| Butterfly Conservation |
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| saving butterflies, moths and their habitats |
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Friday 3 July 2009
The Painted Lady caterpillars on Berkheya 'silver spikes' in my Brighton garden are getting ready to pupate. Had a walk around Preston Park, Brighton for White-letters but think was a bit too cool and gloomy. Checked a row of immature roadside elm on Surrenden Road (TQ 310 076) at 3pm when sun out - although bit windy - and recorded 4 White-letter Hairstreak fluttering about the upper branches. Another previously unrecorded colony. (Caroline Clarke) Transect walk details, Bedelands Farm, Burgess Hill: Small Skipper 16, Large Skipper 7, Large White 28, Small White 1, Purple Hairstreak 2, Small Copper 1, White Admiral 1, Red Admiral 2, Painted Lady 1, Comma 3, Speckled Wood 2, Gatekeeper 36, Meadow Brown 612, Ringlet 177. Total 899, 15 species. First sightings on the transect for 2009 for White Admiral (not seen for 2 years), Purple Hairstreak, Small Skipper and Gatekeepers. (David Pyle) White-letter Hairstreaks - Brighton, 1 June (Penny Green) and Firle, 29 June (Tom Ottley). With light winds and some sun forecast for this weekend, now is as good a weekend as any to find them - Editor
My usual lunchtime transect of Ouse Estuary Nature Reserve Newhaven sunny spells and muggy produced Large/Small Whites, Large/Small Skippers, Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, 1 Comma, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Painted Lady very worn, 2 Peacock clearly freshly hatched - seems early even though it is a very good summer. (Mark Senior) I am wondering if there is anyone who would like to check out if there are White-letter Hairsteaks in Diplocks Wood/Wannock Coppice (TQ575 041). You can park on the road. This wood has lots of elm of various ages up to about 30-40 years old. For the past two years I have looked for signs without luck. Something eats the elm leaves but I have never found a caterpillar. However, this past week, I have given myself a stiff neck after last Sunday (28 June) noticing two ‘small dark butterflies’ defending their elm canopy against an approaching Comma. (‘Small’ as in smaller than comma.) I have checked the woods twice a day since and have seen from 1 - 5 ‘small dark butterfies’ in the canopy each time. Also in these woods, Commas (6 yesterday), Large Whites, Speckled Woods, Meadow Browns, 1 Red Admiral. Having led Michael Blencowe on a futile search for Small Blues, I feel very tentative about these ‘small dark butterflies’, but think it is worth someone who knows what they are looking for checking it out. (Susan Suleski) News for Thurs 2 July: Ouse Estuary Nature Reserve Newhaven. My daily lunchtime visits this week have produced the first Gatekeepers , several fresh Commas and a good increase in the numbers of Marbled Whites since last week alongside the main Seaford Road path. Indeed Tuesday and Wednesday recorded more Marbled Whites than Meadow Browns although the latter are more widely spread. Other species recorded Large and Small White , Large and Small Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and 2/3 Painted Ladies. Also very nice to see a pair of Stonechats in the central area , the male being very obliging and approachable , the female much less so. A good variety of dragonflies also seen including Emperor and Golden Ringed. (Mark Senior) News for Tues 30 June: Managed to get round to identifying the one outstanding macro of our Ringmer trap of June 30th... a smaller orange version (9mm forewing) of Riband Wave with 5 equal intensity wavy lines and slightly upturned wings, which turned out to be a Dwarf Cream Wave (John Luck). News for Mon 29 June: Visited Devil's Dyke & Mill Hill armed with my pheromone lures on the hunt for Clearwings (a highly interesting group of moths which I have developed a particular interest/obsession with!). At Devil's Dyke I quickly attracted approx 6-7 Orange-tailed Clearwings (pictures to follow). Unfortunately Mill Hill was nowhere near as fruitful - the trip rescued by 1 Six-belted Clearwing attracted just I was about to go home - unfortunately I did not manage to get a picture. (Darryl Perry) Recent news: The last week has brought an exceptional number of moth species to the Pagham Harbour reserve with over 100 on three consecutive nights. Last night (2nd July) 151 species identified with in excess of 1000 moths. Highlights were: 235 Cherry-Tree Ermine, 87 Diamond Back Moth, 1 White Point, 3 European Cornborer, 2 L Album Wainscot, 1 Evergensis limbata, 3 Silver Y, 1 Pearly Underwing, 1 Rush Veneer, 1 Red-necked Footman, 1 Blackneck (first For Reserve), 5 Elephant Hawkmoth, 4 Poplar Hawkmoth, 3 Swallow-tailed Moth, 1 Oak Nycteoline (Ivan Lang)
Thursday 2 July 2009 Quick wander round my garden, after work, about 5.30 looking for the Comma I spotted earlier. Didn’t see the Comma but did see a Hummingbird Hawkmoth feeding on the buddleia. (Julie Hinman) Our portable Mercury Vapour moth trap yielded 10 Elephant Hawkmoths (a record), and 1 each Eyed and Privet Hawkmoths (our first). More interesting was the micromoth that we immediately identified as "the new moth group logo". Unfortunately we didn't read the bit about Evergestis limbata properly, so we didn't realise that it was rare (I rather assumed that the logo would be of a Sussex speciality) so I didn't take enough care taking it out of the pot for a photo. It was gone in a flash, so no photos! It seems too much of a coincidence that it should turn up in a trap of a definite non-expert on micro moths just after the logo was announced. Is there a more common micro that fits the bill - yellowish wings, dark border with distinct loop-like markings? (Mike & Karen Galtry) The brilliant sky blue of my first Chalkhill Blue of the year rose from the lower slopes of Mill Hill just before 11:00 am in the humid sunshine. (Andy Horton)
Loder Valley Reserve Wakehurst Place: Some people may moan about the hot weather but for the butterflies its a ball. While walking my transects butterflies were in every section almost fighting for space. Plenty of Silver-washed Fritillaries and good numbers of White Admirals, but also a hatrick of Purple Emperors in 3 different sections with one resting on my foot. Not sure what my feet were smelling of. The hot weather must also affect butterflies as l came across a Ringlet locked in mating with a Meadow Brown. Total of 15 species in a couple of hours. (Steven Robinson, Warden) "Tall and lean-limbed, Crispin Holloway lopes over a hillside of sheep-cropped Downland sward above Lewes, and begins scanning the terrain with the sharp eye of a hawk….." Check out one of our own in the national press today http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5720815/Adonis-Blue-butterfly-on-a-wing-and-a-prayer.html A brief visit to Birling Gap this morning, there were plenty of Marbled Whites flying as well as some very fresh Gatekeepers. 5 Dark Green Fritillaries were also flying, some are now already well past their best though. Once again no sign of the White-letter Hairstreaks in Horseshoe Plantation. I then moved to Littlington to see if I could see any of the White Letters there but once again I was out of luck although plenty of Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers again. (Bob Eade). Having spotted a Speckled Wood egg-laying in my garden a few weeks ago, I’ve now seen a Red Admiral doing the same. The few nettles in the garden are rather in the shade but when I followed the butterfly down the garden it settled on several of them and on the last occasion I saw it lay an egg & managed to find it. Although the books say that they lay them on the young leaves, this was actually on the tip of a flower stalk. All this egg laying at least gives me a good excuse for doing less gardening. (John A Heys) News for Weds 1 July: The launch of the Big Biodiversity Butterfly Count in Brighton with Professor David Bellamy was a fabulous success. I would like to say what wonderful support the committee were, helping with the hundreds of children, but I can't because as soon as one of them found a white letter hairstreak at ground level, on mass they couldn't be seen for dust. No seriously, they were amazing. So especial thanks must go to Bob Foreman, Caroline Clark, Penny Green, Clare Jeffers, Neil Hulme, Crispin Holloway and Peter Atkinson. I hope I haven't left anybody out... The BBBC recording starts this Saturday 4th July and just to promote it a little more, I will in the Foyer at the Jubilee Library in Brighton from 