Welcome to the second Suffolk Moth Group Newsletter. At last the
weather has improved and there are some moths to look at. I am hoping
to bring out, with your help, a newsletter every month throughout the
summer, until the moths go for their winter break at least. So you
should expect to see this newsletter at the beginning of July, the next
one in August etc. If you have paid me for this years newsletters (only
£2.50 to cover printing and postage) then thank you, if you have
not then could you do so A.S.A.P.
Several people have asked how I want records to be sent to me, well I
don't mind really but here are a few guidelines to help.
Species name - English will do - and relative abundance if
possible.
Site name - grid reference if possible.
Dates.
Recorders name.
The aim of this newsletter is to inform so any information, no
matter in what form, will be appreciated. Also if you would like to
comment on any aspect of mothing then please put pen to paper, or
fingers to keyboard, and I will include it in the next letter. For
example do any of you use sugar to attract moths? If so are you
successful? What advice would you give to help a novice sugarer? What
about your trap, maybe you have an unusual construction or a very easy
to assemble and use design that you could tell us about. ( How about it
Roger ?) I know that some people are interested in breeding larvae and
some information about that would be interesting to read about. Also
some people may go sallowing or dusking and get records that way and
write about their experiences. Anything really that interests you will
probably interest others
Format of data
At the moment I am not recording every moth that is being sent to me
but giving you a selected view of what people are finding. The main
reason for this is the amount of typing that this would involve is too
much for me at the moment. However I am in the process of acquiring a
simple (if that is possible with computers? ) little program that will
type out all the information on a specimen, once the Bradley and
Fletcher number has been typed in, saving a lot of time. Once this is
up and running I will be able to include all the current records for
that month, so watch this space for developments.
Ipswich Museum Moth Specimens
Ipswich museum has an extensive collection of moths collected within
Suffolk. We are organising a visit to the museum to view the moths in
early August, probably on a Saturday. If you would be interested in
going then let me know. It would then be possible, after prior
arrangement with the museum, to visit the collection again if you had a
particular group or interest you wished to study further. This
certainly looks like an opportunity too good to miss as from all
accounts there are some excellent cases to look at.
Suffolk Moth Group moth nights
Purdis Heath Golf Club. Friday 25 May
After a day of rain and winds we were not expecting a lot of moths, but
hope springs eternal, so an MV light and three traps were set up along
side the old decoy lake. The Ipswich Golf Club has a very good
reputation for wildlife conservation due to the efforts of its grounds
man Steve Noye and his assistant Neil Sherman, so there is a lot of
varied and well managed habitats in the grounds. Steve regularly runs a
Heath trap in his garden, on the edge of the club, and has recently
purchased a Robinson trap and a generator to investigate the rest of
the course. Temperatures of 13°C and less could have produced more
but the final count was only just over twenty. Notable species were
Pebble Hook-tip, Oak Hook-tip, Bordered White, Clouded Border and Least
Black Arches, this last species a new one for several people present.
Of four micro's Esperia
sulphurella was very interesting, it's a species whose larvae
feed on the Ascomycete fungi Daldinia
concentrica, the familiar 'Cramp balls' or 'King Alfred's
Cakes'. Two of the other micros were members of the Incurvariidae
family, Incurvaria mascuella
and Adela reaumurella,
typical of this
group they have very long antennae, in the case of the latter up to 1cm
long, huge in proportion to the insect.
Hollesley Common. Friday 31 May
After a struggle to find a parking space, on the verges alongside the
heath land and mixed woodland of Barthorpe's Folly, we set up two MV
lights and two UV lights. The temperature started at about 15°C but
soon cooled to a chilly 9°C due to the gusting wind. A small group
of fallow deer were disturbed as we looked for a place to put the
lights, and both nightingale and night jar were heard calling. The
dominant trees in the area are oak and birch and this was reflected in
the species found. An early visitor was the Lime Hawk along with
several Great Prominents also found were Maidens Blush, Birch Mocha,
Pale Tussock, Common White Wave, Oak Hook Tip, Marbled Brown and the
micro Ancylis mitterbacheriana,
all birch and oak feeders. Several pine
feeders were also recorded, Pine Beauty, Grey Pine Carpet and
Tawny-barred Angle The star of the night was the diminutive Orange
Footman, this straw coloured lichen feeder was a new record for all of
those present, Morley states it to be " rare in the few sylvan places
it occurs" but does not list one of these as Hollesley
Leiston Common. Friday 7 June
We all met at the 'Nursery' east of Leiston and the first spectacle was
a large fire at the industrial estate which filled the sky with a layer
of thick smoke. Luckily for us this did not drift in our direction. The
weather had been very warm all day and thunderstorms were forecast for
the evening, we were aware of lots of lightning all around us
throughout the session but the torrential rain held off until about 15
minutes after we left! The temperature was in the high teens all night
and the humidity got up to 70%, ideal conditions for moths. There were
two MV lights out, one above a sheet and one in a trap, and two UV
traps to cover both inside and outside of a small wood. As predicted it
was an excellent night for moths and the final list topped the hundred
mark, including five hawk moths, here is a small selection of the more
notable species. Lime Hawk, Eyed Hawk, Elephant Hawk, Poplar Hawk,
Privet Hawk, Cream spot Tiger, Cream-bordered Green Pea, Miller, Alder,
Fox, Seraphim and Gold Spot. Also found were two local species, the
Flame Wainscot, only found as a resident in East Anglia, and the White
Colon, usually found in the Breckland area. Among the micros there lots
of the brightly coloured Tortrix Eulia
ministrana, and the Nascia
cilialis, once considered rare, ( Goater reports it as only
found
locally in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Hampshire) but now found
to be quite common in this county.
