A Cotswold Camp for the ‘Dukes and Blues’

http://www.justgiving.com/roughbanks

Please help us to secure a safe haven for some of Britain’s rarest butterflies

Butterfly Conservation has been given a unique opportunity to buy an important piece of Cotswold limestone grassland. Such a significant habitat acquisition would make a huge difference to our work, by safeguarding important colonies of several rare butterflies and moths. It will also enable us to restore the habitat for two highly threatened species, the Large Blue and Duke of Burgundy that used to breed here.

The Duke of Burgundy is facing an uncertain future, with numbers at an all time low. This small, orange and brown butterfly lives in colonies on grassland or in woodland clearings. Traditionally the caterpillar feeds on cowslip or woodland primroses growing in dappled sunlight. But in recent years, grazing patterns on calcareous grasslands and changes in woodland management have had an adverse effect on this delicate butterfly. Sadly this threatened species, has now become a priority for our conservation efforts.

The Large Blue is the rarest of the blue butterflies in this country. It became extinct in the UK in 1979 due to losses of suitable habitat. However, following a successful reintroduction programme using Swedish stock the Large Blue was ‘brought back from the dead’. There are now promising numbers of established colonies but still much work remains to be done, building populations and securing its future as a native butterfly.

The Large Blue’s reintroduction shows that with the right sites and the right management, it is possible to reverse the fortunes of a threatened species.

But we need your help

Butterfly Conservation’s proposed purchase of a 44 acre site near to The Camp, up on the Cotswold ridge 4 miles North East of Stroud, is central to securing their future. It will help protect a rare and vanishing grassland habitat, and support our conservation programmes to save the Large Blue and Duke of Burgundy butterflies.

This location has significant existing wildlife interest, including four other blue butterflies – Adonis, Chalkhill, Small and Common. It also supports the highly threatened Narrow-bordered Bee hawk-moth. The site, which includes rich flower meadows so typical of the Cotswold landscape, is home to a wonderful range of rare orchids including: Green-winged, Fly, Bee, Pyramidal, Fragrant and Greater Butterfly.

Butterfly Conservation needs your help to raise £210,000

This will enable us to purchase – and save forever – a site that will secure a crucial habitat and reverse the decline of two of our most endangered British butterflies. We will draw upon over 40 years of successful conservation experience to carefully manage your new Nature Reserve.

Your gift will protect a gem in the Cotswold countryside and allow future generations to share the beauty of its native wildlife.

Please give what you can – your donation will be greatly appreciated

Thank you

Yours sincerely


Dr Martin Warren
Chief Executive

Read more of my story

DALE DRINNON: Plesiosaurs and Pterosaurs, Bronze Age Traders and Linguistic links which support the idea, and Benny's Blog

New on Frontiers of Zoology:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/05/surviving-plesiosaurs-and-pterosaurs.html

Which is the rebuttal round for the information included on the Creationist statements proposing the survival of Plesiosaurs and Pterosaurs. The next round shall be my further personal comments on the matter.

New on the Frontiers of Anthropology:
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/05/more-linguistic-links.html
Further discussing the international community of Bronze Age Traders and Linguistic links which support the idea

And Benny's Blog mentions the connection between Cartoon Villains Oil Can Harry, Snidely Whiplash, the phony stage villainy of Phillip the Fiend in the Betty Boop Mellerdrammer tradition, and the deep-down heartfelt villainy of Roger St Clair in Warner Brother's Love and Curses ("In just a moment that pretty little head of yours will be bouncing along the rails" after tying the heroine to the railroad tracks, to be followed shortly by the malevolent "Run you big sodbuster,Run!" directed at the Hero, laughing both times.)
http://bennypdrinnon.blogspot.com/2012/05/fanny-zilch.html

Best Wishes, Dale D.

I'M THE GONZO BLOG DOO DAH MAN

Good morning Campers. And a very happy Thursday to you all.

Our first posting today is a real exclusive: An account of Gong's recent visit to Brazil written by Daevid Allen himself. There are also exclusive pictures and a pdf download. It doesn't get much better than this:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/real-exclusive-daevid-allen-writes.html

The second biggy is actually nothing much to do with Gonzo. But it is some pretty astounding Pink Floyd related news, (and no, its not their collection of Kylie Minogue covers, with special guest vocalist Timmy Mallett):
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/something-i-never-thought-i-would-see.html

We have a special announcement from the lovely Liz Lenten of Auburn:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/auburn-announcement-from-liz.html

And a photograph of Mimi Page in rehearsal that would have been exclusive if we hadn't pinched it in the first place:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/mimi-page-in-rehearsal.html

We have a rather special review of the new Rick Wakeman biography (which as I designed the bloody thing, I shall continue to plug shamelessly):
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/link-rick-wakeman-biography-review.html

And whilst on the subject of the Caped Crusader, here is a charming Greek review of 'The Living Tree' by Rick and Jon Anderson. It has been translated into English so I am unable to use the old saw that it is 'All Greek to Me' HoHo!:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/link-greek-review-of-jon-andersonrick.html

See you tomorrow...

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Mirror 25.10.67

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/05/daily-mirror-251067.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1990 the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of psychiatric diseases.

And now the news:

• Australian officials investigating shooting of Wed...
• Motorists warned of risk of deer on roads – Especi...
• With massive dinosaurs towering above, tiny female...
• Rare Tyrannosaurus skeleton to be auctioned
• Rio+20 summit leaders 'must improve nature protect...
• Nearly One Tenth of Hemisphere's Mammals Unlikely ...
• Fish Guts Could Say Which Species Survive Climate ...
• Locating Lice as They Hitch-Hike With Birds for Li...
• Trout and Vineyards Compete for Water in Wine Coun...
• Large Mouths Drove Island Snakes to Gigantism
• Spiny Marine Fish Discovered in Sweden

Almost as shocking as the fact that it took until 1990 for the WHO (the UN not the popular music group) to accept that some folks are just gay and not mad is this 1960s public information film from the USA (this really is a genuine American public information film!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY8i2Im34Hc

IS THIS PEARL BORDERED FRITILLARY UNUSUAL?

Or is it an unwitting victim of photoshop?

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6230&start=1000

KARL SHUKER: Ebony encounters of the serpentine kind

http://karlshuker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/ebony-encounters-of-serpentine-kind.html

LINK: You'll never guess what I saw on my OBX vacation

...But simply looking for a sea creature does not make one appear. And for the first time, I understood the myth of the Loch Ness Monster - why people believe they have seen it. We are desperate for magic.

Then, to my right, among the whitecaps, I spotted a brown body making its way through the waves. It looked giant skimming the surface.

Read the full article...

A VERY ARCANE REQUEST

Are there any British comic book buffs out there? I am looking for a hi-res scan od Desperate Dan's neice Katie. If you can help, please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk