Spring 2015
No. 39
www.wiltshire-butterflies.org.uk
MORE 2014 BUTTERFLIES
From top left: Small Copper partial alba form,
Martin Down, 3rd Aug. p. 9 (Andy Daw),
Small Copper, 7th Aug. (Tim Kaye),
Chalkhill Blue, Martin Down, 3rd Aug. p.9 (Andy Daw), Brown Hairstreak, Alners Gorse, 9th Aug. p.11,White-letter Hairstreak, Alners Gorse, 9th Aug. p.11
(both by Geoff Hiscocks), Duke of Burgundy, Larkhill, 19th May (Mike Lockwood), Common Blue, 7th Aug. (Tim Kaye), Brown Hairstreak, Echo Lodge
meadows, 7th Sept, p.12 (Andy Daw), Brown Argus, Blakehill, 7th Aug. (RG),
2 Daw)
Comma, Webbs Wood, 7th Sept. p.12(Andy
CONTENTS
4 Editorial
Robin Griffiths
4 A Brief Summary of the 2015 Season so far Mike Fuller
5 The Chairman’s Thoughts
Hugo Brooke
7 2014 Butterfly Records
Mike Fuller
8 Under Recorded Tetrads
Mike Fuller
9 Meeting Reports
Andrew Daw & Frank Crosier
14 Day Flying Moth & Caterpillar Recording Zoe Randle & Richard
Fox
16 2014 Moth Report Michael Smith, Wayne Clinch & Dave Brotheridge
18 The Dorset/Wiltshire Butterfly Tetrad Scramble
Jane Martin
20 Supporting Habitat Management for Butterflies Margaret Feneley
26 Marlborough Downs Nature Improvement Area
Mike Fuller
28 The South Wiltshire Group
Frank Crosier
30 Bentley Wood Butterfly Report 2014
David Lambert
32 Moths in Cricklade
Robin Griffiths
33 New Members
Compiled by Sarah Gregory
34 Officers and Committee 2014-15
COVER PICTURES
On the front cover are the joint winners of last year’s Wilts Branch BC Photographic competition, the second consecutive year with joint winners.
Above, a Duke of Burgundy, photographed by Geoff Hiscocks on the A350
embankment at Upton Scudamore on 18th May. “ I knew they had been seen
there in recent years but had assumed they’d be on the banking rather than
down the bottom among some of the plastic rubbish!” Below, Ben Cooke’s
Humming-bird Hawkmoth was feeding at Viper’s Bugloss at Westdown
Artillery Range on 14th June. “I was fortunate enough to see five Hummingbird Hawkmoths on that particular visit. I actually voted for Wayne Clinch’s
image of the same moth…”
On the back cover are a collection of day-flying moths to illustrate an article from BC HQ on p.14, urging all recorders to include this perhaps neglected group in their survey work—from top left: Wood Tiger, Cley Hill, 18th
May 2014 (Geoff Hiscocks), Six-spot Burnet moths, Blakehill (Steve Davies), Treble Bar (Geoff Hiscocks), Burnet Companion, Avis Meadow
(Mike Zenderowski), Dusky Sallow (Geoff Hiscocks), Speckled Yellow
(Pam Parsons), Cinnabar, Blakehill, 19th June 2014 (Trevor Simmonds),
Micropteryx calthella , 9th June 2014 x4 (Tim Kaye)
(Macro moths x1.5 approx.)
3
EDITORIAL
Annual moth reports by both teams of recorders appear for the first time in
this bulletin. If these are of interest, and you would like to find out more
about local moths, I recommend the new Wilts Branch Facebook page—
moths galore on there:
www.facebook.com/groups/ButterflyConservationWiltshireBranch/
Another first this year is David Lambert’s report from Bentley Wood —a
place described by Matthew Oates as “the UK’s top woodland site for butterflies and probably the locality most visited by butterfly lovers nationally...a
deeply special place”. Finally I am pleased to report that we have now sold
more than 600 copies of Butterfly Walks in Wiltshire - 60% of the print-run.
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE 2015 SEASON
SO FAR (mid March)
Mike Fuller
January was mild and the sunniest since 2003. There were about 4 days of
suitable weather for butterfly activity and the first butterfly to be reported for
2015 was a Small Tortoiseshell near Wootton Rivers on 3rd. Three Peacocks
were reported on 8th from Westbury, Farley and Bradford-on-Avon, the first
male Brimstone on 19th at Alderbury and a Red Admiral at Harnham on
24th. In total, 1 Brimstone, 6 Red Admirals, 5 Small Tortoiseshells and 5
Peacocks were reported. February was a much cooler month although 8
days were considered suitable for butterflies. In addition to January’s sightings, 1 Brimstone, 8 Red Admirals, 6 Small Tortoiseshells and 1 Peacock
were reported. It had been the sunniest winter since 1929 when proper
records were started.
The first half of March had some warm sunny days and several more butterflies of the already reported species were noted plus the first Comma on 7th
in Bradford-on-Avon. At the time of writing, an additional 5 Brimstones, 5
Red Admirals, 28 Small Tortoiseshells and 4 Peacocks have been reported.
No doubt many more were active but not reported. The first non-hibernator,
a Small White, was seen in Biss Meadows, Trowbridge on 10th.
Brown Hairstreak egg searches have been fruitful. In the north, 87 eggs
were counted on 7th March at one site in the CWP just into Gloucestershire,
and so far in the south, 225 have been found in widespread localities including 9 new tetrads and one new 10km square which includes the southern half
of Bentley Wood. Two larval webs of Marsh Fritillary were found near
Great Cheverell containing a total of more than 65 young larvae.
4
THE CHAIRMAN’S THOUGHTS
Hugo Brooke
Spring has sprung as I write this and sightings of butterflies are already being
recorded. The Small Tortoiseshell has been the commonest so far, followed
by Red Admiral and Peacock - also the first Brimstones, a sure sign that
spring is here. It seems fitting that the butter-coloured Brimstone, from
which the name ‘butterfly’ derives, should be among the first to appear each
year.
It could be rewarding to check carefully every time you see a tortoiseshell,
because it is thought that a number of Yellow-legged Tortoiseshells may
have hibernated soon after unexpectedly arriving in England from Central
Europe last autumn. Although none was recorded in Wiltshire they could be
here and those that hibernated could well have survived - a sighting or two
must be a real possibility. They normally emerge in early May. Larger than
the Small Tortoiseshell they have buff or yellow legs rather than brown legs,
while their topsides are more reddish-orange than the rusty-orange of the
similarly sized Large Tortoiseshell.
It was remarkable how often I saw moths in my car headlights this last winter – I even saw several when the temperature gauge on my car was showing
just 1°c. However trying to trap them with a light trap was rather unrewarding with just a few December Moths, Winter Moths and Dark Chestnuts
responding to my enticements. But they have begun to come to light now and
the usual culprits have started to show up, Common Quaker and Hebrew
Character in the lead.
New Members Day – 17th May 2015
Maurice has issued an invitation to all our new members to attend a special
day at West Yatton Down on Sunday 17th May. Everyone who has joined the
Branch since January 2014 is invited to assemble at Maurice’s home in Biddestone, Manor Farm House, before following him for a guided tour of his
lovely valley below West Yatton Down. Once there we will see what he
caught in his moth trap set there the night before – having been a moonless
night it should be a very good haul. The record for the valley, made a couple
of years ago, is 117 species of moth in one light trap.
