S U F F O L K L E P I D O P T E R A IN 1982
H . E . CHIPPERFIELD
After a very cold January, a mild evening on 6th February tempted Mr. R. F. Eley to make a trip to the King's Forest in West Suffolk where he saw between 50 and 60 Agriopis leucophaeria D. & S. spring usher and a sprinkling of A. marginaria Fabr. dotted border, Apocheimapilosaria D. & S. pale brindled beauty and Alsophila aescularia D. & S. march moth. At Walberswick the first moths to appear were A. pilosaria on 27th February and Theria primaria Haw. (rupicapraria auct.) the early moth on 28th. Of the butterflies the Spring broods of both Pieris napi Linn, green-veined white, P. rapae Linn, small garden white and the only brood of Anthocharis cardamines Linn, orange-tip were about in their usual numbers at Walberswick and Messrs. R. F. Eley and Arthur Watchman and Wing-Commander F. J. French reported the same position at Nowton, Monks Eleigh and Felixstowe respectively. Hibernated Polygonia c-album Linn, the comma were noted by Mr. Gardiner at Reydon and Wing-Commander F. J. French at Felixstowe. Mr. Gardiner also saw quite a number of Gonepterix rhamni Linn, brimstone. After several quite good years Celastrina argiolus Linn, holly blue had a very poor year in both the spring and summer broods and Mr. Eley said the same applied to Aricia agestis D. & S. brown argus in West Suffolk. On the other hand Lasiommata megera Linn, the wall brown missing from the Walberswick area since 1976 was present in both spring and summer broods. On 3rd May three male Saturnia pavonia Linn, emperor moths assembled to a freshly-emerged female at Walberswick. The 'assembling' of male insects to virgin females is a well-known phenomenon used by entomologists to attract specimens. The highly specialised antennae of certain male insects enable them to locate the females from quite a long distance. At the open day of the Suffolk Trust for Nature Conservation on 9th May at Rookery Farm, Monewden the only lepidoptera in evidence were numbers of the small tortrix moth Falseuncaria ruficiliana Haw. red-fringed conch whose larvae feed on the seeds of cowslip. Mr. Arthur Watchman recorded a number of moths at M.V. light on Hollesley Heath on 4th June including both male and female Macrothylacia rubi Linn, fox moth. Usually only the females of this species come to light as the normal male flight takes place during sunshine. Mr. Watchman also reported Drepana cultraria Fabr. barred hook-tip, a local species in Suffolk which occurs where there is a good growth of beech, over ten of each of Arctia villica Linn, cream-spot tiger, Drymonia dodonaea D. & S. marbled brown and Elaphria venustula HĂźbn. rosy marbled, a small noctuid moth which is local but has been turning up in a number of fresh localities lately. He also saw singles of Stauropus fagi Linn, lobster moth and Acronicta alni Linn, alder moth. This latter species was considered to be a great rarity until the advent of the mercury vapour lamp, and the larva is now known to feed on birch as well as alder. Other moths observed were Peridea anceps Goeze.
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 19