MONMOUTHSHIRE & BUTTERFLY GROUP

NEWSLETTER No 104 August 2014.

A monthly newsletter covering Gwent and Monmouthshire Vice County 35 Editor: Martin Anthoney

Scarce Hook-tip Larval Search The Scarce Hook-tip moth, harpagula, is one of the jewels amongst Gwent . A Wales (Section 42) Priority species, in Britain it is known as resident only in Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire in the woodland either side of the lower reaches of the River Wye, where it was discovered in June 1961. The larval foodplant is small-leaved lime, though in continental it has been found on other trees such as , and beech. A colony previously existed at Leigh Woods, near Bristol, but it disappeared when most of the mature limes were felled in the 1940s. In 2004 I discovered another locality for it at St Pierre’s Great Wood, west of Chepstow away from the River Wye. In 2013, light trapping showed the species to be well established there (see Newsletter 92, June 2013). Small-leaved lime is spread throughout much of Gwent away from the coalfield areas and the Gwent Levels, though in many cases it is present as understory or odd trees, with very few stands of mature trees.

Scarce Hook-tip moth

Small-leaved lime in Gwent (Trevor Evans 2007)

Little is known of the habits of the caterpillar, and much of that comes from nineteenth century work on the Leigh Woods site. The eggs hatch in July and the larvae feed up until late September when they pupate and overwinter as pupae, with the adults flying late May to early July. Only one larva has been found in Gwent (September 1991), and surveys in 2005 and 2007 failed to find any. Some evidence suggests the larvae prefer branches on mature trees in positions well above ground level, so on 20th August Russel Hobson and George Tordoff from Butterfly Conservation (Wales), accompanied by Rob Bacon (Natural Resources Wales), and funded by Natural Resources Wales, organised a search for the larvae using a “cherry picker” platform to allow them to reach high branches on mature small-leaved lime trees.

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Reaching the heights --- searching for larvae using a “cherry picker”

Scarce Hook-tip caterpillar

The weather was calm and sunny, if slightly chilly. Three Scarce Hook-tip larvae were found, at heights between 13 metres and 17 metres above ground level, during a search of five small-leaved limes. One common lime ( x europaea) was also searched (unsuccessfully). Beating for the larvae at ground level failed to find any further specimens. The following day, 21st August, further searching using the cherry picker was unsuccessful, though hampered by poor weather. This search shows that Scarce Hook-tip larvae can feed fairly high up on mature small-leaved limes. In contrast, the 1991 larva was found just above ground level on a small tree, so further work is still needed to establish the preferred conditions for the larvae. As a bonus, several other moth larvae were recorded during the search including, subject to confirmation, the uncommon micros ustalella and two Salebriopsis albicilla .

Martin Anthoney

Recent Highlights The first week of August suggested a continuation of the warm weather of June and July, but the passage of ex-hurricane Bertha pulled in a stream of cool, showery northerly winds resulting in the coolest August for twenty years. Suddenly, nearly all the Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies disappeared, presumably opting for early hibernation. Numbers of butterflies and recorded fell dramatically, though some immigrant Clouded Yellow, Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies and Humming-bird Hawk moths made the most of intervals of sunshine to provide continuing interest..

29th July A Dingy Skipper at Rogiet Country Park. A very late specimen or an unusual second brood? (Keith Jones)

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1st Aug Chocolate Tip and Maiden’s Blush (first of four at this site in August) to light at Melbourne Way, Newport (Roger James)

2nd Aug Cloaked Carpet to light at Risca. Only the fourth site record and the first since 2010. (Martin Anthoney)

Leopard Moth at St Brides (Mel Oxford)

Scorched Carpet at Wonastow. (Heather Colls)

Waved Black (Duncan Richardson)

3rd Aug A worn Waved Black moth to light at Rogerstone. Only the third county record, the others being 1970 and 1973. (Duncan Richardson)

Mocha, Scorched Carpet and Rosy Footman at The Cwm, near Caerwent (Martin Anthoney and Roger James)

Six Brown Argus butterflies at Rogiet Country Park, and Clouded Yellow at Brockwells Meadow. (Mike Kilner)

Sharp-angled Peacock moth amongst 46 species to light at Melbourne way, Newport (Roger James)

Southern Wainscot at St Brides, with another on 16th Aug. (Mel Oxford)

4th Aug Three Clouded Yellow and a Painted Lady at Rogiet Country Park (Martin Anthoney)

6th Aug Brown-veined Wainscot to light at St Brides (Mel Oxford)

Brown Argus and a pair of Six-belted Clearwing moths at Newport Wetlands Reserve. (Roger James)

Four Clouded Yellow at Peterstone Gout (Rupert Perkins)