We will then walk the valley butterfly transect route and expect to see over
20 species of butterfly including most of the common ones, plus Orange
Tip, Small Blue, Green Hairstreak, Adonis Blue and probably Dingy
Skipper. Hopefully the weather will be good because it is also a wonderful
5
place to sit and enjoy a picnic at the end of what should be a fascinating
morning.
Iford Manor Butterfly Day – 5th July 2015
Iford Arts and the Manor will once again play host to this free annual family
day out, with help from the Wiltshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation, The
RSPB, Bath Natural History Society and the Vincent Wildlife Trust. The day
will start with the opening of four or five moth traps, the content of which
will be put on display in the Butterfly Conservation tent. Later, guided walks
for butterflies, dragonflies and birds will take place, while a Greater and
Lesser Horseshoe Bat family roost will be
shown live on CCTV. The event starts at
11.30am and we suggest you bring your own
picnic to enjoy by the River Frome.
The day is aimed at introducing children to
the wonders of butterflies and moths, with
many activities organized specially for them,
both in the main marquee as well as in the
grounds of the manor. But it is not a day just
for children, the variety of flora and fauna on
show will fascinate even the most experienced wildlife lovers.
The Manor Tea-rooms will be open as will
the wonderful Italianate gardens, though
there will be the normal charge to visit the
gardens for those keener on Botany than Lepidoptera!
th
th
Big Butterfly Count – 18 July to 9 August
Elephant Hawkmoth and fan
(Tim Kaye)
A number of butterfly events are being organized during this period in both
the north and the south of the county, including it is hoped a members’ day
inside the Salisbury Plain Training Area. To see the butterflies in that pristine
environment is quite a privilege. So keep an eye on the Branch website
<wiltshire-butterflies.org.uk> for details.
Field Trips for the summer of 2015
A very full programme of field trips has been organized by Andy Daw for
the coming season, details of which are in the pull-out section of this Bulletin. I hope to see lots of you on one or more of those excursions. Until then
Happy Hunting!
6
2014 BUTTERFLY RECORDS
Mike Fuller
An exceptionally large number of butterfly records were received for
2014 from over 250 members and non-members, enabling a comprehensive
Annual Report to be compiled. All records will be forwarded to head office
for inclusion in the on-going Butterfly Millennium Atlas up-date programme. 2014 was the final year of the third five-year update period began in
2010 and we have already achieved substantial coverage with in excess of
50,000 records entered into the county database. Records for the key species
and immigrants have also been sent to the Wiltshire & Swindon Biological
Records Centre, the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the National
Trust and the Ministry of Defence, all for inclusion in their own databases.
Wiltshire has 45 breeding species, including several of national
importance, and has an important role to play in this continuing
surveying and monitoring work. It is crucial that we do all we can
to record and monitor their status and habitats to ensure their
future survival.
As I continue to say, all Wiltshire records will always be very welcome and
once again I draw your attention to the recording forms for 2015 enclosed
with this mailing.
If every member completed the yellow-coloured form for just
eight sites that they regularly visit, or the green-coloured form
for their garden (or other favourite site), the county coverage
would be greatly improved.
Please do try to complete these forms during the coming season and return
them to me in October. I would also prefer if you entered actual numbers
rather than the letters A to E as suggested on the forms. Alternatively, you
can enter your sightings on our website, e-mail or telephone me your records
‘as and when’ during the season or submit them in your own format – whichever method suits you best.
The important thing is that you submit something.
I wish you all a very fruitful and enjoyable 2015 butterfly season.
Please contact me if you have any queries or concerns.
Mike Fuller, Wiltshire Butterfly Recorder, (01225) 864122,
E-mail : fullermike@btinternet.com
7
UNDER RECORDED TETRADS
Tetrad Grid Ref.
North West
ST 92 90
ST 94 90
ST 84 84
North
ST 94 80
ST 94 82
ST 94 84
ST 88 76
ST 94 72
SU 04 76
SU 04 78
SU 04 80
SU 08 74
SU 16 70
South
SU 16 56
SU 12 50
SU 04 38
SU 08 36
SU 08 34
SU 10 38
SU 14 34
SU 16 36
South West
ST 80 44
ST 80 30
ST 82 36
ST 84 34
ST 76 38
ST 96 22
Location & Identifying feature
SW of Crudwell, Gilboa & Marsh Farms
South of Crudwell (A429)
Sherston (south)
Upper Seagry
Startley & Great Somerford (west)
SE of Malmesbury, Cole Park, B4042
Yatton Keynell
East of Chippenham, S of West Tytherton
SE of Lyneham, Windmill Hill
East of Tockenham
SW of Royal Wootton Bassett, Vastern, A3102
West of Winterbourne Bassett
NW of Marlborough, Barton Down
South of Pewsey, Abbots & Pewsey Down
DTE SP(C), Enford Farm
North of Steeple Langford, Clifford Bottom
East of Stapleford, Stapleford Down
East of A36, South Newton & Stoford
East of A360, Lake Down & Westfield Farm
A345, West of Winterbourne Dauntsey
South of Boscombe Down Airfield, Down Barn
Longleat, Dertford Wood
South of Mere, Woodlands Manor
West of Kingston Deverill, The Park
South of Kingston Deverill, South Down
Tyning Wood, (Wilts section only)
Alvediston, Windmill Hill
Butterfly Records from any of the above tetrads, preferably with a 6figure grid reference, date, numbers seen and any other relevant information would be much appreciated.
8
MEETING REPORTS
Martin Down – 3rd August 2014
Andy Daw
Today’s trip was a joint one with the Dorset branch, and with the sun shining
the turn out was good. Various people joined or left the party at different
stages of the day, so the numbers didn’t remain constant, but we peaked at
18. There was a refreshing wind which meant the temperature was ideal for
us humans, but the wind wasn’t ideal for butterfly spotting as any butterfly
which flew up was likely to be whisked off quickly across the open grassland
and into the distance.
For the morning session we headed south out onto the main part of Martin
Down. Most of the grassland was virtually straw by now and the thistles
were practically over, so most of the butterflies were hanging out on the edge
of the scrub and in the hollows and ditches where there were more nectar
sources.
Keeping an eye on the time I directed us around the first embankment to look
for Chalkhill Blues and right on cue both a male and female were found on a
chalk scrape. We had seen a couple of Dark Green Fritillaries out in the
sea of grass prior to this, and a couple of Marbled Whites, looking worn and
faded, unlike the pristine Chalkhill Blues. A couple of Turtle Doves broke
cover from some bushes and flew off.
On the return loop we followed Bokerley Dyke and found several Small
Coppers, amongst other species, and one which was normally coloured on
the left hand side and a pale brassy yellow/white on the other. We were virtually back at the car park when a Painted Lady made a brief appearance but
stayed only long enough to be seen by the lead
section of the group.
Butterflies: 95 Meadow Brown, 45 Small Tortoiseshells, 19 Gatekeepers, 28 Common Blues,
7 Brown Argus, 23 Small Skippers, 4 Marbled
Whites, 11 Dark Green Fritillaries, 1 Large
White, 1 Small Heath, 2 Peacock, 16 Chalkhill
Blues, 1 Ringlet, 7 Small Coppers, 4 Brimstones, 4 Small White, 2 Green-veined White, 1
Red Admiral, 1 Painted Lady
Moths: Silver Y, 6 Spot Burnet, Dusky Sallow
9
Chalkhill Blue (Alan Carpenter)
Vernditch Chase and Kitt’s Grave – 3rd August 2014
After lunch the group congregated for the
afternoon walk around Vernditch Chase
and Kitt’s Grave on the other side of the
A354. A few had joined us for the afternoon only and a few from the morning had
already said their goodbyes.
