MONMOUTHSHIRE MOTH & BUTTERFLY GROUP NEWSLETTER No 107 November / December 2014. A monthly newsletter covering Gwent and Monmouthshire Vice County 35 Editor: Martin Anthoney Review of the Year 2014 The year started with winter storms continuing throughout January and into February, producing widespread flooding. Temperatures were well above average, leading to some very early emergence dates, but sunshine was in very short supply, leading to very few butterfly records, and the severity of many of the storms limited opportunities to run light traps for moths. March, April and May 2014 were drier, warmer and sunnier than average, though less so than spring 2012 which was truly exceptional. But with memories still fresh of the dreadfully cold start to 2013, spring this year brought welcome weather and plenty of butterflies and moths. In general, species appeared about three weeks earlier than last year. June and July completed a sequence of eight successive months with above average temperatures. Plenty of sunny days and muggy nights, interspersed by a few showery days, sometimes thundery, led to good numbers of both butterflies and moths. The first week of August suggested a continuation of the warm summer weather, but the passage of ex-hurricane Bertha pulled in a stream of cool, showery northerly winds resulting in the coolest August for twenty years. September, one of the driest and warmest on record, and the first three weeks of October restored the fine weather with sunshine and a mainly southerly breeze producing temperatures more reminiscent of summer, but also much cloud and some rain. The remainder of autumn and early winter reverted to more normal temperatures with sunshine and showers. Overall, 2014 will be remembered for a fine summer and good numbers of lepidoptera, though surprisingly it was not a good year for immigrants and for the first time in many years no new butterflies or macro-moths were added to the county list. The number of butterfly species recorded during 2014 was the same as last year, but the total of macro-moth species was the highest for several years. Year 2014 2013 2012 2011 Butterfly species 35 35 33 37 Macro moth species 446 429 381 436 Butterflies The first butterflies appeared on 11th January, but three Small Tortoiseshells in the east of the county were the only reports until Peacock on 2nd Feb, Red Admiral on 25th Feb, Brimstone on 7th March, and Comma on 8th March. From then on, good weather produced plenty of spring butterflies. Orange-tip, Small White and Holly Blue appeared within three days from 29th March, and all three, together with Green-veined White, had excellent seasons, dispelling some fears about the effect of the winter flooding. 4th May saw the first Common Blue, but for a third successive year this species had a very poor first generation. Thankfully, improving summer weather led to a much larger second generation in late July to early September. Dingy Skipper (6th May), Grizzled Skipper (9th May) and Brown Argus (17th May) all had good seasons, whilst Marsh Fritillary peaking at 407 individuals on 21st May at Aberbargoed NNR was exceptional. June and July were generally excellent for butterflies, with White Admiral showing signs of recovering some of the ground lost in recent years and Silver-washed Fritillary extending its known range northwards in the county. Small Pearl-bordered and Dark Green Fritillaries had steady rather than good seasons, but the one 1 summer butterfly to buck the encouraging trend was Marbled White which was not seen in much of the county. It was pleasing to see the immigrant Clouded Yellow (36 records) present in good numbers for much of the summer (20th June to 3rd Nov compared to 1st Aug to 3rd Nov in 2013),though Painted Lady (19 records) did less well. Small Skipper was notably abundant and its close relative Essex Skipper continued to in-fill the county with several new sites. The mystery of the year concerned the common Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma. After a good summer, by August numbers were high, but suddenly over one weekend they nearly all disappeared. One suggestion was cool weather induced early hibernation, but there have been no reports yet of finding them at their normal hibernation sites. Whatever the cause, it certainly reduced the number of butterflies on display for the rest of the year, with Red Admiral and Clouded Yellow contributing the bulk of records. Brown Argus (Nick Felstead) Clouded Yellow Moths The season started quickly with a new earliest recorded date for Common Quaker on 2nd January. In stark contrast to the poor start in 2013, there was a steady stream of moth records during the first three months of the year. The highlights were Buttoned Snout at Penallt (25th Jan) and Monmouth (11th March), Dotted Chestnut at both Llandogo and Ochrwyth on 29th March and Small Eggar at St Brides on 30th March, the first time this largely coastal species has been recorded to the west of Newport. 