Spring 2012 newsletter - Butterfly Conservation

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Editorial Andy Wyldes The newsletter this time has been given a holiday feel to it, this being the time of year when we are all thinking of where to visit in the warmer months ahead, perhaps they will give you a few ideas ! Thankyou to all contributors. This year’s field trips are advertised at the back of the newsletter, one or two favourite locations and a couple of new ones - all intended to give people a chance to see our counties butterflies in all their glory! The branch AGM & Member’s Day this year will be held in Bedfordshire at the Forest Centre at Marston Vale, south of Bedford. An afternoon start with a butterfly walk before the AGM has been planned, this site being good for a few of our rarer Spring species. Details can be found on page15. Two books on Northamptonshire butterflies are being published this spring. The first book on the We would like to issue a warm welcome to the following new members who have joined our Branch since the publication of the last newsletter Richard Bayliss East Haddon Miss Louise Brooke Northampton Francis Buckle Dunstable Mrs Glynis Bultitude Northampton Mrs Alison Comery Grendon Craig Austin & Stephanie Deane Bozeat Garth Clarke Daventry Steven & Judith Codling Barton-le-Clay Jodie & Steven Coles & Family Maulden Daniel Doyle Kettering Bill Draper Scaldwell Mrs Jenny Driessen Edlesborough Andrew & Kim Exley & Family West Haddon Richard Goswell & Miss Harriet Graham Rushton Mrs Carol Kitchiner Lower Stondon Ms Emma Goodship Marston Mortaine Mrs Margaret Liddle Grendon Paul Osborn Hardingstone Robert & Sheila Pedder Luton Miss Dominic Rhoades Dunstable Frank Robertson Dunstable Mrs Anne Rogers Braunston Mrs Paula Rowlands Dunstable Andrew & Margaret Thorpe Sandy Peter Tomlinson Cranfield Miss Hazel Unsworth Stony Stratford Dr Rae Webster Little Houghton Mrs Jane Wilkinson Barton-le-Clay Mr T P Wood Polebrook We look forward to meeting you at some of our future events. Front cover: Doug Goddard with his award at the national AGM at Cheltenham History of Butterfly Recording in Northants from 1820 - the present by Martin Izzard and is on sale now. The other book, a more comprehensive account of the Butterflies of Northamptonshire will be available in March. This will be the first book of its kind to be published in the county. More details about the two books will accompany this newsletter. Finally, I would like to congratulate Doug Goddard on the Outstanding Volunteer Award he has received from the national office of Butterfly Conservation. This award is in recognition of his work within our branch over the last 25 years. He was presented with his award at the national AGM and member’s day at Cheltenham in November. Doug has waved the butterfly banner for the county almost single handed since the mid 1980’s, being the first point of contact in our area for anyone’s interest in butterflies, whether local or national.
Butterflying in the Pyrenees Greg Herbert It was about 25 years ago that three families from the branch camped in the Pyrenees for a week’s butterflying. On that trip we saw Camberwell Beauty, Apollo and Chapmans Blue among about seventy species. This year I went with Chris Lunn and some members of the European Interest Group from Butterfly Conservation. We started early on Wednesday 6th July with a drive to Paris where we left the car in the hands of the SNCF who were to take it to Narbonne for collection the following morning. While we travelled on a TGV express train to Narbonne arriving the same evening. We collected the car after a hot and airless night in a cheap French Hotel and drove the long way to the Pyrenees via the magnificent Millau Viaduct arriving at the campsite on Thursday evening. The rest of the group were to arrive on the following day. FRIDAY 8th July Weather 100% sunshine Today was a free day so we chose to visit the Circ de Truemouse, not as spectacular as the nearby Circ de Gavarnie but on the narrow road we saw numerous Apollo butterflies and large fritillaries, in a lay by we were met by Scarce Coppers, Mazarine Blue, Dark Green Fritillary and many Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets. SATURDAY 9th July South facing hillside above Bareges. Weather 60% sun Our party gathered in the village car park, where a dozen of us set off up a path through the wood to some open meadows above the village where in addition to numerous British species we saw Amandas and Echers Blue; Large Wall Brown, Pearly Heath and Woodland Grayling; Weavers Fritillary; Black-veined White; Marbled and Oberthur’s Grizzled Skipper. 32 species for the day, not a bad start. SUNDAY 10th July Col de Tourmallet. Weather AM 60%, PM 90% sun 3 Today we met the rarest of animals, a group of French Butterfly enthusiasts, who led us up a path off the main road up to the pass. Along this path were seen, in mixed sunshine Large and Turquoise Blues, Purple Edged and Scarce Coppers; Bright Eyed, Gavarnie, Mountain, Yellow Spotted, Pyrenees Brassy and Western Brassy Ringlets and Northern Wall Brown and; False Heath and Lesser Marbled Fritillary; Apollo, Clouded Apollo, Peacock, Mountain Dappled White, and in the afternoon in some meadows at the foot of the climb Map, Swallowtail, Clouded Yellow, Cleopatra, Queen of Spain and Meadow Fritillaries, Large Grizzled, Olive, Marbled, Red Underwing and Rosy Grizzled Skippers 47 species. MONDAY 11th July Above the Circ de Gavarnie. Weather AM 70%, PM 55% sun. We drove through Gavarnie village, getting views of the famous Circ in the distance, to a road up towards the Spanish border, we stopped to survey some roadside meadows where numerous butterflies were flying in good sunny intervals these included Amandas, Mazarine and Large Blues; Mountain, Gavarnie, Yellow Spotted and Piedmont Ringlets; False Heath, Niobe, Lesser Marbled, Meadow and Spotted Fritillaries; Apollo and Swallowtail with Large Grizzled, Marbled, Olive and Rosy Grizzled Skipper. In the afternoon we drove to the top of the road not far from the Spannish Border. 46 species. Gavarnie Ringlet on Greg’s hand, the Circ de Gavarnie in the background.
Page 1: No 80 Spring 2012 www.bedsnorthants
Page 5 and 6: The weather cleared slightly and bu
Page 7 and 8: The White-letter Hairstreak eggs wi
Page 9 and 10: Silver-washed Fritillary Photo Doug
Page 11 and 12: Butterflies in Kefalonia David Chan
Page 13 and 14: Field Trips 2012 Northants Sunday,
Page 15 and 16: November 13 th 2011 Sunday, January
Page 17 and 18: Butterflies of Northamptonshire The

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