Across the busy road the butterfly watching
started once again with Small Skippers
having their antennae carefully examined to
try and spot an Essex Skipper - to no avail. We made a right through the gate
just before the wood and followed the outer edge or Vernditch for a while.
Once again the meadow had suffered from the long hot spell and was mostly
dried grass. A few butterflies were hanging out on the brambles and other
foliage. One rather tatty Silver-washed Fritillary was sitting in the middle
of a patch of bracken.
The entrance I was going to use was fenced off, so we had to back-track for a
little way and go through an earlier entrance. In the wood the Silver-washed
Fritillaries started to crop up regularly, nearly al of them males with the black
sex brand stripes across the wings.
To my surprise several Brown Argus cropped up on the north bound ride.
We took a diversion down an East bound ride to see if any White Admiral
had hung on until August, but we didn’t find any. A dark form of the female
Silver-washed Fritillary (valezina) flew down from the trees and landed on a
young sycamore, but flew off again before all the group got a view.
Time was moving on so we had to turn around and headed into Kitt’s Grave.
In here we added a few new ticks for the day, including a single Holly Blue,
a few Commas and two Large Skippers, before we got back to the car park.
This brought the total to 23 species of butterfly for the afternoon and 24 for
the whole day.
Butterflies: 9 Small Skippers, 19 Meadow Browns, 6 Common Blues, 12
Gatekeepers, 2 Small White, 21 Small Tortoiseshells, 3 Dark Green Fritillaries, 4 Ringlets, 35 Silver-washed Fritillaries, 1 Marbled White, 2 Small Copper, 7 Speckled Wood, 4 Green-veined White, 5 Large White, 14 Peacock, 7
Brown Argus, 7 Red Admirals, 2 Chalkhill Blues, 1 Holly Blue, 8 Brimstones, 2 Large Skippers, 3 Commas, 1 Painted Lady
Moths: Oak Eggar, Magpie (see above—AD) Birds: Hobby, Yellowhammer
10
Alner’s Gorse 9th August 2014
Frank Crosier
The hot, dry, summer meant that by the time we came to visit Alner's Gorse,
on the 9th August, the woodland butterflies were beginning to wind down.
However, the sun shone down on us for almost the whole of our walk. Lawrie and Bridget de Whalley met us along with Arthur Bryant, at the entrance
to the reserve. We were joined by members of the Imber Conservation Group
and a lady from the Somerset Branch. A group of photographers also managed to get into the mix as we came across some of the rarer species.
Lawrie led the walk, and also told us about the history of the site; its origins
as a butterfly reserve; its management plan; and some of the problems that
have arisen, such as the deep flooding during the last winter. He also talked
about the natural 'Cambridge' strain of a stand of elms which has remained
immune to Dutch elm disease. We were able to see where maintenance work
has been done, and we ate our lunches at the sturdy shelter and timber store:
the erection of which was largely due to the carpentry skills of one of the
Dorset Branch members. We saw quite an exciting range of butterfly species.
Our recorded totals were: 42 Speckled Woods, 7 Small Whites, 5 Greenveined Whites, 24 Gatekeepers, 27 Meadow Browns, 4 Silver-washed Fritillaries, 1 Comma, 26 Common Blues, 4 Peacocks, 3 Brimstones, 27 Small
Tortoiseshells, 8 Small Skippers, 4 Brown Argus, 3 Large Whites, 1 Holly
Blue, 2 Red Admirals, 4 Clouded Yellows, 2 Painted Ladies, 7 Purple Hairstreaks, 5 Brown Hairstreaks, and 5 White-letter Hairstreaks.
It was noticed that virtually all the female Common Blues resembled the
“mariscolore” type. The photographers had some wonderful close - shot
opportunities of the hairstreaks, but it was not so easy to find a Clouded Yellow in a patch of fleabane. It was a wonderful day. Someone said ,“Where
else can you walk for fifty yards, and see three species of hairstreaks in less
than twenty minutes?” Our grateful thanks go to Lawrie, Bridget, and Arthur, for spending their day with us; helping new members to identify species; and answering our many questions. We were also relieved that former
Hurricane Bertha held off for just one more day. How can you sum it all up?
After four hours, some of our party were not ready for home. Once again,
we heard the refrain “I'll just take one more walk round”.
11
Fontmell Down 23rd August 2014
Frank Crosier
Fontmell Down was the venue for our butterfly recognition walk with the
Dorset Branch on 23rd August. The weather was kind to us, once again, giving us mainly sunny spells and a light west-south-west breeze. Over the
course of the day 28 people joined in the walk. Butterfly Conservation members joined us from Yorkshire, Suffolk and Hampshire, along with members
of the public who responded to the publicity in the local press. The nonmembers and new members were well served by the presence of a strong
body of mentors.
During the day we saw all of our target species and more. We had reached the
target just before lunch at the bottom of the slope, where we tracked down the
elusive colony of Chalkhill Blues. With everyone in good heart, we sat down
to eat, but after a while, a helice Clouded Yellow decided to join us. Andy
Daw was the first to spot and identify it. So, once again, the cameras were
busy. Numbers, once more, took second place to identifying the various species and pointing out their significant characteristics, particularly in respect of
the three blues on the site. Recorded figures were: Meadow Brown 215, Adonis Blue 84, Common Blue 63, Chalkhill Blue 14, Brimstone 23, Silverspotted Skipper 16, Small Tortoiseshell 22, Brown Argus 8, Clouded Yellow
15, Small White 14, Small Copper 4, Peacock 2, Gatekeeper 3, Speckled
Wood 3, Red Admiral 1, Small Skipper 1.
Initially, at 11 o’clock, we thought that the walk would take about two hours :
four hours later we were chatting at the gate, acknowledging our good fortune
with the butterflies and the weather.
Webb’s Wood and Echo Lodge 7th September 2014
Andy Daw
I had chosen this location out of the Butterfly Walks in Wiltshire booklet as a
new place to visit. I hadn’t realised that the turning for the car park looked
like a drive way and overshot the turning. Not surprisingly nearly everybody
else did too. I ended up standing at the turning to help guide the members in.
We started the walk in the meadows of Echo Lodge keeping a careful eye on
the bushes along the northern edge of the field. In the second field the blackthorn bushes were more abundant, yet still we hadn’t seen anything other than
brown leaves doing Brown Hairstreak impressions, a few Speckled Woods,
Green-veined White, Red Admiral and Large White.
12
Picking the North West corner of the field as the best place as any to see a
Brown Hairstreak we spread out and took up vigil. After a short while a lone
female Brown Hairstreak broke cover and made its way in fits and starts
along the field margin, stopping in one location long enough for many in the
group to get a view. A second Hairstreak in better condition was seen further
down the field. To make the most of the good weather we stopped in the
field for lunch prior to going into Webb’s Wood, and saw at least another
three.
After lunch we headed into Webb’s Wood. The open rides looked well managed and promising for summer time woodland species. We found several
Commas and an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar on the walk back through
the wood to the car park.
