limestoneworkings give rise to steep-sided depressions that the sheep find hardto graze leaving them for the botan-ically-minded to enjoy. Frog Orchids,Hoary Plantain and the exquisiteGrass of Parnassus gave pleasure tothe eye, meaning sometimes it paysto look down as well as up.

By John Bryan

Dark Green Fritillary (Robin Hemming)

the Comma16 Winter 2015/2106 17

TripodAt high magnification any camera shake is accentuatedin the photographs, so it is paramount that you have asturdy support to work from. Where possible, I alwaysencourage the use of a good tripod, or a monopod atthe very least. If the light level is low, you can employa remote cable shutter release in combination with yourtripod to really minimize the introduction of any unwanted vibrations.

Best time of day

However careful your approach may be, photograph-ing butterflies under the midday sun can be frustrating.Although some species will have resting periods between short flights, others will be flower-hopping allthe time. This is because their body temperature is sufficiently high that they can take flight.

Daytime temperatureThe time of day, or rather the daytime temperature, hasa significant bearing on how close you can get to yoursubject. Generally speaking, the cooler it is the less active the butterflies will be. So a bright, hot summer afternoon may not be the best time to work on your subject. I personally tend to work either very early in themorning, or very late in the afternoon.

Whatever the time of day it will always be a raceagainst time. If you start at dawn, you will want to locate your subject fairly quickly as the sun will warm

When I first took up photography it was macro that I specialized in. The great thing about this

genre of photography is that absolutely anyone can do it, and almost anywhere. There are interesting subjects all around us that give a completely differentimage when viewed in detail. Many years later, I stillfind myself spending hours by our local ponds or mead-ows recording or teaching close-up photography, everysummer.In this short article I will look at a few key elements of

how to create good macro photos of butterflies. Although the techniques discussed here are mainlybased on the use of a digital interchangeable lens

camera (DSLR), the approach is very similar whatevercamera you choose to use. The two main advantagesof using a DSLR and a macro lens are control and the quality.

Equipment

There are a number of ways that you can attain decentclose up images of butterflies. The cheapest is to utilizea camera or lens that has the ability to do close focus-ing. For digital SLR or inter-changeable lens bodies, youmay find that some of the lenses carry the internationalsymbol of macro – a Tulip. Although these are not true

Where there issymmetry, a central placementworks well (Des Ong)

macro lenses, meaning that they cannot give you a 1:1reproduction, they do allow for a very close focus. This,coupled with a slight crop post capture, may give youthe result that you want.

Extension TubesAnother way that will enable you to get a close focusis the use of extension tubes. These are relatively inex-pensive, hollow tubes that fit between your lens and thecamera body itself. The installation of the tube willallow you to focus much closer than the original designof the lens, thus enabling you to attain a larger subjectwithin the frame. The extension tubes are available singly or in sets,

usually three, of varying depths. They can be stackedto allow for very close working distance indeed, but atthe cost of reduced light reaching the camera.

They are two types of extension tube, one that contains electronic contacts, allowing you to meter andautofocus, whilst the cheaper version does not.

Dedicated Macro LensA true or dedicated macro lens is a fixed focal prime lens. It is able to focus at very close distanceand is designed to attain a good uniform focusacross the frame. They are a very well constructedspecialist lens and I know of no poor examples, regardless of make. The most practical focal lengthfor these specialist lenses for photographing butter-flies is between 100mm and 200mm. The longer thefocal length the further your working distance can befrom the subject. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Des Ong passes on some expertise in getting the best results from your camera.

Extension tubes are often used with a fixed focus lensto attain close focusing distance

Remote cable release and dedicated macro ring-flashcan help eliminate motion blur

Butterfly Macro Photography

Winter 2015/2106 19the Comma18

them up very rapidly. If, on the other hand, you chooseto work just before the butterflies settle down for the day,your time will be limited by the diminishing daylight, although you will have the advantage of seeing wherethey settle.

Framing a shot

Once you have located your subject take your time andcarefully get your tripod and camera ready, then slowlymanoeuvre into position.

Always try to compose and frame the subject in away that is pleasing and in the final size that you want.

If you are careful, you should be able to get the imageto be how you would like with little or no cropping afterwards.

‘Rule of thirds’There are simple composition rules that you can adopt,such as the ‘rule of thirds’. Essentially you draw twoimaginary vertical and horizontal lines evenly spacedacross your viewfinder. You would then place your subject on a third of the frame, rather than right in thecenter. This is normally more visually interesting. Somecameras have this grid feature available and it can beturned on to aid composure, so do check your camera’suser manual.

There are times however, where the subject looks better when placed centrally. In particular, this is thecase when there is symmetry in the image, like a pairof butterflies mating. The above suggestions are justguidance, and ultimately what looks pleasing to youreyes is the most important.

