Issue 16 Spring 2016

http://eastscotland-butterflies.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/EastScotlandButterflyConservation

Welcome to a new issue of our newsletter for Butterfly Conservation members and many other people Butterfly Conservation in the Borders living in the and further afield. Please forward it to others who have an interest in A recent survey of Butterfly Conservation butterflies & moths and might like to read it and be kept in touch with our members showed that at the top of their wish activities. list was information on where they can see butterflies. For our part of the country there is Barry Prater no better starting point than this little leaflet - [email protected] it's available online (see later) and if you'd Tel 018907 52037 like a paper copy or copies then ask our Stirling office (see foot of page). Although it's Contents called 'an identification guide' there is much Butterfly Conservation in the Borders more in it, including top sites for butterflies ...... Barry Prater and day-flying moths and what you might see there and a very handy chart with the flight Butterfly and Moth events in the periods of all our species. It really is a must. Borders and Lothians in 2016

Butterfly Publications & Survey Priorities for 2016 On the next page you'll find details of all the outdoor events planned so far for the Moths Atlas - Final Year of Recording year and these are a great way to see local butterflies and moths - if you've never come to one of these I'd urge you do so this summer. These outings are carefully Plant Communities for Butterflies & Moths, part 4 ...... Roger Manning planned to give people the best opportunities to discover not only many key species but also some stunning locations which you will want to return to. They are not Moths for Youngsters in March! designed for experts, but for like-minded folk who enjoy the countryside and

A Book about a Moth especially our Lepidoptera.

Borders Recorders' details If you want to delve a little deeper, then why not get involved with some of the

[All photos are by Barry Prater, except survey activities described later? These combine the enjoyment of being out and where otherwise noted.] about looking at butterflies and moths with the knowledge that you're contributing data which will be valuable for the conservation effort.

Please write in with your articles and views. The next issue will go out in autumn 2016. Email to me at the above address or by post to: 12 Barefoots Crescent , http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/ TD14 5BA And look out for the Big Butterfly Count again this summer (15 July to 7 August) which is ideal for everyone to take part in and can be completed in a short time in your garden, local green space or anywhere else where there are some butterflies. While the primary aim may be to get people looking at and interested in butterflies, all the data submitted go towards our understanding of their distribution and abundance and year-on-year trends.

Barry Prater

Wall (on a wall!)

Butterfly Conservation is a non-profit making company limited by guarantee, registered in (2206468). It is also a charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and in (SCO39268). Butterfly Conservation Scotland can be contacted at Balallan House, Allan Park, Stirling FK8 2QG, Tel 01786 447753.