10.00 -17.00, if anybody could spare and hour, please contact me. (Dan Danahar) Wednesday 1 July 2009 On a very warm walk round Bevendean Down this morning there were large numbers of Marbled Whites and Ringlets out numbered Meadow Browns but I was surprised to see my first Chalkhill Blue and 3 Gatekeepers of the year. (Geoff Stevens) I went to see what is so special about Southwater Woods today and had a great time there. I like the open rides and small tracks both though one or two of the latter are very pitted - and waterlogged in places even after all this sun (hard to believe I know). Lots of butterflies everywhere. I was lucky enough to see two Purple Emperors on the ground and a possible third in flight. Neither PE hung around so I only got snapshots but that may be because my method of ‘spotting’ them seems to consist of nearly stepping on them. I wouldn’t hang around if someone seemed intent on stepping on me, so I can’t really blame them. I also saw an amazing number of Silver-washed Fritillaries and White Admirals plus many Ringlets, Meadow Browns, a few Commas and a few Speckled Woods. It was hot, very hot, too hot, but the butterflies were great. Buzzards were heard calling and I also saw a couple of Jays and a group of Long-tailed Tits. I’ll certainly go back there again. The sheer numbers of Silver-washed Fritillaries and White Admirals make it worthwhile all in itself, add the possibility of PE sightings as well and you have a fantastic day out. (Sherie New) News for Tues 30 June: Huge number of moths trapped in my Broadbridge Heath garden on Tuesday night included the UKBAP species, Heart Moth. Sam Bayley kindly verified my id of this rare moth. And today, Wednesday, Silver-washed Fritillary in the garden and flying up and down our road! (David Bridges) News for Tues 30 June: Yesterday evening's Ringmer trap produced 60 macro species including Elephant Hawkmoth (19), Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth, Eyed Hawkmoth, Rosy Footman, Drinker, Barred Yellow, Yellowtail, Beautiful Golden Y, Scorched Carpet, Clouded Silver, Blue-bordered Carpet (ssp rubiginata), Lychnis, Blood-vein, Lime-speck Pug, Straw Dot, Miller, Varied Coronet, Double Square-spot, Herald, Shark, Small Dotted Buff, Sycamore and Small Angle Shades (John Luck) News for Tues 30 June: Gallop slopes above Butchershole CP: Yesterday I spent some time following one ‘blue butterfly’ on the slopes, but it did not settle. Today, however, there were four ‘blue butterflies’ and one settled long enough for me to be 90% certain it was a Chalkhill Blue – welcome back! With any luck, these slopes will soon be covered with 100s - maybe 1000s? Before getting to the slopes, I had spent about an hour in the woods and seen 3 Red Admirals, 3 Commas, 3 large fritillaries (dark green?), lots of Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites, several faded Speckled Woods, several faded Painted Ladies. Susan Suleski
News for Tues 30 June: Newhaven allotments 4pm. two Small Tortoiseshells (one very fresh) and a Red Admiral. (Danny McEvoy)
News for Tues 30 June: Took a first ever trip to Southwater Woods today. As well as meeting many like-minded people, also saw all the well reported woodland species, including a Purple Emperor. The P.E. was, however an aberration. It's either an iole or semi-iole. As a very amateur photographer (armed only with a pocket digital), I'm hoping that the more committed among you may also see and photograph it. (Bob Coleman) News for Tues 30 June: Several Scarlet Tigers have appeared again this year at the rear of East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service HQ in Upperton Lane, Eastbourne. Two have been seen this morning basking in the sun (Rosann Miller) What to look for in July
Tuesday 30 June 2009 Loads of photos coming in - do scan down to see them inserted next to the sightings they accompany - Editor On my Steyning allotment I saw two Cinnabar moths and what I think were a couple of Meadow Browns (very fleeting glimpses of these). Also, one Comma showing interest in my Golden Hop, one Large White and one Meadow Brown in my garden. (Sherie New) We have had a stunningly beautiful Elephant Hawkmoth sitting in our front garden in Brighton enjoying the Sussex sunshine today 30th June 2009. (John & Georgina Bedford)
A total of 12 White-letter Hairstreak seen flying around elm close to my Brighton home. Of these, very pleased to record 9 individuals on a bank of immature elm to the east of Surrenden Field - a small patch of green running alongside the main London Road (A23) into Brighton. Have scanned these trees in the past but never seen White-letters here before. Seems to be a pattern emerging this year of White-letters favouring younger trees with good leaf coverage. The larger trees still look a bit thin on leaves to me (late flushing!). Also recorded - 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Large White and 1 Large Skipper - the latter tripping gaily down the main road without a nectar source in sight. (Caroline Clarke)
Found a Small Magpie in my garden this afternoon at around 5pm in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Had to look it up as I do not study moths and butterflies and it was so pretty. (Beverley Davis) See, even micro moths can be inspiring! Editor One of the Purple Emperors at Southwater Woods today was so friendly he was "eating" out of my hand. (Susie Milbank) I went with Andy Stokes to Knowlands Wood about 4 miles N of Lewes. This is a private wood of mainly oak and hornbeam, owned by Nick and Harriet Lear and managed as a nature reserve. It seemed very well managed too with wide rides, clearings and many flowers. The adjoining meadows are part of the reserve as well. Of particular note were 29 Silver-washed Fritillaries, 13 White Admirals, 100 + Marbled Whites and 4 Purple Hairstreaks. Large numbers of damselflies too (Agrion virgo). At least two of the White Admirals were observed egg laying, frequently right near the end of a drooping stem at the edge of a ride. (Tom Ottley) News for Mon 29 June: On a perfect summer's evening at about 7:30 we went to Kiln Wood, Blackboys (TQ527203). With a light breeze and the oak trees still in full sun the Purple Hairstreaks were dashing round the tree tops quarelling as usual, sometimes looking pale grey, other times dark against the blue sky. Then later still, at Framfield Rec, with the sun now catching just the tops of the trees there were yet more, dancing in twos and threes and often spiralling upwards in a world of their own. Magical. (Tom Ottley) News for Mon 29 June: I visited Beachy Head during the evening to look for orchids. I didn’t find the particular orchid I was looking for but it was a beautiful evening and, while there, I saw 5 or 6 Marbled Whites and a dozen or more Small Heaths. (Sherie New) News for Sun 28 June: I can’t resist adding my tuppence worth about the trip to Botany Bay. I haven’t been on many butterfly conservation walks (this is only my third) so everything that happened seemed normal to me! Five Purple Emperors on the deck within a few hours is normal, right? This was followed by numerous Silver-washed Fritillaries, one of them dancing rings around another in what Neil told me was a courtship dance. I saw quite a few White Admirals, several of them on the ground after minerals. I’ve only seen a White Admiral once before in my entire life and that was a distant and fleeting view. I know that Silver-washed Fritillaries and White Admirals don’t rate alongside Purple Emperors for wow factor to many people but it was special for me. So was the Purple Hairstreak that was found later in the day - as much for the camaraderie of the group helping each other to get great photos as for anything else (though I have to say I’ve never seen a Purple Hairstreak before either). What a great trip for new species this was for me. The Slow-worm was also a real treat and I later saw a fox running for cover after it spotted me on the track. I think, all in all, the beauty of the surroundings, the great company of like-minded people, seeing Neil work his bag of tricks on the Purple Emperors and the wonder of butterflies flitting around everywhere is what made this day special. Whenever I meet people now I tell them they should join Butterfly Conservation and come along on its walks, not just because of the butterflies but because of the people that make up its membership – thanks everyone, you make it all such great fun. (Sherie New) Beautiful Purple Emperor shot , one of Neil presumably working his bag of tricks!, and the gathered group - all photos Sherie New.