Butterflies: 19 Speckled Woods, 3 Green-veined Whites, 4 Red Admirals, 3
Large Whites, 1 Small Heath, 2 Common Blues, 5 Brown Hairstreaks, 1
Small Copper, 1 Brimstone, 1 Peacock, 6 Commas
Moths: Yellow Shell, Elephant Hawk Moth (caterpillar)
Dragonflies: Southern Hawker, Common Darter
Cotley Hill 13th September 2014
Frank Crosier
Park Bottom was the venue for our end of season walk on 13th September,
but in view of the continuous overgrazing of this site during the summer, it
was necessary to transfer the event to Cotley Hill. Seven members attended
the walk on a cloudy day, with an easterly wind. It was a good opportunity to
practise identification skills with female Common Blues, female Adonis
Blues, and Brown Argus, with a couple of mariscolore female blues thrown
in. We covered the length and breadth of the site and at the end of the day
our butterfly count was : 80 Adonis Blues, 11
Common Blues (only one male), 22 Brown
Argus, 38 Small Whites, 6 Green-veined
Whites, 1 Clouded Yellow, 2 Small Tortoiseshells, 7 Red Admirals, 4 Meadow Brown, 1
Speckled Wood and 6 Small Heaths.
Although the weather was not helpful, we felt
that it was time well spent, with plenty of help
available for the less experienced in the group.
Female Common Blue (RG)
13
DAY-FLYING MOTH AND CATERPILLAR RECORDING
Zoe Randle (Surveys Officer, Butterfly Conservation) and Richard
Fox (Head of Surveys)
Butterfly Conservation would love
butterfly recorders to record dayflying moths and moth caterpillars
when they are out and about. In
2018, in collaboration with
MothsIreland, we will be publishing a Macro-moth Atlas for Britain and Ireland. The majority of
moth recorders use light-traps and,
as a result, the many species of
day-flying moths may be relatively under-recorded compared to
nocturnal ones. Butterfly recorders
can make a huge contribution to
the forthcoming atlas by submitting records of day-flying moths
such as Speckled Yellow (see
back cover) and indeed distinctive
caterpillars (e.g. Cinnabar) that Figure 1: NMRS Provisional distribution map
they encounter while out looking of Speckled Yellow at 10km resolution. Open
circles pre 2000 records and solid dots 2000
at butterflies.
onwards records
The National Moth Recording
Scheme run by Butterfly Conservation will provide the UK moth data for the
forthcoming atlas. The scheme already holds over 17.3 million moth records
and geographical coverage of the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man at
10km resolution is very good (97% have at least one moth species recorded).
There are only 113 10km squares for which we do not have any records from
the year 2000 onwards (see figure 2). However, in addition to these, there are
613 10km squares which we consider to be under-recorded - they possess 50
or fewer records of 25 or fewer species. You could really help by targeting
these unrecorded or under-recorded squares for moth sightings during your
butterfly recording. To find out what 10km squares, or tetrads, are underrecorded in your area please contact Dave Brotheridge your County Moth
Recorder via d.brotheridge@btinternet.com or 01672 539547. If you wish to
venture further afield, the list of County Moth Recorders can be found on the
Moths Count website (www.mothscount.org).
14
Many butterfly recorders already record the moths they see along their transects. In 2013, the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS) team extracted
moth records entered into Transect Walker software. The data extraction exercise revealed data for 109,485 individuals of 123 moth species, with
13,622 records from 403 sites. The five most frequently recorded species (in
descending rank order) were Silver Y, Six-spot Burnet, Cinnabar, Burnet
Companion and Speckled Yellow. These records will be re-patriated to
County Moth Recorders in due course.
Participants in the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey are also encouraged
to record day-flying moths in their squares. In 2014 a record of Blood-vein
in Gloucestershire was only the second for SP10 and the first since 1974.
In the run up to the
forthcoming Macromoth Atlas for Britain
and Ireland all butterfly recorders can help
boost coverage by recording moths, whether
on butterfly/WCBS
transects, during
‘casual’ butterfly recording or by specifically targeting areas
that are under-recorded
for moths. Your help
will be very gratefully
received. Records are
best submitted to your
local County Moth recorder on an annual
basis by the end of the
year to enable incorporation into local datasets and ultimately
the National Moth Recording Scheme.
Figure 2: Map of National Moth Recording Scheme
‘white-holes’ and under-recorded 10km squares from
2000 onwards.
15
2014 MOTH REPORT
MICROLEPIDOPTERA - Michael Smith
According to commercial growers of Strawberries 2014 was an exceptional
year as the season started very early in mid-March, continued through the
summer with heavy crops and progressed well into the autumn with fruit still
present out of doors in October. Likewise a similar situation appears to have
arisen with the micro Lepidoptera with several species on the wing well before and/or after their normal flight period; for example a number of the
Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis on the wing as much as a month after
the usual flight period. This can have advantages and disadvantages, for example an extra generation of larvae may be produced which may not coincide with the appropriate and required stage of development of the larval
food plant.
As of the moment eight species were recorded as new to Wiltshire in 2014
(listed below) either at county or vice county level, the record of E.alpinella
was not only new for VC8 but also the first county record for 120 years
while G. turpella was last recorded in the British Isles in 1998 and D. oliviella is nationally known as rare throughout its known range with few counties
having more than five records. The colony of G. turpella is established in
eight trees of Black Poplar (possibly a cultivar) and at least one of which has
disconcerting signs of disease and as the trees are next to a footpath and
sports ground one can only speculate on the reaction of the Health & Safety
Executive should a member of the public voice concerns about safety.
I have not trawled through the records for new county species which have
been noted since Stephen Palmer published his Microlepidoptera of Wiltshire but I would think that in excess of forty new species have been reported since c.2000. Prior to the publishing of that list there appears to have been
a consensus of opinion among lepidopterists that Wiltshire was not a particularly interesting county. Over the last twenty or so years the records have
shown that this is not case with a small number of species having their currently known national distribution limited to Wiltshire. As of the moment
only one dataset has been submitted using Living Record.
The list of species which are new for Wiltshire in 2014 are listed below and I
have deliberately included the appropriate numbers as allocated in the new
Checklist of Lepidoptera in the British Isles: D. Agassiz; et.al. When I
submitted the details of our ‘New’ species to the editors of the Review of
16
the Microlepidoptera of the British Isles I was already aware that as from
the present only the new metric numbers, and any of the other changes, will
be used and I anticipate that in rapid succession the majority of publications
dealing with moths and butterflies will follow this checklist. I cannot over
emphasise the extent of the innumerable changes such as names, taxonomic
order, new numbers, etc. etc. One can assume that there will be errors directly attributable to confusion in referencing between the new checklist and the
previous Bradley & Fletcher checklist; be aware.
28.020 Dasycera oliviella; 34.009 Cosmopterix pulchrimella ; 34.012 Sorhagenia rhamniella ; 35.106 Gelechia turpella; 38.028 Elachista alpinella;
48.005 Tebenna micalis; 49.159 Hedya
atropunctana ; 49.374 Grapholita trauniana.
Gelechia turpella x3
(Steve Covey)
Mother of
Pearl
(Wayne Clinch)
MACROLEPIDOPTERA - Dave Brotheridge & Wayne Clinch
• Highlights include a Southern Chestnut, probably the first for Wilts, and
an L-Album Wainscot, probably the 2nd or 3rd for Wilts, from the same
recorder in the southeast of the county. The 3rd and 4th Toadflax Brocades
from Swindon. Clifton Nonpareil well into double figures from various
large woods in the south east again. Jersey Tiger, including 5 from one recorder in Trowbridge, one from Swindon and several elsewhere, show this
species continues to increase and spread. Three Red Swordgrass were recorded at two sites in the south and one in the north—see inside back cover.
Dave Brotheridge had four surprise species from Avebury, a Little Thorn,
possibly the first for VC7, Southern and Fen Wainscots both well away
from their usual reedy habitats, and a Satin Beauty, that, along with four
Festoons recorded one night on the plain, may indicate a dispersal trend in
warm weather.
