| Sighting Made By Adam Rooze in bishops stortford, Hertfordshire and sent in to wildlife sightings UK Think you have seen one? Let us know! wildlifesightings@hotmail.co.uk |
Showing posts with label Butterfly and Moth Sightings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Butterfly and Moth Sightings. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Butterfly and Moth Sightings: Pink-spotted Hawkmoth spotted in Hertfordshire
Friday, 10 June 2011
Moth Sightings: First spotting of 'exciting' rare moth in Scotland
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| The Conformist: Sighted in Strathspey. |
A moth - named The Conformist - which has only been seen in the UK once before, has been spotted in the Highlands.
A moth so rare it has been seen only once before in the UK since 1946 has turned up in a nature reserve in Strathspey.
The insect - known as The Conformist - was discovered in a light-trap set up by visiting entomologists from England at the RSPB's Insh Marshes reserve in the Highlands.
The species has never been spotted in Scotland before and it is thought to have reached the Strathspey reserve after an arduous journey across the North Sea.
Tom Prescott, species conservation officer at Butterfly Conservation Scotland, described its discovery as "exciting".
He said: "Considering how little we've seen of this moth it's a real surprise for it to turn up in a moth trap at the Insh Marshes reserve.
"It was just my luck that the day it was spotted I was away on holiday just five miles away, and missed seeing it. I would have loved to have seen it, but it's just nice someone else got to see it.
"It's thought that it migrated from Scandanavia, possibly this spring, but it's often unclear why something like this happened, as exciting as it is.
"It just shows the amazing things that can be found in a moth trap if you leave one out. I think there will be further investigations to see what moths can be found at this particular reserve."
He said he wasn't clear why the moth was called The Conformist, as it was just one of many moths to be given an unusual name over the years.
He said: "There's also a moth called The Nonconformist. There's one called The Confused and another called The Uncertain.
"Many were named in Edwardian times, which is probably part of the reason for the unusual names."
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Butterfly Sightings: Britain's Smallest Butterfly spotted in Hertfordshire- Small blue butterfly
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Britain's tiniest resident butterfly, the small blue, has returned for the second year running to a nature reserve in Hertfordshire.
Staff at Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve, near Tring, have reported several sightings of the rare creature.
Prior to 2010, the small blue had been extinct in the county for eight years.
Reserves officer Paul Thrush hopes the return will mean a breeding population being established at the reserve for the first time in nearly a decade.
"Thanks to our ongoing management work, the chalk grassland habitat is slowly recovering at Aldbury Nowers.
"We carried out a big restoration project here in 2008 and now the butterflies are starting to reap the rewards," said Mr Thrush.
"To see the small blue here again is fantastic news."
The reserve is home to a number of vulnerable butterfly species with at least 25 species inhabiting the area.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Butterfly and Moth Sightings: Rare butterflies bloom in Sussex woodland
RARE BUTTERFLIES introduced into woodland near Hailsham have fluttered happily in increasing numbers – way beyond the expectations of nature experts.
The Pearl-bordered Fritillary species, known for its white ‘pearls’ on the edge of its hindwing, was once considered the flagship butterfly of British woodlands. But the butterflies have declined by 70 per cent in the past 30 years and can only be found in a handful of sites in Southern England.
Some 250 butterflies were counted by the Forest Commission in Abbots Wood last year after the species was introduced there – but the latest count stands at a staggering 628 in the woodland corridors, pathways and open spaces all the way from the heart of the forest to the outer boundaries.
Stuart Sutton, wildlife ranger at the Forestry Commission, said: “The success this year in part has been down to the good weather, which has benefited butterflies nationwide. However the general trend in many other locations is that the Pearl-bordered Fritillary has been in decline, other reintroduction projects have failed time and time again and the species has been hanging on a knife-edge.
“We are thrilled that every year we have seen an increase in numbers here at Abbots Wood but this year the population has grown beyond our wildest expectations. The butterflies have really taken advantage of our carefully targeted management of the forest landscape and tree felling, which provides sustainable timber for British industry as well as open warm and sunny areas for feeding and breeding butterflies.”
Experts believe the woodland’s changing ‘mosaic of open space’ couple with warm and dry conditions for the butterfly larve and there is an amply source of flower with nectar during the Summer season.
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Rare Insects Thriving in Britain's First Dark Sky Park
Buglife say artificial light affects invertebrates such as bees, which play a part in pollinating plantsThe UK's first Dark Sky Park has been held up as an example of how invertebrates could be protected from harm caused by artificial light.
Conservation group Buglife has highlighted Galloway Forest Park in the south of Scotland in a new report.
