The Red Admiral and the Snowdrop
from Mark Tyszka.
"The sight of a Red Admiral fluttering amongst the Snowdrops is a sign
of the impact of climate change on British wildlife.
"The Snowdrop flowers in January and February; the Red Admiral has, in
the past, flown between May and September. Twenty years ago, seeing the two
together would have been nearly impossible.
"Since the 1990s the butterfly has been recorded overwintering in
ever-increasing numbers. They are now seen in every month of the year –
real proof of climate change," says Dr Martin Warren of Butterfly
Conservation.
Will you look for Red Admirals and for wild Snowdrops in the
countryside?
In 2009, to celebrate our Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's 60th anniversary,
we shall try to collect records of wildlife in our area. We shall target L.W.T.
nature reserves, Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) in N.E. Lincolnshire, and the new
Local Wildlife Sites (L.W.S.s) There are about forty in our area, but some are
on private land.
Why are we doing this?
Climate change is in the news all the time. To understand these changes and
try to cope with them we need information. Which plants, animals, insects et al
are declining or increasing? All of our creatures live in habitats like
grassland, wetland woodland etc. How are they coping?
To manage and conserve the best parts of our countryside the Trust needs
observations of wildlife. This is where we can help. You do not need to be an
expert - all you need is an interest in local wildlife.
My job as Wildlife Records Officer...
...is to try to collect some of this information and pass it on to the
Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre (L.E.R.C.) which is supported by the
Trust.
So what de we need to do?
1. We need a list of the wildlife sites. Here are some, which have open
access :
Tetney Blow Wells NR
Eastfield Road NR
Roxton Lane PRV
Cleethorpes Sand Dunes LNR
Bradley & Dixon’s Woods LNR
Cleethorpes CP
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Weelsby Woods
Scartho Cemetery and Gooseman’s Field
Freshney Parkway LNR
Freshney Bog
Roxton Woods
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2. We then look for any of these wildlife groups:
Flowering plants; birds; mammals; amphibians and reptiles (frogs, snakes);
butterflies and moths; dragon flies.
3. Note down the following (this is the record, as many visits as you like)
Name of the recorder; the location (Map Ref if possible); date when
recorded; the species recorded.
4. Send the records to Mark Tyszka:
10, Riby Road, Keelby, Grimsby, DN41 8ER,
or send by e-mail to: mark.tyszka@tiscali.co.uk
Thank you.
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