News for Sun 28 June: The 'Members Only' BC walk to Botany Bay will remain a happy memory for the rest of my life! 8 of the 20 participants had never seen a Purple Emperor before, but they were about to witness the sort of thing that even the most seasoned butterfly-watchers can usually only dream about. At 8.55am I lay down a couple of my (VERY) smelly 'Hau Loc' belachan baits, right by the car park. At 8.58am a pristine male Purple Emperor descended to feast on the rancid shrimps. The group slowly approached the butterfly, until it was surrounded by a ring of very happy snappers. From then on things just got better and better! Between 9am and 12pm (the end of the 'official' walk) the group witnessed a total of 5 scale-perfect male Emperors on the ground. Some of them visited us more than once. Nick Linazasoro walked a little further along the path, seeing an additional 2. Those that stayed for much longer (it was difficult to leave!) saw another, different individual in another part of the wood, making an incredible total of 8 perfect PEs on the deck! Later in the afternoon several of us got up close and personal with a male Purple Hairstreak, giving a rare photo opportunity. The woods were alive with White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillary, Large Skipper and Ringlet. Other butterflies included Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Comma, Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Large White. It was very rewarding to see so many huge smiles and I would like to thank all those that have sent me such kind Emails since. I don't think I'm the only one that left with such happy memories of a wonderful day. (Neil Hulme)
Neil's photos of Purple Emperor and two of Purple Hairstreak male, and below Purple Emperor by Nick Linazasoro
News for Sun 28 June: Crowlink Transect: Marbled White (47), Meadow Brown (67), Dark Green Fritillary (5), Common Blue (3), Small Tortoiseshell (1), Painted Lady (1), Red Admiral (1), Speckled Wood (1), Small Heath (12), and Silver Y (1).(David Jode)
Monday 29 June 2009
I suspected that the small brown butterflies blown about in the breeze of the last few days were Gatekeepers, but a female settled for confirmation for my first definite of the year. On the Adur Levels, Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moths visited Tufted Vetch, for my first record in 2009. Eight butterfly species were recorded near Shoreham in the late afternoon, including a Marbled White and Small Tortoiseshell over Frampton's Field, Old Shoreham. (Andy Horton)
Abbots Woods – hot! In one area which was cleared about 5 years ago there were lots (over 30) of what I think were small skippers but could be Essex skippers. They were very busy and only a couple settled, long enough for me to know they were not the same as the large skippers I had admired yesterday. Later, at the ‘fritillary clearing’ there were hundreds of ‘black butterflies’. Some were male Meadow Browns (and there were a very few females, too), but I had seen 3 Ringlets earlier so watched this bunch until a couple landed long enough for me to identify for sure that they were Ringlets. I have no idea what proportion of the rest were Ringlets or male Meadow Browns. Also several Large Skippers; three ‘large fritillaries’, occasional whites (small, I think). Elsewhere, a scattering of faded Painted Ladies. All the butterflies were very active. (Susan Suleski) On a very hot morning on the downs south of Firle the White-letter Hairstreaks were very active indeed. I counted 21, all males I believe, mostly way out of range of the camera but just one came down a bit closer. (Tom Ottley) We are continuing to monitor the conservation grassland field at Keymer, site of the extensive Painted Lady egg-laying at the end of May, and further surveys have been carried out yesterday and today. The field is 68250 sq. metres of which 4750 sq. metres is thistle cover. Painted Lady larvae (below) are now abundant and highly visible, varying in size from the smallest found at 11mm to the largest now fully grown at 32mm - the majority of larvae are around 20-25mm at present. Counting of larvae isn't easy due to uneven distribution of larvae across the thistle areas, and some areas are now looking brown and decimated with considerable numbers of larvae on the ground moving to fresh feeding areas. The heaviest density of larvae is across 625 sq. metres of thistles averaging 35 larvae per sq. metre (c.22000 larvae), medium density across 300 sq. metres averaging 20 larvae per sq. metre (c.6000 larvae), and a further c.10500 larvae across 1500 sq. metres of thistles. The remaining 2325 sq. metres of thistle cover in the field hold no larvae at present. (Malcolm Le Grys).
My first Marbled White this afternoon in my Storrington garden. (Martin Kalaher) News for Sat 27 and Sun 28 June: I ran my 15W actinic Skinner trap at Home Bottom (TQ463040), a plantation of English Elm on the Downs between South Heighton & Firle. My target species was Clouded Magpie, but none turned up. I recorded a modest 23 species: Barred Straw (1), Garden Grass-veneer (7), Clay (1), Fern (1), Buff Ermine (1), Brown-line Bright-eye (2), Light Brocade (1), Large Yellow Underwing (12), Heart & Dart (3), Rustic (5), Dark Arches (13), Mottled Rustic (2), Smoky Wainscot (5), Yellow-tail (1), Crambus perlella (2), Scalloped Oak (1), Lackey (4), Buff Arches (1), Uncertain (3), Peach Blossom (1), V-pug (2), Common Wainscot (1), and Dusky Brocade (1). When collecting the trap from amongst the Elms the following morning (28th) I was very pleased to count 12 White-letter Hairstreak. In what was a busy day, I then did my transect walk on the Downs behind Denton and saw: Large Skipper (28), Large White (3), Small White (12), Common Blue (1), Red Admiral (3), Painted Lady (4), Small Tortoiseshell (4), Dark Green Fritillary (2), Marbled White (91), Gatekeeper (5), Meadow Brown (49), Small Heath (9), Cinnabar (1), Six-spot Burnet (1), and Silver Y (1). (a tired Steven Teale)
News for Sun 28 June: This morning at the start of a hot day I headed off to Botany Bay (Oaken Wood, in Surrey near the Sussex border). The target of Neil Hulme’s Butterfly Conservation walk was the Purple Emperor. I walked from the car to the meeting point and found people photographing a White Admiral on the road, a good start. A few minutes later Neil called us over to his PE bait (smelly Shrimp Paste) to see the first of five Purple Emperors before noon. The most prolific species today was the Ringlet, followed by Large Skippers, Meadow Browns, Commas, Marbled whites, a female Brimstone, Common Blue, Silver-washed fritillary, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Woods and Meadow Browns. A large Slow-worm was a welcome change on the path. The highlight was a Purple Hairstreak, freshly hatched this morning. Neil declared the day his best walk this year. (Colin Knight)
News for Sat 27 June: On Saturday we ran a couple of MV traps on the edge of Amberley Wildbrooks, one out in the open next to a water- filled ditch and another in a section of mature woodland. The night started well when the enthusiastic land owners provided Pimms and Danish shortbread and it got even better as night fell and the moths started flying. Amongst the 400 plus moths of 74 species the most interesting was the micro moth Nascia cilialis which is a Nationally Scarce A moth of fenland which feeds on sedges. Nationally Scarce B moths included 30 Dotted Fan-foot, 2 Great Oak Beauty and a female Festoon. Other moths included 15 Elephant Hawkmoth and 1 Small Elephant Hawkmoth, 1 Silver Hook, 2 Blotched Emerald, a pristine Large Emerald, 20 Smokey Wainscot, 40 plus Striped Wainscot, 1 Swallow-tailed Moth, 2 Buff Arches, 5 Rosy Footman, 3 Red-necked Footman, 1 Four-dotted Footman, 2 Dingy Footman, 1 Buff Footman, 1 Common Footman, 3 Beautiful Hook-tip, 1 Coronet, 5 Lobster Moth, 2 Small Angle Shades, 1 Pale Prominent, 2 Burnished Brass, 3 Scorched Wing, 19 Peppered Moth, 1 Peacock Moth, 1 Herald, 7 Buff Tip, 3 Green Silver-lines, 2 Miller, 1 Dot Moth, 2 Engrailed, 1 Swallow Prominent, 8 Clouded Border, 1 Pine Carpet, 1 July Highflyer, 1 May Highflyer, 2 Purple Clay, and 3 Lozotaeniodes formosanus. Although the traps were fairly close to one another each trap attracted the moths typical of the habitat with very few overlapping species and early in the evening we observed a couple of bats hawking midges just above the woodland trap. The traps also attracted 4 male Glow-worm and one inquisitive deer before we packed the traps up at 3:30am! (Dave and Pen Green)
Photos from the night: Clockwise: Nascia cilialis, Red-necked Footman, Silver Hook and Rosy Footman
News for Sat 27 June: After many years searching for the 'holy grail' of butterflies, my wife and I were very fortunate to bump into Neil Hulme at Southwater woods yesterday. Due to his expertise and local knowledge Neil pointed out 2 Purple Emperors in a very short time in the tree tops, that were flying around chasing any bird that dared to venture near them. We also saw a rather unusual Silver-washed Fritillary (an ocellata aberrant, below) which again was pointed out by Neil. Our thanks go to Neil for making a summer afternoon that extra bit special. (Chris and Juliet Moore)