Buglife warned street lighting, man-made shiny surfaces and certain paint colours attracted insects away from flowers and natural egg-laying sites.
Galloway's reduced light pollution was recognised in 2009.
The International Dark Sky Association confirmed the forest park as one of the best places for stargazing in the world.
Lighting experts were brought in to ensure the skies above the woodland were pitch black at night.
Buglife mentioned the project among the recommendations in its new report A Review of the Impact of Artificial Light on Invertebrates.
The document's authors said: "Areas with natural or near-natural lighting regimes should be officially conserved.
"Additional Dark Sky Preserve areas should be identified to complement the Galloway Forest Park Dark Sky Preserve.
"In these areas existing light pollution should be reduced and strict limits and constraints placed on any new lighting."
However, artificial light could disrupt invertebrates' feeding, breeding and movement.Buglife said many invertebrates, such as moths and glow worms, depended on the natural rhythms of day-night and seasonal and lunar changes to light levels.
Buglife said bees, which play a key role in pollinating plants, could be drawn away from flowers by brightly coloured outdoor surfaces.
The report also said a rare beetle, the lesser silver water beetle, was attracted away from water to red coloured cars and would lay their eggs on them.
It added: "The coating of the eggs is acidic and eats away the surface of the car's paint."
In Scotland, Buglife's work has previously included highlighting discoveries of rare invertebrates.
In 2009, a tiny creature no bigger than 1mm in length found in the Scottish hills was confirmed as the first recorded member of its species found in the UK.
The springtail Bourletiella viridescens was photographed in the Cairngorms by Tim Ransom.
Previously, it was reported in literature as having been found at two sites in north England, but there are no specimens to back this.
Experts identified and confirmed the Highlands sighting.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
British Wildlife's Winners: 20 species benefiting from Britain’s strange spring
By Jasper Copping
Britain’s strange spring weather has already broken records and more look set to follow. England and Wales experienced the lowest March and April rainfall since the 1930s, while last month was the warmest April since records began 100 years ago. This month is on course for similarly unprecedented average temperatures and forecasters predict more of the same for the summer.
Weathermen said the average temperature in central England so far this month was 55F (13C) - five degrees warmer than average and ranking it in the top six per cent of hottest Mays since records began in 1659.
April had just 24 per cent of the average rainfall for the month, making it the driest April for 80 years, while several areas of the country experienced the driest March for almost half a century.
While the prospect is alarming for the country’s farmers and gardeners, for many wildlife species it has offered great opportunities.
The imperilled butterfly was boosted by the cold conditions at the start of the year, which killed off fungi and parasites which can be a threat to their larvae, while early spring and dry conditions have meant an earlier life cycle, more active ays and as a result record numbers. Several other butterfly species have benefited from the same trends, particularly the orange tip and holly blue.
Sand lizards
A rare and protected species limited to areas in the south and north west, these have been observed laying eggs in early May – around three weeks earlier than usual and in common with all basking species – including adders and grass snakes – they are thriving in the warm weather, while their eggs should hatch earlier.
Dormice
The cold winter allowed the creatures to enjoy a deep hibernation before the warm start then encouraged them to wake earlier and continued mild conditions have provided a ready supply of blossom and bramble for them to feed off.
Field cricket
Having a “great” spring, according to experts, much of this insect’s life cycle occurs in April and May, and the perfect conditions for it means this has taken place unimpeded.
Oak processionary moth
Larvae hatched about 20 days earlier than normal, because of a warm April, into prime conditions with oak trees produce a lot of sugar in their leaves in the sunny weather. This means that the caterpillars that eat these leaves receive plenty of nourishment before becoming moths.
Downy emerald
An early start to spring has meant more time “on the wing”, giving good prospects for the year ahead and as it lays its larvae in deep ponds, it should escape the worst effects of drought.
Cockchafer
Also known as the may bug, as it is the month the adults first appear, this large flying beetle has been thriving in the warm weather as adults have more time to find a mate, with record numbers reported at some sites.
Brambles
The blackberry picking season could start as early in June, rather than in late August and September, as is normal because bramble flowers have emerged already, a month early, becaise of warm weather. Strawberries and cherries will also thrive unless drought is prolonged.
Harlequin ladybird
The alien species, originally from Asia and first seen here in 2004, is benefiting from the easy availability of aphids – which themselves are doing well this year because there is little rain to keep their numbers down and relatively windy conditions are helping to disperse them.
