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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 38
Butterflies at Framlingham, 5–13 August Our observations in 2001 were on the following dates: Species Small Skipper Brimstone Large White Small White Green-veined White Common Blue Holly Blue Red Admiral Small Tortoiseshell Peacock Comma Speckled Wood Wall Brown Grayling Gatekeeper Meadow Brown Ringlet
Dates in August 5,6,10,11,13 8 Every day except 9 Every day Every day except 9,12 5,10,13 Every day except 7,9,12 Every day except 5,9,12 10,11,13 Every day except 9,12 8,10,11,13 5,10,11,13 11,13 13 Every day except 9, 12 Every day except 7,9,12 5
The most productive day was the 13th, when 14 species were seen. As the weather on the 7th, 9th and 12th was not propitious, the daily species-average fell this year to 6.07. Over the nine days we noted only 17 species, both the Small Copper and the Brown Argus being unexpected absentees. We missed the Painted Lady in Suffolk but one awaited us back in Selborne on 14th. It is worth mentioning that our 2001 date for the large Skipper was 10 August (see Suffolk Natural History 37:91) Moths at Framlingham, 5–13 August In 2001, we counted 47 species, mostly at shop windows. Although insects were not exactly profuse, the best evening was the 13th with 21 species, including Aethes francillana Fabricius (dubbed by Heslop with the English name of “Francillon’s Carrot Conch”). There do not seem to have been many recent Suffolk records of this local species, which used mainly to be reported from the coast. The foodplant is Wild Carrot, Daucus carota ssp. carota, which occurs near Framlingham. Another moth of interest to me was Alucita hexadactyla Linnaeus, the Twenty-Plume Moth, which came to light on the 6th and 7th. It was a species I never saw in the 1940s on the edge of Stowmarket, presumably because the foodplant, honeysuckle, had not as yet established itself among new houses. On the 5th and 10th we were pleased to see the Magpie Moth, Abraxas grossulariata Linn.: it has become much scarcer now that gooseberries seem to be grown less generally in gardens. A local Grass Moth, the Chequered Grass-veneer, Catoptria falsella D. & S., occurred on the 7th. The only migrant we saw was the Silver Y on the 5th and 8th. Alasdair Aston, Wake’s Cottage Selborne, Hampshire GU34 3JH.
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 38 (2002)