Are you interested in the Large Blue Project?

Are you enthusiastic person who is an able communicator and can demonstrate experience of working with the public?

Do you have an active interest in environmental conservation; a good knowledge of butterfly ecology and monitoring techniques?

Are you physically fit and able to walk up and down Collard Hill in all weather conditions?

Are you free from Wednesday 30th May to the Friday 6th July?

If all your answers are yes then read on…

We are looking for someone to be our Volunteer Large Blue Ranger through the 2012′s Large Blue Butterfly Flight Season. If your interested and would like further information then please contact: Hayley.Dorrington@Nationaltrust.org.uk

Hi Rob here with an update on what is happening at Collard over the winter.

Once a year, in the quiet season, when the caterpillars are comfortably resting in their ant nests and life is calm on the slopes, all those involved in managing Collard Hill have a get together to mull over what has worked well for butterflies, for visitors and for the site generally. This usually happens in November when the weather is at its most windswept and wet. This year was no exception although we did think that perhaps this was the slope laying on a nostalgia experience for Christine as this was a not unfamiliar scene during her six weeks here in June.

Matthew Oates, National Trust butterfly guru, receives a friendly pony nibble

It was great to all meet up again and review the summer. We are clearly all delighted with how the large blue has fared at Collard. With 40,000 eggs, this site is now probably in the top three in the world for large blues. Christine has written a fantastic report on the season and this can be seen by clicking here or the tab above.

The advisors! - Christine Tansey, Robert Holden, Hayley Dorrington, Matthew Oates and Dave Simcox

But we must not rest on our laurels. The countryside is a dynamic place with nature always changing. As a major part of the wildlife value at Collard Hill comes from the mix of limestone grassland dotted with a scrub mosaic there is always work to do to make sure the scrub doesnt take-over from the grass.

We have planned out the habitat work for the winter and we will be working with volunteer groups from the National Trust and Butterfly Conservation as well as conservation contractors to push back the gorse, bramble and thorn. This work is starting this week and will continue through to February.

Collard Hill 2011 – How did the butterflies do?!

2011 has been a strange year with warm, very dry weather in April and May followed by a wet and windy June. These do not make ideal conditions for Large blue butterflies and can be quite devastating for small populations particularly when grazing has been either too light or too heavy.

Thankfully, the National Trust team, in partnership with their graziers, have managed Collard perfectly throughout the last year and their efforts have more than mitigated against the negative effects of the weather. In 2010 the Collard egg estimate was 30,579 and I’m delighted to announce that this year’s egg population has increased to 39,602 meaning that nearly 1600 adult butterflies flew on the site this year.

I believe that this number could have been much larger if the more exposed parts of the site had not been adversely affected by both the Spring drought and the high winds during the flight period. Over the last few years the careful management of the scrub has provided much larger areas which are now afforded shelter and this year that has paid dividends.

Over the winter we will look at how we can maintain the site management and, if possible, increase the breeding area to further ensure that the Large blue butterfly continues to thrive on this wonderful site.

I would like to congratulate Christine Tansey who was superb at welcoming visitors, answering their many questions, helping them to see the butterfly and for writing a highly informative blog.

Finally, I would like to thank all the visitors to the site for their enthusiasm, joy at seeing this remarkable butterfly and their numerous appreciative comments. Personally, I am already looking forward to next year.

David Simcox

Egg surveys were carried out by Jeremy Thomas (Oxford University), Sarah Meredith (National Trust and Oxford University) and David Simcox (Butterfly Conservation and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology).

Hi all, Rob Holden here

Well, amazingly the season has been and gone already. It arrives in a blur of excitement, hope and a certain trepidation and it passes in a blur of blue, and this year quite a windswept blur it was.

Our huge thanks go to Christine for all the hard work and enthusiasm she put into her time with us. Her knowledge and enjoyment of being a part of the large blue butterfly project was appreciated by the many hundreds of visitors to the hill and of course the 7,000 odd visits to this blog. Not to mention the team of staff and volunteers based on the hill. Christine has now moved on to another butterfly research project in another corner of the country but is still helping us by finishing off the data input and report writing – keep up the good work Christine!

We took down all the signs and information boards and rope etc. this week, which is always a sad moment, but we are comforted by the fact that so many people visited and saw the butterflies and enjoyed the stunning views from Collard Hill and the great array of downland flora.

