2023

Autumn 2023 Newsletter

Butterflies and Moths need you!

The committee is now in a difficult situation , with many posts unfilled and some members undertaking more than one role. This is not a good situation to be in. We urgently need new volunteers. Next year we are going to have to reduce our activities unless more people come forward to help. There may be fewer (if any) events and field trips, and the Members’ Day will need to be reconsidered.

We are currently looking for volunteers to fill the following positions:-

• Chairman
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Field trip Co-ordinator
• Newsletter Editor
• Moth Officer
• WCBS Co-ordinator

Please contact the secretary if interested and further information.

The latest newsletter has been sent out and should be delivered to our branch member by now.

The Winners of the Photographic Competition 

UK Butterfly - number 6 Harry Faull Marbled White

UK Moth - number 2 Valerie Walker Cinnabar moth

International - number 4 Steve Evans Striped Hawkmoth

Under 18 - number 5 Tyler Hood Marbled White

Members’ afternoon

Saturday 7 October 2023 at 2:00 pm
Hethersett Village Hall
Back Lane, Hethersett, NR9 3JJ

The 2023 Members’ Afternoon promises to be a memorable one. We welcome two experts in butterfly ecology to talk about how the data we collect informs conservation research.
The State of the UK’s Butterflies
The keynote presentation will be given by: 

Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation.

Richard has led Butterfly Conservation’s recording work for over 25 years, developing the Big Butterfly Count, National Moth Recording Scheme and iRecord Butterflies app. He has written numerous reports and papers using BC’s data to understand and reverse Lepidoptera decline.
Richard’s talk will present the latest assessment of long-term abundance and distribution trends for UK butterflies, based on sightings contributed by members and the general public, and show how targeted species conservation action can turn around the fortunes of threatened butterflies.

Northern butterfly species under climate change

Dr Aldina Franco is an Associate Professor in Ecology and Global Environmental Change at the University of East Anglia, with research interests in understanding biodiversity responses to environmental change including land use and climate change.
Aldina’s research with butterflies showed that Northern UK species are retracting their distributions to higher latitudes and elevations associated with climate change. The talk will focus on work she has done in Northern England and Scotland and how we can quantify changes in butterfly distributions over time.

Also:
› Tea and cake!
› Photographic competition results,
› 2nd-hand book stall
› A brief AGM and election of Branch officers.

Sandringham Flower Show 26 July

We had a successful presence at the 2023 Sandringham Flower Show. There was a steady stream of visitors, many with questions about identifying species or about how to improve their gardens for wildlife. We sold a few copies of the new Atlas and some fold-out field guides, and received numerous donations. Alan and Jen manned the stall for most of the day, after Graham got it opened up and started in the morning. We even caught a glimpse of the King and Queen, but unfortunately they didn't see us!

Field visit to Cockley Cley

There were 8 members altogether, 7 had followed your instructions about how to get there and the parking. One man, from Kings Lynn, had been hopelessly lost and arrived 40 mins late. There was no signal for my telephone there so I'm assuming others may have had that problem too, maybe sat nav not working.

The walk started with a fine misty rain, it became drier with heavy clouds and only a few brighter spells. There were butterflies around even in the wet weather, Meadow Browns were in abundance and also Skippers. Daniel Cooper was making note of the species we saw and the numbers, they will be sent to David Prince.

All members of the party were happy with the amount of things we saw, not only butterflies but moths, bees, beetles and birds. Lovely wildflowers including some Bee Orchids certainly a place worth going back to. 

The walk lasted 3 hours, it went by so quickly.

Kind regards

Heather

Report on Holt CP Field Trip, 14th June 2023

The weather forecast was awful for the morning, so unsurprisingly very few members turned up.  However, the Park Rangers, Annie and Andre, despite the gloomy and occasionally damp weather, managed to get us good views of: Silver-washed Fritillary, White Admiral, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small White.  The place must be absolutely swarming with butterflies on a nice day!

Alan Dawson

Catfield Fen Moth Event Field Report

21st June 2023

Good moth event at Catfield Fen today with plenty of variety. Full species record coming later but included an impressive array of different Wainscot species, a pretty yellow-coloured female Drinker, Eyed, Elephant and Poplar Hawkmoths, some nice micro moths  as well as Catfield specialities Lemke’s Gold Spot and Reed Leopard. Many thanks to RSPB’S Mick A’Court for setting and recovering traps and to Mick and Greg Bond for taking on the identification and recording. A Norfolk Hawker dragonfly took a shine to one of the assembled mothers!

