14th August 2006
BUTTERFLY MONITORING WORKSHOP
Date: Wed Sept 6th
Time: 10am
Venue: Pickering Memorial Hall

Butterfly monitoring is undertaken by a network of volunteers and professionals throughout the U.K. each year. By monitoring butterfly numbers from year to year, Butterfly Conservation can often identify which butterfly species are in decline and can often highlight problems long before a species has been lost from a site or region. Each volunteer “adopts” a favourite butterfly site, usually close to home, and undertakes a weekly count along a predetermined route (known as a transect). Transect route lengths vary from a few hundred metres to several kilometres. Very few transects are currently undertaken within North Yorkshire, therefore Butterfly Conservation is keen to recruit volunteers to assist with this important scientific work. This may sound daunting, although monitoring is in fact very easy and extremely enjoyable.
Butterfly Conservation will run a workshop on transect monitoring, aimed at both experienced recorders and beginners, at Pickering Memorial Hall on WED SEPT 6TH.The workshop will be held in the Mill Suite & will start at 10am & should finish at about 3pm.
The workshop will consist of an indoor session in the morning followed by an outdoor session at Pickering Woods in the afternoon (unless the weather is absolutely foul). All aspects of setting up your own transect will be covered.
Tea and coffee facilities are available in the Memorial Hall, although you will need to bring a packed lunch, decent footwear & whatever outdoor clothing you think the weather demands. For directions to the Memorial Hall, log on to www.pickering-memorial-hall.co.uk/bookings
Please let me know if you would like to attend (0191 3789216) or at dwainwright@butterfly-conservation.org as places are limited.
Please pass these details on to relatives, friends or colleagues or anybody else you think may be interested.

25th May 2006
Don't forget that Dave will be out doing a Green Hairstreak survey on Eston Hills this weekend, followed by Large red belted clearwing day on the 31st. All are welcome, and an update will be added to this page in due course.
The North York Moors ID leaflets have arrived from printer. If anyone wants any, or can help with distribution, please ring or email Dave directly.

5th May 2006
A celebrity in our midst! Our very own Dave Wainwright gave an interview for Radio Ryedale last week which you can download and listen to here http://www.radioryedale.co.uk/story_new_layout.asp?StoryId=3197

29th March 2006
NEWS FROM THE MOORS
Dave Wainwright gives us this report from a recent field trip on the North York Moors.
You might assume that winter would halt the work of those dedicated to the conservation of our butterflies and moths….BUT YOU'D BE WRONG!! On a recent outing, intrepid North York Moors National Park Volunteers, AKA The HOBS, overcame both the snow and self-inflicted burns to address the plight of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary on two sites near Hutton-le-Hole

This species is Yorkshire's rarest resident butterfly with only two known surviving colonies. Unless it can spread to new sites, its future looks bleak. The main problem appears to be its ultra-fussy habitat requirement of just the right mix of Bracken (amongst which the larvae find the warm conditions that they require), Violets (on which they feed) and nectar plants such as Bugle (for the adults). Quite simply, there isn't much of this habitat about. With this in mind The Hobs gathered at two somewhat overgrown sites with the aim of making them more suitable.

The first site supports Bracken….lots & lots & lots of Bracken. In fact so much Bracken that the larval foodplants and nectar plants are unable to grow there. Our intrepid volunteers spent a whole morning raking away huge quantities of decaying Bracken in order to create conditions in which the required plants might gain a foothold. Further work, in the form of Bracken beating will be needed, so if you fancy devoting a morning of your time in June towards this end, give me a bell on 0191 378 9216.

The second site lies about 1km from one of the remaining colonies. There are some violets and a few nectar plants present, along with loads of gorse. The heroic Hobs cut & burnt vast swathes of gorse (also their fleeces & in one case their hair) in order to open up the habitat and hopefully improve conditions.

If YOU would like to help with practical site management, or help with survey work or monitoring, then contact me at dwainwright@butterfly-conservation.org. Hopefully the weather will soon relent and will herald the butterfly season proper. I've not seen a single adult butterfly yet, although I suspect it won't be much longer until I do. Don't forget to let me know of any early butterflies seen in the NYM area.