Our 2018 Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday 2nd June, 2:15pm at Oakham Library, Poplar Rise, Oldbury, B69 1RD. All members are welcome, we hope to see some of you there and we’ll probably follow it with a walk on the hills!
We’ve recently added a new batch of volunteer days and exciting events happening over the forthcoming months, hope to see you at a few!
Conservation volunteer days are run by the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country; for further information please contact The Wildlife Trust, telephone 0121 454 1199 or email info@bbcwildlife.org.uk. Their Portway Hill reserve is located within the dotted black square on the map below.
Rowley Hills map showing paths and access points
Conservation volunteer days are run by the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country; for further information please contact The Wildlife Trust, telephone 0121 454 1199 or email info@bbcwildlife.org.uk. Their Portway Hill reserve is located within the dotted black square on the map below.
Rowley Hills map showing paths and access points
Over the past month we’ve been busy on the Portway Hill site, cutting, clearing and burning hawthorn, bramble and ivy to keep paths open and reduce risks from fires. While we were up there on one of the days, the sky went dark, and the sun became encircled by a red halo. We later discovered that unusual atmospheric conditions had blown up a sandstorm from Africa, and a thin layer of dust from the Sahara Desert had been carried over parts of Britain, depositing a fine film of sand everywhere. Fortunately, one of us had a camera at hand to photograph the strange-looking sun.
If you would like to get fit and active and do something positive for your local environment, then why not come along and join us on one of our conservation days?
Our next volunteer day is this Friday; for more information and to see all of our forthcoming volunteering opportunities please refer to our Events page. We look forward to seeing you there.
The designations provide up-to-date evidence for planners to protect local nature when making planning decisions. This could mean that Portway Hill receives better protection from any potential future threat of development.
For more information, visit http://www.sandwell.gov.uk/news/article/4424/seven_green_spaces_set_for_conservation_list.
Part of the Portway Hill site.
Do you have willow or poplar trees in your garden? If so, it’s worth searching for the fascinating caterpillars of the Puss Moth. They are frequent visitors to a local garden on the Rowley Hills where the residents have regularly studied their progress from eggs through to adult moths.
Mated pair of Puss Moths (image © Julia Morris)
Once mating has taken place the female moths deposit small batches of brownish-coloured eggs on leaves of their food plant, in this case two small willow trees in their back garden.
Puss Moth eggs on willow leaves (image © Mike Poulton)
Upon hatching the young caterpillars feed almost constantly for around four weeks and pass through several stages until fully grown.
Young caterpillar well camouflaged on willow shoot (image © Mike Poulton)
Early stage of caterpillar growth (image © Andy Purcell)
In some years predation by birds, wasps and even Harlequin Ladybirds takes a heavy toll, but generally enough of them survive to maturity, ensuring there will be moths again the following year.
Adult caterpillar in disturbed posture, with raised head and pinkish flagellae extending from the twin tails
They spend the winter in a tough cocoon attached to tree trunks or wooden posts, then the newly-emerged moths seek out the food plant, and the cycle begins again.
Vacated Puss Moth cocoon attached to the side of an old wooden table in their garden
Don’t forget we have our next conservation volunteer day this Saturday, 10:00am – 3:00pm. Join the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country at Portway Hill for a fun day out meeting new people, helping the environment and learning new skills. Meet on St Brades Close at 10:00am; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea and coffee will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
The Portway Hill site is really coming to life now with spring flowers appearing and Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Orange-tip, Green-veined White and even Green Hairstreak butterflies putting in an appearance. Here are a few photos of some of the flowers, including a couple of fruit trees – most likely to have been seeded on the hills via bird droppings.
The unseasonable warm, dry weather we are currently experiencing has really brought out butterflies in good numbers. Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange-tip, Speckled Wood and even a Brimstone have been seen on the hillside over the past week. Hopefully, this spring will be much better than last year, which was wet and cold right up until the end of May, and these last few days are just a taster of more fine weather to come. Please remember, if you have any wildlife sightings from the Rowley Hills that you would like to tell us about, or any interesting photographs you would like to see on the website, then please let us have them – you can comment below, or on Facebook or Twitter.
Friends of Rowley Hills 