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Telephone: Telephone: 01626 01626 779543 779543 [email protected] NEWSLETTER 2011 ISSUE 3 (JUNE)

What a difference a month makes! After the hottest April on record we were plunged into a drab and dreary May, with about average temperatures but little sunshine by day and lots of clear cold nights – the worst combination for enthusiasts. In spite of all this, there are some very exciting sightings to report in this issue of the newsletter.

We, along with the whole coastline of southern and south-eastern England, recently received an astonishing influx of Itame brunneata Rannoch Looper. This is a rare migrant everywhere in Britain apart from central Scotland, where it is resident. There was a ‘massive’ arrival of Rannoch Loopers in 2009 (detailed in Atropos 40) and another such immigration took place at the beginning of June this year. Huge numbers of must have been involved as simultaneous captures took place from Suffolk to Cornwall on the night of 3rd June, with one lucky recorder on the Essex coast catching 10!!! Astonishing, when you consider that fewer than 50 migrant Rannoch Loopers had ever been caught in Britain prior to 2009. Devon records that we know of to date include two in Barry Henwood’s garden trap Rannoch Looper (Roy McCormick) in Abbotskerswell on 3rd June, one caught by John Walters near Buckfastleigh on 5th June and one by a new member Bill Hudson in Newton Abbot also on 5th June (shown in image). These are the first ever Devon records of Rannoch Looper.

Also worthy of mention are Paul Butter’s records of Orthosia populeti Lead-coloured Drab. Four were caught in his garden near Okehampton on 25th March, two on 27th March and two on 1st April. This is a scarce moth in Devon with no records of it at all in 2010, and only occasional sightings in other recent years.

However, the pick of the crop must be Zygaena lonicerae Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, discovered in Devon for the first time in a century, which is reported in detail below.

So plenty to read about and plenty of reasons to record moths. At the end of the newsletter, you’ll also find details of forthcoming field events, some of which are newly organised. Why not come along and enjoy a night out?

Happy mothing! Richard Fox

Devon Moth News I am pleased to report exciting news, that is the discovery of Zygaena lonicerae , Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet in Devon. In July 2010 I received an e-mail from Pete Bowers asking for help in identification of burnet moths with five spots on each forewing that he had seen near Sampford Peverell. They had to be either Z. trifolii , Five-

Members of Council: Richard Fox, Chairman; Roy McCormick, FRES, Secretary/Treasurer; Rob Wolton, Conservation; Nicola Bacciu, Membership & Distribution; Barry Henwood, Ordinary Member.

spot burnet or Z. lonicerae , Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet. I shall from now on refer to them by the specific names as the common names are so long winded. There are hitherto no authenticated records of lonicerae in Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Devon. However, trifolii does occur. Nationally, it has two Z. lonicerae in Devon (Pete Bowers) subspecies trifolii decreta found in marshy habitat where the larvae feed on Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil and trifolii palustrella found on chalk downland where the larvae feed on Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil. It is subspecies trifolii decreta that occurs in Devon – the Culm Grasslands, for example, have good populations. Although Pete had told me there was no Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil where he found the moths, I replied saying that his moths must be Z. trifolii decreta as the other possibilities did not occur in Devon. However, I did say that I looked forward to hearing what the larvae did in the spring. As adults, trifolii and lonicerae are very difficult to tell apart. I shall not go into the differences here (you can see the new Guide to Selected Difficult Species published by Butterfly Conservation for a recent review). The textbooks are helpful, but the two species are difficult to identify and the genitalia do not help. They are most easily distinguished as larvae, and of course the habitat and foodplant help. The larva of lonicerae has much longer hairs than that of trifolii (see images below).

Towards the end of April 2011, Pete e-mailed me a photo of a larva which was instantly recognisable as that of lonicerae . It was feeding on Meadow Vetchling, one of that species’ main foodplants. On 4th May I visited the site with Pete. Larvae were abundant on Meadow Vetchling and we also found one feeding on Red Clover, the other main foodplant of lonicerae . I have now had the identification further confirmed by Dr Gerry Tremewan (a world authority on burnet moths) who was most interested in the discovery.

Z. lonicerae larva (left) from the newly discovered Devon population, showing long hairs, and Z. trifolii (right) with short hairs (Barry Henwood)

There are two main sites with the moth, both on the embankments of the North Devon Link Road near Sampford Peverell, about 1km apart and each about 300-400m long. The moths are well established as Pete counted 392 adults on a transect walk on one of the sites on 20th June 2010. He estimates the total population on that site must have been in the thousands. Gerry Tremewan told me that lonicerae is an opportunist species, readily colonising habitat that becomes available and that it is known to spread along major roads. The embankments were created in the mid 1980s as part of the North Devon Link Road construction. Pete first discovered the moths in 2003, which was the first year he monitored the site.

Roy McCormick’s book The Moths of Devon gives a few records of lonicerae from over 100 years ago and then a record from Halwell in 1962, which was reported as a flourishing colony with confluent spots on the wings. Roy 2 points out in his book that the mention of confluent spots suggests that it was a misidentification of trifolii . I agree with Roy’s view as lonicerae is not subject to much variation at all in the appearance of the adults. So it would appear that the recent sightings are the first in the county for over a century.