• On National Moth Night the V Moth and Blomer’s Rivulet (see inside
back cover) were recorded from a North Wilts site. Blomer’s Rivulet was
also recorded from Long Dean.
• Garden Tiger and Mouse Moth had a good year. A Gypsy Moth was also
recorded.
• In all 540 species of macros were reported. Overall a very satisfactory year.
17
THE DORSET/WILTSHIRE BUTTERFLY
TETRAD SCRAMBLE
Jane Martin
RULES
1. The scramble starts at 10am on Saturday 1st August and finishes five hours
later at 3pm. In the event of bad weather you are free to scramble for 5
hours on the Sunday. Competitors can choose their starting positions but
must visit at least one virgin tetrad. Your nearest virgin square will be emailed to you.
2. The focus of the contest is on recording species in at least one virgin tetrad
of 4 square kilometers in Wiltshire or a tetrad containing a white 1km square
in Dorset. There are 27 virgin tetrad squares in Wiltshire which are listed on
p8.
TETRADS
Tetrad squares are made up of four 1km squares as shown on OS maps, thus
measuring 2km X 2km. A tetrad is easily identified as the bottom left hand
square's four figure grid reference has two even numbered co-ordinates. So
ST9060 is the bottom left hand 1km square of the 4 squares of that tetrad.
The other 1km squares that make up that tetrad would be ST9061, ST9160
and ST9161. In Dorset recording is done in 1km squares. If you need more
information about the area you are planning on visiting please contact me.
3. Each butterfly species recorded within the boundaries of a virgin tetrad /
1km square will count as four points, with an additional two points for every
additional number of that species seen, so seeing a Gatekeeper will earn you
4 points & seeing 4 Gatekeepers will earn you 10 points. Visiting a virgin
tetrad / 1km that is part of The Wider Countryside Butterfly Service will earn
you a 30 point bonus. Species recorded in any other tetrad / 1km square count
as two points for the first of the species then one point for additional sightings. Competitors will therefore visit a 2km x 2km tetrad square and try to
find as many species as possible within that square. Once you feel that you
have exhausted that tetrad’s potential you can move on to another tetrad.
4. In the next tetrad you visit the same rules apply, so the Gatekeeper(s) in
tetrad 2 will again add 4 or 2 points to your total score, depending on whether
the second tetrad is a virgin square or a previously recorded one. In this way
competitors will cover a number of squares in the 5 hours and there will be
some different strategies involved – do you race around a load of tetrads
counting 5 species in each? Or take longer and count 15 species in a good
18
tetrad . You’ll have to plan your route and choose your tetrads wisely – and
you’ll have to keep an eye on those Small / Essex Skippers; remember each
species is worth more points.
5. Teams will consist of a minimum of 2 people, all of whom must stick together throughout. Team members do not need to be Butterfly Conservation
members. If you would like to join a team rather than make up your own
please get in touch.
6. Teams must email me to register and will receive their recording forms by
return. I will need to know who is in the team and please also give your team
a name. Please register by 25th July and indicate whether you will be joining
us for a drink at The Black Swan. We will also have a Tetrad Scramble TShirt available, let me know if you would like one.
7. All butterflies must be recorded in Wiltshire / Dorset and be Wiltshire /
Dorset butterfly species – so no sneaking off to a butterfly farm!
8. To add some extra thrills there’s the ‘Humming-bonus Hawk-moth’ - a
random element that can appear in any square at any time. If a Hummingbird
Hawk-moth is seen in any of your tetrad squares 20 points can be added for
that square.
9. At 3pm on the dot the scramble is over. Any species seen after this time
i.e., while walking back to your car etc., do not count. Teams will add up
their total points to determine their final score.
10. Wiltshire Scramblers will meet at The Black Swan, Devizes to submit
results. Alternatively you can e-mail your results to
janemartin75@googlemail.com.
11. Results & prizes will be presented at this years’ AGM.
PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUERIES-
contact details see p. 34.
Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey Squares
SU2770
SU2037
SU2419
SU1374
ST9326
SU0869
SU2187
SU2032
SU0873
SU0844
ST8946
SU0329
SU2282
SU0030
ST9235
SU2569
ST9790
ST7933
ST7637
SU1689
SU0944
19
SUPPORTING HABITAT MANAGEMENT FOR
BUTTERFLIES
Margaret Feneley—Lead Adviser, Wiltshire Conservation Team,
Natural England (NE)
Downland Flowers, Burcombe Down SSSI (Margaret Feneley)
Natural England is fortunate in benefiting from the ongoing support of a wide
range of volunteers and local groups, helping us and landowners with species
monitoring and practical work on SSSIs and on land in relevant Environmental Stewardship agreements. Butterfly Conservation volunteers in particular
have been invaluable in providing regular records from transects and site surveys and checking for continued presence and suitable management on SSSIs
notified for particular species. Assistance of this nature is greatly valued and
has helped us maintain comprehensive and up to date information about the
condition of SSSIs and their interest features and identify potential issues
such as changes in management.
Many Wiltshire SSSIs were designated for their species interest alongside
their nationally significant habitats. Often the notification includes one or
more of the rarer butterfly species, for example Duke of Burgundy, Marsh
Fritillary, Adonis Blue or Pearl-bordered Fritillary. For the majority of
20
sites, we hold comprehensive, up to date information about whether these
species are still present, where on the SSSI they are found and how well they
are faring. Very often this is thanks to records gathered through regular monitoring by Butterfly Conservation volunteers. However, there remain a few
sites where recent records are lacking. Although NE advisers do check for
notified butterflies as part of our rolling programme of SSSI monitoring visits, sometimes the timing and conditions of a visit aren’t suitable for seeing
some or all of these species. In that case we can only note if conditions and
management appear suitable (e.g. presence of the foodplant, sward height and
structure, grazing regime, woodland management).
Some SSSI successes, and more help needed
The Duke of Burgundy SSSI survey (a BC/NE local project in 2006) and follow-up survey work since has been of huge benefit, confirming those SSSIs
where Dukes are still present or which have most likely lost their populations, assessing the likelihood of natural re-colonisation, and checking whether management and site conditions were suitable or unsuitable. This work
has informed targeted advice and guidance to land managers and helped us
prioritise efforts where most appropriate.
Wylye Down SSSI unit 2, prior to scrub clearance and grazing (Margaret Feneley)
21
Downland west of Fovant (Margaret Feneley)
Monitoring and review of management on parts of Whitesheet Hill SSSI near
Mere has resulted in a programme of targeted scrub work, part-funded by
HLS, and some changes to management intended to benefit specific butterflies; a volunteer monitoring group has also been set up in conjunction with
the National Trust.
Some of the SSSIs which are under-recorded and where more help is needed
to establish the present situation for their notified butterflies include:
Prescombe Down (Marsh Fritillary), Knighton Downs and Wood (Duke of
Burgundy), Bowerchalke Downs (Adonis Blue) and Knapp and Barnett’s
Downs (Adonis Blue). Any help with visiting these, or other SSSIs where
records are scarce, would be much appreciated.
Of course our rarer butterflies can be found in other suitable locations in the
wider countryside, not just on SSSIs so it’s important that monitoring and
management support include these areas as well. For example, many of the
Higher Level Scheme (HLS) Environmental Stewardship agreements in
Wiltshire support farmers and land managers in maintaining and enhancing
key habitats to benefit butterfly species. This includes both SSSI land and
relevant habitats elsewhere on the farm.
.