News for Fri 26 June: We ran a Robinson trap at the foot of the Newhaven cliffs (TQ448000) on Friday night as part of a wider survey of Castle Hill LNR in Newhaven that is being undertaken this year. The target species was Dolicarthria punctalis (Long-legged China-mark). In four hours thirty minutes we recorded 67 species, the most interesting being Dolicarthria punctalis (4 - the first arriving less than ten minutes after lighting up!), L-album Wainscot (7), White Satin Moth (1), Brussels Lace (1), Kent Black Arches (3), and Phylctaenia perlucidalis (Fenland Pearl). This latter species was most unexpected and eclipsed the excitement of recording punctalis. The Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre had a single moth record for this site prior to this year, but the species list has now grown to around 150. (David Harris & Steven Teale)
Sunday 28 June 2009
Below: Privet Hawkmoth, Shoreham Beach, 26 June (John Maskell); 2 Silver-studded Blues, Iping Common, 27 June (Polly Mair)
Purple Emperors (Andrew Burns and Neil Hulme) and White Admiral ab. obliterae, all Southwater Woods, 27 June
Visited from Essex today. Wandered Southwater Woods this morning and found two Purple Emperors in the same tree. These two seemed to be feeding on sap on the trunk on a large isolated tree in what I believe is Middle Wood, unsure as not familiar with the site. Both of what appeared to be males were often side by side and did not move away from the tree the whole time I was there, at least two hours. They never had any come down to the ground which is why I stayed with them so long which was frustrating. Also seen around the wood, 8 Silver-washed Fritillaries, 9+ White Admirals, 2 Comma, many Ringlets and Meadow Browns, a female Purple Hairstreak in the sallow beneath the Emperor tree, and several Small and Large Skippers. Cissbury Ring early during the afternoon had 10+ Dark-green Fritillaries, most highly mobile, 5 Painted Ladies including one in good nick, 20+ Marbled Whites, 3 Large Whites, a worn Common Blue, 8 Small Heath, 2 Small White, 12+ Small Skippers, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Small Copper, several Large Skippers, 2 Red Admirals, many Meadow Browns, numerous Cinnabars and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. As a question is there any particular place within Southwater Woods that is favoured by the Emperors, where they come down. There were few places that I could fine that seemed damp enough. Today was a recky for three of us visiting here next weekend for the Emperors so any suggestions would be welcomed. (Steve Arlow)
Southwater woods - Many White Admiral 20+, some mating (as they do). Also Purple Emperor (all dog fighting high in canopy). Six or so at Magelands, Two at the car park and one at Dogbarking. Also Silver-washed Fritillary (didn't see any of the aberrant forms) and a glut of Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, and Ringlet. A sole Red Admiral was drinking the sweaty stuff that seeped out of a fresh fox poo. Nice. (Danny McEvoy) Cissbury Ring 2pm - 4pm. 10 species seen, highlights of which were 10 Dark Green Fritillary, 8 Marbled White, 1 Small Copper, 3 Painted Lady and numerous Small Heath. (Matt Farmer) Gallops area above Butchers Hole CP, hot and sunny. My car had been indisposed so I had been unable to visit Friston Forest for almost two weeks. Key butterfly changes in that time: lots of female as well as male Meadow Browns, lots of Small Heaths, lots of Marbled Whites, no ‘blues’ anymore. Every patch of flowering bramble along the gallops had at least one large skipper defending it, and on some patches there were several, including pairs. Also saw 6 Gatekeepers (my first) on the brambles; several faded Painted Ladies and one very fresh looking; a Clouded Yellow (I assume) speeding down the gallops; 1 Red Admiral. As I was about to leave the area, a flock of at least 10 butterflies came swirling by: Meadow Browns? Marbled Whites? (they were simply black against the bright sky and moving fast). (Susan Suleski)
News for Sat 27 June: Southwater Woods 1.30pm - 3.30pm. 14 species seen, highlights were 5 Purple Emperor on or around a master tree, 8 White Admiral, 2 Purple Hairstreak, 20+ Silver Washed Fritillary, 2 Small Skipper, 1 Painted Lady. (Matt Farmer)
News for Sat 27 June: Southwater Woods continued to produce the goods today and I'm pleased to say that at least 5 people were lucky enough to see their first Purple Emperor - of which I counted a total of 10 individuals in various parts of the complex. I bumped into quite a few fellow enthusiasts today, but the highlight for me came soon after meeting up with our Branch Accountant Andrew Burns. I had already seen one male briefly on the ground, when a different individual came down to entertain us for a full 40 minutes. At one point it decided to check out the quality of my moleskin trousers, providing a nice backdrop for Andrew to photograph it. These woods are throwing up a quite unprecedented number of aberrant forms this year - I've never seen anything quite like it! Today I saw my fifth (different) obliterae White Admiral and a much more extreme ocellata Silver-washed Fritillary (well spotted Ian Barnard) than the one I've seen previously. (Neil Hulme)
News for Sat 27 June: Marbled Whites on roadside bank, Pevensey By Pass (TQ604048) (Roy Wells)
News for Sat 27 June: Can anyone explain why this year's Small Tortoiseshells are using much older, taller nettles to oviposit on or is this just a local phenomenon? Watched four engaged in active egg laying today and all were shunning quite suitable short young nettles nearby. Curious. (Dave Harris)
News for Fri 26 June: Four of us took an MV trap down to the vegetated shingle to the west of Shoreham Fort. It was an interesting mix of species that we encountered, the best being the Nationally Scarce B micro moth Dolicharthria punctalis which feeds on dead or decaying leaves. We recorded 26 species and there were also a few micros we could not identify. From the varied list of moths that we encountered, and considering that Shoreham Beach does not have a wide range of habitats available, it seems fair to assume that some of the below species were immigrants. All moths were caught between roughly 11pm and 1am. Species found included 7 Dark Arches, 9 Heart and Dart, 2 Large Yellow Underwing, 5 Elephant Hawkmoth, 1 Privet Hawkmoth, 1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Brown Tail, Peppered Moth, L-Album Wainscot, Peach Blossom, 2 Green Oak Tortrix, 4 Diamond Back Moth, a pristine July High Flyer, 3 Clay, 2 Lunar Underwing and the Scots Pine feeding micro Lozataeniodes formosanus. (Dave & Pen Green and John & Shena Maskell) News for Thurs 25 June: Dark Green Fritillaries at Foxhole, Exceat (TV522984) and Friston Forest (TV53669907) (Roy Wells) Saturday 27 June 2009
Today I went to Iping Common for the first time. What a fabulous place! I am used to seeing about 4-6 Silver-studded Blues at my local patch of Ashdown Forest. I must have seen 500+ Silver-studded Blues at Iping (I actually lost count at 200); once the sun became hot they seemed to be all over the short, younger heather plants. Other butterflies included: Silver-washed Fritillary (1) by the car park, Marbled White (1), Red Admiral (2), Ringlet (4), Painted Lady (3), Large White (9), Large Skipper (12) and Meadow Brown (26). (Polly Mair) My first Small Copper this year in my Storrington Garden (settled on Sorrel, so probably laying eggs). Iping Comon; somewhere in the region of 200 Silver-studded Blues. It would take a concerted effort to produce an accurate number but it would not surprise me if there were 300+. The epi-centre was the tumulus at Trotton/Iping Common. Some on Stedham Common. My congratulations to the conservation team that 'makes this happen'. Also Silver-washed Fritillary, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Meadow Brown. West Dean Woods: Comma (1) (Dr Martin Kalaher) News for Thurs 25 June: Afternoon - a brief visit to Splash Point Seaford produced a considerable quantity of Large Skippers, two Painted Ladies - one almost transparent with wear, a Red Admiral and my first Marbled White of the year. (Bob Brown)
Recent news: A quiet week for butterflies in our East Dean garden (TV561985). A few each of Small Tortoiseshell, faded Painted Lady, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Large and Small White. The highlight therefore must be a single Hummingbird Hawkmoth nectaring on purple sage on Monday 22nd June. (David Jode)
Friday 26 June 2009