Other sightings can’t really compete with this discovery but are noteworthy nevertheless. The warm spring weather has resulted in early emergence of various species of moths. For example I recorded Laothoe populi , Poplar Hawk- moth and Smerinthus ocellata , Eyed Hawk-moth in April. I cannot recall having seen them before May in any previous year. During April I noticed a tiny micro-moth Heliozela sericiella flying in sunshine in and around the edge of a Dartmoor wood. They were so abundant, I must have seen hundreds of them. The larva is not easy to find as if mines the twig, then petiole, then midrib of an oak leaf and only at the end of the larval stage does the mine extend into the blade of the leaf, from which the larva cuts out a case and drops to the ground.

Many of you will have observed the disfigurement of Horse Chestnut trees by the larvae of Cameraria ohridella mining the leaves. This is a recent colonist which has spread rapidly and built up huge numbers. On 21st April I was looking at some trees in Torquay while waiting for my car to be repaired. The adults were amazingly abundant, sitting on the tree trunks. On one tree, within the circular area created by opposing my thumb and index finger I counted 14 moths – that is an area of just 20cm 2.

It is worth mentioning some records from 2010 from Peter Vernon at Colyford that didn’t make it into the DMG Annual Report for the year. These are clorana , Cream-bordered Green Pea on 2nd, 10th and 24th July, the Pyralid Donocaula forficella on 14th July (presumably wandered from Axe Estuary reedbeds) and the Plume moth Platyptilia pallidactyla on 20th July. Cream-bordered green pea was first recorded in Devon in 1989, but Colyford represents a new site. I certainly never caught it at Colyton where I ran a garden trap in my teenage years in the 1970s. A word of caution for those of you looking out for it is that it must be distinguished from the Tortricid moth, Tortrix viridana .

While walking on the coast in Cornwall recently I found several larvae of Lasiocampa trifolii , Grass Eggar. They are conspicuous on the ground and a good way to record this species. If you are walking on the coast do look out for them, they will probably be fully fed about mid-June. Barry Henwood

Dingy Mocha still at Hollow Moor The Dingy Mocha Cyclophora pendularia is a rare moth with its stronghold in Dorset and south-west Hampshire. It is a priority UK Biodiversity Action Plan species because it has been lost from many sites in recent decades.

The only current known site for the moth in Devon is at Hollow Moor, a very large Culm grassland site in West Devon, where it was discovered in 2006 after a single male, presumed to be a wanderer, was trapped on a very small Culm grassland site not far away in 2005. After catching adults on Hollow Moor in actinic light traps, larvae were found later that summer by beating , the foodplant. Only isolated clumps of the Eared Willow were found to be used, typically small bushes rounded by deer and cattle grazing and less than 2m high. Further searches for the larvae in subsequent years drew a blank, but the sheer size of Hollow Moor, running to several hundred acres of suitable habitat, means it is rather like searching for a needle in a haystack. It was not until this year that the site was light trapped again, and I was delighted on my first attempt, on 9th May, to catch

Dingy Mocha from Hollow Moor 2006 (left) and searching for larvae at Hollow Moor (right) (Rob Wolton) 3 two, confirming that the species is still present.

Hollow Moor, which is privately-owned, is managed by light grazing with cattle and a few sheep, and by rotational scrub management, under agreement with Natural England. Particular care is now taken to retain areas of scattered Eared Willow bushes. Scrub invasion is common on Culm Grasslands, and can quickly form dense thickets smothering the herb-rich grassland. The response from conservationists has naturally been to clear the scrub, starting with the scattered bushes, the very ones which may support the Dingy Mocha.

The moth may perhaps have been lost from some sites because of the well-intentioned efforts of conservationists unaware of the importance of scattered scrub. Grasshopper Warblers, also Red Data Book listed, are among other wildlife which favour such light scrub.

The Dingy Mocha must surely, though, be present at some other Culm Grasslands. There are tantalising records from Rackenford and Knowstone Moors complex, while Thorne Moor, near Buckland Brewer, looks ideal. There are also old records too from the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs, where grow on wet flushes on slumped land near the foot of the cliff at Culverhole Point. It would be worth checking all these sites (with land owner’s permission, of course). Rob Wolton

Field Meeting Reports

Goren Farm, Stockland, 27.5.2011 Eighteen people attended the first field event of the year on this farm of flower-rich hay meadows, which have not been ploughed in living memory. Unfortunately the temperature was cold. Ten traps were set, mainly along hedge margins, and we did some searching and beating of the hedge while we were waiting for darkness.

Moth numbers were low, but an interesting phenomenon was noted as a result of most traps having been set at the bottom of the field and one being a little higher. Despite being only a few metres higher the top trap caught more moths than all the others put together. The most abundant moth of the night by far was Charanyca trigrammica , Treble Lines – about 70 were recorded, 61 of which were in the top trap.

The best moth of the night was Furcula bicuspis , Alder Kitten, which was noted as we were packing up. Hada plebeja , the Shears was recorded and worthy of mention as there were only six Devon records last year. Plagodis pulveraria , Barred Umber was the only other species in the traps worthy of noting here. The micro-moth Prays fraxinella was beaten out of the hedge and we discussed how this small moth influences the shape of ash trees by eating out the central bud.

