4 September 2025

Large Coppers sighted in the region - A very surprising find in the heart of the Black Country. Considerable excitement has resulted in recent weeks following the discovery of Large Coppers at Bumble Hole nature reserve near Netherton. 

First seen on 3rd August they have caused interest from far and wide featuring in the local press and on Midlands Today.  The Large Copper became extinct in Britain around 1860 but still occurs on parts of the continent so this is an unauthorised and illegal release by an unknown breeder.  Certainly a very beautiful butterfly which breeds on plants in the dock family which occur on site although the chances of long term survival are very slim.  There has been evidence of breeding and it will be interesting to see whether any of the early stages of the butterfly get through the winter.  There have been official attempts to reintroduce the Large Copper back into the UK but so far without success.

6 August 2025

How to find your own Clouded Yellow - It looks as if it is going to be a good year for the Clouded Yellow with a number of reports coming in. Rather than go racing halfway across the country only to be disappointed, why not have a go at discovering new sites close to home.

Clouded Yellow is one of the few butterflies to benefit from arable farming fields that have been planted up with crops like clover and lucerne aimed at restoring nitrates to the soil.

Photographing them is never easy, with the males spending a lot of time undertaking fast patrols up and down the field in search of females, while the latter, especially when egg-laying, fly low to the ground and lay a single egg on the top of the leaf. The whole process takes a split second before the butterfly flies on to the next plant.

You may still be disappointed but at least you have the satisfaction of not having contributed to global warming! The feelings of excitement at finding your own Clouded Yellow should not be under-estimated and if you witness egg-laying behaviour then make a note to return around the end of September when you may find yourself a real 'Field of Gold'.

See also the Facebook post for reaction from our group.

26 July 2025

Earliest ever Brown Hairstreak in Worcestershire -

This stunning female Brown Hairstreak was spotted by a sharp-eyed member of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Records show that this was the earliest sighting by 10 days! These elusive butterflies usually fly high in the tree canopy from the end of July but this one was seen at eye level on 9 July 2025.