Cotswolds - John Lodge

[Jack Harrison]

I am now well into Matthew Oates’s delightful book: “In Pursuit of Butterflies”. I cannot recommend it enough. It is the most refreshingly different butterfly book in years.
(Incidentally, it works well on Kindle – not all books do).

One snippet from Matthew has triggered a memory: a John Lodge claimed that Large Blues still existed in a “secret location” in the south Cotswolds as late as circa 1976.
Sadly Mr.Lodge never revealed his “secret location” although there is anecdotal evidence that there might have been some truth in his claim.
I lived in the Cotswolds 1975/76 but never found Large Blues myself.

I recall a discussion on ukb a few years ago about where the last know location in the Cotswolds of Large Blues might have been. (This was prior to recent introductions at eg Daneway Banks). I vaguely remember that the locality given was about 2 kilometres north of Miserden at SO936105 but that might be in bad recollection.

Can anyone throw light on John Lodge and his secret location?

Jack

[Matsukaze]

The same claim is made on the BC Glos branch website:

http://www.gloucestershire-butterflies. ... arion.html