Camera settings

Normally viewers are drawn to images that are sharpand free from distractions. This can easily be achievedthrough careful aperture selection, and positioning ofyou and your subject.What tends to happen when a subject is spotted, is

that your eyes are locked onto just that, the subject,even when you look through the viewfinder. Often, it isnot until you return home and look at the image on yourlarge computer screen that you realize that there wasa blade of grass across the subject, or a distracting

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

twig is in the background. It is therefore crucial that you examine the entire screen within the viewfinder beforepressing the shutter button. Sometimes simply movingslightly to the left or right is all that is necessary to geta better or cleaner background.

Smaller f-numberThe wider the aperture (smaller f-number), the more thebackground will be diffused. This means, if you choosef2.8 over f8, the background will appear softer andmore out of focus compared to the other. But, employ-ing a larger aperture also means that you have a shal-lower depth-of-field. This in turns translates to having a narrower range in which you can attain focus. You maynot be able to get all the wings in focus, for example.So, to maximize the depth-of-field, try to align your subject parallel to the camera or sensor. It is a fine linebetween getting the right amount of focus while holdingback the potential for a troublesome background.

Higher f-numberThe selection of aperture is also further complicated bythe available light, as the smaller the aperture (higher f-number, greater depth-of-field) the more light is needed

to expose the image. This may well mean that you haveto increase your ISO sensitivity setting on your camera,resulting in a ‘noisier’ image – an image where you seelots of coloured speckles across the frame.

Shutter speedThe other factor that is also intrinsically linked to theabove two settings, is the shutter speed. You may findthat using a particular f-number and ISO combinationmay not give you a fast enough shutter speed to get asharp image. This is when the use of a sturdy tripod anda cable release give you an advantage. It will allowyou to use a much lower shutter or longer exposure timewhile minimizing the risk of introducing camera shake.

I would encourage everyone to have a go at photographing butterflies. I hope the few points abovewill give you a good foundation to help you get started.The internet is a good resource for information and techniques. You may also consider taking workshopsor tuition from professional photographers. Lastly it goeswithout saying that the more you practice the more proficient you will become.

By Des Ong

A diagonal perch coupled withthe subject off-centre make foran eye-catching composition(Des Ong)

About the authorDes Ong is an award-winning, professional wildlifephotographer whose portfolio covers a diverse rangeof subjects from the tiny Broad-billed Hummingbirdfound in the Arizona desert to Orangutan in thedense tropical rainforest of Borneo. Although Desstudied photography at the Loughborough College ofArt & Design, he gained most of his practical skills inthe field. He is passionate about art and wildlife andis a perfectionist, forever chasing the elusive ultimateimage. He is a tour leader, regular tutor and publicspeaker on all topics concerning wildlifephotography.

You can follow Des’ photographic journey onFacebook: www.facebook.com/desongphotographyor see more of his work at: www.desong.co.uk

Butterfly Conservation purchased the western half of PreesHeath Common on 30th May 2006, so this is the tenth

anniversary year of the reserve. Can you remember your 10th birthday?Did you have a party? Well, the reserve’s 10th birthday will be marked

by a celebration event to be run in partnership with the Meres & Mosses Landscape Partnership Scheme on Sunday 29th May 2016 ( I know, one day early,

but we couldn’t have it on a Monday). Details are still being worked on, and will beavailable on the reserve’s website – www.preesheathcommonreserve.co.uk – nearer the time, or you cancontact me direct.

Silver-studded blue colonyThe reserve has a very special place in the Branch’s history, as it was way back in the 1980s that theBranch first got involved in trying to protect the site and its Silver-studded blue colony. Eventually, andafter a very long campaign with the Branch taking a leading role alongside the Commoners and localWildlife Trusts, and with the site facing various threats, it was safeguarded by being purchased by ButterflyConservation. Since then the ongoing and very challenging heathland re-creation work has received national prominence. So if you have not visited the reserve before do try to come this summer. There willbe a celebration Silver-studded Blue guided walk on Sunday 3rd July at 2.00pm. The Editor

10th Birthday CelebrationFemale Silver-studded Blue (Lucy Lewis)

Prees Heath Common Reserve10th Birthday Celebration

Sunday 29th May2016

the Comma 2120 Winter 2015/2106

Wyre Forest East TransectReport 2011 – 2015

During the winter of 2010-11 my sister, Janet Taylor,answered an advert from Mike Williams. He was

looking for transect walkers. Did I know Mike Williams?– only for about 25 years I replied. I had retiredin the previous 12 months and this activityreally appealed to me. One miserableMarch morning in 2011 five of us weretaken around the fifteen sections that make up the Wyre Forest East transect byMike. We split into two teams, the otherteam being Jackie Wickham and LynneBird, whom Mike immediately christened the‘Wickbirds’! We split the 26 walks into odd and evenweeks and thus our transecting odyssey began.