Dandelions
Long periods of sunshine and windy conditions have helped the wild flowers to a good start this year. As well as gardeners, this will also concern conservationists, who warn dandelions are destroying other wild flowers, such as orchids and harebells, by encroaching on their habitats and depriving them of nutrients.
Flea beetle
The rain and cold weather seen during a “normal” spring would usually keep their numbers down. But without these constraints, their numbers are soaring. Flea beetle is the general name given to a group of beetles which jump when disturbed, hence their name.
St Mark’s Fly
Adults usually emerge around St Mark’s Day, April 25, but they were seen a fortnight early this year and emerged into ideal conditions and have been extremely abundant. The large, hairy black fly is easily recognised by the males’ 'dancing’ up-and-down flight and long dangling legs hanging down.
Osprey
The birds but have arrived back at nest sites at the start of March, UK earlier than ever before, because warm winds blew them from Africa in a record time. This allows them to get on with breeding earlier than normal and gives them higher survival rates for their offspring. Other migrants, such as pied flycatchers, swallows, willow warblers, garden warblers, whitethroats and blackcaps, enjoyed similarly early returns.
Bluetits
These birds winter in the UK but seemed to emerge from the cold weather relatively unscathed. Because they rely on caterpillars, which are plentiful, they have not been affected by a reduction in worm numbers caused by drought.
Basking sharks
Warming seas and long periods of sunlight have triggered early plankton blooms which have attracted basking sharks to UK waters earlier than normal. The creatures first arrived off the Isles of Scilly but have now been reported off the north and south coasts of Cornwall, raising the prospect of a summer of increased sightings.
Tree bumblebee
First seen her ten years ago in the New Forest, it comes out early in the year and has benefited from ideal conditions. It likes nesting in holes in trees as well as bird boxes. It is distinguished from other bumblebees by its appearance – it has a brown thorax, black abdomen and white tail.
Common toads
Tadpoles have been seen earlier – and larger – than normal which should leave mean they will thrive this year. The fact that they are poisonous gives them a significant advantage over competitors because they are not eaten by fish.
Algae
Large blooms can be expected to clog up lakes, rivers, canals and even coastline this summer as the plant builds up in long periods of sunshine. Blanketweed will be a particular problem for gardeners who top up ponds with tap water, which is full of nutrients.
Ladybird spider
One of Britain’s rarest species, it is found only in Dorset heathland, but has been recorded a fortnight earlier than normal and enjoyed perfect warm and dry conditions throughout its emergence period.
Barbastelle bat
Dry conditions and subsequent abundance of insects have helped this rare and protected species of bat but their most critical period will come in June and July when they have their pups.
From The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/jasper-copping/
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Butterfly and Moth News: A Rare Moth in Gloucestershire is Scaring the Locals
Three trees in Lilliesfield Avenue have been struck by a phenomenon so rare that the city's tree officers say they've never seen "anything like it before".
The branches on the trees have a strange cob-web like residue hanging off them akin to something from a horror film.
Even the trunks are covered in it, prompting bemused residents to go and take a look.
Richard Auckland, who lives nearby, said: "They are a spectacular, and somewhat creepy sight."
Tree maintenance workers from Gloucester City Council visited the street on Monday to investigate.
They are bird cherry trees, a native to Britain which produces a display of almond-scented white flowers every spring."
The cobwebs are caused by an invasion of bird cherry ermine moth caterpillars, which have created a vast nest.
The caterpillars feed on the trees, which are found across Europe, and they emerge as distinctive white moths with five rows of black dots. Experts say it is a natural phenomenon, and the council is planning to leave it alone.
Marcus Grodentz, spokesman for the city council, said: "The tree warden said he has never seen anything like it before.
"It doesn't pose a danger to people and, as far as we know, it doesn't pose a danger to the trees either.
"We know it has happened elsewhere in the country," Mr Grodentz said.
"They are keeping an eye on it, it is a very unusual sight."
The infestation was first spotted by volunteer tree wardens walking around Barnwood.
Friday, 20 May 2011
Butterfly and Moth Sightings: Butterfly effect- Britain's Butterfly's making a comeback
By Kunal Dutta
Three sodden summers brought many butterflies to the brink of extinction. But now Britain's most endangered species are making a comeback thanks to 2010's Indian summer and conservation efforts.
Research from the Butterfly Conservation charity suggests the Adonis blue, wood white and the marsh fritillary have increased in numbers. The findings mark a success for conservation efforts such as the Great British Butterfly Hunt, The Independent's campaign, which drew the support of Sir David Attenborough.
