The SuffolkArgus
Spring2005
she endeavoured to raise her body temperature upon re-emergence, we enjoyed a fine view of the intricate-upperwing patterning. 'Af'we retraced our steps and made towards the northern section of Downe Bank, Broadleaved Helleborines and a Fly Orchid were particularly noteworthy amongst the more prolific Pyramidal and Common-spotted representatives of this family. The Fly Orchid deploys a unique mimicry, whereby the three perals of the flower combine to resemble a female Digger Wasp. The male digger, attracted not only by the appearance of the orchid hut also by a scent, which imitates wasp pheromones, is drawn irresistibly to the flower. I suspect that Charles Darwin, during his studies at Downe, may have been inexorably drawn to this rdationship too; observing the transfer of pollen during the unrequited encounter between insect and flower, and recording the completion of the fenilisation cycle in which the hapless digger is seduced again by another orchid. Regrettably,the present day Fly Orchid's flowering structures had long since withered, although we gathered from Downe's warden that it takes patience far surpassing that of hairstreak watching to observe the fleeting liaisons with the Digger Wasp. With the sun becoming increasingly obscured by banks of cloud, the air above the northern section's elms was not broken by the flight of hairstreaks, and butterfly sightings were now confined to more robust species. Small and Essex Skippers continued to weave amongst the grass stems, whilst Marbled Whites were noted regularly - either crowded about the heads of Knapweeds and Scabious, or fluttering atuactively about us. With weather conditions now deteriorating to rainfull, we concluded that the morning's count of fourteen species was unlikdy to increase and hastened back towards Downe. Lunch was taken in our cars, and through breaks in windscreen condensation we occasionally caught glimpses of various walkers, cyclists and Girl Guides beating bedraggled and disconsolate paths back into the village. Appetites appeased, we now followed a southwesterly bearing away from Downe village. I
\
As we passed through some rough grazing pasture, small butterflies were noted upon the heads of thistles; mottled underwings betraying the presence of Large Skippers, inkpot black antennae identifying members of the Hesperidae family with East Anglian origins. Shortly, we pushed through a narrow opening in the scrub bordering the path and stepped out onto London Wildlife Trust's somewhat paradoxically named West Kent Golf Course reserve. With the rain which had curtailed the morning's activities still falling and the wet grass clinging unpleasantly about our ankles, the reserve wasn't quite the vibrant and enticing spectacle I had hoped for. However, as we moved across the slope, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper were noted embedded deep amongst the grass sterns. Then, to much greater enthusiasm, a number of Marbled Whites, including a mating pair, were discovered in a scrubby patch at the bank's base. With the butterflies rendered torpid by the cool conditions, they were readily enticed by the warmth of our outstretched fingers. We lingered here for some time, taking full advantage of the opponunities for close observation and photography, which had largely alluded us earlier. As we ascended the slope, the cloud cover broke a little and we turned to witness the charming sight of the Marbled Whites taking to the wing; seeming to rise simultaneously from each and every Scabious and Knapweed bdow. Then, as often seems to happen during fidd trips, a number of unusual sightings followed in quick succession; firstly, a Small Blue larva was located, its grey body well synchronised against the now seeding Kidney Vetch host. This was preceded by the discovery of a rather dapper Black Neck moth, before the bank's reverie was broken by the harsh call of a Ring-necked Parakeet. A few moments later the parakeet broke cover and flew rapidly across our eye line - an aptly tropical addition, given the monsoon conditions earlier. In repetition of our 2003 field meeting, we moved to the southern extremity of the site and here spent a pleasant time amongst the chalk grassland'sflora and fauna. Comma and Common Blue were added to the afternoon's list, whilst Slow
8
New Online Guide to the Larger Moths of Suffolk by TonyPrichard For those in the county with an interest in moths a new online web guide has been produced covering the macro-moths (larger moths) of Suffolk. Although the guide is currently in a draftform it should still prove useful for moth recorders or more generalised naturalists in the county. The guide is continually being updated with new information and recordsas they are received so should provide an up to date source of information on the county's moth fauna. Each species within the guide has a species account page with textual information describing its national and local status, flight period, larval foodplants, preferred habitats, records (where these are few in number) and the entry for the species from Morley's Final Catalogue of . • Lepidoptera. In addition to the text most species accounts have a 10km distribution map and where we have enough data a chart showing in which month(s) the species has been recorded as an adult in the county. Over half of the species have photographs of the adult and new photographs are being regularly added by members of the moth group. Each species account has direct links to web pages on other moth web sites for viewing additional information and photographs for that particular species. An identification section lists confusion species and allows for comparison of various features (distribution, flight period and
adult photographs) between the confusion species. With time it is expected to provide additional information on identification and how to· differentiate the various confusion species. A search facility provides the ability to find species accounts based on the species name and also to search for text within the textual accounts. In the near future the guide will be extended to include the pyralid moths (family Pyralidae) as these are a rdativdy well-studied group of microlepidoptera and being rdativdy large for microlepidoptera are recorded by some moth recorders who do not record other families of microlepidoptera. At some stage in the future it is the intention of the moth group to produce a book on the larger moths of Suffolk and this online guide is seen as part of that process. Producing the online guide has cost very little apart from time and it can be changed in response to feedback with little effort. The strategy being that we can iron out any problems or inaccuracies in the guide before we embark on the costly business of producing a printed version. The guide can be found at the Suffolk Moth Group web site (www.suffolkmothgroup.org.uk/) and follow the link to 'Larger Moths of Suffolk'. I would wdcome any comments and feedback about the guide.
Swallow-tailedMoth byMervyn Crawford 17