Unblemished recordOver the years 2011 to 2015 we have an unblemishedrecord of completing the weekly transect, and from2012 have undertaken timed meadow counts for the

9 meadows adjacent to our transect or through whichour transect passes. We have had personnel changeswith Lynne having to give up and Jackie transferring her

attention to Pound Green Common and otherareas where specific species such as DarkGreen Fritillary and Wood White arefound. We have gained, in particular,Pete Smith, who has taken someexcellent photographs, Richard Langley,Geoff Carpenter, Ian Wallace and SteveEagle. My wife Jan, sister Jan and I have

been ever present. Alice and Essie from NaturalEngland together with Sally and her colleagues fromWyre Community Land Trust have come out with us andgiven us great support and advice, especially inconnection with cattle on our patch! We, in turn, havereported problems and matters of interest to them andhelped train them with regards to butterfly identificationetc. We also support their volunteers’ work parties.

Richard Woolley describes the many ups and a few downs of five years of butterflyrecording in part of the Wyre Forest.

MarbledWhite (Pete Smith)

Pearl -borderedFritillary(Pete Smith)

Common Blue (Pete Smith)

What do we see on our patch? During the lastfive years we have seen 34 species of butterflywith an average annual transect total of justabove 3,250. In the meadows we have seen27 species with an average total of just over2,100. The years 2011, 2014 and 2015showed totals close to average whilst 2012was about 45% below and 2013 30% above average. The meadow counts gave similar returns.

Outstanding eventsDuring our tenure there have been several outstandingevents. In 2011 we did not know what to expect aswe were new to transecting. In hindsight the numbersof Pearl-bordered and Small Pearl-borderedFritillaries seen were amongst the highlights. Even in2012, a poor year, overall the numbers were still nottoo bad for these two species. After 2013 the numbersof Pearl-bordered seen has been consistent even if lowerthan before but the number of Small Pearl-bordered has,with odd exceptions, continued to fall. Each of the lastthree years has been cursed with a cool and dampspring and that hasn’t helped. Certain areas have beennoticeably poor and we have been able to put forwarda suggested hedge height and scrub reduction plan tohelp these two butterflies in our transect area.

Meadow countsIn 2012 we started our meadow counts and, whilstcarrying out the July count in a meadow near CoopersMill, I saw Marbled Whites and large Fritillaries thatI believed were not Silver-washed. They would not settleso, obeying instructions, I recorded what I saw as whatI knew to be there – i.e. Silver-washed. In 2013 weproved with the aid of photographs that the species wasindeed Dark Green Fritillary and I reported this in anearlier article in The Comma. Interestingly, if you addthe number of Dark Green to the number of Silver-washed seen in the meadows for the four years, thelowest total is 121 in 2014 and the highest 129 in2015 - very consistent. I had, as it transpired, alsoidentified a new site for Marbled White in Shropshiremuch to Jenny Joy’s excitement. We see this speciesin this one meadow each year and numbers areimproving. It is also now being seen in other meadows.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Silver-washedFritillary(Pete Smith)

In hindsight the

numbers of PearlBordered and SmallPearl Bordered

Fritillaries seen wereamongst the highlights

the Comma22 Winter 2015/2106 23

We need more people to join the team walking the transects in the Wyre Forest – if you would like to help or would like more information please contact Mike Williams at mike@staborough.fsnet.co.uk

The Wyre Forest Butterfly Identification Chart can be ordered via the Branch website.

First Wall in the forest for 25 years When the Wyre Forest identification chart was re-printed recently the Dark Green Fritillary was added. Imagine the reaction when, with photographicevidence, a Wall was found near Lodge Hill in the latesummer of 2015. Mike Williams told us that this wasthe first Wall seen in the forest for about 25 years!It was a female so we are keen to see if it haslaid eggs and if we will see the speciesagain in 2016. Another re-print needed? Itwould be nice to be able to add thisbutterfly to the leaflet in due course. In the late summer of 2013 a Clouded Yellow was seen also near Lodge Hill Farmwith another sighting a few days later and a photograph taken. Mike believed that this was the firstinstance of this species being seen on our transect.

Two on the same dayI have to admit that Pete Smith is very good at spottingbutterflies. We don’t see very many Dingy Skippers,but he spotted and photographed two on the same dayin an area where we had not seen any since westarted. We have also found Grizzled Skipper on ourtransect. In 2013 Geoff Carpenter and I were fairly

confident that a butterfly in flight was thisspecies but could not find it settled to gain

absolute proof. Suitable conditions andcorrect food plant were both in evidence but

insufficient proof meant we could not record oursighting. A similar occurrence in 2015 meant that Icould ask Jan’s team to look out for it on the nexttransect. They were able to net one and make apositive identification.

We are raring to go for the 2016 season and lookforward with anticipation to the next new sighting.

by Richard Woolley

Large Skipper (Pete Smith)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

Clouded Yellow(Richard Woolley)

Wall (Pete Smith)

In the late summer of 2013 a Clouded Yellowwas seen also near Lodge Hill

Farm...