Butterfly experts are cautiously optimistic that if Britain has a similar summer this year, some of the most threatened species could make a significant recovery after populations plummeted in recent years because of bad weather, habitat loss and intensive farming. Continuous or heavy rain makes its hard for butterflies to survive because the temperature is usually too low for them to fly.
ALAMY
The blue butterfly is one of the most characteristic species of southern chalk downland
The wood white is Britain's smallest butterfly and its numbers have fallen by 96 per cent since the Seventies. But last year suggested increases of 600 per cent, with the most sightings in Herefordshire, Buckinghamshire and across Ireland. The marsh fritillary, which has also been in decline, increased by 134 per cent and the Adonis blue by 74 per cent.
Dr Tom Brereton, head of monitoring at Butterfly Conservation, attributed the increase in "specialist" species to conservation. "There have been a lot of good efforts but the last few years haven't had the weather to go with it. It shows these projects are working, given time," he said. But despite the welcome signs of butterfly resurgence, conservationists warned there was still the problem of a longer-term fall in numbers – with three-quarters of the 58 species declining in recent decades, and nearly half seriously threatened. One of the UK's rarest butterflies, the Lulworth skipper, which is confined to the Dorset coast, had its worst year since 1976. Meadow browns, one of the country's most common species, also had its worst year on record, while Essex skippers and wall butterflies also fared poorly.
Five species of British butterfly have become extinct, including the large blue. Dr Marc Botham, butterfly ecologist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: "Butterflies are highly sensitive to how our countryside is changing."
Adonis blue
The blue butterfly, is one of the most characteristic species of southern chalk downland, where it flies low over short-grazed turf. Males are blue, females brown with a row of red spots with blue edges on hindwing. Figures up 74%.
Duke of Burgundy
A small attractive insect, whose wings are a lattice of marmalade-orange and black. The insect was originally a coppiced woodland butterfly and lost much of its habitat with the decline in traditional woodland management and the growth of conifer plantations. Feeds on cowslips and primroses. Figures up 18%.
Black hairstreak
One of the most elusive butterflies, found only in thickets of blackthorn in a small part of the East Midlands of England. The adults spend nearly all their time in the canopies of trees or dense scrub, where they feed on honeydew secreted by aphids. Figures up 195%.
Wood white
A delicate species, that lives in woodland rides and has suffered from the decline in traditional woodland management. In Britain it has declined by more than 60 per cent over 30 years, but in the past decade has staged a comeback, with a recent increase of about 10 per cent. It has responded well to habitat management in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Warwickshire. Figures up 600%
Butterfly and Moth News: Rare Butterfly's in the UK winners and losers
Winners in 2010
• Wood white: up 600% since 2009, following major decline
• Marsh fritillary: up 134%, after major decline
• Common blue: up 146%
• Brown argus: up 85%
• Silver-spotted skipper: up 78%
Losers in 2010
• Lulworth skipper: down 40%, worst ever year since records began
• Meadow brown: down 20%, worst ever year
• Essex skipper: down 33%, second worst year in scheme
• Small skipper: down 17%
• Wall brown: down 20%
Butterfly and Moth News: Butterfly revival could be threatened by cuts, warns charity
Patrick Barkham
Targeted conservation is reversing drastic decline in rare species, but Natural England budget cuts may jeopardise efforts
Targeted conservation is reversing drastic decline in rare species, but Natural England budget cuts may jeopardise efforts
The wood white butterfly has seen a dramatic return in numbers, with a sixfold increase in sightings last year compared with 2009. Photograph: George Mccarthy/Corbis [This caption was corrected on 16 May 2011. The original referred to the white wood butterfly]
Rare butterflies are thriving after targeted efforts to conserve them in nature reserves, but experts say that government cuts could threaten endangered species.
Newly released figures from the charity Butterfly Conservation show that the endangered wood white increased in number by 600% in Britain last summer after a major decline, while the rare marsh fritillary increased by 134% and the silver-spotted skipper, once on the brink of extinction, rallied with a 78% rise.
All three have benefited from the scientific management of habitat after decades of decline triggered by industrial farming and the end of traditional forestry. But the budget for Natural England, the government agency which funds many projects, has been slashed, jeopardising thriving butterfly conservation programmes.
"Targeted conservation action works – these figures prove it," said Martin Warren, chief executive of Butterfly Conservation. "It's absolutely vital that targeted funding of species recovery is sustained to ensure these butterflies continue to thrive."
With the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs forced to trim its budget by 30%, Natural England is losing staff and conservationists expect it to withdraw funding for the management of some nature reserves and delicate landscapes for butterflies and other species.
Despite these fears, a glorious spring has further boosted the population of some of the rarest insects, which are currently flying in a number not seen for a generation.
