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NEWSLETTER No. 6 -  Winter 1981/82

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

Contents

Halfway through Butterfly Year is a good time to review progress. There is no doubt that the spotlight has been turned on butterflies as never before. T.V. and radio coverage has been extensive and numerous articles have been written in newspapers and magazines. Nationally, a recording scheme has been launched with an emphasis on family involvement and even a competition to design a butterfly garden organised.

At a local level, the West Midlands branch has been active in promoting butterfly conservation through a series of displays beginning with a successful Festival of Butterflies in Coventry in May and continuing with displays at the N.E.C. in July and at Stoneleigh's Town & Country Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The N.E.C. display, as part of the National Festival of Flower Arrangement, broke all records and raised over £100 for the Society.

Equally important have been the window displays in building societies and the like, which are so valuable in attracting new members. The branch is grateful to all those members who have been able to find us window spaces and further requests would be most welcome. Another increasing trend have been requests from other conservation bodies for slide talks on butterflies, and both the Secretary and Treasurer have been involved in giving talks over the course of the Summer. Thanks are again due to other members who have loaned out their slides for this purpose. We would very much like to build up our own Slide Library and the Secretary would be pleased to receive offers of slides.

The other main event of the year was the setting up of our own recording scheme. Already this has paid dividends and has led to conservation action being taken on three sites. Recording forms were circulated with the last newsletter and if members have not yet completed their first annual report they should do so as soon as possible so that the information can be processed and passed on as appropriate. New forms will be circulated with the next newsletter.

For the third year, the branch organised a number of field trips over the Summer months and although the weather was unkind on a number of occasions, most were well supported and produced 35 species of butterfly. Looking ahead a varied Winter programme has been planned beginning with our A.G.M. at the end of November. We are very pleased to welcome on this occasion John Tubbs who has agreed to travel up from Hampshire to show us his marvellous full-length film 'The Butterflies of Wessex" - an opportunity not to be missed.

The important task for next year will be to keep the momentum going. It would be sad if the new interest in butterflies amongst the public was allowed to die a slow death, and the Society as a whole will need to meet this challenge. For our part, the West Midlands branch will want to build on the achievements of this year and try to ensure that, at least in the Midlands, there is after all a future for Britain's butterflies.