Telford contains an array ofbrownfield sites and old pit

mounds, providing ideal habitat forthe Dingy Skipper, a butterfly indecline nationally. An interpretationpanel was installed recently onAlbion Hill in Telford highlightingthis charming species, which is alltoo often denigrated as just a ‘littlebrown job’.

The Editor

Raising the Profile of the Dingy Skipper

Photo by Adrian Corney, Telford & Wrekin Council

Orang-tip (Phillip Lowe)

From sweetly scented honesty and pungent garlic mustard

to fragile-looking cuckoo flower white petals lilac-dusted,

vivid orange and startling white, green marbled underwings,

such energetic dancing flight this pristine beauty brings

to woodland rides in dappled shade and flowery roadside verges,

in amongst the plants from whichits larval form emerges.

The Orange-tip

Poems are best shared with other peoplerather than kept to yourself. Here’s onewritten by Janet Vernon, who is also adedicated volunteer at Prees Heath.

Winter 2015/2106 2524 the Comma

highest point of a conifer, and sev-eral hundred metres away a verylarge chick was bobbing its headup and down on a wide open nestof twigs high above the edge of the lake, whilst Fallow Deer moved in the under-growth below. Nextto the local visitors’

centre, a red squirrel entertainedonlookers inside, warming them-selves with hot tea while peeringthrough a glass panel at this engaging acrobat on the manybird feeders.

We were joined by Julie Stoneman – mid Perthshire CountyMoth Recorder – who had travelledfrom Perth by train to act as ourguide for the day. We enjoyed her company and knowledgeableinput, but this was not a day for butterflies or moths.

Loch RannochThe persistent rain lasted into midafternoon when we visited a mysterious dark bog in the middleof a coniferous woodland on the

edge of Loch Rannoch. Theair was still damp but slightly warmer… perfectconditions for Culicoides Impunctatus – the HighlandMidge! Hands started to

scratch every exposed piece of skin until the itching became unbearable. Some brave individu-als remained defiant but mostquickly donned midge head nets orbody stockings. Even butterfly netswere used by some to cover uppertorsos. Searchers spread out in different directions like ripples froma stone thrown into a pool. Wewere looking for the hole in thetree. When Neil Gregory foundone, it only encouraged the rest ofus to look for more. Alas, no morewere found, and the mysterious insect that emerged from the holeremained an enigma – the Welsh

hat, gloves and wet gear. Despitethe drizzle we had good viewsfrom the hide, both of the parent,preening on a distant perch on the

Planning an excursion into theGrampian Region in search of

short-lived Lepidoptera is a precari-ous business. Timing the emergenceof diverse ephemeral species to coincide with suitable weather conditions is total guesswork whenplanning in October for a visit the

following summer. And so a groupof West Midlands Branch membersvisited Pitlochry in early July, whenthe forecast was variable at bestand very cool and damp at worst. Arriving mid afternoon, a few of

us rushed to Trinafour to look foranything that moved while some

blue sky peeped between sweep-ing opaque clouds. Set on a vasthigh hillside of heathers, peat and wet pools, the landscape is surrounded by the majestic peaksof the Cairngorms to the east andthe Nevis and Glencoe ranges tothe west. Nearby Schiehallionlooms large. At first nothing moves,but a careful scan of the ground reveals the unmistakable orange ofa fritillary. Chasing, tripping andshouting to coordinate the hunt, we finally identify a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. The next sight-ing was a Small Heath, no aLarge Heath, no a Small Heath,no… etc. Even the photograph wasunconvincing when checked by thegroup at our B&B in Pitlochry.

Great expectationsAnd so, to the next day… it startedto rain and it didn’t stop. We sensibly decided to visit a local Osprey site at the Loch of theLowes, dressed in fleece, woolly

The Hole-in-the-Tree Gang

Northern Brown Argus(Mel Mason)

Mountain Ringlet(Mel Mason)

NorthernBrown Argus(Mel Mason)

Eyes down in the grassland (Mel Mason))

Mel Masonrelates a story of

Mountain Ringlet,Large Heath andNorthern Brown

Argus, makingsure he takes the

correct clothingfor July inScotland.

At first nothing moves, but a careful scan of the ground

reveals the unmis-takable orange of a fritillary.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Winter 2015/2106 27

Clearwing, I’m now informed,whose larva will bore a hole in thebark of a birch tree to pupate.

Neil Gregory and Tony Simp-son were more successful with mothtraps set each evening and studiedclosely in the morning. When ex-amined by the group, there weremany ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ over thenight-flying attention seekers, suchas Elephant Hawkmoth, PoplarHawkmoth, Buff-tip, and myfavourite, the pink-spotted PeachBlossom moth. However, more importantly, we added many lessfamiliar moth records for this region.

