It’s not hard work and gets you out of the house with a purpose. By doing a ‘patch’ it means you wander anywhere you can access within a 1kilometer square. Go out as often as you like, for as long as you like – just get out for a walk and simply jot down the date and what you see.
Your ‘patch’ can start right outside your front door if you like. Even by walking through housing areas, glancing in allotments, hedges, spare land, scrubby areas, river banks etc. you can usefully record areas which will otherwise be blanks on the County records map. Others might prefer to get in a car or on a bike and do a ‘patch’ a couple of miles away, you know, that bit you’ve always thought looks good but never quite got there to have a good look.
If you fancy the idea, and there really is not any more to it, get in touch with me and tell me the ‘patch’ you want to do or let me know where you are and I’ll suggest a ‘patch.’
I need to know before you start because somebody else might already be doing the bit where you are. Just use footpaths, roadside verges or areas with open access as we don’t want you being frog marched out of anywhere or having to run like the clappers with a bull halfway up your shirt tail! Go on, give ‘patches’ a go – adopt a 1km square as your own.1km 'Patch' Recording was launched last year by the Cumbrian branch and Steve Doyle there reports great success, with many volunteers wanting to do the next 1km square too! It’s always the same, when you get to the boundary of your square, the next bit looks interesting too!
You can either e-mail or post me your records at the end of each month or all together at the end of the year and I’ll pass them onto the correct Butterfly Recorder for your area and ensure that all your records get passed onto the National Butterfly database. I can send you a recording form that you can use to keep track of your records.
Scott Shanks
Flat 1/2 , 113 Haugh Road
Yorkhill
Glasgow
G3 8TX
07793052501
Scottshanks01@msn.com
Transect recording has been the key method of recording thus far and will continue in the future as it is a very valuable source of repetitive data from which trends emerge. We can use the information gathered from these trends to see how well butterflies are doing across the country and can also tell if management action needs to be taken at the transect site to protect the species there.
Some regard transects as rather formal however and are not so willing to commit to walking a transect once a week. Even so, despite formal transects and other valuable ad hoc records there were still a vast number of blank unrecorded or under-recorded squares (even in towns and cities) in south west Scotland. This is where the ‘Your Patch’ recording project can help.
If you already send in your casual/ ad hoc records from day trips and walks please continue to do so as you are contributing vital information for research into butterfly distribution.
The My Patch scheme will hopefully highlight areas in our cities, towns, villages and the countryside where butterflies are thriving (or struggling to survive), squares with lots of species or those with high numbers of a particular species. This information will help monitor the changing distribution of butterfly species in Scotland. The findings may be useful for local councils managing our green spaces or community groups keen to encourage biodiversity or land owners keen to manage their land with wildlife in mind.
My local patch is in the West end of Glasgow. Grid reference NS5665.
It's not the greenest area with few gardens containing flowers. My square does contain the SECC, Science centre, BBC building and lots and lots of concret and tarmac, however it does include a great bit of rough grassland and wildflowers in Yorkhill Park behind the childrens hospital where I've seen 9 species! The most important thing is that I walk through parts of this square at least once a day. I'll likely also do the square to the north of it NS5666 too, as I walk through this on the way to work almost every day (and it has a bit more green areas and potential habitat!).
South West Scotland Butterfly ‘Patches’ – General Guidelines
1. If your square covers an area where you feel threatened or in danger, don’t do it. Report back to me and we can agree a different one.
2. No need to stick to the same route in your square every time. Go everywhere within it that you can. Your square is at most 1km long so it is not a long way from one side to the other.
3. Best times of day to record are 10.00 until 16.00 but beyond that in a very warm spell and provided the weather is fine.
4. Remember different species fly at different times of the year so visit regularly or at least once a month.
5. Walk at a slow steady pace, lingering in likely places, watching for movement.
6. Not all species fly at eye level or below. The Purple Hairstreak is very under-recorded in South West Scotland. The Purple Hairstreak is undoubtedly more widespread, so in late afternoons in July and early August pause and look for movement at the top of oak trees. If you see ‘silver coins’ flitting around they are likely to be Purple Hairstreaks which rarely come to ground.
7. If you have difficulty telling different species apart, let me know and I will get some help for you.
8. Complete your form during your visit or immediately after. Don’t leave it too long.
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