22
Environmental Stewardship is the most recent of the voluntary agrienvironment schemes funded by the EU/Defra to support land managers in
England in caring for wildlife and habitats on the farm. Farmers are compensated and rewarded for undertaking management designed to benefit the environment rather than maximise production. Natural England has been responsible for administering the schemes since 2007. Environmental Stewardship
started in 2006 and closed to new entrants in December 2014, but existing
agreements continue to run. Its successor, Countryside Stewardship, will see
the first agreements start in January 2016.
Environmental Stewardship was available at Entry Level (ELS) and Higher
Level (HLS) and in Wiltshire, the majority of eligible agricultural land has
been entered into the scheme, with nearly 1200 agreements across the county.
ELS agreements were for five years and available to any farmer who could
meet a points target based on the size of their holding by choosing from a
menu of management options. Higher Level Stewardship was more targeted;
farmers with key features on their holding were invited to apply and their
agreements were designed in consultation with Natural England to ensure
maximum benefit. HLS agreements are 10 years in length, have more demanding requirements, and management prescriptions and indicators of
success are carefully tailored to suit the situation on each farm. HLS was locally targeted at holdings with specific priority features; in Wiltshire these
included species-rich grassland, farmland birds, nationally scarce butterflies,
rare arable plants and archaeological/historic features.
HLS support for butterfly habitat management
Through financial support along with detailed guidance and advice, HLS has
provided opportunities and incentives to target management/works suiting the
precise needs of species such as Duke of Burgundy, Adonis Blue and Marsh
Fritillary. Management prescriptions were carefully tailored to each site, covering such aspects as appropriate sward height and structure through the year;
stock type, grazing levels and timing; and amount and location of scrub cover.
Again, detailed ongoing management advice and support is essential, together
with monitoring to assess the response of butterfly populations. The local
knowledge and practical help of Butterfly Conservation volunteers has been a
crucial element in this, to help us ensure the scheme is focused on the right
locations and to gather the evidence needed to check that efforts have been
successful or if management needs further adjustment. One example where
this approach has been working well is along the ridge south of the A30 near
Fovant, where grazing management and scrub control across several HLS
agreements has been designed to help existing Duke of Burgundy colonies
23
and hopefully enable them to expand. Monitoring appears to suggest this is
having the desired effect.
Another local HLS priority was to maintain, restore and extend our nationally
significant resource of chalk grassland and lowland meadow, benefiting associated invertebrate species at the same time. The scheme supports farmers in
grazing these sites at appropriate times and levels and with the right sort of
livestock, and can help with reintroducing grazing to sites that have become
unviable, through fencing, water supply and the reintroduction of livestock.
HLS has also supported the carefully targeted creation of new grassland in
suitable locations, whether from arable land or secondary woodland. This
can help link up small, isolated areas of existing species-rich grassland, provide a more viable grazing area, and also benefit archaeology and landscape.
One example is at Picket Grove on the Fonthill Estate west of Great Ridge,
where an area of secondary woodland on what was once a chalk grassland
bank has been cleared with the ultimate aim of restoring the area to speciesrich grassland. The site lies between existing areas of unimproved grassland
so the new area, together with adjacent reversion of arable land to permanent
grass, will create a much larger grassland landscape which is more viable to
graze and will provide a greater area of suitable habitat for butterflies and
other invertebrates.
Ongoing support and monitoring of agreements are an essential part of ensuring HLS is achieving its aims, providing value for money, and that farmers
are complying with the requirements. This work is carried out by NE advisers and independently by the Rural Payments Agency through their inspection programme. The commitment and enthusiasm of agreement holders in
undertaking the management they have signed up to is also crucial to success.
As the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme comes into being we look forward to the benefits for biodiversity and landscape being sustained into the
future.
Natural England’s future
In the present climate of spending constraints and with a reduced budget year
on year, Natural England regularly reviews its delivery and structures to ensure we achieve the best value for money in the most efficient way. Alongside maintaining our statutory commitments and duties, we increasingly aim
to focus on key priorities and maximise the benefits of partnership working
and collaboration. There is a renewed emphasis on local delivery and decision-making, allowing teams to identify priorities and key issues in their area
and support what matters locally. For example, the Wiltshire Conservation
24
Team has been successful in obtaining funding from NE nationally to appoint
a contractor to carry out a comprehensive Duke of Burgundy survey across
Salisbury Plain this year.
Natural England is exploring a range of innovative approaches, which include chargeable services for work such as development advice and licensing, and looking to find more new ways of generating income. Overall
though, we remain committed to working with local land managers and partners to safeguard our environment and wildlife into the future.
Where to find out more
www.gov.uk/natural-england - Natural England’s website
www.magic.defra.gov.uk – maps and environmental information on your
local area, including SSSIs and HLS agreements, derived from a range of
government agencies including Natural England
Natural England Enquiries team: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk Tel: 0300
060 3900
Wiltshire Team email:
SWLM.WiltshireandCranbourne@naturalengland.org.uk
Grassland restoration area, Picket Grove (year 2) (Margaret Feneley)
25
MARLBOROUGH DOWNS NATURE
IMPROVEMENT AREA (MDNIA)
Mike Fuller
2014 was the final year of a two-year contract between BC Wiltshire Branch
and MDNIA to monitor butterflies at three sites within the area. The area is
bounded approximately by the A4 road to the south, the A345 to the east, the
A361 to the west and the M4 motorway to the north. Most of the area is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – rolling chalk uplands
with a mixture of agricultural land, horse racing gallops, tree belts, areas of
semi-natural habitats including Fyfield Down NNR, County Wildlife Sites
and Barbury Castle Iron Age Hill-fort – a Local Nature Reserve.
The three monitored sites chosen were Barbury Castle, monitored by Peter
David, Rockley Bank near the hamlet of Rockley, monitored by Ray Jenkins
and Hodson Scarp near Chiseldon, monitored by Maurice Avent and Hugo
Brooke.
The summers of 2013 and 2014 were generally very good for butterfly activity and most of the ‘common’ species were recorded in good numbers. It was
also exciting to discover that some of the scarcer species were present in very
small numbers, which with appropriate management, would probably become more abundant.
Barbury Castle’s monitoring was started in 2004 by Helen Senior so ten
year’s data is now available. The hill-fort ramparts are one of the best chalk
grassland sites in north Wiltshire and 34 species have been recorded including colonies of Dingy Skipper, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Small,
Chalkhill and Adonis Blues and an important colony of Marsh Fritillary
which thrived in 2006-8 but has now sadly declined and has not been seen
since 2012. However this type of fluctuation is typical of this species and it is
hoped that numbers will increase again. Small numbers of Green Hairstreak, Dark Green Fritillary and Wall are irregularly seen. A single
Grayling was positively identified and photographed in 2004 – a very rare
and localised Wiltshire butterfly and the first in this area since 1934! There
may be a small, as yet unknown colony in the area. In 2014 the first ever
Grizzled Skipper was recorded and there is probably a small colony of this
tiny butterfly present but frequently overlooked. Over the two-year period 28
species were recorded.
Rockley Bank is a west-facing unimproved chalk grassland slope and as
well as most of the common species, very small numbers of Dingy Skipper,
26
Chalkhill and Adonis Blue were recorded. There are also good colonies of
Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small Heath. The site was quite heavily
grazed by sheep in 2014 which should in the long term improve the habitat
for these scarcer species. Over the two-year period 25 species were recorded.
Hodson Scarp is a mixture of grazed fields, scrubby banks, hedgerows and a
marshy area. 23 species were recorded during the two-year period, all generally common and would have been expected to occur. The colonies of Small
Copper and Common Blue are small and a single Wall was seen in 2014.
Many Small and Green-veined Whites were seen ‘mud puddling’ in the
marshy area.
