On Collecting in Suffolk in 1955

NOTES ON COLLECTING IN DĂœRING 1955

SUFFOLK

Eurois occulta Linn. " Still very r a r e " . The Rev. E. N. Bloomfield in his list of Suffolk lepidoptera, 1890, labels a number of insects as rare or very rare. Many of these can no longer be thus labelled. There may be different causes for this, the finding of suitable environment, increase in foodplant and so forth. But undoubtedly we have to thank the members of the Suffolk Natural History Society for their patient and splendid field work which has contributed so much to our knowledge of the macroand microlepidoptera of the County. The appearance of the Great Brocade (E. occulta Linn.) continues to be casual. When Bloomfield compiled his list, it had only been noted from Bentley, Ipswich and Beccles.

Morley in the " Memoir " published in 1937 says, " Still very rare " and adds a few more records, single specimens at Gorleston, Fritton Lake and Pakefield, also three specimens on pine trees at Aldeburgh (observer not stated).

Mr. Allen exhibited at a General Meeting of the Society on May Ist, 1938, a specimen taken at Bury new to West Suffolk.

Since 1937 I find mention of only three further examples. Mr. P. J. Burton captured one at sugar at Iken in 1938, and another was observed by Mr. E. T . Goldsmith at Beccles in the same year.

This year, 1955, my grandson, Alfred Waller took a fine example at light on August 30th. So nearly twenty years since the publication of Morley's " Memoir " his dictum " Still very rare " apparently holds good. I myself, to go back to 1907, when collecting with the late Mr. W. Ogden, captured a female of the light form sitting on a gatepost near a marsh (Memoirs p. 30).

My grandson's specimen is the dark form nearly approaching var. passetii, as figured in South's Moths of the British Isles. Of course, Scotland is the real home of this species, though, I believe, it has been taken not uncommonly in Yorkshire at times.

A. P.

WALLER,

Mill Cottage, Waldringfield, Sept., 1955.

Owing to the exceptionally severe winter it was not until March 17th that any lepidoptera were noted. Then a male of the Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pedaria Fab.) was seen for the first time this season. A visit to the sallow blossom in Barking Woods on April 8th produced hosts of the usual Quaker moths except the Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta Hufn.), but the Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda Schiff.) was particularly plentiful, and there were a few of the Poplar Drab (Orthosia populeti Treits.). Among the Twin-spot Quaker (O. munda Esp.) was one f. immaculata.

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NOTES ON COLLECTING IN SUFFOLK

I did not do much more collecting in Suffolk until the middle of June when I saw three larvae of the Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis Linn.) on the Bird Reserve on Havergate Island. A visit to the Breck district on June 25th enabled me to confirm that the Grey Carpet (Lithostege griseata Schiff.) and the Spotted Sulphur (Emmelia trabealis Scop.) still hold their own in their particular haunts. There were also a number of the Small Elephant Hawk (Deilephila porcellus Linn.) hovering over the flowers of bladder campion at dusk. The Viper's Bugloss (Anepia irregularis Hufn.) was evidently nct out at this date. though young larvae were found on its foodplant the Spanish Catchfly (,Silene otites) on July 17th. This is nearly three weeks later than the normal date which is in keeping with the general lateness of the season.

From about the middle of July a steady stream of the more common noctuid moths came to light, the best species being the Lunar-spotted Pinion (Cosmia pyralina View.) on July 27th and another on August Ist. A few pupae of Webb's Wainscot (.Nonagria sparganii Esp.) and of the Bulrush Wainscot (N. typhae Thunb.) were found in stems of the reed mace near Thorpeness on August Ist, but visitors to light were now mostly geometers, including a number of the Small Rivulet (Perizoma alchemillata Linn.) and one Purple Thorn (Selenia tetraulnaria Hufn.)/. aestiva.

Among the late summer larvae in Stowmarket mention must be made of the Sycamore moth (Apatele aceris Linn.). This wellknown Cockney insect has been taken at Needham Market by John and Geoffrey Burton for several years, but it was not tili last year that I saw a larva in Stowmarket. I have lived there for 18 years and have kept a look-out on the sycamore trees in the Recreation Ground. I cannot think that I have missed it all this time. This year many larvae have been found in Stowmarket and I can only think that the species has only recently colonised the district.

So far autumn butterflies have not been very plentiful. There has been quite a number of Small Tortoiseshells (Aglais urticae Linn.) and a few Peacocks (Nymphalis io Linn.) and Red Admirals (Pyrameis atalanta Linn.), but no Painted Ladies (Pyrameis cardui Linn.) or Commas (Polygonia c-album Linn.).

H. E. CHIPPERFIELD, Stowmarket.