Butterfly Conservation Outdoor Events in the Borders and Lothians in 2016

Date Event Details Contacts Sunday 5 Butterfly walk on Meet at 10.30 am in the site car park just south of Richard Buckland June 2016 North Berwick Law North Berwick (NT553844). This trip was a wash-out [email protected] last year so we will try again to investigate the 07748 271565 butterflies of this interesting geological feature. Target species is the Wall butterfly. Friday Moth Evening at Meet at 10pm at Yair Campsite car park, just west of Malcolm Lindsay 10 and Glenkinnon - a Moth Ashiestiel Bridge (NT 436349) to watch moth trapping [email protected] Saturday 11 Night event organised including, we hope, a few spectacular Hawkmoths. 01896 753425 June 2016 by Scottish Wildlife Participants should be prepared to stay on until Trust Central Borders midnight or a bit after! However the trapped moths Group will be kept for inspection at 10am on the Saturday morning (11th) at the same site. Bring warm clothing and a torch. Saturday Berwickshire Coastal Meet at 11am at Gunsgreen House car park (TD14 Iain Cowe 11 June 2016 Walk for butterflies 5SD, NT947643). A walk from Eyemouth south on [email protected] and moths the coastal path for Small Blue, Wall Brown and 01890 818314 Northern Brown Argus. The Small Blue has only 07775 747838 recently established itself on the Eyemouth coastal bluffs and perhaps more discoveries can be made on the day. We will also look for the very local and rare Dew Moth, a sea cliff specialist and day flyer. Other attractions include several colonies of the rare plant Spring Squill that has its only Berwickshire station on the coastal grassland around the golf course, a possible early Grayling, Common Blue, Drinker Moth caterpillars, Peregrine Falcon, Raven and more. The walk will extend from Eyemouth to Burnmouth, dependant on interest and weather, for those that would like to see the Partanhall Northern Brown Argus colonies. Reasonable footwear necessary, though the coastal path is well maintained. Walk distance is approx 2.5 miles and there is a bus service from Burnmouth. Bring a packed lunch. Saturday Moth Evening at Meet in the large lay-by on the A703 about 1km south John Woolliams 11 June 2016 Leadburn Community of Leadburn (NT236543) at 9.30 pm. From there it's [email protected] Woodland a Moth just a short walk to the light-trapping area in the Night event Community Woodland. Finish around midnight depending on conditions and moth activity. Bring warm clothing and a torch. Sunday Butterfly walk at Details to be finalised Iain Cowe 19 June 2016 Gordon community [email protected] Woodland 01890 818314 07775 747838 Sunday 3 July Butterfly walk at Meet at 10.30 am at the start of the track at Richard Buckland 2016 Easter Drumclair, NT858707 in Limerigg after turning from the [email protected] Limerigg, West Avonbridge to Limerigg road (the B825) on to the 07748 271565 Lothian B8022. The target species is the Small Pearl- bordered Fritillary. This is an easy walk along a level track but stout footwear is advised as the path can be a little damp. It's hoped to go on to another SPBF site in the afternoon, so if you intend to come along to that as well, best bring a packed lunch. Finish around 3.00 pm. Sunday 10 Auchencorth Moss for This was an outing from last year which was rained Richard Buckland July 2016 the Large Heath off, so let's hope for better luck this time. Meet at the [email protected] butterfly entrance to Auchencorth Farm at grid ref. NT201571. 07748 271565 The terrain of the moss is fairly wet (ideally), so waterproof walking boots advisable (or wellies). Walking on the moss itself can be a little difficult as the terrain is very uneven, so be prepared for that. Please also bring a packed lunch, as we are not guaranteed to be back before 3.30 pm. Sunday 17 A butterfly walk at Pease Dean is a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve with a Richard Buckland July 2016 Pease Bay car park at its start point, belonging to the caravan [email protected] site. Meet in this car park at 10.30am for this field trip 07748 271565 (NT794707). There is a nice walk up the burn where it should be possible to see Speckled Wood. The walking is slightly uphill at times, so stout footwear is advisable. We will probably stay on site well into the afternoon to explore nearby sites where Northern Brown Argus have been recorded, so please bring a packed lunch. Sunday Butterfly and moth Meet in the car park in by the Barry Prater 24 July 2016 walk at Abbey St Whiteadder Water (NT762619) at 11 am. We will be [email protected] Bathans walking north from there to explore Edgar's Cleugh 018907 52037 where there is a Northern Brown Argus colony as well as other butterflies such as Dark Green Fritillary and Small Heath together with many day-flying moths. If conditions permit the contents of an overnight moth trap will be examined. It is not a long walk but the track up the cleugh is rather overgrown so appropriate footwear and clothing is advised. Bring a packed lunch. Sunday Scotch Argus search Meet and park cars in the lay-by on north side of A7 Sarah Eno 14 August at Brownmoor at NT468251, about 4km south of Selkirk at 10.30 [email protected] 2016 Heights am. Be very careful turning here as it is a fast bit of road. We'll explore Brownmoor Heights (part in a proposed Local Biodiversity Site) to see if it holds the Scotch Argus which is found at several places nearby; the forest rides in Young Plantation to the north could also be examined. Sensible footwear is needed and bring a packed lunch. Friday Moth-ing @ Late summer is a great time to see moths. Come Harestanes Countryside Visitor 26 August Harestanes - a along at 8.00 pm to join a moth expert and discover Centre 2016 Family Moths evening just how many different species are attracted to the [email protected] at Harestanes moth light. Finish around 10.00 pm. Ages 8+, under- 01835 830306 Countryside Visitor 16s must be with an adult. Adult £3, Child £2. No Centre dogs. Booking: Essential. The Visitor Centre is near Ancrum at grid ref NT641244 , postcode TD8 6UQ.