Eight years ago just eight Duke of Burgundy butterflies – probably the most endangered in Britain – were spotted in West Sussex. This year there have been more than 1,000 sightings.
"The rare species have done so well. Pearl-bordered fritillaries have gone bananas and so have Duke of Burgundies," said Neil Hulme of Sussex Butterfly Conservation, who counted 115 Duke of Burgundies on a nature reserve where he would usually spot one or two.
"It's been a cracking spring but no matter how good the weather is butterflies still need their habitats to be in good condition for them to respond," said Warren.
More than three-quarters of Britain's 59 butterfly species have declined in recent decades and despite the successful protection of some of the rarest species, many more common butterflies continue to disappear from the wider countryside.
In 2010, 21 butterfly species flew in less numbers compared with the previous year. The meadow brown suffered its worst year since butterfly monitoring began 35 years ago, while the Essex skipper suffered its second worst year . The small skipper and wall brown are two other once-common species which declined drastically.
The graceful but now critically endangered high brown fritillary and the Lulworth skipper, which is confined to the Dorset coastline and has suffered a 93% decline in number since 2000, continued to disappear from the countryside.
Butterfly numbers are recorded every year by 1,500 volunteers who submit sightings to the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and the insects are a valuable indicator species, showing the health of the country's meadows, woodlands and gardens. Managing land for butterflies benefits other wildlife, including birds, bees and wild flowers.
Marc Botham of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, which helps run the monitoring scheme, said: "Butterflies are highly sensitive to how our countryside is changing and the UKBMS data has revealed how butterflies are already being impacted by climate change as well as whether our conservation measures are working."
The coalition's much-delayed white paper on the natural environment will be unveiled in June. Ecologists hope it will fund "landscape-scale" conservation to boost biodiversity – and halt the decline of butterflies – in the wider countryside but argue it must not neglect specific measures to protect rare species.
"The conservation of delicate and rare habitats gets the headlines but we've got to look after common habitats as well," said Hulme.
"We've got some big opportunities coming up with the nature white paper but it's important that we build on these successes," said Warren.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Butterfly and Moth News: Survey reveals record number of rare butterfly's
A survey has revealed record numbers of a nationally rare butterfly – seen earlier than usual this year due to recent warm weather.
305 pearl bordered fritillaries have been recorded at Devon Wildlife Trust’s Marsland nature reserve. The rare butterflies were out earlier than usual, with 15 recorded on 9/10 April by national butterfly expert Roger Harding.
A full survey was undertaken on Monday 18 April by Devon Wildlife Trust’s senior nature reserves officer Gary Pilkington. The previous highest count – 288 - was recorded more than 10 years ago.
Pearl Bordered Fritillary © Scott Hackett, from the surfbirds galleries.
Pearl bordered fritillaries were counted in many areas of the site which had been cut and coppiced by Devon Wildlife Trust staff over the winter, with funding from Viridor. Gary Pilkington has been managing Marsland nature reserve for more than 20 years to improve the wooded valley’s glades and pastures for the benefit of these rare butterflies. It is one of the most closely monitored sites in the South West for butterflies and the knowledge accrued over the years is paying dividends. The 212 hectare site on the North Devon coast supports five species of fritillary: pearl bordered, small pearl bordered, silver washed, dark green and high brown.
Gary Pilkington, said:
“Over the years we have learnt exactly what pearl bordered fritillaries need to thrive here. It includes appropriate bracken control, scrub management and providing the open ground they love.
“They are readily responding to our long-term and careful management of this site, in particular to us opening up areas, especially where their food plant viola and main nectaring plant, bugle, heave on the woodland floor. To see them in big numbers in coppice - mainly hazel with some birch and oak – rather than their traditional haunt of bracken slopes is especially pleasing.
“This is the ideal time of the year to see pearl-bordered fritillaries in flight. It really is a spectacular sight to watch them flitter in amongst the coppice on a beautiful sunny day.”
Other butterflies recorded at Marsland on 9/10 April included four comma, more than 100 orange tip, 50 speckled wood, 10 holly blue, one red admiral, one small tortoiseshell, one green veined white, five small white and two wall brown.
Management work at Marsland nature reserve is carried out by Devon Wildlife Trust staff, local contractors and volunteers who help to remove gorse, willow, alder and other scrub in the habitats best suited to the butterflies. Devon Wildlife Trust is leading the way with improving habitat for pearl bordered fritillaries, and increasing numbers. It has three other sites where reserves officers are undertaking the same simple and effective management approach and reaping the rewards.
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