Paul Harvey putting up a sign announcing the end of the season

 

And finally - the large blue welcoming sign gets put away for another year!

In fact we had more visitors this year than any previous years. And crucially, I am pleased to say that the preliminary figures suggest it will have been another record-breaking year for the numbers of large blue butterflies. Thanks to the hours and hours put in by David Simcox, Sarah Meredith and Jeremy Thomas combing the hill for pin-sized blue-tinged white eggs we are in  a position to provide a reliable guide to the butterfly numbers. Full details will be  released later in the year but the omens are promising.

This potentially record-breaking flight season was , as many veterans of the hill this year can attest, in the face of decidedly mixed weather. Indeed, butterfly numbers have increased on Collard every year since 2005 despite periods of very bad weather most notably in 2007 and 2008. So Britain’s rarest butterfly is perhaps more resilient than it is sometimes given credit for.

Another first this year was the length of the flight season. It began we believe on 25 May – fully one week earlier than the previous earliest sighting at Collard, and then continued until last Sunday when one final butterfly was seen by David Simcox. This bumps the flight period up from the previous maximum of 33 days to 45 days.

We will continue to post details of our work on the hill over the coming months, and announce more news about egg and butterfly numbers when we have them, so do pop back to the blog from time to time.

To round off here are the last photos that have been sent in by visitor. Thanks to all who have taken the time to e-mail such fantastic images and share them with us all.

 

A continental visitor - Painted Lady by Jim Archer

A Large Blue sheltering as so often they had to! by Kieren Allinson

Great view of a large blue by Paul Foster

Rob

Hello everyone, Christine here after my last day up at Collard yesterday. The hill did its best to send me off in the manner to which I have become accustomed; with high winds and heavy showers throughout the day. Needless to say, it was not a day for much butterfly activity. I struggled to stand up on occasion, so any butterflies didn’t have much chance! Like yesterday, there were no Large Blue sightings during the brief sunny spells, and any tardy Blues out there are remaining elusive.

The Quarry paths wind below the pine trees

I walked around the site saying goodbye to each area, such as the Quarry, that I thought I had become familiar with. But even on my last day, Collard had new things to share, such as the white form of Common Centaury I spotted at the top of the Eastern Glade. While finishing one of the transects I also got a fantastic sighting of a stoat on the track above the Eastern Glade. We watched each other for a few minutes before he disappeared into the Gorse. Another new visitor was a Common Darter dragonfly, hovering and sitting on the main track while I ate my lunch in the shelter of the scrub. Thanks to Stewart Canham for identifying it for me!

White flowered Common Centaury - Christine Tansey July 2011

A Common Darter - Christine Tansey July 2011

This season has brought many to Collard’s beautiful slopes, with nearly 1200 visitors seen by the rangers on site. We all enjoyed talking with those who ventured to Somerset to see the Large Blue, and hope that most had successful, butterfly filled visits! We recorded over 260 Large Blues on our transects, fewer than last year but given the frequently challenging weather conditions, a very pleasing number. Keep your eyes on the blog for an update once the egg count has been completed and we’ll post an estimate of the adult population at Collard this year.

Since this is my last daily post, I thought I’d try and wrap up a couple of things that have repeatedly been raised by some of you on site. As many visitors noticed when walking around Collard, micro moths are numerous, rising in jittery clouds on days when nothing else can be seen flying. Though there has not been a in depth survey of the moth fauna on site to date, thanks go to Winston Plowes for identifying many of  the ubiquitous micros as Pyrausta despicata.

Pyrausta despicata - Winston Plowes June 2011

A question that has also been pondered by several of you is whether the ants attack the Large Blues after they have emerged from their pupae in the ants nest, and as they are on their way out. I had a chance to talk to Jeremy Thomas about this recently, and it transpires that the ants become very active as the Large Blue emerges, and will throng about the butterfly, often following it to the surface in an excited state while it leaves the nest. However they do not attack it, and it is possible there may be some mechanism employed by the butterfly to placate them, what this may be remains unknown.