Butterfly Publications and Survey Priorities 2016

Publications

In case you haven't already seen them, there have been some excellent recent publications by the branch and from wider afield, mostly concerned with recording and survey work; the links take you to where they can be downloaded:

 "Scottish Borders Butterfly Summary 2015" by Iain Cowe. This describes highlights of all 25 species recorded in the region during the season, including flight times and trends from the past six years for comparison. There are also highlighted 10k maps for species abundance as well as some neighbouring Vice County trends. http://eastscotland-butterflies.org.uk/publications.html  "Small Blue Survey 2015" by Iain Cowe. A report of the 2015 findings for the few colonies of Small Blue butterfly on the Berwickshire and North coast, and how the survey is progressing. http://eastscotland-butterflies.org.uk/publications.html  "Butterflies of North East England" edited by Roger Norman, David Stebbings, Jonathan Wallace and Stephen le Fleming, Northumbrian Naturalist, Vol 77 (2014), published by Natural History Society of Northumbria. Cost £5 + £1.50 p&p. http://www.nhsn.ncl.ac.uk/publications/publications-for-sale/  "The State of the UK's Butterflies 2015", published by Butterfly Conservation. Gives trends in distribution and abundance of butterflies over the periods 1976-2014 and 2005-2014 based on survey work and site monitoring (particularly butterfly transects and now the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey). http://butterfly-conservation.org/1643/the-state-of-britains-butterflies.html  "Butterflies and day-flying moths of the Lothians & the Scottish Borders", an identification guide and much more, published by Butterfly Conservation Scotland, Stirling. http://butterfly-conservation.org/842/scotland.html

Butterfly Survey Priorities 2016

The best starting point for planning any butterfly survey work in the Borders this year is Iain Cowe's summary report for 2015 (see above). If 'survey work' sounds a bit daunting just look upon it as a chance to get out and try and spot some particular species in our area. The priority species are a bit of a mix and not all are obvious choices.

Large White & Small White - both of these 'common and widespread' butterflies had a very poor season in 2015 and it does look as though they may be in decline despite having numbers reinforced by immigrants from the continent each year. It's not really a matter of searching for either species, rather a case of making sure you report every sighting as there is always the worry that people tend to report records of the scarcer species to the neglect of the common ones and this distorts the picture. Grayling - a priority species at the national, UK, level and also for East Scotland. It is still well-represented at the coast but numbers have been down the past couple of years. There is potential for it to be found inland at suitable warm, dry, stony and thinly vegetated habitats such as disused quarries, scree slopes, etc so well worth keeping it in mind away from the coast.

Northern Brown Argus - we are fortunate in East Scotland to have probably the majority of colonies in the UK for this conservation priority species and it has been found at many sites across the Borders. However, a number of colonies have not been checked recently (see map) and there are doubtless new sites to be found - anywhere with Common Rock-rose (the larval foodplant) is a possibility. Contact Iain Cowe [email protected] or Richard Buckland [email protected] for details of sites which might be near you - the map indicates where they are. There is particular interest in sites along the Yarrow Valley where we are hoping to develop a project to maintain and enhance habitats for this butterfly over the coming years - talk to Richard Buckland, Sarah Eno [email protected] or Malcolm Lindsay [email protected] about this.

records 2010 onwards

records pre-2010 only

Yarrow valley with known Northern Brown Argus sites marked

Large Heath - it was thought that none of this butterfly were seen in the Borders during 2015, but a chance read through the annual report from the Edinburgh Natural History Society revealed that 2 were spotted on their outing to Leadburn Community Woodland in the far north of Peeblesshire on 9 July 2015. While this came as quite a relief it is still a bit of a shock that there were no other records. Iain Cowe's 2015 report indicates some of the better known sites for this species and he will be making available a list of suggested areas for survey work this July. Note that there will be a Moth Night event at Leadburn on 11 June.

Small Blue - this remains a key target species across East Scotland with effort going in from Caithness, Moray, Angus and of course the Borders. Here there has been excellent progress at and near the coast with several new breeding sites discovered in recent years. So the work needed to check on these and search for further nearby colonies has expanded and can be extended further south along the Northumberland coast. This is an exciting project to get involved with and if you contact Iain Cowe he can advise on where to look during the flight period (mid-May to the end of June).

Moths Atlas - the Final Year of Recording

Barry Prater, Eyemouth

Butterfly Conservation will be publishing a definitive distribution atlas for the UK's macromoths in 2018 and this year (2016) is the last year for recording data to go towards the atlas. The map below shows the number of macromoth species recorded in each 10km square (or hectad) across the Scottish Borders up to the end of 2015. Note that it only takes account of records from the four Borders Vice Counties, so there will be additional species contributed by bordering Vice Counties in northern England and Scotland. The numbers in brackets indicate how many species have been recorded from the year 2000 onwards. The upsurge in records since the onset of the National Moth Recording Scheme a few years ago is quite spectacular and now most parts of the Borders are well or fairly well covered. Some of the less-recorded hectads are being targeted this year and volunteers who might want to contribute to this work would be most welcome! Talk to the VC Moth Recorders in your area (see later for their contact details). There is much more information on where species have been seen on the Moths pages of the East Scotland branch website.

