Good News...and not such good news

It’s not just the essays that have been revised and expanded, for Richard Lewington has been able to add much new artwork. In addition, butterflies like the Geranium Bronze, unrecorded in the UK in 1991, and the Monarch and the Mazarine Blue all have their own chapters, so now no fewer than 72 species are covered, compared with 60 before.

I reviewed the first edition for NewScientist, so was delighted to note that the publisher of this latest edition, British Wildlife Publishing, has chosen to reproduce part of my review on the dust jacket. It reads: ‘No one with any interest in these insects, or in natural history generally, should hesitate to buy Jeremy Thomas and Richard Lewington’s exceptional work’ . I endorse the latest edition just as heartily. Even if you have the first edition, treat yourself to this one, as you won’t be disappointed. And just in case you’re wondering, I did pay for my latest copy.

A recent United Nations report has shown that Britain has more woodland now than at any time since the 1750s. New plantings have increased the amount of woodland to 11,200 square miles, or 11.8 per cent of the total land area. ….Surely there is room for butterflies and moths! But careful management is essential: sheltered, sunny rides, coppicing and wild woodland are all important features of rich biodiversity, and in our events programme this year we were able to see all these practices in the woodlands at Newson’s Farm, White House Farm and Poker Wood.

Good news……..

……..and not such good news

The Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Cameraria ohridella, the moth that causes the premature discolouration of horse chestnut tree leaves, has been an unwelcome feature of our countryside for the last few years. First identified in Greece in the 1970s the moth has spread through much of Europe. Biologists think that the moth makes horse chestnuts more susceptible to the fatal bleeding canker disease, which has already affected more than half of the horse chestnut trees in some parts of the UK. What is particularly worrying is that there is no known natural predator. But the collection and burning or the commercial composting of fallen leaves in autumn will remove over-wintering pupae and eliminate the first generation of moths in the following spring. This is when trees are growing strongly and when any reduction in damage is of the greatest benefit.