All that is left is to thank all of you who visited, those of you that sent in some wonderful photos and chatted with all of us at Collard. Huge thanks must go to the fantastic volunteers from whom I learned a lot and enjoyed sharing time on the hill. They spent days on site, walking the transects and being available to provide information to everyone. Roger S., Simone, Craig, Chris, Roger and Sandy, Jim, Barry, Ken and Dudley, you were brilliant!

Especial thanks to everyone at the National Trust who prepared the site and maintained it throughout the season, in particular Rob Stephens and Rob Holden, who looks after Collard Hill all year round. David Simcox, Jeremy Thomas, Matthew Oates and Sarah Meredith answered many questions on the ecology of the Large Blue, and the history of Collard Hill, thank you for being patient and supportive as I found my feet (or should that be wings?!).

Spot the larva! - Christine Tansey July 2011

It’s been a fantastic and far too fleeting flight season at Collard, and I can’t believe the time, Thyme and butterflies have run their course. I’ve so enjoyed the experience, observing the character of the site change from barely a smudge of purple amongst the Bird’s Foot Trefoil, to swathes of Thyme, spikes of Self-Heal and small forests of Lady’s Bedstraw covering the slopes. I’ve watched the weather move across the Levels, learning to anticipate the next shower and time my retreat to the shelter of the Turkey Oak. And then there were the Large Blues, the more of which I saw, the more I appreciated their long road to adulthood and few days of beauty in the sun. I’m now moving on, to be part of a team of field assistants on a project researching the dispersal of butterflies across fragmented habitats, so my summer of butterfly hunting is not over yet!

I’ll be sure to be back next year, checking up on the Large Blues, and hope to see some of you again. We’ll finish with a reminder of Collard in 2011, with some superb photos from Mike Flemming, Andrew Rumming, Carol Cockbain, David Holloway, Jill Shaw, Geoffrey Bath and Richard Fox.

Wings out for all to see - Richard Fox 2011

I spy a Red Admiral! - Geoffrey Bath 2011

A mating pair - Jill Shaw 2011

One of our older specimens - David Holloway 2011

Large Blue balancing - Carol Cockbain 2011

Hello Comma! - Andrew Rumming 2011

The Wasp Orchid - Mike Flemming 2011

Evening all, Christine here after a sunny windy day at Collard. After yesterday I did not anticipate much Large Blue activity, and indeed so it proved to be, with not a single sighting today. This does indicate that their flight season is largely at its end, and any Large Blue stragglers still on the wing are likely to be difficult to see. It is just possible that you might see a lone Blue if you visit in the next few days, and be sure to let us know if you do, as Wardens will no longer be on the site after Friday 8th July. Do email us if you have any more comments about visiting Collard Hill: collard.hill@nationaltrust.org.uk

A Gatekeeper round every corner today! - Christine Tansey July 2011

The morning transect walk introduced me to several Gatekeepers, and they seemed to be around every Gorse bush today, their fresh orange wings offering a bright greeting as they basked in the sun. Speckled Woods have also become more numerous in the last two days and continued frequent the main track. A Green Woodpecker and Hummingbird Hawkmoth made very welcome appearances today, both seen flying on the main central slope as two Buzzards wheeled and cried overhead and our friendly Kestrel hovered above the hill.

Sarah commences the egg count

The biggest excitement of the day was the presence of Dave Simcox, Jeremy Thomas and Sarah Meredith, on the hill to start the egg counts and get estimates of how many Large Blues were flying at Collard this year. They’ll be back on site tomorrow and we’ll keep you posted on how it looked once the survey is completed. Fingers crossed for an increase everyone!

Large Skipper nectars in the sun - Christine Tansey July 2011

Evening all, Christine here after a return to blustery conditions on Collard Hill. The morning started with some optimistic glimpses of sunshine that were to disappear frequently as high winds blew cloud and showers our way. I had a wander down to the bottom of the Eastern glade and to my surprise saw a beautifully crisp Large Blue displaying its upper wings to us at around 10.15am. I also saw my first Speckled Woods on site, twirling and whirling around one another. It was a morning of bright butterflies as several Red Admirals and a Small Tortoiseshell also visited the hill, but activity dropped off as the sun disappeared.