Keltneyburn The weather improved and the nextday we visited a beautiful meadowset on a rugged hillside at Keltneyburn near the village of Dull– twinned with the town of Boringin Oregon, USA, according to itssign. Globeflower competed withcranesbill to fill the gaps betweenthe grasses… but the prize went to the array of orchids… purple, pyramidal, marsh, spotted, fra-grant, butterfly, the more elusive

small white orchid and the chlorophyll-deficient parasite – the Bird’s-nest orchid. Among thevarious insects Chimney Sweeperdominated the habitat. Then we returned to Trinafour to look againfor Mountain Ringlet – ‘unfinishedbusiness’ as Ann described it. Theconditions were ideal – sunny andwarm – but after walking over several kilometres, we decided thatit was too early and best-laid planscan go awry. However, we solvedthe identity of the Small or LargeHeath. Many more were seen thatafternoon and the larger size of thebutterfly convinced everyone that

we had sighted the Scotica – theHighland Large Heath. More likea larger version of the Small Heath,paler than its southern cousin foundin the South, and lacking the attrac-tive border of cream centred ringsin the davus form as seen at Whixall Moss in Shropshire. Returning to the parked cars with

feelings of resignation about miss-ing our primary target, John andMiriam Tilt shouted, ‘We’ve foundone!’. Our first sighting of a veryfresh looking male Mountain Ringlet– moth-like from a distance but surprisingly charming close-up: verydark and hairy with lines of blackcentred orange spots set back fromthe borders of fore and hind wings.In contrast, the southern form ofMountain Ringlet is slightly smallerand darker, as Tony Simpson haddiscovered when he visited a keysite for this species near Grey Knottabove Honister Pass in Cumbria afew days earlier.

Ben LawersOn our penultimate day, the groupsplit up with a few of us heading towards Ben Lawers that towers at nearly 4,000ft above Loch Tay. Mountain Ringlet prefers higher

slopes covered in matt grass at1,500 – 2,500 ft. Fortunately, anarrow road leads to such a highpoint on the south & eastern slopesof this Munro, where a short climbleads to one of the most reliablesites. On the way, we spotted several Argent & Sable moths,their black & white patterns contrasting strongly against a massof buttercup and blue germanderspeedwell between a vast expanseof heather. Near a rocky outcrop inankle-high grass, we disturbed atleast six Mountain Ringlets thatstayed hunkered in the grass formost of the time but soon took flightlow across the vegetation in thebrief sunny intervals. Carol and Ichased them around the hillsidewhile Liz captured the moment in awatercolour painting of the ruggedterrain and the imposing LawersDam, which dominates the skyline

between seven Munros. I encour-aged one female to perch on myfingertip for several minutes, whichwas probably a warmer spot thanthe ground. More evident were the numerous female NorthernEggar moths, which lookedswollen and flew low over theslopes looking to lay their eggs onthe ubiquitous heather and bilberry.

Meanwhile a mobile phone message had come fromMike and Mary Williamstelling us they had dis-covered large numbersof Northern BrownArgus on a roadsideverge between Blair-gowrie and Pilochry. Tryingto beat the weather, we rushedover to find this site, which was covered in yellow flowering rock-rose, the food plant of the butterfly. Unfortunately cloud nowcovered the sky and every Argushad disappeared into the surround-ing grasses although a Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary still flew in thecooler conditions.

Northern Brown ArgusOn the last morning before return-ing to Edinburgh to fly home, wetook the opportunity to re-visit theNorthern Brown Argus site. For ahalf hour the clouds parted and thesun shone while tens of them flewacross the flower rich slopes. This

very small attractive butterflyemerges in the few weeks betweenthe two generations of its southernUK cousin, the Brown Argus. Themost obvious physical differencebetween these two species is thepresence of two white spots on theuppersides of the forewings of theNorthern Brown Argus, which laysits eggs on the upper leaf surface ofrock-rose, rather than on the under-side as preferred by the BrownArgus. While busy with cameras, acouple passed by to say hello andto ask what all the excitement wasabout. They proved to be the own-ers of this site, part of the groundsof a stately home nearby. They explained it was a protected site for the flora, but seemed very excited to learn for the first

time of the presence and importance of this very special butterfly. Unfortunately, wemissed the wild catand kits seen in thesame location by their

gillie during the previousweek. In the next moment the

clouds were back, the butterfliesdisappeared again, and we reluctantly resumed our journey to Edinburgh. The day after we returned home there were floods inthe South Grampian region, so wehad caught a lucky break in theever-changing Highland weather.

Many thanks to all the group fortheir friendly company, expertknowledge and enthusiasm, partic-ularly Mike and Mary and Neil fortheir hard work in organising theevents and accommodation in another very successful Scottish trip.