Had a brief stroll around the shores of Ardingly Reservoir this afternoon with my son Lucas (he had an "Inset" day from school). It was cloudy at first and very little was flying, it was ten minutes before we even saw a Large White. Later the sun came out and the clover was suddenly alive with Meadow Browns (we lost count of their numbers) but amongst them we also saw 5 Ringlets at least 20 Large Skipper and about 5 Small Skipper. I was expecting to see Burnet moths but none seemed to be around, the only moths we did see were countless Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana), Common Marble (Celypha lacunana) and Lucas's razor sharp eyesight spotted a Triple-stripe Piercer (Grapholita Compositella) which is the first time I've seen this species. (Bob Foreman)
Large Skipper and Ringlet, Ardingly Reservoir,26 June (Bob Foreman); Small Skipper, Southwater Woods, 25 June (Neil Hulme)
Dogbarking Mastertrees, where the Purple Emperors dogfight, Southwater Woods, 25 June (Neil Hulme), and Grapholita compositella, Ardingly Res, 26 June (Bob Foreman)
I took a day's annual leave from work today so wasn't going to let the forecast of rain and thunder get in the way of trying to see and photograph the butterflies of Southwater Woods! Luckily the cloud gave way to some warm sunshine and the Purple Emperors (2) appeared (thank you Neil) though they were flying too high to photograph. Also White Admiral (18), Silver-washed Fritillary (6), Marbled White (1), Purple Hairstreak (2), Comma (3), Painted Lady (1), Red Admiral (1), Large Skipper (7), Large White (9), Green-veined White (5), Speckled Wood (3), Ringlet (25+) and Meadow Brown (30+). An unexpected 14 species, despite the weather! (Polly Mair)
Very muggy conditions with occasional bursts of sunshine on our transect walk today at Bedelands Farm , Burgess Hill, species seen; Large Skipper 8, Large White 1, Small White 1, Common Blue 5, Red Admiral 1, Painted Lady 4, Comma 6, Speckled Wood, 4 Meadow Brown 466, Ringlet 132. Total 628 butterflies, 10 species. (David Pyle) I just returned from two hours at Mill Hill. At the bottom I saw one Comma, many Small Heaths and a Gatekeeper. At the top another Gatekeeper, Speckled Woods and a Small Tortoiseshell. (Colin Knight) A 150 metre stretch of thistle strewn pathway (outskirts of Storrington) had a minimum of 9 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Painted Lady, several Meadow Brown and a Small White. My garden today, Large White, Small White, Painted Lady, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper and a minimum of 70 Six spot Burnet. (Dr Martin Kalaher) Some nights you put the trap out and in the morning all you find are a couple of species and a demonstration of the multitude of different colours and stages of wear that Heart and Dart can be found in. Last night was not like that! We had the most moths in our trap ever, around 310 Macros, and the most species we have ever had, around 55, and nearly all of these appeared between about 12:30 am and 3:30am, when we brought the trap in due to the threat of a thunderstorm. Pride of place went to the squadron of 5 Privet Hawkmoth and 5 Elephant Hawkmoth that managed to make it into the trap, we have never had more than a single Privet Hawkmoth before. Heart and Dart and Dark Arches dominated but some of the other moths included single Peppered Moth, Scarce Footman, Blackneck, Clouded Silver, Angle Shades, Peach Blossom, Fan-foot, Light Arches, Silver Y, L-Album Wainscot, Drinker, Buff Tip, Broad-barred White, Mullein Wave and Scorched Wing. (Dave and Pen Green) News for Thurs 25 June: I had a real thriller of a night in Friston last night – and I have declared it my best night since I started mothing in late 2006. On the drive into Friston the air was filled with moths – they were everywhere. Elephant Hawkmoths were flying into the windscreen (but bouncing off unharmed!). I stopped the car a few times and found that many of the moths in my headlights were the rare Olive Crescent. I started the traps at 11pm and headed home on a calm, muggy evening. I returned at 4:00 the next morning in the middle of a thunderstorm. The traps were full with moths, the sides of the traps were covered and moths were everywhere on the grass and bushes – I have never seen so many – several hundred I would estimate. It was impossible to count them so I just recorded the species. There was something in there for everyone; Rarities (38 Olive Crescent!), Big colourful moths (25+ Elephant Hawkmoth), Rare Migrants (Rannoch Looper) and many moths which were new to me (Lilac Beauty, Brindled White-spot, Plain Golden-Y) and to top it all off sat on top of the trap was my favourite moth - The Lappet. Here’s the full list (although I’m sure there were many more that I missed): Dot Moth, Brindled White-spot, Rannoch Looper, Lilac Beauty, Common Footman, Double Square-spot, Common Rustic, Scalloped Oak, Brown Rustic, Fan-foot, Small Fan-foot, Lackey, Marbled White-spot, Broom Moth, Ingrailed Clay, Pale Oak Beauty, Plain Golden-Y, Vines Rustic, Uncertain, Pine Carpet, Sycamore, The Flame, Flame Shoulder, Olive Crescent, Lappet, Light Emerald, Buff-tip, Pale Tussock, Mottled Beauty, Snout, Elephant Hawkmoth, Buff Arches, Riband Wave, Lobster Moth, Clouded Silver, Small Phoenix, Brimstone, Green Pug, Red-necked Footman, Lesser Swallow Prominent, White Ermine, Clay Triple Lines, Coxcomb Prominent, Peacock, Privet Hawkmoth, Willow Beauty, Common Marbled Carpet, Heart & Dart, Large Yellow Underwing, Shears, Heart & Club, Grey Arches, Minor sp., Green Silver Lines, Clouded Border, Treble Lines, Dark Arches, Barred Red, True Lovers Knot, Poplar Hawkmoth, Silver Ground Carpet, Pine Carpet, Peach Blossom, Burnished Brass, Cinnabar, Angle Shades, Scorched Wing, Small Angle Shades, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Brown Silver-lines, Straw Dot, Small Square Spot, Small Elephant Hawkmoth. Quite a spectacular night - I wonder if I’ll ever beat it? (Michael Blencowe) News for Thurs 25 June: The moth trap was very good last night at Woods Mill, unsurprisingly as it was so muggy. We had around 300+ moths of some 95 species, several micros yet to be identified but highlights were: Calamotropha paludella (Nb), Kent Black Arches (Nb), Red-necked Footman (Local). Lots of nice Local species like Blotched Emerald, Beautiful Hook-tip, Blue-bordered Carpet, Lobster, Pinion-streaked Snout, Round-winged Muslin. Strangely a very early Vapourer too. (Graeme Lyons, Alice Parfitt and Victoria Hume). Also saw my first Marbled White of the year yesterday at Furnace Meadow, Ebernoe Common. (Graeme Lyons). 'Nb' means Nationally Scarce B, recorded from 31-100 10km squares in Great Britain since 1960. 'Local' speciesa re those recorded from 101-300 10km squares. It's a nice indication of how significant a record is. Editor Thursday 25 June 2009
Six-belted Clearwing at Southwater Country Park today (Jacob Everett) Anyone new to moths, yes, this is a moth! Editor
White Admirals (semi-nigrina and ocellata) and Purple Emperor, Southwater Woods, 24 June (David Dancy
Today I met up with Matthew Oates to watch Purple Emperors on his 'old stomping ground' at Southwater Woods. We saw a total of 8 males, with the best action being at the Dogbarking Master Trees, where 3 of them indulged in spectacular dogfights at about 2pm. White Admiral (including ab. obliterae) and Silver-washed Fritillary (including ab. ocellata) numbers exceeded 20. The first female Silver-washed Fritillary I've seen this year had already found herself a mate. We also saw numerous Comma (including ab. suffusa), a few Purple Hairstreak and my first Small Skipper of the year. (Neil Hulme) Darwell Wood, East Sussex: This is an interesting site with the best habitat for butterflies probably along the line of the conveyor belt for the gypsum mines. It's the only place I know where Ringlets outnumber Meadow Browns and otherwise has typical woodland species. Small Skipper (2), Large Skipper (8), Purple Hairstreak (2), White Admiral (2), Comma (1), Painted Lady (1), Silver-washed Fritillary (3), Speckled Wood (9), Meadow Brown (25), Ringlet (49). (Tom Ottley) Not Sussex, but thought you'd like to know that a butterfly not now found in the county, the Heath Fritillary, is having an unprecedented population boom at RSPB Blean Woods in Kent, near Canterbury. One glade alone this week held 1300 of them! Although some of the populations are away from public areas, it sounds like a good chance to go and check them out. Go to www.rspb.org.uk/bleanwoods for access. *Adrian Thomas) To answer Bob Brown's query about a relatively large iridescent green beetle: It sounds like a Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) to me. It's Sussex history and current status, including a series of distribution maps, was published in the Hastings & East Sussex Naturalist in 2007. (Colin Pratt) News for Tues 23 June: Pulborough Brooks RSPB nature reserve: About 50 species in the moth trap including Large Emerald, Bordered Beauty, Peach Blossom, Pebble Prominent, Swallow-tailed Moth, Broom Moth, Dusky Brocade, Barred Straw, Sharp-Angled Carpet and as normal, Numerous Flame, Heart And Dart, Uncertain and Mottled Rustic. Meadows Browns are abundant around the trail now, small/essex skippers are starting to appear, lots of tatty Painted Ladies are still around, and there seems to be a decent scattering of Small Tortoiseshells. (Pete Hughes)
