6 March 2010 - Growing Concern For Our Rarest Butterflies As Numbers Continue To Decline

 

Analysis of the butterfly sightings datasets for the 2009 season provide sombre reading in relation to 5 of the UK's rarest butterflies, including two species found in Hampshire. Concern is perhaps greatest for the Duke of Burgundy, whose numbers have been decreasing consecutively over the last three years, reaching their lowest ever recorded level in 2009. Nationally less than 50 Duke Of Burgundy colonies remain and many of these are small and vulnerable.

 

For the Pear-bordered Fritillary the situation is little better with 2009 being its second worst year on record. The three other species noted on the Butterfly Conservation website as giving cause for increasing concern are the High Brown Fritillary, Wood White and Lulworth Skipper.

 

    

Growing Concern For the Duke Of Burgundy And Pearl-bordered Fritillary

 

Experts believe that the very wet weather during the summers of 2007 and 2008, followed by above average rainfall of July and August 2009, have accelerated a long-term decline in numbers. Continued loss of key habitats and poor habitat management, such as in some woodlands, are also likely to be underlying factors. 

 

On a more positive note, a few of our native species which are tolerant of the damper conditions, did quite well in 2009 - the Ringlet, Speckled Wood and Green-veined White.

 

19 February 2010 - Meandering In Hampshire's Saltmarshes

 

For my final meander into the history of a Hampshire butterfly site, I have chosen the Lymington - Keyhaven coastal nature reserve. Lying between Hurst Spit and the town of Lymington, this Hampshire wildlife trust reserve, consisting of saltmarsh, shallow lagoons and mudflats is more famous for its birds than its butterflies. Nevertheless, it is the only reasonably reliable location in Hampshire to see the Wall butterfly. A good place to see them is along a track which is still called "the ancient highway" and runs from the end of Pennington Lane westwards into Keyhaven, bordering the landward side of the marshes.

 

There is considerable historical interest in this area. The huge fortress of Hurst Castle is located at the end of Hurst spit (but may also be reached by a small ferry from Keyhaven). It was built between 1541 and 1544, but extended in the nineteenth century into the massive structure which stands today. It was one of a string of coastal forts constructed by Henry VIII to protect southern England from the French and is strategically positioned to guard the western entrance to the Solent.

 

The marshes in and around the reserve are also strongly associated with the production of sea salt, which commenced in Roman Times and continued until the nineteenth century, with the industry being at its height during the eighteenth century. Indeed the sea salt industry has had a major influence on shaping the very landscape here, since it was undertaken on land that had been reclaimed from the sea through the construction of a series of sea walls - a continuous process largely responsible for the current extent of the coastal marshes.

 

The salt was produced by impounding sea water in shallow tidal ponds, or 'salterns', of several metres in dimension. The sea water was then left to evaporate until a strong brine had formed. It was then pumped by wind pump into boiling houses with coal-fired furnaces, where the brine was boiled until only salt crystals remained. The two brick buildings close to the end of the creek at Moses Dock, are old salt boiling houses. Shallow-draught boats brought coal up the creek, for the furnaces and returned loaded with salt.

 

So, I hope this historical perspective will help to enhance a visit to the Lymington - Keyhaven coastal nature reserve and compensate a little if you are unlucky with the Wall butterflies!

 

11 February 2010 - Hampshire Meander - Delving Into Alice's Past

 

I continue my meandering into the history of one or two butterfly sites, returning now to Hampshire's border with Surrey to explore Alice Holt Forest - a former Royal Forest whose nobility now includes the majestic Purple Emperor and the graceful White Admiral.

 

Having made my choice, I almost began to regret it, since on delving into "Alice's past", so to speak, it soon became clear that this lady has such a rich history that I cannot hope to do it justice here. Indeed, I am not even going to try, so will have to content myself with presenting a few facts about this forest's history which you might not know.

 

Although the ice sheets of the last ice age never reached as far south as Alice Holt, it was only after they retreated ~10,000 years ago that the tundra-like wastes that covered this area began to give way to trees. Initially these were the more hardy species such as Birch, Willow and Scots Pine, but as the climate warmed broadleaved species such as oak, elm and lime began to colonise. There is also evidence of human occupation even preceding the retreat of the ice sheets, through finds of flint tools from as far back as the Palaeolithic period.

 

The name "Alice Holt" has an interesting history in itself. A 'holt' in old English means a small wood or thicket. "Alice" in this context is not a lady's name but is thought to be a corruption of Aelfsige, meaning noble and victorious in Anglo Saxon. Aelfsige was one of the early Bishop's of Winchester, becoming bishop in AD951. The Bishops of Winchester were the first recorded owners of the forest. Over time names often evolved and became corrupted, with the name "Alice Holt" first appearing in 1373.