Small Tortoiseshell basking - Christine Tansey July 2011

A very few brave visitors scoured Collard, but didn’t seem to have much success after that early sighting. The morning transect didn’t pick up any Large Blues, but the first fresh Common Blues made an appearance in the Lynchets area. The wind continued to pick up and by the afternoon transect only the hardiest Meadow Browns seemed to be flying. So you can imagine my surprise when I had another Large Blue sighting, at the end of the Lynchets by the Eastern glade. I suspect it was the same rather fresh individual from the morning, and two more hopeful visitors managed to get a good sighting as it settled down.

The rest of the day passed in very windy conditions and more waves of rain. It looks like the changeable weather will continue and any straggling Large Blues will continue to be difficult to see. We hope to get some estimates of numbers flying this year shortly, as the annual egg count will be undertaken in the coming days. Let’s hope that in June’s sunny spells our Large Blues managed to get the job done and were successful in laying plenty of eggs!

Large Blue taking an afternoon nap - Christine Tansey July 2011

Evening everyone, Christine here, reporting from Barry who was up at Collard Hill today. Unfortunately it was a poor day for any butterflies, in high winds and with the weather closing in for much of the day. Nothing much was moving first thing, bar a couple of hardy Meadow Browns. It did not improve until close to midday, but still no butterflies, let alone Large Blues!

Nearly gone until next year... Large Blue on gorse - Christine Tansey June 2011

Rain moved in by early afternoon and that was it for the day. The change from fine weather to poorer conditions means that sightings of any remaining Large Blues are getting increasingly difficult. With some heavy showers predicted over the next few days it is likely that Large Blues will remain hard to find, and the chance of seeing them at Collard this year has fallen considerably.

Instead, its time to block out mid-June 2012 in your calendar and schedule in a visit to see these beauties next year! I’ll continue to write updates for the rest of the week, but I think it looks set to be full of Six-spot Burnet moths, Ringlets and Gatekeepers rather than Large Blues.

Burnet moths are now on the wing - Christine Tansey July 2011

Hi everyone, Christine here, reporting back from Jim and Simone, our volunteers at Collard Hill on Monday. The impact of the Large Blue piece on Countryfile was felt yesterday, with quite a few hopeful visitors appearing on site in the morning. Alas, it would appear the season really is winding down, and the morning was bereft of butterflies during fine but windy conditions.

There were no Large Blues on the morning transect, but a rather battered specimen turned up about 1pm, followed by a freshly emerged Blue around 2pm. It was found near the main track, but appeared to have had some issue with the pumping mechanism with its wings and they were not completely inflated. However it did stay in one spot, and several visitors got nice views of it.

A very rumpled Blue from early in the season - Christine Tansey June 2011

By the afternoon transect, 1 Large Blue made an appearance in the Eastern glade, but they remained elusive for the rest of the day. Nevertheless hopefully new visitors to Collard enjoyed the sunny morning, and have put June in their diaries for next year!

Evening everyone, Christine here after another lovely day at Collard; the end of the season is treating us well so far! The Large Blues confounded my expectations and appeared before 10am this morning; a couple of visitors and I wandered to the bottom of the Eastern Glade and had three sightings between us. We also had a great sighting of a Clouded Yellow, standing out against the slopes. As I reached the top of the glade and got onto the main track another Blue flew past.

Still looking good! - Christine Tansey July 2011

It’s taking a little more perseverance each day, but Large Blue sightings continued throughout the day. The morning transect recorded 2 butterflies, both in the Eastern glade, along with my first Gatekeeper of the year. Visitors continued to report Hummingbird Hawkmoths on site, and the Large Blues were a mixture of rather tatty looking individuals as well as some handsome specimens. The afternoon got a little cloudier but remained warm and humid, and the afternoon transect spotted 4 Blues, 3 on the main track. Sightings tailed off mid-afternoon but with some reasonable weather there should be a few around over the next couple of days.

A tatty Blue for comparison - Christine Tansey July 2011

I hope many of you managed to see Countryfile on Sunday night, when Jeremy Thomas was discussing Large Blues at Collard Hill and David Simcox explaining the reintroduction project in the Cotswolds. You can catch up with it here. There might be a slight delay in the updates over the next two days, but I’ll do my best to get them up as soon as possible. The Large Blues might be slowing down at Collard but the Six-spot Burnet moths are increasing day by day, maybe this adventurous pupa will have emerged when I’m back on the hill on Wednesday!

Six-spot Burnet Moth pupa on our sign!