ApriJ-:,,,19,9 2 WHAT IS GOING ON? Green issues are a major part of our lives these days. Politicians are keen to be seen as caring for our environment, developers undertake landscaping schemes and environmental assessments and the European Commission makes Directives on environmental impact. But what is really going on? The facts are simple our countryside is being ravished regardless of what is being said publicly to support the countryside. The M40 just missed several towns" around Leicester may important sites including not, destroy sensitive areas Hells Coppice and Bernwood but it. is still less of our Forest but only after countryside at the end of prolonged enquiries and the day - and this at. a time protests. Now it,s the Lurn when there is a slump in the of St Catherine's HiIl on housing market and many Twyford Down to come under hundreds of homes already the bulldozer for the availablel Where, s the extension of the M3, arguably sense in building new homes the best butterfly site in when so many remain unsold? the country with over forty species recorded, about two what is going on? The truth thirds of the British Iist,! is that those who are in a The site is destined to position to exert pressure disappear, at leasL in partr so that they can meet. their under tarmac. The exhaust financial aspirations (or pollution resulting from is it more a case of them this monst.rosity wil1r ho satisfying their greed?) do doubt, have an adverse effect not have any genuine regard on the invertebrate fauna. for our environment. So much for politicians caring for the environment! politicians, deveropers, mineral extractors, the lot Nearer home it cannot have they do not care. But do mj-ssed anyone's attention you? The generar erection that Buddon Hill is now a has just gone - make sure mere pimple. croft Hill is that your Mp is arguing the another site which may well case for the prote-tion of go the same way. So much our countryside and not for the caring mineral letting the unscrupulous extractors! few deitroy itl Plans to build massive "new Ray Morris Notables oI the 9Os - Mottrs of red data book status found in Leicestershire Three new macro-mot.hs have been recorded in the count.y in the 1990s so far along with a few nat.ionally notable species. These are listed below in B&F order. Many thanks to the faithful recorders particularly to Harry Ball for collat.ing the masses of paperwork. I notice wit.h regret that a fair proportion of the rarer species have been recorded from Swithland Sidings. Until recently this was an area very worthy of a day* or night-time visit. Now there are reports of its being laid waste by JCBs spurred on by developers. So what chance now for the lunar horneL. and reddish light arches moths? - ^9esra bembiciformis Thera juniperata Lunar hornet Juniper carpet B&F 371 B&F 1771 Nationally notable a Nationally notable b Swithland Sidings (SK565131 ) Swithland Sidings on 12. x.90 on 12.vii.90 by Peter Gamb1e by Peter Gambl-eand Jack and Jack Ward. A new species Ward. Although not often for Leicestershire although recorded in the "wild", over MBGBI vol 2 comments that forty records have now been the species is generally received from garden sites distribut.ed through Britain during t.he 1980s. It i.s with most records in central possible that this species and southern England. will lose its Nb status Drepana cu.Ttraria Barred hook tip B&F 1647 Nationally notable a Recorded twice in 1991. Ho1ywe11 Wood (SxS0-18-) on 26. vii .91 by Harry Ball- and Audrey Lomas. Ketton Quarry (SK97-04-) on 9.viii.91 by Harry BaII and Steve Telling. OnIy two other records known for the count,y (Beacon HilI, Ulverscroft NR) both in the 1980s. MBGBI vo1 7 (2) says that the mot.h is mainly associated with beechwoods on gravel and chalk in England. Drepana cuftraria cont p3 Notables of the 9Os contd Colostygia ol-ivata S Poole (18.viii.90). The Beech green carpet species has been recorded in B&F 1774 the county three times in the Nationally not.able b 1970s and ten times in the 1980s. The moth is widespread Holywe11 Wood on 26.vii.91 but 1ocal according to Skinner. by Harry BalI and Audrey Lomas and again at Ket,ton Quarry on 9.viii.91 by Boarmia roboraria Harry Ball and Steve Tel1ing. Great oak beauty New to the county. Skinner B&F 1943 describes the species as Nationally notable b being loca1 mainly on chalk/ limestone in England but it The species is local but not is more frequent, in northern uncommon in southern woods parts of Britain. with Leicest,ershire