Blaxhall Common. Friday 14 June
The evening started off cold, was cold in the middle, and ended very
cold. These are not ideal conditions for mothing. We drove into the
heath to find a warm spot, but failed. We didn't see a moth until about
10.30, and then a brave Brown Silver lines flew in. Only a few moths
were daft enough to venture forth and the final count was about twenty.
We did have a Privet Hawk a Grass Wave and a Bird's Wing to compensate
for staying there until midnight. The highlight of the evening was the
unexpected arrival of a small group of thermally challenged Crucisa bunnieata, a rare
pabulum for most, but they were quickly devoured, along with the coffee.
Tiger Hill. Friday 21 June
Another cold night brought a low count of moths at this private reserve
near Arger Fen. We set the light up next to a small cottage on the side
of a slope leading down to a small stream.
The area around the cottage consisted of trees and mixed scrub with
rabbit grazed heath at the top of the hill. A varied
bunch of moths came in slowly, in one's and two's, throughout the
evening which was terminated early at around midnight.
One consolation was that several of the specimens were very fresh and
well marked, including Buff Ermine. Udea
olivalis, Figure of Eighty, Ingrailed Clay, Pale Shouldered
brocade,
Green Silver lines and a Beautiful Golden Y.
Darsham Marshes. Friday 28 June
A warm evening (17°C), with rain threatening, should have been
very
good for moths in a site which yielded over 100 species last year but
things never quite materialised as expected.
About 60 species did turn up however, so this was a great improvement
on recent weeks. Highlights were Small Angle Shades,
Straw Dot, Peppered, Cream-bordered Green Pea, Buff Ermine, Green
Silver-lines, Small Emerald, Common
Swift, Burnished Brass, Clouded Silver, Elephant Hawk, Figure of
Eighty, Broad-barred White, July High Flyer, Marbled
Brown and Shears. We did see two exceptional species with both a male
and female Ghost Moth. the female being
particularly beautifully coloured, and a Water Ermine, which is very
rare and may not have been recorded in Suffolk
since 1989 when it was last seen in Aldeburgh.
Records from recorders around the
county
Location: Felixstowe. Recorder: Jon Nicholls. 1-30 June
Its seems to have been a very quiet year so far, as many nights have
been clear and cold resulting in few moths, however 48 species by the
end of June is 14 better than last year so
first impressions can be misleading. Common species are the Garden
Carpet, Turnip and Heart and Dart, Some of the
more interesting moths have been the lichen feeder Least Black Arches,
the wonderfully marked Pyrausta
aurata,
Yellow barred Brindle, Spectacle, the first grass veneer was Crambus
pascuella, and a uncommon migrant the Bordered Straw
Location: Barrow. Recorder: Adrian Parr. 29 February - June
Adrian reports a quiet year, with only 24 species by the end of May.
The season started with Pale Brindled Beauty and March moth and he
noticed good numbers of Orthosias (Quakers. Drabs and
the ubiquitous Hebrew character). Chestnut, Grey Shoulder-knot, Clouded
Border, Waved Umber and Poplar
Hawk moth were also seen The improved weather in June has brought in
Diamond backed moths and
Rush Veneer two common migrants Foxglove Pug, Pale Oak Beauty and the
Breckland specialist the Grey
Carpet.
Location: Rendham. Recorder: Annette Lea. 6 April - 17 June
Annette uses an 80W MV lamp on a home-made Robinson trap run in her
garden that overlooks the flood meadows of the River Alde.She reports
the usual early year selection of Carpets.
Early Grey, Hebrew Character and various Orthosias. To date she has an
impressive list of over fifty species
including four species of hawk moth, three Prominents, Buff tip, Herald
and Peppered.