Report and photos by Mel Mason

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25Peach Blossom(Mel Mason)

Chimney Sweeper(Mel Mason)

...they had discovered large numbers

of Northern BrownArgus on a

roadside verge

By Lawers Dam(Mel Mason)

Northern Marsh Orchid(Mel Mason)

the Comma26

the Comma28 Winter 2015/2106 29

Dates for your diary

West Midlands Branch Special General MeetingTuesday 9th February at 7.25pm, at Grafton Flyfordchurch hall. Sole agenda item: Election of Officers andCommittee. The main Annual General Meeting willtake place in November 2016 - date to be confirmedin the Spring edition of The Comma. Contact Peter Seal on 01905 426398 or atpeterseal3@btinternet.com

National Butterfly Recorders MeetingSaturday 19th March at 10.30am,at The Birmingham & Midland Institute, Margaret Street, Birmingham.Contact Butterfly Conservation on 01929 400209 orat info@butterfly-conservation.org to book a place.

Big Butterfly CountFriday 15th July – Sunday 7th AugustContact www.bigbutterflycount.org

Butterfly Bonanza WeekendSaturday 16th July at 11.00am. Butterfly Walk atPhepson Farm just outside Himbeton near Droitwich (GR SO942598). Contact Peter Seal as above.Saturday 16th July at 2.00pm. Butterfly Walk at Trench Wood. Contact Peter Seal as above.Sunday 17th July at 11.00pm. Butterfly Walk atMonkwood. Contact Mike Williams as below.B&B and camping available at Phepson Farm – seewww.phepsonfarm.co.uk

Brown Hairstreak Egg HuntsThe Thursday Streakers will meet most Thursdaysusually at Grafton Flyford church until the end ofMarch, but check if you are planning to attend in caseof last minute changes to arrangements.Contact Simon Primrose on 07952 260153 or at simonjprimrose@aol.com

Brown Hairstreak Open DaySunday 28th August at 11.00am. Contact Simon Primrose as above.

Ewyas Harold Work PartiesSaturdays: 20th February, 19th March, 16th April.Meet at 10.00am, at the northern Cwm Hill end ofEwyas Harold Common adjacent to the top cattle grid

(GR SO382302). Approach from Abbey Dore off theB4347 at GR SO384306.Contact Ian Hart on 01981 510259 or at yellowrattle4@aol.com

Grafton Wood Work PartiesEvery Wednesday until April, and Sunday 14th February and Sunday 13th March. Meet at 10.00am at Grafton Flyford church.Contact John Tilt on 01386 792458 or at john.tilt2@btopenworld.com

Grafton Wood Butterfly WalkSunday 10th July at 2.00pm. Contact John Tilt, details as above.

Herefordshire Members Meeting Thursday 4 February at 7.00pm. Venue: EignbrookUnited Reform Church, Eign St, Hereford HR4 0AP (Public car park next to Horse and Groom pub). Contact Peter Seal on 01905 426398 or atpeterseal3@btinternet.com for more information.

Honeybourne Work Party Sunday 31st January. Meet at 10.00am. Meet at10.00am at the bridge above the disused railway (GR SP127441) on the road between Honeybourne and Mickleton to work on the Grizzled Skipper site.Contact Peter Seal on 01905 426398 or at peterseal3@btinternet.com

Llanymynech Rocks Butterfly WalkSaturday 14th May. Meet at 2.00pm, at theShropshire Wildlife Trust car park at the end ofUnderhill Lane in Pant a few yards south of the CrossGuns pub (GR SJ267218).Contact Simon Spencer on 01691 648339 & 07866 428875 or at cerisyi@btinternet.com if the weather appears at all unsuitable

Malverns Butterfly Group Annual MeetingMonday 7th March from 12.00pm to 2.30pm, atthe Malvern Hills Conservators Office. Sandwiches,cake and hot drinks available at £1 per person.Contact Mel Mason at meljmason@btinternet.com

To ensure that Branch members and newcomers know what is happening in our region, event andwork party organisers should e-mail full details of upcoming events to the editor of The Comma at

phwarden@sky.com and to web-master David Green at greend@ormail.co.uk

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

The Sunday work party volunteers in action improving the habitat forbutterflies and moths (Mike Williams)

Jenny Joy, West Midlands Senior Regional Officer, describes a day in Siege Wood, Herefordshire.

West Midlands Butterfly Conservation volunteerswere out in force at the end of November

undertaking management work to improve habitat forthe nationally declining Wood White butterfly. SiegeWood, which is owned by Mark O’Brien and LizVice, is part of the Woolhope Dome in Herefordshire,a landscape of considerable importance for butterfliesand moths. Thanks to some great work by the owners,the wood, which is only a few miles from Haugh

Volunteers waiting for the sausages (Rhona Goddard)

Liz and Mark, with Jenny in the centre (Rhona Goddard)

After the cutting & raking (Rhona Goddard)

Wood, already supports a healthy population of Wood Whites.