Wednesday 24 June 2009 An Essex Skipper was seen at Southwater Country Park today and a few Marbled White have been seen here over the last few days. Also, as I arrived at work (Warnham LNR) yesterday (23rd), I noticed a moth flying around the lower limbs of a Cherry tree. I chased it for a while until it eventually landed and to my surprise found it to be a Red-necked Footman, a new species for the site! (Sam Bayley) At least two White-letter Hairstreaks at ground level in Pavilion Gardens, Brighton (below), today at 2.30pm on exactly the same patch of Goldenrod as in previous years (must be the same butterflies!). They also nectared, although less avidly, on white Astrantia. Fascinating to see them flying about at ground level, all dark chocolate on the upperwing it appears. One determinedly set off back for the Elm tree directly north of the Pavilion, and I saw another flying across the path outside the museum, heading for the grand old Elm by the Indian gate. I love the whole 'false-head with false-antennae' anti-bird strategy hairstreaks have going on at the rear of their wings (Adrian Thomas)
I visited Southwater Woods between 10.45am and 2.15pm and was delighted to find a Purple Emperor on the path of the "Sallow Ride" at 11.30. Unfortunately it took off as I approached, so no photo. (Vince Massimo) Today our Garden Project in Seaford was visited by a Meadow Brown and a Red Admiral. (Bob Brown) This afternoon the white Jasmine flowering in our garden was visited briefly by our first Hummingbird Hawkmoth of the year. Sorry, no photo, have you seen how fast these guys move!? In previous years we have been interested by the way they always seemed to arrive in the garden from one side of the house and leave out the other side; same route every visit. Happy butterfly and mothing! (Sophie May Lewis) Had an excellent morning at Southwater Woods and saw many butterflies including high numbers of Silver-washed Fritillaries and White Admirals. Highlights were a male Purple Emperor on the ground and a White Admiral aberrant semi-nigrina. (David & Molly Dancy) Firle: On the downs south of Firle, a total of 15 White-letter Hairstreaks in two separate colonies. Males seem to be establishing territories deliberately near to others just so they can have a fight! Also seen driving off Speckled Woods and bees. Not many photo opportunities here I'm afraid but good for observing typical hairstreak feisty behaviour. Also looked at the many elms around Firle village but no luck possibly due to the windy conditions, also none seen at Glynde today. (Tom Ottley) News for Tues 23 June: I'm enjoying my first full summer of trapping this year in Denton, and am adding lots of 'first records' to my garden list. Those from the previous two nights include Crambus perlella, Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla, Barred Straw, Haworth's Pug, Magpie, Grass Rivulet, Pale Oak Beauty, Coronet, Smoky Wainscot and Brown Rustic. I believe the Haworth's Pug and Coronet are first records for Newhaven. (Steven Teale) News for Tues 23 June: The 'Silly Season', the 'Purple Patch' - call it what you will - the Purple Emperor is once again the master of the Sussex skies! A privileged group consisting of Hannah Sandars, Andy Stokes, Tom Ottley and I saw two Emperors in Southwater Woods today. The first was 'on the deck' in the eastern part of Marlpost Woods (11.55), followed by a second male at the Dogbarking Master Trees. Other highlights included an aberrant Silver-washed Fritillary (ab. ocellata) and a pristine, aberrant White Admiral (ab. obliterae, close to nigrina). The latter was first spotted by my father (Eric), who we met unexpectedly later in the day. Despite the untimely cutting of many ride verges, the woods are alive with beautiful butterflies. After such a cold, hard winter we may see a good number of aberrations this summer - look closely at everything! (Neil Hulme) News for Sun 21 June: Having done the monthly clean-up stint at Tidemills, a number of us checked out some luxurious thistles growing by the Tidemills car-park alongside the A259. One solitary Painted Lady caterpillar was found, otherwise it was all aphids, and ladybirds. A week ago on my alotments I saw an iridescent green beetle fly vertically up from my cultivated raspberries, on inspection it was the size of an old threepenny bit! It absolutely shone in the sunlight. A number of other people have told me they've seen these, what are they? (Bob Brown) Tuesday 23 June 2009
I saw remarkable numbers of Large Skipper during my transect walk today on the Downs above Denton 71! The full list was: Large Skipper (71), Large White (4), Small White (17), Small Copper (1), Common Blue (4), Red Admiral (3), Painted Lady (7), Comma f. Hutchinsoni (2), Dark Green Fritillary (4), Speckled Wood (9), Marbled White (31), Meadow Brown (29), Small Heath (12). Amongst the moths seen on the walk was my first Six-spot Burnet of the year. (Steven Teale) Visited Birling Gap and walked to the visitors centre at Beachy Head. Conditions were sunny with a light breeze. Along the way counted 17 Dark Green Fritillary (16M + 1F). Also seen were 25 Meadow Brown, 7 Speckled Wood, 10 Small Heath, 2 Marbled White, 1 Small White, 4 Common Blue, 7 Large Skipper, 3 Painted Lady, 3 Red Admiral and 1 Small Tortoiseshell. There were also 3 Cinnabar Moth and many of its caterpillars. (Vince Massimo) Southwater Woods. Good numbers of summer butterflies in the woods now and numbers should continue to build for a week or two. Halfway round my nearly 6 hour walk I met up with Neil and friends. Highlight for me were the frequent White Admirals whereas for Neil and Andy it will surely be the first Purple Emperor seen in the country this year - which Neil almost trod on! Butterflies seen were: Small Skipper (2), Large Skipper (35), Small White (2), Large White (2), Green-veined White (8), Purple Hairstreak (3), White Admiral (17), Purple Emperor (2), Painted Lady (6), Comma (16) - mostly second brood but a few older specimens hanging on, Silver-washed Fritillary (16), Speckled Wood (20), Meadow Brown (250 +), Ringlet (16). A fine place to spend the day. (Tom Ottley) 'The Brighton Brimstones' had a quick walk around Mill Hill, nr Shoreham (TQ 210 073) - 1 pristine Comma, 3 Meadow Brown, 1 Painted Lady, 5 Marbled White (my first of the year) and 1 Small Tortoiseshell. Later, I remembered to look up outside the Co-op in Patcham (TQ 302 086) and spotted a lone White-letter Hairstreak flying around the upper canopy of one of two magnificent English elm I have occasionally scanned in the past but never recorded White-letters. Unfortunately trees right in the middle of the village so difficult to look inconspicuous whilst hanging around looking shifty. Am thinking of making and wearing a sign saying 'am looking for unusual butterfly - not casing the joint'. (Caroline Clarke)
Just returned to Sussex last night to see Steven Teale's kind comments re the new Sussex Moth Group logo. As chance would have it, 'the real thing' obliged by turning up in my Ferring trap this morning! (Tim Freed)
News for Mon 22 June: Had my first Gatekeeper on the wing at Thorney. (Barry Collins)
News for Sun 21 June: I spent the morning at Arlington Reservoir and the rest of the day at Park Corner Heath. At Arlington I saw a dozen or more 5 Spot Burnets, a few tattered Painted Ladies, several Meadow Browns and 6 or more Large Skippers. The site also featured several species of solitary wasps, a Wasp Beetle, Banded Demoiselles and Turtle Doves (heard but not seen). There was also a small moth with a pale patch in the middle of its wings which I haven’t had time to identify yet. At Park Corner Heath I saw two Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. One of these had apparently lost its head somehow. It was sitting with pristine wings folded and able to move about but it had no face at all – a very sad sight indeed. I’ve never seen anything like it before and it was distressing to see. Other sights were better: a deer popping out of the woodland for a nanosecond, several Meadow Browns and Ringlets, a few Slow Worms, Painted Ladies, Large Skippers and 1 Brown Silver-Line. (Sherie New)
News for Sun 21 June: On Sunday night we ran a couple of MV traps at Ambersham Common until just after midnight. The evening was exceptionally cold for this time of year and the entire heathland was covered in mist, very beautiful, but not necessarily great for moths! Whilst dusking before setting the traps up we encountered 8 Four-dotted Footman, 4 Common Heath and 3 Brown Silver-line, a species that proved to be relatively abundant later in the evening. Totals from the trap were at least 30 Brown Silver-line, 1 Flame, 3 Large Yellow Underwing, 1 Light Emerald, 1 Satin Wave, 2 Four-dotted Footman, 1 Green Oak Tortrix, 2 Brown Rustic, 1 Striped Wainscot, 2 Dark Arches, 1 Peppered Moth, 4 True Lovers Knot and a fantastic Clouded Buff. Only one micro moth was caught but it was a good looking one, Lozotaeniodes formosanus. (John & Shena Maskell and Dave & Pen Green.)