8 194 142 (156) (109) 7 1 171 211 240 334 (0) (2) (182) (219) (234) 6 101 44 85 223 153 313 222 248 (56) (37) (24) (96) (145) (194) (193) (215) 5 1 151 239 116 109 312 265 207 204 86 (1) (142) (228) (111) (108) (297) (174) (190) (143) (84) 4 81 168 292 193 317 303 129 282 71 (78) (147) (239) (188) (307) (274) (108) (257) (62) 3 103 135 76 170 261 217 186 101 211 (91) (125) (66) (167) (255) (209) (185) (87) (180) 2 12 56 129 110 128 357 251 15 0 (10) (54) (109) (106) (120) (304) (250) (9) (0) 1 8 0 95 96 145 29 27 (7) (0) (92) (71) (133) (27) (26) NS NT NU 22 262 (17) (211) 9 250 8 (160) (8) 8

7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 NX NY NZ

200 or more species 100-199 species 50-99 species 0-49 species

Plant Communities for Butterflies and Moths Part 4: Rough Grazings

Roger Manning, Sprouston

In my previous article I covered the upland areas we have in the Borders and I'd now like to mention areas of lowland moorland which typically consist of rough grazing. They may well act as a marginal zone between the hill and the cultivated farmland below. Soil types are likely to be more varied with levels of acidity much reduced. This will, in turn, lead to a greater range of plant species with some being closely akin to those seen on the summits whilst others are typically lowland. In order to avoid duplication I'll restrict any references to flora which have not already received a mention for upland habitats. Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) will probably have taken over from its relative Sheep's Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) but the associated insect life will be little different. Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) might draw the Red Carpet and Bird's-foot Trefoil the Mother Shipton and Six-spot Burnet. Other leguminous plants help to attract yet more moths, with Latticed Heath coming to Lesser Trefoil (Trifolium dubium) whilst Silver Y and Shaded Broad-bar fly to both Red Clover (T pratense) and White Clover (T repens). All the moths mentioned here fly by day or are easily disturbed, especially Mother Shipton Shaded Broad-bar when it's sunny.

The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary is most closely connected with Marsh Violet (Viola palustris) but Common Dog Violet (V riviniana) should not be ignored with Ingrailed Clay perhaps providing an added bonus. Common Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium) has a very restricted and patchy distribution through the Scottish Borders, but where it does occur the Northern Brown Argus butterfly can often be found. Some grassy banksides will have colonies of Pignut (Conopodium majus) and these are well worth inspecting for day-flying Chimney Sweeper moths. This moth is rather unusual in that the larvae consume both the flowers and the seeds of the foodplant. Everyone is well acquainted with Primrose (Primula vulgaris) a plant which is sometimes sought by the Riband Wave, Silver-ground Carpet and Ingrailed Clay. Mats of Heath Bedstraw (Galium saxitale) could well be commonplace and they offer the potential for a long list of Geometrids, including Small Argent & Sable, Green Carpet, Striped Twin-spot Carpet and Mottled Grey.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Striped Twin-spot Carpet Small Argent & Sable

The very varied plants within the Scrophulariaceae family typically attract few species of moths but they do help to broaden the range. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) could offer the chance of Foxglove Pug and Large Yellow Underwing; Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) together with Red Bartsia (Odontites verna) support the very rare-in-the-Borders Barred Rivulet whilst Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) may have the equally rare Grass Rivulet; neither of these species has been recorded here for many years.

Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) will be sprinkled through a great many swards, perhaps resulting in Muslin Moth, Ruby Tiger, Heart and Dart and Brown Rustic being added to the list. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is used by the Common Pug while various thistles associated with grassy areas are worth checking for nectaring butterflies and some moths by day, such as the Large Ear and Lempke's Gold Spot.

Muslin Moth Common Pug

A Book about a Moth

This is a remarkable 346 page book about the only known colony of a sub-species of the rare Sandhill Rustic moth located on an isolated strip of shingle on the south Cornish coast. The Sandhill Rustic Luperina nickerlii occurs very locally at many sites across Europe but in Britain is limited to colonies in a few widely scattered areas of the country - the Kent, Essex and Suffolk coasts, the N Wales and Lancashire coasts and this single Cornish site (Loe Bar); it is also found on the Dingle peninsular in Ireland. These geographically separated areas hold distinct sub-species and the Cornish one, the subject of this book, is Luperina nickerlii leechi.