A detailed report was produced in each year and anyone wishing to see the
reports should contact me. It is hoped that funding for future years will be
secured and Wiltshire branch will continue to be involved in this important
project.
MORE DAY FLYING MOTHS
Shaded Broadbar (RG), Anania coronata (Tim Kaye), The Forester (Simon Tucker), Brown China-mark (Trevor Simmonds), Red Twin-spot Carpet (RG) All x1.5
27
THE SOUTH WILTSHIRE GROUP
Frank Crosier
Towards the end of the summer of 2012, Gordon Mackie, David Rear, Peter
Shallcross and I met, by chance, in Grovely Wood. Lamenting the weather
and the poor butterfly season, our conversation moved to the subject of how
some of the neighbouring sites were performing. It became clear to us that
we were duplicating the recording of certain areas, and it would be better if
we could spread our recording over a wider variety of sites, and thus avoid
duplication. Accordingly the following year we agreed to meet to discuss
which sites each of us should cover. We invited Mike Fuller to join us, and
he asked if we could also extend the invitation to Sarah Grinsted and Margaret Feneley from English Nature. So on 16th February we met at
“Riverside”, along with Ashley White and my wife Christine. Sarah and
Margaret were concerned at the state of the butterflies on their SSSIs and the
county sites in the south of the county. They asked if we could record the
numbers over the coming season. Our original plans for the summer took on
a new dimension, which would require a larger number of walkers. The size
of the task became clearer when we saw the maps of our area. Together there
were over 100 sites. We managed to find an army of walkers from branch
members; some Dorset members; and kindred organizations. We managed to
cover over 90 sites as a result of the fine weather. At the end of the season,
we felt that we ought to say “Thank you” to all our walkers. So we arranged
to hold a Members’ Afternoon on 1st March 2014. From that gathering,
things began to gel. We arranged a series of guided butterfly walks in conjunction with County Branch’s arrangements, with both teams working together. At the end of the season, another Member’s Afternoon was arranged.
It was a time for stock-taking. Some of our ideas seemed to have gone well:
others did not work out. The Butterfly Recognition walks for new members
were well received; and the visit to Alner’s Gorse was very successful, from
the butterfly standpoint, in addition to the main object of the visit, which was
to look at the development and maintenance scheme there. We were not so
successful with regard to engaging young people in butterfly and moth activities. Probably the summer term is too busy for schools, with the various national tests and examinations taking place. I feel that we still have a long way
to go in building up our moth recording. However, when we attended the
Harnham “Green Fair”, we were surprised by the number of people who
were correctly identifying the moths in Hugo’s net.
28
Communication with members is a major problem. Posting letters is now
unaffordable. We have recently been allowed by Butterfly Conservation to
send emails regarding developments and events on a limited basis. Members
who wish to be kept in touch, should give their email address to me or to Sarah Gregory.
Our site maintenance work is still in its early stages. Some of our members
are active in the work parties on the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Landford Bog,
and the results were shown to good effect over the 2014 butterfly season. A
small group of us have taken on the maintenance work on Cotley Hill, which
must now be one of the premier downland sites in the south west. This winter
saw us clearing glades where hawthorn stumps had sprouted on the middle
and western sections of the slope, and we are hoping to get back for a short
spell on the eastern side of the beech hanger.
We are trying to provide local contact for members in the south of the county. We are aware of the disincentive to travelling to the north of the county
caused by the large MOD area on Salisbury Plain. Many people in the south
are unfamiliar with the northern part of the county, and this is a fact that we
need to accept when planning our activities. We have a good relationship
with the Dorset Branch, which is of mutual benefit to both parties. Sharing a
sparsely populated border, we have found it immensely valuable and enjoyable, when we have held joint walks on , or adjacent to, the county boundary,
sometimes to cover areas not regularly recorded. Moreover, I am sure that we
have learned much from the informal exchange of ideas.
Our greatest asset is the treasure trove of butterflies in our area. The chairman of one of the northern branches of Butterfly Conservation said to me
recently “You probably have more species of butterflies in your parish than
we have in our county”, and he was right. However it is a sobering thought
that nationally the numbers of butterflies and birds have been reduced by
90% in my lifetime, as a result of loss of habitat and “improved” management of land. It is essential that we maintain powerful records of all wildlife
populations. The Chequered Skipper is an example where we lost an English species without knowing that the population was in trouble. The same
could easily have happened to the Brown Hairstreak in the south of the
county, which we didn’t know was present until recently. We have many valuable sites in the south which are going unrecorded. I would appeal to all our
members who are fit and able to walk just one site on at least a once per
month basis, and help us get a better picture of the treasure that is ours to
safeguard for our children and grandchildren.
29
BENTLEY WOOD BUTTERFLY REPORT 2014
David Lambert
There has been a noticeable pattern to the weather over the last few years.
Cold or wet springs have heralded good summers - even the washed out butterfly season of 2012 had a decent hot spell in July. We could have predicted
then that another poor start to the year, this one incredibly wet, would be detrimental to our spring butterflies.
January saw the occasional smattering of Red Admirals, presumably hibernating individuals prematurely woken by the very mild weather, and by February Brimstones could be seen just about everywhere when the sun did
come out. With the lower parts of the wood still under water, the start of the
transect walking season saw recorders sloshing about in wellington boots,
and ducks were still paddling around the poplar clearing near Barnridge at
the end of April. Despite the blustery wet weather Orange Tips were seen in
reasonable numbers and it was nice to see a few Small Tortoiseshell nectaring on sallow blossoms.
Pearl-bordered Fritillaries emerged at the end of the month, which is later
than in recent years, and were well spread across the south of the wood.
However, they were not really seen in good numbers in their usual strongholds, and none were seen in other areas colonised in recent years, due to
water logging as springs continued to issue the winter rains. The one notable
exception to this was Frenchmoor Copse, where a couple were seen off transect after an apparent absence in 2013. Marsh Fritillaries are more tolerant
of wet conditions than the other spring fritillaries, but even they appeared
restricted to the higher ground upon emergence.
None of the other ‘spring’ butterflies fared any better and other than the Argent & Sable, which could be seen just about anywhere where there was
young birch regeneration, and a couple of Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoths in Barnridge, there were fewer sightings of day flying moths than usual. A similar scenario was unfolding at other popular butterfly sites in the
south of England—Butterfly Conservation were so concerned about the decline in Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary numbers at sites in Sussex that
they initiated a captive breeding programme to bolster numbers, with Bentley being chosen as the donor site because it had the nearest colony. The aim
being that butterflies would be captured, used as breeding stock under controlled artificial conditions and then released. The progeny of these individuals would then be translocated into the Sussex sites the following year. Unfortunately, Small Pearls had such a wretched season in Bentley - their worst
30
year on record in fact - that there were very few to catch. Still, we wish Butterfly Conservation success with their project and look forward to hearing
how they got on next year.
The second week of June saw the weather improve markedly as temperatures
in the mid twenties were sustained for several days. This heralded (at last) a
dry and warm spell that was to last through July. However, the ‘June gap’
was remarkably pronounced - a transect walked in near perfect conditions
yielded only 22 butterflies and all but one of these were Speckled Woods.
The poor weather earlier in the year had resulted in the summer butterflies
running a couple of weeks behind schedule.
I saw my first Purple Emperor on the 25th June over in Frenchmoor Copse
but it wasn’t until the second week of July that they were being regularly
recorded in Bentley. Dean Copse appeared to be the favoured spot this year
and I even saw a few further down the hill in Donkey Copse – I haven’t seen
them there before.
