The Butterfly Adventures of I.R.P. Heslop.
May 3, 2015 15:35:53 GMT
daveuk, deliasfanatic, and 1 more like this
Post by nomad on May 3, 2015 15:35:53 GMT
In the fens with the Large Copper.
On 23rd June 1968, Ian Heslop visited Woodwalton Fen in Huntingdonshire where Lycaena dispar batavus had been introduced in 1927 . Heslop knew of a secret location outside of the nature reserve where he was able to collect specimens. He was accompanied by the collector, the then old Dr Clarke. In the fen, Heslop did most of the exploring alone. He took a nice series of nine specimens.
A later visit to Woodwalton on Saturday 13th July 1968, would be he recalls, his most bizarre collecting adventure. Heslop gives a good account of that eventful day in his diary. He left King's Cross station in London at 10.20am arriving at Huntingdon at 11.12 am and there took a bluebird taxi to the fen. On his arrival at the fen, Heslop met Mrs Mason, the warden's wife who was in a utter state of despondency. The Fen had flooded and Mr Mason was out in the upper fen trying to rescue the cattle. Here in is what happened next, from Heslop's diary.
" Nevertheless I walked down to the gates and waded along the main drove, I was soon waist deep and then in up to my armpits, and one moment went right under. However, I gradually found the water level becoming less deep and eventually found my way to my secret location, which is beyond the reserve, where there was only about a foot of water, and I found the Large Copper numerous. "
Heslop was able to take a perfect series of 7 specimens, interestingly in his account he does not mention them as batavus, which he knew they were but as dispar Haworth. Wading back through the reserve, he only saw two Large Coppers, which flashed past him down the drove. Reaching the wardens house he partly dried himself off in the sun. Mrs Mason showed Heslop a room where 18 Large Coppers had emerged from their pupae to be released in the fen, when the water had subsided. Heslop returned by taxi to Huntingdon, catching the 6.13 pm train, arriving back at King's Cross at 715pm. At 1145pm that day he was on the sleeper train to Newcastle. He finishes his diary entry with " The station cat at Huntingdon was 21 years old". Such is the life of a field entomologist.
What I would have given to have been able to have joined Heslop in Woodwalton Fen where dispar ( batavus) is now extinct. However, in 1968 I was just 12 and might have drowned. Let us hope this July, I will have Heslops luck in the marshes of Holland, of course hopefully bringing back images of batavus and not specimens, as this is an endangered and fully protected butterfly. Heslop had also visited the Rhone Marshes in Swizerland in 1925 and taken L. dispar rutilus there. Today in Swizerland it is also a protected species.
Specimens of the Large Copper L. dispar batavus taken by Heslop at Woodwalton during 1968 including his hard one July flood examples.
A specimen of L. dispar rutilus taken in the Rhone Marshes of Swizerland by Heslop in 1925.
On 23rd June 1968, Ian Heslop visited Woodwalton Fen in Huntingdonshire where Lycaena dispar batavus had been introduced in 1927 . Heslop knew of a secret location outside of the nature reserve where he was able to collect specimens. He was accompanied by the collector, the then old Dr Clarke. In the fen, Heslop did most of the exploring alone. He took a nice series of nine specimens.
A later visit to Woodwalton on Saturday 13th July 1968, would be he recalls, his most bizarre collecting adventure. Heslop gives a good account of that eventful day in his diary. He left King's Cross station in London at 10.20am arriving at Huntingdon at 11.12 am and there took a bluebird taxi to the fen. On his arrival at the fen, Heslop met Mrs Mason, the warden's wife who was in a utter state of despondency. The Fen had flooded and Mr Mason was out in the upper fen trying to rescue the cattle. Here in is what happened next, from Heslop's diary.
" Nevertheless I walked down to the gates and waded along the main drove, I was soon waist deep and then in up to my armpits, and one moment went right under. However, I gradually found the water level becoming less deep and eventually found my way to my secret location, which is beyond the reserve, where there was only about a foot of water, and I found the Large Copper numerous. "
Heslop was able to take a perfect series of 7 specimens, interestingly in his account he does not mention them as batavus, which he knew they were but as dispar Haworth. Wading back through the reserve, he only saw two Large Coppers, which flashed past him down the drove. Reaching the wardens house he partly dried himself off in the sun. Mrs Mason showed Heslop a room where 18 Large Coppers had emerged from their pupae to be released in the fen, when the water had subsided. Heslop returned by taxi to Huntingdon, catching the 6.13 pm train, arriving back at King's Cross at 715pm. At 1145pm that day he was on the sleeper train to Newcastle. He finishes his diary entry with " The station cat at Huntingdon was 21 years old". Such is the life of a field entomologist.
What I would have given to have been able to have joined Heslop in Woodwalton Fen where dispar ( batavus) is now extinct. However, in 1968 I was just 12 and might have drowned. Let us hope this July, I will have Heslops luck in the marshes of Holland, of course hopefully bringing back images of batavus and not specimens, as this is an endangered and fully protected butterfly. Heslop had also visited the Rhone Marshes in Swizerland in 1925 and taken L. dispar rutilus there. Today in Swizerland it is also a protected species.
Specimens of the Large Copper L. dispar batavus taken by Heslop at Woodwalton during 1968 including his hard one July flood examples.
A specimen of L. dispar rutilus taken in the Rhone Marshes of Swizerland by Heslop in 1925.