Monday 22 June 2009
Below: Tom Ottley's cracking shots of a female Purple Hairstreak yesterday, tiny tails intact and wing panels aglow
Glynde. Following a tip-off from Paul Johnson I visited the meadow opposite the shop in Glynde village. There are many small and medium sized elms there. After a lot of searching I eventually located a single White-letter Hairstreak. It was completely motionless for at least half an hour but did eventually fly a short distance. Definitely worth a visit on a sunny morning. (Tom Ottley) Spotted Small Blues (2), Speckled Woods (6) Painted Ladies (5) and numerous whites on a walk on Springfield Hill (TQ065124) (Paula Marshall)
Was very excited today to find 9 White-letter Hairstreaks on Brighton elm trees that I have checked in previous years but never recorded any signs of life. All the trees were fairly young elm with good leaf coverage. One tree is within a few feet of my own garden. It is about 30 years old as it grew from suckers from an elm in my neighbour's garden that blow down during the 1987 storm. Interestingly, none were seen on the two mature trees that have had colonies on in previous years. These two trees have poor leaf coverage due to a bumper year for seeds which results in 'late flushing' - something I hope never to suffer from myself - which just means the leaves take longer to come in. Hope I'm not tempting fate to say that it looks like 2009 is going to be a good year for White-letters. See the 'Galleries' page to find out more about tracking them down or email me at communications 'AT' sussex-butterflies.org.uk for info. (Caroline Clarke)
A cycle ride from Old Shoreham to Annington Sewer along the Coastal-Downs Link Cyclepath produced frequent butterflies including at least two of my first Ringlet of the year and six other butterfly species. (Andy Horton)
Sunday 21 June 2009
On behalf of all Sussex Moth Group members, I would like to thank our member Tim Freed for designing an exciting new logo for the group. The species we chose is the rare migrant Pyralid moth, Evergestis limbata (aka Dark-bordered Pearl), and Tim's excellent artwork has portrayed the moth in fantastic detail. I am very proud to 'launch' our new logo and look forward to seeing it in many situations in the future as it promotes the Sussex Moth Group. Well done and thank you, Tim! (Steven Teale, SMG Chairman)
Southwater Woods - Silver-washed Fritillary (about 5), 3 White Admiral, though we weren't there very long. Couldn't go through a field due to a herd of young male Friesians (can farmers do this in a field which has a footpath through it???). Also 4 Comma, loads of Meadow Brown and 15 or so Speckled Wood. (Danny McEvoy and Jasmine) There were some grey clouds hanging around this afternoon but, whilst surveying private woodlands near Ringmer, there was a definite 'summer flavour' to the butterflies seen. Many were my first sightings for 2009 whilst other were very fresh 'new brood' individuals. White Admiral (5), Ringlet (5), Silver-washed Fritillary (13), Comma (4), Red Admiral (10), Small White (1), Green-veined White (1), Small Tortoiseshell (1), Marbled White (3), Speckled Wood (2), Large Skipper (8), Common Blue (1), Meadow Brown (many!). The highlight of the day was a freshly emerged female Purple Hairstreak which, instead of taking it's place high in the oak canopy, sat on low vegetation and slowly opened it's wings to reveal the purple upperwing colour - a sight I've never seen before. Painted Lady numbers are starting to build again - with some bright, fresh individuals amongst them. 35 were seen. Is this the start of the second wave of the invasion? (Michael Blencowe & Tom Ottley)
A further search this morning through some of the thistles in the DEFRA Conservation grassland field at Keymer revealed several very small Painted Lady larvae, each around 7mm long with a covering layer of silk. As the mass egg-laying took place 21 days ago I had been looking for larvae of larger size, but Colin Pratt advised me that they would probably still be very small so I scaled my sights down - and he was correct! The first thistles are beginning to flower and it was especially pleasing to find 7 Small Tortoiseshells nectaring - perhaps they are indeed having a better time this year - also 5 Painted Ladies and 100 or so Meadow Browns. (Malcolm Le Grys).
News for Sat 20 June: afternoon: On a walk over the Downs to the north of South Heighton and Denton, Newhaven, in generally cloudy weather with sunny intervals, the following species were seen: Small Skipper (3), Large Skipper (22), Large White (1), Small White (8), Small Copper (3), Small Blue (1 plus a few eggs), Common Blue (3), Adonis Blue (1), Painted Lady (30), Small Tortoiseshell (5 plus 2 caterpillars), Peacock caterpillars (c.150), Speckled Wood (10), Marbled White (37), Meadow Brown (22), Small Heath (7), Six-spot Burnet (2 caterpillars), Pseudargyrotoza conwagana (Yellow-spot Twist) (1), Celypha lacunana (Common Marble) (2), Plum Tortrix (1), Bramble-shoot Moth (1), Garden Grass-veneer (1), Thistle Ermine (2), Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla (Twin-spot Plume) (1), Common Carpet (1), Yellow Shell (1), Lesser Treble-bar (3), Cinnabar (3), Burnet Companion (3). Our target species (White-letter Hairstreak) was not seen. (David Harris and Steven Teale)
News for Thurs 18 & Sat 20 June: The Friston moth trap has been taking me a long time to empty over the past few days - with a dramatic increase in numbers and species. Moths recorded on Thursday 18th and Saturday 20th. Heart & Dart (410 on Thursday night!), Brimstone, Olive Cresent, Scorched Wing, Snout, Pale Tussock, Light Emerald, Orange Footman, Green Pug, Buff Arches, Brussels Lace, Peach Blossum, Angle Shades, Burnished Brass, Red-necked Footman, Small Angle Shades, Scorched Carpet, Clouded Silver, Buff-tip, Peppered Moth, Reddish Light Arches, Flame Shoulder, Smoky Wainscot, White Ermine, Straw Dot, Dark Arches, Treble Lines, The Flame, Green Silver-lines, Clouded Border, Common Marbled carpet, Puss Moth, Small Square-spot, Minor sp., Blotched Emerald, Heart & Club, Large Yellow Underwing, Clay Triple Lines, Light Brocade, Ghost Moth, Coxcomb Prominent, Buff Ermine, Small Fan Foot, Riband Wave, Bright-line Brown-eye, Shears, Grey Arches, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Double Square-spot, Privet Hawkmoth, Lobster Moth, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, Common Wainscot, Iron Prominent, Cinnabar, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Galium Carpet, Common White Wave, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Barred Red, Elephant Hawkmoth, Vines Rustic, Rustic, Pretty Chalk Carpet, Small White Wave, Common Swift, Coronet, Alder Moth, Ingrailed Clay, Swallow Prominent, Four-dotted Footman, Specatcle, Birds Wing, Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Sharp-angled Peacock. I'm going to need to get some more egg boxes. (Michael Blencowe) Saturday 20 June 2009
News for Fri 19 June: Thirteen species of butterfly were seen on a visit to Lancing Clump where I discovered my first Small Skipper of the year as well as occasional Large Skippers. (Andy Horton)
News for Fri 19 June: Bedelands Farm Transect: Large Skipper 12, Common Blue 10, Painted Lady 18, Small Tortoiseshell 3, Comma 12, Speckled Wood 2, Meadow Brown 339, Ringlet 6. Total 402, butterflies, 8 species. (David Pyle)
News for Fri 19 June: Pevensey Levels. The numbers this year of species seen at this site compared to previous years are very low and not one definite sighting of the Wall brown this year so far. Most of the Painted Ladies I saw today (14) were small and very pale coloured, not like those seen during the influx a few weeks ago. (Roy Wells)
News for Weds 17 June: Elephant Hawkmoth found in stupor on shop front at High Salvington at 07:30 (TQ 120 066) (Peter Atkinson)
Recent news: Is the much reported decline of the Small Tortoiseshell being reversed? Many recent reports on the website include it, and I have seen Small Tortoiseshells regularly over the past fortnight in my garden and particularly an adjoining field (just South of Heathfield) - maximum number 11 on Tuesday 16th. I have also seen it at Lullington/Friston, Abbott's Wood and Arlington Reservoir, also in April at Harrison's Rocks. (John Kerby)
Friday 19 June 2009
I had a four-hour wander around the south side of Friston Forest today; despite a cloudy and blustery day, the sun came out for lots of short spells: Dark Green Fritillary (8, below left), Red Admiral (2), Small Tortoiseshell (3), Painted Lady (9), Speckled Wood (28), Meadow Brown (13), Large Skipper (16), Small Skipper (1), Marbled White (9, below right), Small Heath (11) and Common Blue (1). (Polly Mair)
Looking for Small Tortoiseshells again between Littlington and Alfriston as well as my annual hunt and waste of time looking for the elusive White-letter Hairstreak this morning I was rewarded with 21 Small Tortoiseshells (below left) and then all those wasted hours over the last 2 years was even more rewarding with at last up to 4 White-letter Hairstreaks on the elms at map ref. 520 020 along the river bank on the Seaford side. With many elms in the vicinity I was always confident of eventually finding some and I'm sure there are quite a few along the tree tops. In amongst all the nettles along the bank there were also many Peacock larvae of various sizes (below right). Also there were good numbers again of Painted Ladies including 1 that looked as though it had recently emerged. (Bob Eade).