being near its northern boundary. Recorded at Great Easton by Eupithecia trisignaria Ron and Jean Harvey during Triple-spotted pug June and July in 1988 and is B&F 1826 a new county record. Nationally notable a This widespread but local Perconia strigillaria species has been recorded Grass wave freguently in the county B&F 1970 over the last two decades Nationally notable b with seven records in the 1970s and ten in the 1980s. Ketton Quarry on 28.vi.91 Most records have been from by Adrian Russe1l. New county the norLh west of the county record. Regarded by Skinner but the species was taken at as widespread and common in Narborough Bog (SK54-97-) some souL,hern counties but by Harry Bal-l-, Steve Telling sporadic elsewhere. and Audrey Lomas on 24.v.91 . Rhyacia simuJ-ans Eupithecia virgaureata Dotted rustic Golden-rod pug B&F 2105 B&F 1851 Nat.ionally notable b Nationally notabl-e b Peter Gamble and Jack Ward Widespread but loca1 in recorded this species at Britain with Leicestershire Swithland Sidings on 14.ix.90. having eight previous llhile there were only four records from the 1980s" records in the 1970s, there S Poole took Lhe moth at were 67 in the 1980s! The Wigston during 1990 (exact distribution map in MBGBI date not given). vol9showsascaLtered range but since its public- ation the range of the moth Eupithecia dodoneata has expanded rapidly. rt Oak-tree pug is possible that its red data B&F 1853 book status will be reviewed. Nationally notable b cont p4 Again taken at lrligston by Notables of the 9Os contd f Lacanobia contigua Apamea subJ-ustris Beautiful brocade Reddish light arches B&F 2156 B&F 2323 Nationally notabl-e b Nationally notable b Ketton Quarry during the Both county records of this period 1986-1991 by Adrian moth have come from Peter Russe1I (no details given). Gamble and Jack Ward. The Four other records are known first was in the period (two in each of the 1970s 1976-80 at Swithland Reservoir and the i980s). MBGBr vo19 and the latest at Swithland describes the species as Sidings on 29.vj-.91. MBGBI being locally common in vol 10 describes the species acid situations in southern as distinctly south eastern England and the Midlands particularly on chalk. with a disconLinuous distribution. U Photedes fLuxa Mere wainscot B&F 2349 Nationally notable a This rare wainscot is locally common in eastern England and has just 'i!L been recorded t*- over the border at Bedford r) I li i ,/.----..i-F.l d-t\ Purlieus, Northamptonshire. \-.]g./ I \ Leicest.ershire haC one record i '##=++/ T-|l for the 1970s and five in the : '']{ "?r"-l- 1980s. Recorded twice at t -L.L 1-.' ,.. t fi Ketton Quarry in recent years by Adrian Russell in the period 1986-91 and by Harry Ball and Steve Telling on 9.viii.91 Jane McPhaiL Apamea subl-ustris Hibernating 2-spots An,,interesting f ield observation near Repton, Derbyshire (just over the Leicestershire boundary) on 3.xi.91 was a hibetnating cluster of seventy six AdaJ ia bipunctata (two 5p.6t, ladybird) beneath the bark of an old elder. Included in'this:group were five melanistic patterns. Dave Budwotth - Glow-vrorrns in Rutland lggr Background During 1990 British Gas announced plans to pipe gas to Rutland and East Northamptonshire vilIages. rtre planned route would have passed through one roadside verge whlre glow-worms (Lanpytis noctil-uca L) had colonised. public pressure resu.Lted in a change of route and as a result a study was carried out during 1991 to assess the distribution of giow-worms in Rutl-and. The full survey report is availaSle from t.he Rutland Natural- History Society but, by their kind permission via LES member Jean Harvey, w€ are able to reprbduce piiCs or the report here. This important study was undertaken by members of the RNHS under the guidance of Graham and Linda ivorrall_. Two areas of st.udy were undertaken: (a) a st.udy of emergence v from pupation on a Barrowden roadside verge and (b) a *5r" general survey of the district. Barrowden verge study The first glowing female was weight before pupation can noted on 3.vii.91, the commence and successful emergence from pupation being emergence of the adult apparently triggered by the achieved. The maximum number increase in air temperature of females was observed on and/or the smaller increase i7.vii.91. The gap in in soil temperat.ure at 50mm observations on 22.vii.91 depth. The Worralls also coincided with the one swathe hypothesise that the larvae cut made to the verges on need to reach a critical body this day (see figure).