White-letter Hairstreaks were recorded at Ralph’s Corner as usual including one much photographed individual that obligingly came down to nectar
on nearby Hemp Agrimony. There were no reports from elsewhere in the
wood. The reputedly disease resistant English elm trees I planted a few years
ago have had mixed fortunes. Some have prospered but others have done
very little and I suspect are still suffering from being pot bound. From the
poorer specimens I am going to take some root cuttings to see if I can grow a
few more – I’ll let you know how I get on.
There was a single sighting of a Green Hairstreak in Eastern Clearing in
May but the sighting of the year must be the Silver-spotted Skipper seen
and photographed by Sue and Tony in the Oil Drill site. This, presumably a
vagrant from Dean Hill, is only the second record I know of for this butterfly
from Bentley Wood. Adonis and Chalkhill Blue must also have had a strong
second generation on the downs as several of these found their way to Bentley late in the summer as well.
Early autumn saw something of an Indian summer. Most of the butterflies
were finished for the year of course but we saw plenty of Red Admirals, a
few late Commas, Peacocks and also Clouded Yellow in the new clearing
at Birdbath crossroads. There are some really good clumps of nettles here
and, if we can keep the dreaded Wood Small-reed at bay, this area could be
really good for butterflies for several years.
In all a total of 40 species for the year then – pretty good I reckon after such
a rotten start. But here’s hoping for a better spring in 2015.
31
MOTHS IN CRICKLADE
Robin Griffiths
Sallow Kitten, Chocolate Tip & Small Brindled Beauty
(RG)
I suppose the first season will probably be the most exciting one for a
moth-er as virtually all moths will be firsts! In my case this wasn’t quite true
as I had been lucky to share some of my friend Lysana Robinson’s trappings. But trapping and identifying them myself had its own unique satisfaction, and Lysana, Dave Brotheridge and a few others have kindly helped me
with the identification of some of the more difficult moths. I bought a Robinson trap with a 125w mercury vapour lamp, and as it was very bright I had
to be careful to place it where the bulb couldn’t be seen by my next door
neighbours—this may have slightly reduced its pulling power for moths but
my garden list nevertheless stands at 274 species.
Cricklade being a low damp area it’s not surprising that species such as
Chocolate Tip, Sallow Kitten, Sloe Pug, Gold Spot, Large Ranunculus
& Large Wainscot have visited my garden, and I have also been fortunate
to be able to trap at the other end of Cricklade, in a garden right on the edge
of a marshy area—here in only two trappings, in June and August, 664
moths of 99 species were seen! These included the wetland specialists
Round-winged Muslin, Small Clouded Brindle and Obscure Wainscot.
But perhaps more surprising is the fact that species such as Pine Hawkmoth
and Large Nutmeg—the latter normally a dry grassland species - and more
recently a Small Brindled Beauty, an oakwood specialist, have made an
appearance in Cricklade, showing how mobile these delicate creatures can
be.
I highly recommend moth-trapping as an absorbing and exciting hobby that
can become addictive! It is estimated that the average British garden should
attract over 300 species in a year—which is nearly 6 times the total of UK
butterfly species! Some of them are very beautiful, and the variety of shape,
size and lifestyle is greater than in butterflies.
32
NEW MEMBERS
Compiled by Sarah Gregory
We welcome the following new members who have joined since April 2014:
Mrs S. Anstey, Trowbridge, Mrs. L. & Mr. D Anscombe, Chippenham,
Miss S Archer, Trowbridge, Mrs. S & Mr. N. Atkinson & family, Calne,
Mrs. G Baines, Salisbury, Mr. A Bicknell, Swindon, Mrs. F. Hazer Bizony,
Bradford-on-Avon, Mrs. P.A. Board, Bradford-on-Avon, Dr. D.Bowden,
Salisbury, Mrs. M. Chapman, Chippenham, Mr. S. Cladingboel, Trowbridge,
Mr. S.Clements, Marlborough, Mrs. V.Crawford, Devizes,
Mrs. M.D’aucourt, Chippenham, Mrs. P.Fleet, Salisbury, Mr. M.Ford, Swindon, Mr. P,Fox, Trowbridge, Mrs. A.E.& Mr. D.George, Salisbury,
Mr.N. & Mrs. J.George, Swindon, Miss D.Gingell, Calne,
Mr. & Mrs. M.S.Goodchild, Corsham, Mrs. J.Grewal, Chippenham,
Mr. A.Grimm, Salisbury, Mr. A & Mrs. M.Hall, Chippenham,
Miss L.Heffron & Mr. J.Clary & family, Swindon, Miss M.Hinton, Swindon,
Mrs. E.Hockin, Swindon, Ms. K.Hooper & Mr. E Closier, Salisbury,
Mrs. S.C.Horton, Marlborough, Mr. I.Hunt, Devizes, Mr. W.Jacobs, Salisbury, Miss. S.Johnson, Faringdon, Mrs. B.Jupp, Salisbury, Miss S.Lamb,
Salisbury, Miss A. Lathwell, Salisbury, Mrs. D. Lee, Salisbury,
Mrs. P.S.A.Lee, Warminster, Mrs. R.Longland, Corsham,
Mrs. M. & Mr. D.Mcfadden & family, Swindon, Mr. K.McLaren, Swindon,
Miss. L. & Mr. P.Maloney & family, Swindon, Mr. R. & Mrs. D,Mant, Calne, Mrs. A.Middleton-Burke, Salisbury, Mr. D.Millar, Salisbury,
Mrs. L. & Mr. F.Mills, Westbury, Mr. S.Muller, Bishops Castle, Salop.,
Dr. S. & Dr. H. Newton & family, Swindon, Mr. J.Osborne, Pewsey,
Ms. A.Parker, Malmesbury, Mr. C.Patten, Bradford-on-Avon,
Mrs. A.Perren, Warminster, Ms. J.Poole, Swindon, Mr. M.J.Rendell, Bradford-on-Avon, Mr. C.Richardson, Salisbury, Mrs. E.Richmond, Salisbury,
Mrs. J.M.Roy, Warminster, Mrs. M. & Mr. K.Saunders, Swindon,
Mr. T.Saunderson, Trowbridge, Mrs. A.Saywell & Ms. M.Allchin, Devizes,
Mrs. F.T.Seabright, Salisbury, Mrs. F.Stimpson, Salisbury,
Mr. T. & Mrs. C. Sutcliffe, Chippenham, Mrs. J.Thomas, Salisbury,
Mr. P.Thomas, Swindon, Miss M.Usher-Benwell, Swindon, Mr. D.Wheeler,
Chippenham.
All are welcome to the new members events on 17th & 23rd May (see Dates
for your Diary pull out supplement)
33
2014 MOTHS
From top left: Puss Moth, 15th Jun.(Tim Kaye), Red Sword Grass, 24th Oct., p. 17
(Michael Sammes), Figure of 80, 9th Jun.(Tim Kaye), Cypress Carpet, 30th Oct.
(Michael Sammes), Vapourer larva, 6th Sept.(Tim Kaye), Blomer’s Rivulet, Stanton
Park, 6th July, p.17 (Wayne Clinch), Gold Spot, Cricklade, 15th June, p. 32(RG),
Mocha, 23rd Jul.,Yellow-tail larva, 3rd Jun., Pale Prominent, 9th Aug.(All by Tim
Kaye) All magnified x approx. 1.5
34
DAY FLYING MOTHS (see p. 3 & 14)
BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION
Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468)
Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset,
BH20 5QP
Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and in Scotland
(SCO39268)
Printed by: Webster Printing 01793 752898
35