Delighted to be a part of the B10 celebrations, John Butter will be showing three of his North Devon wildlife films at The Plough Arts Centre in Torrington on Tuesday 20 August. B10 celebrates ten years of North Devon’s Biosphere Reserve and of course conserving wildlife is an important feature of the Biosphere Reserve. John Butter, from Chelfham in North Devon, has been filming local wildlife for years. Some of the results of this project can be seen at The Plough Arts Centre in Torrington on 20 August 2013, when John will show and talk about three of his stunning natural history films revealing some inhabitants of our North Devon countryside that you don’t normally see.
- Some Like it Hot-ish A half hour film about our 6 native reptiles, examining why they have to seek an external heat source (unlike ourselves) and the many ways that they are endangered.
- Wood for Wildlife Why managed woods are so important for wildlife from beetles to red deer.
- Seasons A visual calendar of the four seasons as reflected in a North Devon garden and wood.
John says: “Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring published in 1962 spelt out the dangers to the environment through the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides. The banning of chemicals like BHC and DDT was just in time to save our birds of prey and attention became focussed on Wildlife Conservation. It was this that motivated me to form Cowley Wood Conservation Centre at Parracombe which operated for 8 years prior to my move to the garden and wood that I now manage for wildlife.” Watching John’s films make you realise how much more there is to be seen around us if only we keep quiet and open our eyes!
Photo copyright John Butter