Butterfly Conservation Regional Action Plan For Anglia (Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk & Norfolk) This action plan was produced in response to the Action for Butterflies project funded by WWF, EN, SNH and CCW This regional project has been supported by Action for Biodiversity Cambridgeshire and Essex Branch Suffolk branch BC Norfolk branch BC Acknowledgements The Cambridgeshire and Essex branch, Norfolk branch and Suffolk branch constitute Butterfly Conservation’s Anglia region. This regional plan has been compiled from individual branch plans which are initially drawn up from 1997-1999. As the majority of the information included in this action plan has been directly lifted from these original plans, credit for this material should go to the authors of these reports. They were John Dawson (Cambridgeshire & Essex Plan, 1997), James Mann and Tony Prichard (Suffolk Plan, 1998), and Jane Harris (Norfolk Plan, 1999). County butterfly updates have largely been provided by Iris Newbery and Dr Val Perrin (Cambridgeshire and Essex), Roland Rogers and Brian Mcllwrath (Norfolk) and Richard Stewart (Suffolk). Some of the moth information included in the plan has been provided by Dr Paul Waring, David Green and Mark Parsons (BC Moth Conservation Officers) with additional county moth data obtained from John Dawson (Cambridgeshire), Brian Goodey and Robin Field (Essex), Barry Dickerson (Huntingdon Moth and Butterfly Group), Michael Hall and Ken Saul (Norfolk Moth Survey) and Tony Prichard (Suffolk Moth Group). Some of the micro-moth information included in the plan was kindly provided by A. M. Emmet. Other individuals targeted with specific requests include Graham Bailey (BC Cambs. & Essex), Ruth Edwards, Dr Chris Gibson (EN), Dr Andrew Pullin (Birmingham University), Estella Roberts (BC, Assistant Conservation Officer, Wareham), Matthew Shardlow (RSPB) and Ken Ulrich (BC Cambs. & Essex). We thank Nick Greatorex-Davies for information on sites in the national butterfly monitoring scheme, Dr Ruth Feber (BC Threatened Fritillaries Officer) for the latest update on Heath Fritillary in the region, Dr Tom Brereton (BC Monitoring and Species Ecologist) for some information on monitoring and Charlie Rugeroni (BC) for his financial management of the project. This work was financially supported by English Nature as a contribution to the Species Recovery Programme; their nominated officer for the project was Dr. David Sheppard. Written by Dr J. Joy with assistance from Dr N. Bourn. 2000 Registered Office of Butterfly Conservation: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP. Registered in England No. 2206468 Registered Charity No. 254937. 2 Contents Page Number(s) 1. Introduction 1.1 Executive Summary 6-7 1.2 Background 8 1.3 General Aims 8 2. High and Medium Priority Butterflies and Moths 2.1 Priority List for Anglia Butterflies 9 2.2 Methods used for assigning priorities in Anglia 10-13 2.3 High Priority Macro-moths in Anglia 14-16 2.4 Medium Priority Macro-moths in Anglia 17-18 2.5 Medium Priority Micro-moths in Anglia 19-21 3. Species Accounts 3.1 High Priority Butterflies 3.2a Dingy Skipper 22-23 3.1b Grizzled Skipper 24-25 3.1c Swallowtail 26-27 3.1d Black Hairstreak 28-29 3.1e Silver-studded Blue 30-31 3.1f Heath Fritillary 32-34 3.2 Medium Priority Butterflies 3.2a White-letter Hairstreak 35-36 3.2b Small Blue 37-38 3.2c Brown Argus 39-40 3.2d Chalkhill Blue 41 3.2e White Admiral 42-43 3.2f Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 44 3.2g Dark Green Fritillary 45-46 3.2h Marbled White 47-48 3.3 Low Priority Butterflies 3.3a Green Hairstreak 49-50 3.3b Silver-washed Fritillary 51 3.3c Wall 51 3.3d Grayling 52-53 3.3e Other low priority butterflies 54 3.3f Migrant butterflies 55 3.4 Nationally Important Extinct Butterfly Species 3.4a Wood White 56 3.4b Brown Hairstreak 56 3.4c Large Copper 57 3.4d Pearl-bordered Fritillary 58 3.5 High Priority Macro-Moths Notes on Norfolk high priority moths 59 1. Reed Leopard 60 3 2. The Triangle 61 3. Ground Lackey 62 4. Tawny Wave 63-64 5. Bright Wave 65 6. Chalk Carpet 66 7. Barberry Carpet 67 8. Fletcher’s Pug 68 9. Scarce Pug 69 10. Grey Carpet 70-71 11. Barred Tooth-striped 72-73 12. Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth 74 13. Scarce Vapourer 75 14. Dotted Footman 76 15. Small Dotted Footman 77 16. Pigmy Footman 78 17. Lunar Yellow Underwing 79-80 18. Square-spotted Clay 81 19. Pale Shining Brown 82 20. Bordered Gothic 83-84 21. White-spotted Pinion 85 22. Concolorous 86 23. Fenn’s Wainscot 87 24. Fisher’s Estuarine Moth 88-89 25. White-mantled Wainscot 90 26. Rush Wainscot 91-92 27. Marbled Clover 93-94 28. Silver Barred 95 29. Four-spotted 96 30. Buttoned Snout 97 31. Common Fan-foot 98 32. Shaded Fan-foot 99 33. Clay Fan-foot 100 34. Olive Crescent 101 3.6 Medium Priority Macro-moths 102-104 4. Key Areas and Sites in Anglia 105 Map 1 – Location of key areas and sites 4.1 Cambridgeshire 106-108 4.2 Essex 109-113 4.3 Norfolk 114-117 4.4 Suffolk 118-121 5. Survey 122 6. Monitoring 123-124 7. Management 125-126 4 8. Other Activities 126 9. Review 126 10. References 127-130 Appendix 1 - Priority Ratings for British Butterflies 131 Appendix 2 – Tetrad Records 1995-99 132 Appendix 3 – Moth Species Log Book Numbers 133-136 Appendix 4 – Definitions of the Status of British Moths 137 Appendix 5 – Maps of Key Areas 138 Appendix 6 – Key to Abbreviations 154 5 1.1 Executive Summary This plan highlights the main conservation priorities for butterfly species and high priority moths in the Anglia region as well as identifying some of the most important habitats for Lepidoptera. The intention is for actions and targets for high priority species to be implemented in the next five years, actions for medium priority species to be implemented in the next ten years and actions for other species to be implemented in the next ten years once targets for higher priority species have been achieved. However, as Butterfly Conservation must also be able to react to unforeseen circumstances, there may well be some actions undertaken in the next decade which were not conceived at this time. The main conservation priorities identified for Butterfly Conservation branches in the Anglia region are as follows: a) Species Protection • To safeguard all surviving populations of high and medium priority species. • To seek opportunities to extend breeding areas of high and medium priority species. • To encourage survey work to determine the current status of all high and medium priority species in areas where this is unknown. • To support ecological research which may assist the long term conservation of high and medium priority species • To increase the level of moth recording and knowledge of the habitat requirements of high and medium priority moths. While moths have been taken into account in the key areas and key sites section of this plan, there are only separate species accounts for the high priority macro-moths. Long term aims should be to produce species action plans for all medium priority moths identified in this plan, to include more details of sites which are important for particular moth species and to draw up similar plans for key micro-lepidoptera. b) Monitoring • To continue to monitor butterfly transects. • To maintain contact with other organisations involved in monitoring in the Anglia region to make best use of all available information and to provide feedback and encouragement. • To increase the level of monitoring of high and medium priority species (both butterflies and moths) in key areas and sites so that any changes in abundance can quickly be identified. 6 c) Liaison • To closely collaborate with all possible partners to ensure that actions and targets identified in this plan are implemented within the proposed timescales • To provide feedback to landowners and land managers and provide them with management recommendations which are realistic and could be maintained in the long term. • To continue to build on relationships with other conservation groups in the Anglia region and raise the profile of Butterfly Conservation through publicity and education. • To publish the results from monitoring work, management regimes and research projects so that the information can be disseminated both regionally and nationally. 7 1.2 Background The Action for Butterflies Project and Regional Action Plans: Their role within Butterfly Conservation and the Biodiversity planning process. Background to the Biodiversity planning process At the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the UK Government signed the Convention on Biological Diversity which required the development of a national strategy. In early 1994, the Government produced the UK Biodiversity Action Plan which adopted a systematic approach whereby targets are used to focus conservation action. This has since ensured that there is now considerable effort going into the production of Local Biodiversity Action Plans through the Agenda 21 process. Butterfly Conservation is attempting to maximise the benefits for butterflies and moths and their habitats through the Action for Butterflies project. The Action for Butterflies Project The project began in 1994 and is funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF- UK) and the Country Agencies (English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage, Countryside Council for Wales). It aims to place the conservation work of the Society within an overall framework, aiding the Society at national and local level to develop priorities for action. National Species Action Plans have already been written for the 25 most threatened butterflies. Butterfly Conservation branches are also producing Regional Action Plans for each of 14 regions in the UK to guide action at a local level.