Enhancing the habitatFurther brush cutting and raking of rides on the day, together with creating a new area of coppice, will enhance the habitat still further and volunteers are looking forward to returning to the wood to continue thework and to see the fruits of their labours with increasednumbers of butterflies next summer. The only downsideof a very successful day was the planned barbecuewhich just would not heat up but Mark came to the res-cue by taking the sausages home to cook. A big thankyou to all those who came along. A walk around thewood is planned for the summer as a joint event withthe Ledbury Naturalists who have supported the conser-vation work over the winter. Further details will be pub-lished in the next Comma

By Jenny Joy

Wood White(Penny Hurt)

Laying Siege to the Wood White

the Comma30 Winter 2015/2106 31

Committee Members and OfficersChairman

Peter Seal peterseal3@btinternet.com 01905 426398

Vice Chairman & Conservation Officer Mike Southall michael_southall58@hotmail.co.uk 01299 251467

Treasurer Lucy Lewis lemiller@btinternet.com 07840 530270

Branch Secretary Joy Stevens joystevens@blueyonder.co.uk 01384 372397

Regional Officers Dr Jenny Joy (Senior Regional officer) jjoy@butterfly-conservation.org 01952 249325Rhona Goddard rgoddard@butterfly-conservation.org 01746 762364

Link Trustee Vacant - -

Records Branch Recorder – Nigel Stone njstone@hotmail.com 02476 335189

Branch Records Co-ordinator – John Tilt john.tilt2@btopenworld.com 01386 792458

Staffordshire County Recorder – John Bryan johnpbryan15@aol.com 01782 541870

Transects John Tilt john.tilt2@btopenworld.com 01386 792458

Reserve ManagersEwyas Harold - Ian Hart yellowrattle4@aol.com 01981 510259Grafton Wood - John Tilt john.tilt2@btopenworld.com 01386 792458Monkwood - George Groves george_groves@btopenworld.com 01905 620721Prees Heath - Stephen Lewis phwarden@sky.com 07900 886809Trench Wood - John Holder johnholder@tiscali.co.uk 01905 794854

Conservation OfficersWorcestershire - Trevor Bucknall trevor.bucknall@tesco.net 01905 755757Herefordshire - Ian Hart yellowrattle4@aol.com 01981 510259

Moth OfficersBham & the Black Country - David Jackson jacksongrus@talktalk.net 01902 344716Herefordshire - Robin Hemming robinhemming@btinternet.com 01568 797351Worcestershire - Mike Southall michael_southall58@hotmail.com 01299 251467

County LeadersNorth Staffordshire - John Bryan johnpbryan15@aol.com 01782 541870Central Staffordshire - Robert Winstanley robandpatwin@btinternet.com 01889 576768South Staffordshire - David Jackson jacksongrus@talktalk.net 01902 344716Herefordshire - Dean Fenton fenton@littleburyfarm.co.uk 01568 611575Malvern Hills - Mel Mason meljmason@btinternet.com 01684 565700

Brown Hairstreak Champion Simon Primrose simonjprimrose@aol.com 07952 260153

Committee MembersVicki Liu vicki_liu@hotmail.co.uk 07731 924822Steven Williams s.williams@yescomputers.co.uk 07974 152081

Publicity and Marketing Officer Mike Williams mike@stagborough.fsnet.co.uk 01299 824860

Newsletter Editor Stephen Lewis phwarden@sky.com 07900 886809

Web site coordinator David Green greend@ormail.co.uk 01922 452238

Dates for your diary cont’d

Malvern Hills Work PartiesMonday 8th February and Monday 22ndFebruary. Meet at 10.00am at the North Hill carpark (GR SO7711746931) or later at work sitebetween bottom (GR SO7733446454) and top (GR SO7722646466) of zig-zag path. Contact Mel Mason on 01684 565700 & 07918 666608 or at meljmason@btinternet.com

Monkwood Work PartiesSunday 7th February and Thursday18th February,and Sunday 6th March and Thursday 17th March.Meet at 10.00am, at Monkwood reserve car park (GR SO803603) off the Sinton Green to MonkwoodGreen road. Contact George Groves on 01905 620721 or at george_groves@btopenworld.com

Monkwood Spring WalkSaturday 7th May at 10.00am. Contact George Groves, details as above.

Mortimer Forest Work PartySunday 31st January. Meet at 10.00am. Meet at10.00am at Vinnalls car park (GR SO474733). Contact Julia Walling on 01584 474636 or at julia.walling@btinternet.com or Mike Williams on 01299 824860 or at mike@stagborough.fsnet.co.uk

Penny Hill Quarry Work PartySunday 28th February and Sunday 6th March.Meet at 10.00am, at the entrance off Pudford Lane,Hillside, Martley (GR SO752613). Contact Mike Williams on 01299 824860 or at mike@stagborough.fsnet.co.uk

Prees Heath Work PartiesWednesdays: 17th February, 16th March, 13th April, 18th May. Meet at 10.30am, on theaccess track opposite the Steel Heath turning off the A49 (GR SJ557363). Contact Stephen Lewis on 07900 886809 or at phwarden@sky.com

Prees Heath 10th Anniversary EventSunday 29th May at 10.30am. Details to beannounced in the spring edition of The Comma and atwww.preesheathcommonreserve.co.uk Meet on theaccess track opposite the Steel Heath turning off the A49. Contact Stephen Lewis as above.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

Prees Heath 10th Anniversary Silver-studded Blue WalkSunday 3rd July at 2.00pm. Meet on the access trackopposite the Steel Heath turning off the A49. Contact Stephen Lewis as above.