A total of 32 species were recorded, but this did include evidence of old larval feedings of first instar Incurvaria pectinea rather than seeing the larva itself. (Peter Vernon)

I am most grateful to Julian Pady for hosting the event and to Peter Vernon for his help in organising it and driving our equipment to the trapping site. Barry Henwood

Emperor moths just like London buses I’ve been a regular moth "trappist" at a site adjacent to the River Tavy, one mile north of Tavistock, since 2004, and have never recorded an Emperor before. Come the morning of 19th April 2011, not one but two female Emperors arrived, one in the trap and one nearby. Both were retained and laid eggs freely. If this was not enough the next day a third arrived, again in the trap. The image overleaf shows the three Emperors.

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The moths were kept in an old bread safe under orders to attract a few males. Sadly after two days wafting their attractions to the four winds no males had appeared, which perhaps emphasized that this was not a normal site for the species. The three were duly released to freedom a mile or so away, back up on the moor from whence they had no doubt strayed.

The site has brought forth around 550 different moths over the years and this year I am already up to 84 (as at 27th April). A check of the records shows that on the same day last year my total stood at 37 and the year before 57 !. Almost everything is one or two weeks early and in some cases over a month. 28th April 2011 brought in my first hawk-moth of the year, an Eyed Hawk-moth. This is the first time I have had a resident hawk-moth in April (i.e. excluding the Humming-bird Hawk-moth, of course). Fred Slatter Emperor moths (Fred Slatter)

Vote for OPAL OPAL is a Lottery-funded project focussed on wildlife recording and involving many partners including the Natural History Museum. As reported in the last newsletter, Devon Moth Group is fortunate to have received a grant of £1600 from OPAL this year to fund the creation of a website and various other things.

The OPAL project is through to the semi-finals in the Environment category of the National Lottery Awards 2011 and needs our votes to get through to the final! Voting ends on 20th June, so if you would like to show your appreciation for the project then please vote for it now at http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards/best- environment-project/114/

Moth buddy needed Many of us first got into moth recording with the help and patience of a more experienced ‘mentor’. Although there is no official way to set up or monitor such links, we are happy to include messages from members who would like to make contact with others nearby. So here is such an appeal:

This is my first year running a trap at Hittisleigh in Mid Devon and I would welcome the opportunity to swap notes with anyone of any level of knowledge in the area. I have access to a variety of habitats over 250 acres. John Milverton 01647 24509

If any members would like to make contact with John, please do so direct not via Devon Moth Group.

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Welcome to New Members Caroline Bache , Burrows Farm, Clyhidon, Cullompton, EX15 3QA. Telephone: 07920 407273.

Barbara and Graham Davey , 13 Westmoor Park, Tavistock, PL19 9AA. Telephone: 01822 610599.

Susan Mackechnie-Jarvis , Townswell, Fore Street, Aveton Gifford, TQ7 4JH. Telephone: 01584 550693. e-mail: [email protected]

Peter Reay , Crooked Fir, Moorland Park, South Brent, TQ10 9AS. Telephone: 01364 73293. e-mail: [email protected]

Forthcoming events

Saturday 11th June 2011, Hobby Drive, Clovelly (full details given in the 2010 Annual Report). Meet at 21.00 at SS316249. Please phone Rob Wolton (01837 810416), in advance, if the weather conditions appear unfavourable.

Saturday 2nd July 2011, Lower Drive, Dartington Estate. Meet at 21.30 in front of The Gallery (SX798628), adjacent to the main car park by the entrance to Dartington Hall. The group will then be led on foot down to the field site – an approximately 15 minute walk. If you are bringing traps and generators, please come a bit earlier and drop these off first on Lower Drive (SX799619), close to the old Pump House. After you’ve set up, you will have to drive up to park in the main car park. We’ll be trapping on limestone grassland and/or along the riverbank, which has mature trees and grassland. The event is being held jointly with Aune Head Arts as part of their programme of nocturnal wildlife events for the public. Members of the public will need to book a place in advance with Aune Head Arts but DMG members can just come on the night. Please phone Richard Fox (07711 657322), in advance, if the weather conditions appear unfavourable.

Friday 8th July 2011, Hackney Marshes, Kingsteignton. Meet at 21.30 at Hackney Marshes car park SX871726. Please bring footwear suitable for marshland. This is a joint meeting with Teignbridge District Council. Please phone Barry Henwood (01626 364080), in advance, if the weather conditions appear unfavourable.

Friday 29th July 2011, Hazelwood Farm, Sampford Courtenay, nr Okehampton (full details given in the 2010 Annual Report). Meet at the farm SX642997 for BBQ (please bring food to cook) from 19.30 or for moth trapping from 21.00. This is a joint meeting with Butterfly Conservation (Devon Branch). Please phone Paul Butter (01837 82378), in advance, if the weather conditions appear unfavourable.

Alabonia geoffrella – note tip of human thumb for scale! (Peter Vernon)

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