I spent an hour in the Keyner field this morning examining some of the thistle areas - despite 800-1000 Painted Ladies on and around the thistles on 30 May, and 1300 on 31 May, I was amazed that I couldn't find any larvae this morning. I would have thought it's a little too early for pupation to have begun but maybe it's possible? I suppose there will have been some predation but it was certainly disappointing not to find any larvae. Plenty of Meadow Browns flying around though, 100 or so, and 3 Painted Ladies in flight - rather different to 30/31 May! (Malcolm Le Grys) News for Thurs 18 June: As the weather was reasonable again this morning, we decided to visit Southwater Woods "just in case" (to anyone new to butterflies, the 'just in case' is how eagerly many people wait for the Purple Emperors to emerge - Editor). There were many Meadow Browns in flight, some Speckled Woods, Red Admiral (1), Painted Lady (3), Large Skippers (6+), Small Tortoiseshell (2+), a very fresh White Admiral nectaring on bramble flowers and at least 3 Silver-washed Fritillaries (2 having a dogfight in one of the rides). There were also many Azure Damselflies (some busy egg laying) on one of the small ponds. A quick visit to Marlpost Woods on the way home yielded 3 Painted Ladies and hordes of Meadow Browns. The owners of the overhead power lines have been in this winter and cleared the trees back - whether this will have any effect on the other butterfly species there remains to be seen. (Chris and John Hamilton) Thursday 18 June 2009
RSPB Pulborough Brooks: Around 60 species came to the mothtrap last night, including at least 8 Blotched Emeralds, Obscure Wainscot, Bird's Wing, Large Emerald, Beautiful Hooktip, Clouded Silver, Swallow-tailed Moth, Marbled White Spot, Lobster Moth, Green Pug, Light Arches, Elephant Hawkmoth, Barred Red, Sharp-Angled Carpet and numerous Heart And Dart, The Flame and Mottled Beauty. (Anna Allum, Alice Parfitt, Pete Hughes and Paul Spiers)
A view you don't normally get of Cream-spot Tiger, Thorney Island, 23 May, and Lime Hawkmoth, Meon, 29 May (Chris Watts)
News for Sun 14 June: On Sunday during late morning I visited Iping Common (SU847220) to look for Silver-studded Blues. I covered a lot of the paths on the common during my two and a half hour walk and was not to be disappointed! Silver-studded Blues seem to be found almost everywhere where the heather was in flower. I also saw my first Large Skippers of the year feeding on bramble blossom. In the damp areas dragonflies and damselflies were flying including Broad-bodied Chasers, Four-spotted Chasers and Large Red Damselflies. A most interesting find was the Field Cricket - Gryllus campestris. My count was: Large White (1F), Brimstone (1M), Meadow Brown (3), Painted Lady (3), Silver-studded Blue (9F 99M) and Large Skipper (3). (Richard Symonds, Hayling Island)
Wednesday 17 June 2009
Last year we were proud to announce that the Scarlet Tiger was again resident in our county. The last Sussex colonies were recorded in the 1920s and since then we had been tiger-less while neighbouring Hampshire and Kent both hosted the species. The discovery of the moth in Friston and Eastbourne in 2008 has been documented and I'm pleased to report that the Tigers have returned again in 2009. The gardens of Eastbourne are again home to colonies of this moth and now Brighton has joined in the fun with reports of Scarlet Tigers from gardens in the Lewes Road area. This week Jane Davey found a pair in her garden and emailed me to say "We're very excited about it and have got my son's friends to keep a look out in their gardens!". make sure you look out for this attractive day-flying moth in your gardens too - wherever you are! (Thanks to Calum Lyle, Jane Davey, Michael Whiting, Robin & Jane and Michael & Angie)
Photos Angie Roche (June, Broghton); Andrew Whitcomb (17 June, Brighton); pair Jane Davey (June, Brighton)
Doing a butterfly survey in a private wood near Ringmer resulted in a great day with my 1st White Admirals this year (centre below), 2 seen, also large quantities of Silver-washed Fritillaries inc. newly hatched with wings not properly formed yet. Also a Comma just emerged with the pupae case on the same nettle (you can see the pupal case in the left of the photo below). Its maiden flight was an impressive 50 metres!! Numbers of all butterflies seen were 110 Meadow Brown, 24 Silver-washed Fritillaries, 4 Comma, 3 Marbled White, 9 Painted Ladies, 2 Large Skipper, 4 Ringlet, 2 White Admiral, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 3 Large White, 4 Green-veined White, 2 Brimstone and 5 Speckled Wood. (Bob Eade).
Pulborough Brooks RSPB nature reserve Large Skippers and Meadow Browns now appearing all around the trail and saw my first Ringlet of the year yesterday. I also saw today several splendid Mullein Moth caterpillars - check the rather battered looking mullein plants on the bank opposite the overspill car park (minding the traffic coming into the car park!). (Pete Hughes) Recent news: Ouse Estuary Nature Reserve Newhaven during lunchtime visits 16/17 June: 2 Speckled Woods , a few scattered Small Heaths , Large Skippers in small numbers widely scattered , 8-10 freshly emerged Small Tortoiseshells , a few widely scattered Common Blues mostly very tatty, zero Painted Ladies but they have certainly bred on the plentiful thistles here, a disappointingly low number circa 5/6 Meadow Browns and 3 Marbled Whites all close to the entrance at Denton Corner . Seven Sisters Country Park on Sunday 14th produced nothing special except for a caterpillar which would appear to be that of a Bergers Clouded Yellow . I have been trying to find an alternative similar moth caterpillar but without success. (Mark Senior) News for Tues 16 June: 1 Silver-washed Fritillary in a wood near Plaistow (Margaret Hibbard) News for Tues 16 June: A quick one hour trap at Mill Hill LNR, to test a newly serviced generator, elicited single Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Barred Yellow, Drinker, Light Arches and Marbled Coronet and five Flame amongst 19 species. (Dave and Pen Green) News for Weds 10 June: Silver-washed Fritillary at the outdoor classroom/event area in Brede, a good advert for Brede High Wood, especially as SWFs preferred habitat is wide rides and sunny glades (per Steve Wheatley) News for Thurs 4 June: 1 female Wood White in at Ebernoe. (Margaret Hibbard) Tuesday 16 June 2009
Walked a chunk of the South Downs Way from Southease up to Beddingham Hill and back. Butterflies on the tops between Itford Hill and Beddingham Hill (around TQ 447 056): 3 Painted Lady, 5 Common Blue, 13 Meadow Brown, 2 Small Heath, 1 Large White and 1 Small Blue. At least 6 Small Tortoiseshell on huge patch of thistles near Southease Station (TQ 434 054). (Caroline Clarke & Davina Colmer)
Birling Gap TV5595. Dark Green Fritillary 6. Horseshoe Plantation TV5695 Small Heath 5. Speckled Wood 4. Meadow Brown 1. Large Skippers 7 (Janet Richardson)
Birling Gap to Shooters Bottom. Only 4 Dark Green Fritillaries were seen and even more surprisingly only 1 Marbled White were seen. Other notable butterflies were 17 Common Blue, 9 Small Heath, 8 Meadow Brown, 4 Large Skipper, 5 Speckled Wood, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Small White and singles of Painted Lady, Small Copper and a very tatty and late Dingy Skipper. I then popped into Butchershole Bottom in Friston Forest and walked up into the Forest from the gallops. Along the forest edge there were very large numbers of Large Skipper, approx 30 along this area, also 1 more Dark Green Fritillary and another Small Tortoiseshell. Also several Common Blues and Small Heaths. (Bob Eade). A single Purple Hairstreak seen briefly at Woods Mill today at 14.15. (Graeme Lyons) News for Mon 15 June: A Scarlet Tiger was in Brighton (Andrew Whitcomb)
News for Sun 14 June: Visited Ashdown Forest - Old Lodge for Silver-studded Blue..but no such luck..just a couple of Meadow Brown and I managed to id 3 moths (Common Heath, Plain Wave and Clouded Buff). Very few butterflies about, strange. Went on from Old Lodge to Pooh Sticks bridge (with my 8 year old) which was host to 3 Beautiful Demoiselle damselflies. (Danny McEvoy)
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"Colin Pratt’s Silver Trophy Cup for Sussex Lepidopterists"