Staffordshire Invertebrate Science FairSaturday 5th March from 10.30am to 4.00pm, at Staffordshire University Science Centre, Leek Road,Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2DF. Lots of things for all ages to seeand do. Major recording societies displaying, talks, IDsessions, indoor dipping, willow weaving and lots for thekids to learn with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's Educationteam and it's all free! Contact John Bryan at johnpbryan15@aol.com

Stiperstones & Corndon LandscapePartnership Scheme3 work parties to improve butterfly habitat in south Shropshire: Tuesday 2nd February 10.00am at Roman Gravels,near Shelve. Tuesday 23rd February 10.00am at The Bog, Stiperstones. Tuesday 8th March 10.00amat Earl’s Hill, Pontesbury.Contact the Landscape Partnership Scheme on 01938 561741 or at info@stiperstonesandcorndon.co.uk, to book a place and for more information

Trench Wood Work PartiesEvery Thursday at 9.30am and on the fourthSunday of the month at 10.00am, apart from inMarch when it will be on the third Sunday (20th).Meet at the reserve car park (GR SO930588). Contact John Holder on 01905 794854 or at johnholder@tiscali.co.uk

Wessington Pasture Skipper ID WorkshopTuesday 19th July at 11.00am at Wessington Pasturenear Woolhope, a Hereford Nature Trust reserve. Meetat the reserve (GR SO603353). If the weather is poorthe event will be held the following day. Main aim is tohelp people monitor the spread particularly of EssexSkipper in the county. Leader is Mike Williams.Bookings in advance to randphall@gmail.com

Wyre Forest Work PartiesWednesday 27th January and Wednesday 9th March. Meet at 10.00am at Dry Mill Lane car park (GR SO772763).Contact Mike Williams on 01299 824860 or at mike@stagborough.fsnet.co.uk

the Comma32

Each spring my friend and butterfly recording companion, Liz Rogers, and I make a list of

butterflies we want to see during the summer. The trouble is Liz never sticks to the list. By the end

of June we were doing well. We had taken a trip toStrawberry Banks in Gloucestershire and crossed offthe Small Blue, Green Hairstreak and Marsh Fritillary. Then Liz goes off-piste. Perusing the WestMidlands Butterfly Walks booklet she announces wemust go to Whixall Moss in North Shropshire wherewe can see the the Large Heath. This was not onthe list! I had to go home and look it up because I realised that I had no idea what a Large Heathlooked like.

Butterfly Recorders CurseWe set off in the first week of July. We were then struckdown by the Butterfly Recorders Curse. You know,when you set off in beautiful sunshine but by the timeyou arrive at the appointed place it's pouring withrain. Actually the sun was not shining as we set out butLiz assured me it would soon clear up. Why do Ialways believe her?We sat in the car park for five minutes with the rain

hammering on the car roof and torrents of waterpouring down the windscreen. After ten minutes wedecided we would at least explore, get our bearingsand look for likely places we could return to. We puton as much waterproof clothing as we had to handand set out.

Whixall MossWhixall Moss is a peat bog. I know, this doesn'tsound enticing. In fact, it is an astonishing landscape,straight out of science fiction, you could be on anotherplanet. Stick to the paths! Every footfall off the path isaccompanied by a squelch and a feeling of greatinsecurity. The whole moss is a raft of strange plant lifefloating on water, but there is no knowing just howmuch is beneath you. Scary.....With the unrelenting downpour it didn't take long for

Liz and I to become completely drenched, and

entranced by the landscape as we were, wereluctantly turned for home. We had long ago givenup any hope of seeing butterflies.

Chocolate patterned butterflyLike two drowned rats we trudged back up the path.Suddenly, from under my feet, something flew upstartling us both. It dived into the dripping grasses. ALarge Heath! We couldn't believe our luck. Fumblingmy camera from underneath my mac I quickly tooksome pictures of this lovely chocolate patternedbutterfly. It seemed quite at home in this waterloggedplace, but I suspect we would never have seen it inthese conditions had I not nearly trodden on it.I don't think I'll bother writing a list next year.

By Chris Littlewood

Going Off-list on the Moss

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Large Heath (Chris Littlewood)

Chris Littlewood and Liz Rogers search for the Large Heath on Whixall Moss.