Baseline Invertebrate Survey of Fir Farm 2018
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Marc Taylor 12 Durham St Swindon Wiltshire SN1 3HS
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2 Baseline Invertebrate Survey of Fir Farm 2018
Contents Page
1. Background to the survey 4 2. The Survey 4 3. Methodology 4 4. Visit dates 4 5. Data Collected 5 6. Addressing aborted transects 8 7. Results to date 8 8. Transect co-ordinate and layout images 9 9. Recording sheets 12
3 1. Background to the survey
Late 2017 the management of Fir Farm sought quotation for baseline surveys as part of the conversion to organic management after harvest 2018.
The scope of this survey was invertebrates including Butterflies.
2. The survey
The survey planned for six visits subject to weather conditions:
Temperature to be above 13°C
Wind speed lower than 19 mph - Beaufort 5
Cloud cover to be less than 40%
Should the temperature be above 17°C and within air speed cloud cover is negated.
3. Methodology
A transect was walked for each of three areas within the overall farms layout. These were of varying overall length, the shortest at Hill Barn being 9 X 100m section 900m, Fir Farm 10 X
100m section 1km and at Rectory farm, the largest block two transect, the out 10 X 100m section 1km and back 14 X 100m section 1.4km.
Specimens were walked and netted whilst walking the sections and selected areas were sweep netted during and after transecting. Pan traps were not deployed, primarily due to livestock and prevailing winds across the area.
4. Visit dates
April 5th 2018 Preliminary site visit to investigate access’ and topographies
April 6th 2018 Transected - Hill Barn outside of limits to transect* - detail on recording sheet
May 28th 2018 Transects aborted* - all three sites outside of limits tor transecting - detail on recording sheet – withdrew after speaking with farm manager.
June 3rd 20189 Transected – all three sites
4 July 22nd 2018 Transected – all three sites
August 12th Transects aborted* - all three sites outside of limits tor transecting - detail on recording sheet
September 11th 2018 Transects aborted* - all three sites outside of limits tor transecting - detail on recording sheet
5. Data collected
By visit
05/04/2018 Diptera - Hymenoptera – Bees, Lepidoptera – Other Flies wasps and ants butterflies and moths Hill barn nil nil nil Fir Farm 3 8 nil Rectory 2 1 nil Farm
06/04/2018 Diptera - Hymenoptera – Bees, Lepidoptera – Other Flies wasps and ants butterflies and moths Hill barn nil nil nil Fir Farm 2 2 nil Rectory 3 11 4 Farm
03/06/2018 Diptera - Hymenoptera – Bees, Lepidoptera – Other- Flies wasps and ants butterflies and moths Dragonfly Hill barn 1 11 3 Fir Farm 1 20 3 Rectory 1 22 9 2 Farm
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22/07/2018 Diptera - Hymenoptera – Bees, Lepidoptera – Other Flies wasps and ants butterflies and moths Hill barn 6 39 93 Fir Farm 2 39 37 Rectory nil 18 52 Farm
Recorded totals
Taxa Diptera - Hymenoptera – Bees, Lepidoptera – Other- Flies wasps and ants butterflies and moths Dragonfly 21 171 201 2
By Species
Species Number Taxa Andrena nigroaenea 3 Hymenoptera - Bee Andrena apicata 1 Hymenoptera - Bee Andrena chrysoceles 1 Hymenoptera - Bee Andrena cineraria 7 Hymenoptera - Bee andrena haemorhoa 1 Hymenoptera - Bee Andrena nitida 4 Hymenoptera - Bee Andrena praecox 6 Hymenoptera - Bee Andrena semilaevis 1 Hymenoptera - Bee Anthophora plumipes 1 Hymenoptera - Bee Apis mellifera 3 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombus hortorum 1 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombus hypnorum 2 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombus lapidarius 45 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombus lucorum 3 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombus pascuorum 53 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombus pratorum 3 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombus Ssp. 2 Hymenoptera - Bee
6 Bombus terrestris 19 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombus vestalis 4 Hymenoptera - Bee Lasioglossum morio 1 Hymenoptera - Bee Nomada goodeniana 6 Hymenoptera - Bee Solitary bee 5 Hymenoptera - Bee Bombylius major 4 Diptera - flies Chloromia formosa 1 Diptera - flies Episyrphus balteatus 2 Diptera - flies Eristalis tenax 2 Diptera - flies Scaeva pyraustri 1 Diptera - flies Scathophaga stercoraria 5 Diptera - flies Sphaerophoria scripta 3 Diptera - flies Volucella bombylans 1 Diptera - flies Xylota segnis 2 Diptera - flies Adonis blue - Polyommatus bellargus 1 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Brimstone - Gonepteryx rhamni 4 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Cinnabar moth - Tyria jacobaeae 1 Lepidoptera – Micro moth Clouded Yellow - Colias croceus 1 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Comma - Polygonia c-album 1 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Common Blue - Polyommatus icarus 5 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Crambus perlella 1 Lepidoptera – Micro moth Five-spot Burnet - Zygaena trifolii 7 Lepidoptera – Micro moth Gatekeeper - Pyronia tithonus 15 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Green-veined White - Pieris napi 2 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Holly Blue- Celastrina argiolus 1 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Large White - Pieris brassicae 26 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Marbled white - Melanargia galathea 1 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Meadow Brown - Maniola jurtina 37 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Orange-tip - Anthocharis cardamines 1 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Painted Lady - Vanessa cardui 2 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Ringlet - Aphantopus hyperantus 2 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Small Skipper - Thymelicus sylvestris 15 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Small Tortoiseshell - Aglais urticae 3 Lepidoptera - Butterfly
7 Small White - Pieris rapae 72 Lepidoptera - Butterfly Speckled wood - Pararge aegeria 3 Lepidoptera - Butterfly
6. *Addressing aborted transects
The many areas of the extended site are not particularly sheltered and often it was limital for transect walking, continuing under such conditions is not advised at it can affect the data in a negative way.
The effects of the proposed regime of organic management during the transitional period are almost certainly to have no any actions on invertebrates that are eggs, larvae, pupae or hibernating adults originating from last years breeding.
Accordingly to ensure the latter transects yield data against which the future trends can be measured returning to complete August and September transects in 2019 is advised.
7. Results – to date
The purpose of the baseline survey is to generate a terrestrial invertebrate inventory across several sites of the farm. Additional years of data accrual are needed in order to compare the data and only after that process has begun and comparison can be made could one make judgement against management practices. It is appreciated the a set/list of indicators is desired against which gains can be viewed, however further data some of it lost to poor weather is required in order to move in that direction. Perhaps we can discus that at our meeting.
The season had several climactic issues which nationally skewed statistics. Firstly the ‘Beast from the East’ beginning in February took it’s toll on early season invertebrates – freezing them out of existence. Next beginning mid June the heatwave whilst initially satisfying many invertebrates become so strong that the accelerated breeding finished early, many invertebrate then expiring due to an excess of heat and lack of suitable habitat and food sources.
In this context the conducting of the missed late transects may offer a more balanced set of data subject to neither condition being repeated.
It is too soon to read anything into the data, that said and for the reasons above many taxa were in lower numbers than would expected across such a large site. Nothing that was recorded is either rare, notable or unexpected. Acknowledging how many of the fields were
8 used with crops or grazing we are looking to margin and hedging to produce much data and if scorched it has capacity to supporting invertebrate life.
8. Transects – co-ordinates and layout
Hall barn, bottom left of image
9 Fir Farm, left of centre lower edge
Rectory Farm outbound transect, farm buildings top left
10 Rectory Farm Inbound transect, starting adjacent to the new pond
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