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7th Aug Beech-green Carpet at Wyndcliff. The first county record for nine years. Also several Hoary Footman and a Mocha. (Martin Anthoney and Roger James)

Beech-green Carpet

Clouded Yellow at Tirpentwys LNR, Pontypool. (Rupert Perkins)

Crescent Dart, Oak Nycteoline and Maiden’s Blush to light at Melbourne way, Newport (Roger James)

Another Maiden’s Blush to light at Abergavenny (Mike Hoult and Val Deisler)

8th Aug Maiden’s Blush at Llandogo, the first of ten recorded from Llandogo during August. This species has obviously had a very successful second generation. (Gail Reynolds and Simon Phipps)

Red Underwing at St Brides (Diana Westmoreland and John Morgan)

10th Aug Red Underwing at Chepstow. (Nick Felstead)

Sharp-angled Carpet at Penallt (Stephanie Tyler)

13th Aug Dusky Sallow at Haisbro Avenue, Newport (Sheila Dupé)

14th Aug Clouded Yellow near White Castle (Stephanie Tyler)

15th Aug Clouded Yellow and two late Silver-washed Fritillaries at Slade Wood Humming-bird Hawk and another Clouded Yellow at nearby Minnetts Field. (Martin Anthoney and Roger James)

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17th Aug Mocha at Llandogo, with two further specimens on 26th and 28th. (Simon Phipps)

Clouded Yellow at Secret Garden, near Pontypool (Rupert Perkins)

18th Aug Red Underwing at Imperial Park, Newport (Mel Oxford)

Sharp-angled Carpet at Llandogo (Simon Phipps)

Clouded Yellow flying near Peterstone Gout (Rupert Perkins)

19th Aug Old Lady moth at Caldicot. (Gordon Hill)

20th Aug Three Scarce Hook-tip larvae (see article above) plus larvae of the micros Dichomeris ustalella, Salebriopsis albicilla and Roeslerstammia erxlebella and a bonus Humming-bird Hawk and Vapourer at St Pierre’s Great Wood during the day. (Russel Hobson and George Tordoff)

Mocha at St Pierre’s Great Wood to light the same evening. (Martin Anthoney and Roger James)

Larvae of the micro Ethmea dodecea abundant on common gromwell at Slade Wood. (George Tordoff)

Grey Chi at Rassau (Rodney Morris)

A very late Silver-washed Fritillary (first site record) and Grayling at Blaenserchan. (Rupert Perkins)

21st Aug Bleached Pug at Melbourne Way, Newport (Roger James)

22nd Aug Essex Skipper at Blaenserchan. A new site for this butterfly. (Rupert Perkins)

23rd Aug Old Lady at St Brides (Mel Oxford)

25th Aug Mocha to light at St Brides. A new site for this species which, witnessed by six records this month alone, is increasing in the county. (Mel Oxford) 1676 Mocha (Cyclophora annularia) 3

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9 Mocha and its distribution in Gwent (black squares post-2000 records) 8 5 ST 1 2 3 4 5

26th Aug Hedge Rustic at Llandogo, followed by another nearby on 30th. (Simon Phipps and Gail Reynolds)

29th Aug First Frosted Orange of the year at Llandogo. (Simon Phipps )

30th Aug Maiden’s Blush at Chepstow (Nick Felstead)

Humming-bird Hawk at Mitchel Troy (Tom Chinnick)

Old Lady at Haisbro Avenue, Newport (Sheila Dupé)

First Red-green Carpet moth of the season at Llandogo. (Simon Phipps)

An early Tawny Pinion at Llandogo. (Gail Reynolds)

31st Aug Seven Brown Argus counted at Caerwent Quarry. Also a Clouded Yellow (Nick Felstead)

Unusual combination at Risca when a passing Clouded Yellow disturbed a roosting female Brimstone butterfly! (Martin Anthoney)

Dates for your Diary 2014 Saturday 18th October Butterfly Conservation (S. Wales Branch) Members’ Day and AGM. at Kenfig. 10am to 3pm. Despite the title, non-members welcome.

MMBG – Contact Names and Addresses.

Secretary: Kevin Dupé Chairman: Roger James 44 Gaer Park Lane 44 Melbourne Way Newport Newport NP20 3NE NP20 3RF

Phone 01633 216599 Phone 01633 263374 e-mail [email protected] e-mail [email protected] or in case of problems [email protected] Treasurer: Sheila Dupé 18 Haisbro Avenue Newport NP19 7HY Phone 01633 256475

Newsletter Editor & Recorder for Recorder for Micro Moths Butterflies & Macro Moths Sam Bosanquet Martin Anthoney c\o Dingestow Court 23 Malvern Close Monmouth Risca Monmouthshire Newport NP25 4DY NP11 6QY Phone 01633 612272 e-mail [email protected] e-mail [email protected] 6