SPECIES SEARCH
The Lepidoptera and other insects of the U.K.
By Dave Hatton
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2011 HIGHLIGHTS and SUMMARY
This years highlight for me was as always, seeing species that I have not observed in the past. This started here in Yorkshire with the Pale Prominent, Dotted Border, Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner and an assortment of micro moths. Also having a new, and better camera as a Christmas present from my wife was a bonus. The camera has a higher resolution, larger lens and a super macro setting. My picture quality has improved, and this helps with identifying very small insects. I had only ever seen one Herald moth until this year, and then this spring I trapped two in a nearby wood. This is a species which hibernates, and these two specimens were in very good condition considering they emerged last year..
The Herald, Woodhall Lake, Pudsey, W. Yorks, April 2011.
White Admiral, Southrey Wood, nr Bardney, Lincolnshire.
Another highlight for Elaine and I, was the massive amount of Red Admiral butterflies we saw, whilst on holiday in Lincolnshire. We were counting these butterflies in dozens at most reserves that we visited. My wife had never seen a White Admiral butterfly before this year, and I had not seen one for years, This was put right in Southrey Wood (part of the Bardney Forest complex), there were dozens of these butterflies to be seen. They weren't easy to photograph however, most of the time they kept settling high up in the tree's. On two nature reserves in Lincolnshire, we were treated to seeing Marbled White butterflies in large numbers. Also I have finally observed, and photographed Essex Skippers.
As well as the many Lincolnshire butterflies in July, we also saw many moth species These include a few that I have not seen before such as, Red-barred Tortrix, Tinea Semifulvella, Acleris Forsskaleana, Agonopterix Alstromeriana, Endotricha Flammealis, Small Blood-vein, Small Fan-footed Wave, Small Scallop, Dwarf Cream Wave and The Suspected. We made two further visits to Lincolnshire, in May and September. these visits produced Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix, Acleris Emargana, Mother Shipton and a variety of other insects including, Broad-bodied Chaser, Four-spotted Chaser, Emperor, Southern and Migrant Hawker, a Hawthorn Sawfly, a few beetles, hoverflies and some other species.
Brown Hairstreak, Bardney Woods, Lincolnshire, Sept 2010.
Many of the moths in Lincolnshire were obtained by lightly shaking the branches of tree's and bushes. Although this method is a bit random, the results can be pleasantly surprising at times. This year I have become more interested in hoverflies, and my new camera has made it easier to get fairly good images of them. Most of my hoverfly pictures have been taken on my rockery at home, or whilst on holiday in Lincolnshire. Some of my better pictures include Eupeodes Luniger, Sphaerophoria Scripta, Helophilus Pendulus, Scaeva Pyrastri and also Melangyna Umbellatarum. Of the beetles that we saw this year, I think the scarcely seen Stenocorus Meridianus (The Variable Beetle) was a good find.
Acleris Forsskaleana, Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, July 2011.
Red-barred Tortrix, Skegness, Lincolnshire, July 2011.
© 2011