 

In Roman times Alice Holt Forest became the focus of a thriving pottery industry, called Alice Holt Ware - a medium quality utilitarian pottery. The bluish Gault clay, on which the forest lies was perfect for making pottery and there was abundant supply of wood to fire the kilns. Parts of the forest are scattered with the broken shards of rejected pots and the blackened earth where the kilns once stood. In the Straits Inclosure there are also traces of the old clay pits from which the clay was extracted.

 

A new chapter in Alice's history will open on the 31^st March this year when the South Downs becomes the UK's 15th National Park - and yes Alice Holt Forest is well worthy of being part of it.

 

If you want to know lots more about the forest, including its amazing history, there is an excellent independent website included on my links page.

 

3 February 2010 - North Pennine Meander

 

Following on from my previous post, I continue my meandering on the web by exploring, very briefly, some aspects of the history of a butterfly site. Since it was a site in County Durham that sparked this interest, then it seems appropriate to start there, moving on to Hampshire next time. The site is Burnhill, near Tow Law, which is one of several small sites for Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary strung along the eastern margins of the Pennines in County Durham and also featured on the Butterfly Monitoring Scheme website (see my links page).

 

The site is also the location of a now demolished railway station called Burnhill Junction, which was in fact a military exchange station, rather than a passenger station. It was used for the transportation of munitions during and after the Second World War from the nearby Saltersgate munitions storage depot. The railway also formed part of a loop joining Darlington with Tyneside via Tow Law. It was closed to passenger traffic in 1939 and the section to Burnhill Junction certainly not used since 1967 or early 1968 when the track was lifted, just before the munitions depot closed.

 

The article here on Burnhill Junction includes both old and more modern photographs and historical details of its railway heritage. There is also an aerial photo taken in 1991 which, when compared with more modern photos (e.g. Google Maps) shows that the area has not changed much in almost 20 years. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries (and incidentally Dingy Skippers and occasional Dark Green Fritillaries) can be found in season on the semi/unimproved (flower rich) neutral grassland centre right in the photo. The course of the old railway is also evident from lower left to upper right - the site of Burnhill Junction Station being also upper right, close to where the line divides. Incidentally the section of the old railway in the top right of the photo now forms part of a long distance cycle-way stretching from the Cumbrian to the Durham coasts. 

 

I was so curious about this area that whilst visiting North East England last weekend, I made a detour, not actually reaching Burnhill itself, but spending a little time walking along the route of the old railway a few miles to the west and visiting the site of another old station at Parkhead.  In this case the station-masters house, rather than being demolished, has been so considerately rebuilt as a hostelry, complete with tea rooms (and very nice too!).

 

My meanderings will depart from Northern England now as I head back south to choose a Butterfly site in Hampshire for my next historical exploration and posting.

 

23 January 2010 - Midwinter Meanderings

 

For those of us running blog pages on butterflies, the winter and perhaps January in particular, is a time when news is scarce, with all our native species trapped in the early life stage which evolution has bestowed on them or hibernating as adults. In the latter case there's always the odd exception of course, to remind us of what's around the corner - singletons of Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone, Red Admiral and Peacock are already reported this year from various southern counties.

 

So for me it's a good time to do a little meandering, on the web that is - you never quite know where you will end up. Some of you will be aware, from earlier blogs, that I have connections to North-East England  - it's where I grew up - with Hampshire being my adopted home of more than 20 years. Nevertheless one always retains an affinity with ones roots, and I'm no exception.

 

One of my meanderings this winter, whilst we were being so inconsiderately deluged by that white flaky stuff, started with some research into a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary site in County Durham, called the Burnhill Nature reserve. Consider it as a virtual out-of-area visit if you like. I then went on a fascinating journey involving disused railways, a long distance cycleway and even the wartime history associated with this site.

 

You might say well what's all that got to do with butterflies, let alone Hampshire butterflies? Well not much on the face of it, and yet it reminded that many of our best butterfly sites owe a big debt to history for making them what they are today, and there are plenty of examples in Hampshire.  Noar Hill, for instance owes much to our medieval ancestors creating the chalk pits which now provide a sheltered environment for butterflies, and even Shipton Bellinger's scrub would probably have been turned to farmland had it not been for its crown land status and proximity to a military training area. At some sites this history is still there to see, from the tumuli at Broughton Down to the now blocked up wartime tunnels under Portsdown Hill. What better way to enhance a visit to a butterfly site than to research the site's history and experience it whilst visiting?

 

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