COMMENTS AND NOTES ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS IN 2007
71
COMMENTS AND NOTES ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS IN 2007 A. W. PRICHARD After the success of the previous year 2007 made a cold start and the numbers and diversity of moths being recorded was limited in contrast to some of the recent warm early springs. An average March was followed by an exceptionally warm and dry April that led to busy moth traps and many species emerging early. There were hopes that this was a sign that 2007 would be as good for moth recording as 2006 but from May onwards the weather deteriorated and never really recovered for the whole of the summer. Recorders in the county were reporting poor catches from late spring through to early autumn. Autumn and winter recording appears to have been more in line with an average year although moth numbers appeared to be generally lower than the norm and the number of migrants was considerably reduced. Epinotia granitana (H.-S.) was reported as a species new to Britain (Beaumont, 2007) during the year and discovered in Suffolk. This tortrix moth was found by Harry Beaumont at the Center Parcs Holiday Village near Elveden during a visit over the period 14–17 May. HB found the moth on an oak tree, lodged deep in a crevice, during some daytime searches for psychid cases on 15 May. The moth is known to feed as a larva on the needles of Norway Spruce Picea abies and a mature plantation of the foodplant was growing near to where the moth was found. This may suggest the moth is resident at the site and possibly elsewhere in the county. The search for psychid cases also provided a record of the psychid Diplodoma laichartingella (Goeze) (GF, 14 May), a poorly recorded species. The larva forms an untidy case from a wide variety of small pieces of detritus – grit, plant material and parts of dead insects and can be found climbing tree-trunks in woodland in the spring and is easier to locate on trees having smoother bark. Some further records of note from the visit included Dioryctria schuetzella Fuchs (GF, 12 July), Eulamprotes atrella (D. & S.) (GF, 10 July), Archips oporana (L.) (GF, 12 July) and Assara terebrella (Zincken) (GF, 9 & 12 July). There were several sightings of Humming-bird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum (L.) during the period mid-February to April at Sudbury (MWh, 11 February), Gorleston-on-Sea (KK & PA, 20 February), Ipswich (RS, 26 March), Trimley Marshes (MWr, 12 April) and Blaxhall (RP, 28 April). As the season progressed into April a couple of more interesting migrants were recorded at Bawdsey by Matthew Deans. A new macro-lepidoptera species for the county was Dotted Chestnut Consitra rubiginea (D. & S.) on the night of 16 April followed by a Blossom Underwing Orthosia miniosa (D. & S.) on 22 April. Continuing into May a Blair’s Mocha Cyclophoria puppillaria (Hübner) found at Ipswich (NS, 24 May) was a further migrant of note, being the second record for the county and the first in East Suffolk (the previous record was from the King’s Forest (RE, 1996)). It proved a poor year for the Light Orange Underwing Archiearis parthenias (L.) with only two reports received (TP, singleton on 31 March & NS, two on 6 April) at its only known site in Suffolk, Wolves Wood. Over the winter large areas in the western part of the wood, where the majority of
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 44 (2008)