SUFFOLK LEPIDOPTERA, 1975 H. E. CHIPPERFIELD
APART from a few frosts in the early months of the year Suffolk had yet another very mild winter. So mild was it in December that a Common Newt was seen in my garden on the evening of the 22nd and in Surrey some moths normally not out until the spring were seen before the end of the year. Although not quite as early in SufTolk the Early Grey (Xylocampa areola Esp.) appeare on the 3Cth January, which is about six weeks earlier than usual. ThefirstPale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pedaria Fabr.) was se on 14th February and from then onwards the usual common spring and early summer species appeared in fair numbers. Among the butterflies the three common whites and the Orangetip (Anthocharis cardamines Linn.) were all quite plentiful during May, but the Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus Linn.) was absent or at least very uncommon. On 19th May the small day-flying moth Oehlmann's Bright (Lampronia oehlmanniella Treits.) was Aying in numbers am the birches at Barton Mills, on which the larval cases of the Ravenfeather Case (Coleophora fuscedinella Zell.) were quite plentiful. Many Dwarf Pug moths (Eupithecia tantillaria Boisd.) flew out of the small spruce trees in Dunwich Forest on 27th. Also in Dunwich Forest on 8th June a few Frisch's Gold Longhorn (AdelafibulellaSchiff.) were seen among a large patch of their larval food-plant the Germander Speedwell. Whilst watching these small moths a Broad-borderecl Bee Hawkmoth (Hemaris fuciformis Linn.) was seen hovering over the same patch. Later on Mr. S. J. Rafferty reported seeing a number of these dayflying moths in his Walberswick garden and on 30th June I watche one hovering over valerian in my garden at 5.30 p.m. The usual time offlightof this species is said to be between 10 a.m. and noon On 13th June a specimen of the Bordered Echium Ermel (Ethmia bipunctella Fabr.) was attracted to the light trap in garden. This is the third time this species has appeared in Walberswick where its food-plant the Viper's Bugloss is very uncommon and the moth itself was thought at one time to have become extinct. However it is now well established at Dungeness, Kent. Also in mid-June three examples of Wakely's Dowd (Blastobasis decolorella Woll.) emerged from some of the hips collected the previous autumn in the hope of rearing one of the tortrix moths. Wakely's Dowd wasfirstfound in the Herne Hill district of London by Mr. Stanley Wakely in the early 1930s and was named after him by I. R. P. Fleslop when he produced his Check List in 1964. The larval food is stated by L. T. Ford to be fallen and decaying leaves and dead insects. Its