Location: Woodbridge. Recorder: Roger Kendrick. 22 March - 17 June
Roger uses an 11W fluorescent (green) lamp with a Skinner trap. In
march Roger saw a number of March, Dotted Border. Common Quaker and
Hebrew Character. In April several Orthosias
appeared along with Oak Beauty, Pine Beauty and the local Oak
Nycteoline. In May Scorched Carpet and Least
Black Arches were two early uncommon moths along with the more usual
Scalloped Hazel, Rustic Shoulder knot,
Oak Hook Tip, several Pugs, Pale Oak Beauty, Nutmeg, Shears, Yellow
barred Brindle (which has been seen in
good numbers this year), Sallow Kitten, Peppered, Buff tip, Light
Brocade and Birds Wing
In June many of these moths continued along with Red-barred Tortrix,
Turnip, Tawny Shears, Varied Coronet, Sycamore, Silver y, Common Swift,
Small Magpie, Elephant Hawk-moth,
Cream-spot Tiger and Alder. Along with several other moths, including
the micros, this makes a total of over
100 species so far this year.
Location: Monks Eleigh. Recorder: Arthur Watchman. 5 May - 27 June
Most of Arthur's moths are attracted to a 160W Mercury/Tungsten blended
bulb. This bulb requires no choke and is put into a light holder
outside the front door. A few moths are also
attracted to the bulkhead lights at the rear of the house which only
contain 60W bulbs.
Very few moths were noted in early May - Early Grey, Hebrew Character,
Clouded Drab, Red Chestnut and Powdered Quaker On the 17 a small group
appeared including Small Waved Umber,
Water Carpet, Purple Thorn, Pale Prominent, Streamer, Brindled Pug, Red
Twin-spot Carpet and Common
Quaker May also saw White Ermine, Oak Hook-tip, Yellow-barred Brindle,
Small Phoenix, Green Silver-lines and
Eyed Hawk
In June the number of species has continued to increase as expected
with Brimstone, Pale Oak Beauty, Common Swift, Rustic Shoulder-knot
and. new to Arthur, Bordered Straw (This migrant
has also been seen by JN and SN). Also Light Emerald, Beautiful Golden
Y, Scorched Wing, Common Wainscot. The first
grass moth on the 16 was Crambus
lathoniellus followed by Chrysoteuchia
culmella and Crambus perlella
The month ended with Small Yellow Wave, Elephant Hawk, Flame, Double
Square~spot, Dark Arches, Figure of Eighty
and Buff Arches
Arthur has also visited Wattisham where he saw a lot of very long named
micros, Barnham with the B.E.N.H.S where. he saw the day flying (or
easily disturbed) Yellow Shell, Bordered
White, Cinnabar, Green Silver-lines, Cream-spot Tigers, Clay
Triple-lines, Maidens Blush and several species of Tortrix
and Pyralid.
Arthur also had a Ghost moth emerge in his garden on 23
June. It
wandered over the lawn looking like a caterpillar with short, white
wings! It was looking for somewhere to hang to expand it's
wings, it tried to climb small grass stems but looked very vulnerable,
with birds around, so it was put on an Iris
stem where it soon settled and within twenty minutes it had fully
expanded it's wings.
Location: Minsmere. Recorder: Charlotte Anderson
Charlotte is responsible for moth-trapping at Minsmere nature reserve
where they operate an MV trap next to the volunteer's chalet The area
includes a variety of habitats including
mature deciduous woodland, acid grassland, scrub and reedbed. She has
had the following 'notables' ; Alder,
Broad-bordered Bee Hawk, Cream-spot Tiger, Dog's Tooth, Flame Wainscot,
Great Oak Beauty, Great Prominent, Matthew's Wainscot,
Pale Tussock, Peacock, Plain Wave, White Colon and Yellow Belle.
The Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-moths have been recorded several times
feeding on rhododendron and both the Wainscots have been seen in good
numbers. There are also large numbers
of Cinnabars, Heart and Darts, Quakers, Early Greys and Hebrew
Characters. Also seen have been Poplar, Eyed and
Elephant Hawk-moths.
Location: Ipswich. Recorders: Steve Noye and Neil Sherman.
Steve and Neil run an actinic Heath trap in Steve's garden at Ipswich
Golf Club. This year they have acquired an impressive list of some 125
species of macro moth. A selection of these
includes Alder, Barred Red, Bird's Wing, Brindled White-spot, Buff Tip,
Chocolate Tip, Dark Sword-grass, Early,
Foxglove Pug, Green Silver-lines, Knot Grass, Lime hawk, Lychnis,
Maiden's Blush, March, Miller, Mullein, Nutmeg,
Ocherous Pug, Peacock Pine Hawk, Privet Hawk, Scorched Wing, Seraphim,
Small Phoenix, Spinach, Spring Usher,
Sycamore, Water Carpet, Winter and Yellow Shell. They also had a
Bordered Straw and a long list of unidentified micros.
Many thanks to all those people who have sent me their records, I
certainly enjoyed reading them and hope to be able to visit some of the
sites this summer to find out how they were
produced. Please put your pens to paper and let me include your
observations for next months newsletter: I hope to be able
to include all records next month to give a more complete picture of
what we are getting.
Jon. N. 18 Berners Road,
Felixstowe, IP11 7LF.
All eyes to the cloth! Suffolk Moth Group at
Hollesley Common.