Press release from the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists’ Society.

19th June 2023

Norfolk naturalists return rare blue butterfly to its former home
Naturalists have translocated 35 Silver-studded blue butterflies from Buxton Heath to their former haunt at Broadland Country Park, near Horsford, after an absence of more than 70 years. This lovely but scarce and delicate species has been lost from more than 80% of its former habitats in the past century as the heathland was converted to forestry and housing. It is currently found at only four Norfolk locations.

The site at Broadland Country Park was the original source of butterflies introduced to Horsford Rifle Range, Buxton Heath and Kelling Heath, but the original population was destroyed in the 1950s when plantation forestry took over. With the trees now removed, heather and black ants, which the butterflies need to complete their life cycle, have returned, and the species should once again thrive in its former home.

The project involved several partners, as Dr Mark Collins, who leads the project for the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists’ Society, said: “This is a protected species, and we had permission from Natural England, as well as vital support from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, who manage Buxton Heath, and Butterfly Conservation, which has unrivalled experience of such translocations.”

The caterpillars are protected from predators and parasites by a species of black ant that takes them down into their nests, where they pupate and over-winter before emerging as adults in June. “We carried out a detailed survey to ensure that the ants were present in good numbers, and the heather was in good condition for the nectar-feeding adults”, explained Dr Collins, “but it will be a while before we know whether the reintroduction has fully succeeded”. Monitoring at the Park will continue for at least five years.

Alan Dawson, who monitors the Silver-studded blue at Buxton Heath for Butterfly Conservation, said: “The butterfly has done very well indeed here, and it was time to take some individuals back to their restored home”.

The Country Park was established by Broadland District Council just a few years ago and is a popular site for local people. Dave Weaver, an award-winning volunteer, said: “With careful management, this will be an important site for nature recovery and biodiversity in Norfolk. During a three-year research project with NNNS, more than 2000 species of plants and animals have been found, and the return of the iconic Silver-studded blue to its former home is a moment of great pride to us all.”

Still images attached (hi-res available); video also available on request. Credit: Hans Watson.
 

Stoke Ferry Field Report

Unlike 2022, this year the sun shone and it was a beautiful warm day at Stoke Ferry, enjoyed by 10 BC members, but sadly not by the Dingy and Grizzled Skippers which obstinately refused to put in an appearance. Reports from other sites suggest that they probably have not yet emerged.  However, there were good numbers of other species: Brimstone, Large White, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Brown Argus (lots!), Peacock, Burnet Companion.

Winter Wildlife Family Event

The Norfolk Branch contributed a stand at the recent Winter Wildlife Family Event that was organised by the Norfolk and Norwich Bat Group. The event was held in the Swanton Morley village hall on Friday 17th February. As intended the event attracted a large number of family groups with lots of children. As well as the usual leaflets and information items we took our badge maker which proved to be a hit with the children. We also ran a moth trap prior to the event and were able to take six species of winter moths with accompanying photographs of each. Again, this was very popular with the junior visitors. The stand was supplemented with a photographic display board featuring a variety of butterflies and moths and this included two photo story boards on the return of the Silver-washed Fritillary to Norfolk and the moth pollination of Greater Butterfly-orchids. Report and photos supplied by Mike Gasson

Death of Judy Dunmore

It is with great sadness that I report the sudden death of Judy Dunmore who died on Thursday, January 26 while on holiday in the Caribbean.

Judy first joined the Norfolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation in 1989 and became Branch Chair in 1999. This was a post that she relished and I know that many of you will know her from this time. She continued as Chair until 2021 and was awarded the Butterfly Conservation Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2022. She remained an active member of the Branch Committee and recently took on the post of Branch Treasurer.

Judy’s knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for the natural world in Norfolk were very evident to those around her and greatly appreciated by our members. She was immensely practical, excellent at organising things and  very supportive of those around her. She will be greatly missed.

She leaves behind her loving husband Giles, her children Louise and Nick, her grandchildren and her many, many friends at Butterfly Conservation.

Zoom talk by Dr Jeff Price

The zoom talk by Dr Jeff Price listed in the Autumn 2022 Newsletter has been postponed. We will announce the new date as soon as it is arranged. 

Happy New Year to all our members

Thank you for your support in 2022 and we look forward to see you at our events in 2023. For the details of the latest events go to our events page.

If you are interested in getting involved in running the Norfolk branch look at the Branch Committee page for vacant positions