The book is the distillation of many years' study and research by Adrian Spalding who has given his findings about the moth a much broader perspective with details of the history of the site, the nature of the shingle bar habitat and the range of the biodiversity which it supports - the sub-title indicates how wide-ranging the book is.

The moth was first discovered here in 1974. The female lays eggs in autumn on Sand Couch grass which grows amongst the shingle and the larvae initially feed on the lining of the grass sheath but in early spring they go down to the roots of the plant and feed on rhizomes below ground. The larvae pupate some way underground and the adult moths emerge from mid-August to mid- September. Elsewhere in Britain and Europe the moth is found in other habitats and different grasses may be used by the larvae.

Loe Bar is a strip of partially vegetated sand and shingle about 430m long and 250m wide which separates Loe Pool from the sea. It is a dynamic, unstable and at times violent, habitat which is exposed to the full force of the sea during storms. The fact that this species lives and survives here is surprising while also demonstrating that life will seek to exploit almost all places on the planet. The wing colours and patterning give it good camouflage when at rest on the fine shingle.

As well as being a fascinating read, there is much here to inspire those of us who seek to understand more about our butterflies and moths. Towards the end of the book the author discusses whether conservation effort for the moth should be considered and he concludes that it should. However, he also comments that ". . . management may be difficult on a site such as Loe Bar which is in effect managed mainly by the sea."

The book is available from Brill Publishers http://www.brill.com/ .

Sandhill Rustic (sub-species leechi) on grass stem and showing camouflage on shingle (photos: Adrian Spalding)

Moths for Youngsters in March - a bit of a Challenge!

Barry & Barbara Prater

We were contacted by Ayton Primary School to ask if we could do a moth event in Ayton Castle Woods for some of the students towards the end of March. As it's just down the road how could we refuse? Then reality kicked in and we worried about the probable dearth of moths, especially if it was cold. Anyway, the commitment had been given and some light traps were put out the night before when it was pretty chilly and breezy with little protection from any ground cover in wood dominated by beech and sycamore. What would we find when we opened the traps in front of an expectant group of lively youngsters?

Well - there was certainly no disappointment. Our traps revealed a dozen moths of four species - yes, all the usual suspects but for the students it was the first time they'd been up close and personal with a moth and they were fascinated. Much more time could have been spent watching moths crawl around hands and disappearing up sleeves. And there was all the fun of getting the students to think about why moths are first attracted to a light and then seem to want to hide away from it as well as all those 'educational' moth names like Satellite and Hebrew Character.

Hebrew Character Satellite

For us, we breathed a sigh of relief that nature had performed as we wished and the group of 16 students with their teachers went off very happy.

If you’ve seen it, report it ......

Below are the people to whom you should send your sightings of moths or butterflies during 2016. If you come across something which you think is unusual or interesting then do get in touch quickly as others will like to hear about it, but you still need to send in records to the various people listed to make sure they get logged. Increasingly, observers are recording their sightings using online systems such as iRecord or posting them on website or Facebook pages; none of these records will automatically get through to the County Recorders listed below. To guarantee that your sightings get noted you should continue to send them in to the County Recorders.

You can also publicise your sightings through the forums on the branch website www.eastscotland-butterflies.org.uk/ or on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/EastScotlandButterflyConservation

The work of County Recorders is made a little easier if records are sent in from time to time during the year rather than all together at the end.

The Borders County Moth Recorders

Peeblesshire: Reuben Singleton, 5 Frankscroft, , Scottish Borders EH45 9DX [email protected] Tel: 01721 723858

Selkirkshire: Malcolm Lindsay, Burn House, Mossilee Road, TD1 1NF [email protected] Tel: 01896 753425

Roxburghshire: Jeff Waddell, 33 Eildon View, Dingleton, Melrose, Roxburghshire TD6 9RH [email protected] Tel: 01896 822089

Berwickshire: Barry Prater, 12 Barefoots Crescent, Eyemouth, Berwickshire TD14 5BA [email protected] Tel: 018907 52037

& the Borders Butterfly Recorder

Iain Cowe, 6 Lammerview, , Berwickshire TD11 3UW [email protected] Tel: 01890 818314 or 07775 747838

There is guidance on submitting your butterfly and moth records on the branch website and also some recording forms which you can use - these help enormously when collating all the records.