11th April saw the first immigrant Hummingbird Hawk, and on 22nd April, as part of the Butterfly Conservation (Wales) project to investigate the Silurian Moth distribution, fifteen larvae were found in a small area of the Blorenge Mountain, a new site for the moth. As with butterflies, 2014 was a good year for day- flying spring and early summer moths. Little Thorn, Burnet Companion, Mother Shipton and Grass Rivulet were all widespread and flying in good numbers. In May, at the adjacent Llanmellin Hill Fort and MoD Caerwent sites, peak counts for Drab Looper of 81 and 49 respectively make these the most important locality in Wales for this UK Priority species. In June, another UK Priority species, The Forester, also had a good year with a new site at Ebbw Vale and a peak count of 42, the highest ever, at a known site in Crosskeys. Goat Moth (Mel Oxford) Beautiful Brocade 2 The three summer moths produced plenty of night-flying moths. Nightly counts of 50+ species of macro moth to light became commonplace. Among the more significant records were: Another Buttoned Snout at Rogerstone (4th May); Seventh county record of Netted Pug at Undy (5th May); Ninth and tenth county records of Great Oak Beauty at Raglan and Tintern, both new sites (14th and 23rd June); Goat Moth to light at St Brides. Only the eighth county record, all but one in the Newport area (20th June); Beautiful Brocade (only second record this millennium) at Penllwyn Grasslands, Pontllanfraith (17th June); Male Silurian moth to light in a Rassau garden (24th June). Away from the known colonies, this may indicate a further colony still awaits discovery; Sixth county record of Plain Pug at Dingestow (29th June); Least Carpet on a shop window at Chepstow. Only the second VC35 record, twenty three years later but intriguingly a mere two miles from the original record at Wyndcliff (3rd July); Second county record of Jersey Tiger at Newport Wetlands Reserve (2nd August). With ten individuals also recorded in neighbouring Glamorgan, it seems almost certain that Jersey Tiger is now established in the Newport/ Cardiff coastal area; Third county record of Waved Black at Rogerstone (3rd August); 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 at St Pierre’s Great Wood (20th August); Second county record of Haworth’s Minor near Blaenavon (4th Sept); Three L-album Wainscots at Newport Wetlands Reserve (23rd & 25th Sept), where it is probably now established; Sixth county record of Mallow at St Brides (27th Sept), quickly followed remarkably by seven further specimens at Goldcliff. Jersey Tiger (Catherine Mendez) Other species worthy of mention for being particularly common in 2014 include Double Line (a record 27 individuals), Alder Kitten (11 records), Beautiful Snout (15 individuals) and Beautiful Hook-tip (47 records). The warm summer also led to a number of unusual second generations eg. Swallow-tail Moth, Rosy Footman and Beautiful Hook-tip. Despite the wind frequently blowing from a southerly direction, 2014 was a very disappointing year for immigrants in Gwent. Humming-bird Hawk topped the list (13 compared to 5 in 2013), followed by Vestal (8), Four-spotted Footman (2) and singles of Delicate and Gem. Even the ubiquitous Silver Y was less abundant than usual. 3 Seven species of micro moth were added to the county list in 2014: Only two days into 2014 a specimen of Caloptila cuculipennella came into a house at Penallt; Incurvaria praelatella at Hendre Wood on 1st June; Argyresthia cupressella at Undy (22nd June) - new for VC35 and one of the first Welsh records; Anania perlucidalis at Penallt (24th June); Mompha conturbatella at Undy (25th June) was the fourth new VC35 micro in a month; Cochylis molliculana to light at St Brides on 19th Sept. was a new species for VC35 though it has been present in neighbouring Glamorgan (VC41) since 2011. Mompha bradleyi to light at St Brides on 10th Nov. rd Other significant micro records for 2014 included Mompha divisella (23 April) the first VC35 record having been found on the same site last year. On 24th April mines of the micros Phyllonorycter junoniella and Ectoedemia weaveri were found on cowberry at Bal Mawr, only the third records since Neil Horton’s book in 1994. The UK Priority micro Anania funebris at Aberbargoed Grasslands 3rd June and the second county record of Ethmia dodecea at Slade Woods on 26th June. Subsequently larvae were found to be abundant on gromwell at the same site. On 20th Aug, larvae of Dichomeris ustalella, Salebriopsis albicilla and Roeslerstammia erxlebella were found at St Pierre’s Great Wood on small-leaved lime.