Glasgow & SW Scotland Butterflies

The Return of the Comma

Andrew Masterman — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:36:10 +0000

Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is asking the public to help track the expansion of the Comma butterfly in Scotland.

The Comma butterfly is making a comeback in Scotland. The distinctive orange and brown butterfly has ragged wing edges and a white comma-shaped marking on its underwings, making it easy to identify.

Comma on Buddliea in Motherwell in 2008 Credit: Louise Collins

It can be found in gardens and woodlands from April through to September, as it hibernates overwinter as an adult butterfly and has two broods a year.

Commas have been spotted as far north as Aberdeenshire to date and it seems to be spreading faster up the east coast than the west, where it is as far north as Motherwell. Last year, the discovery of Comma caterpillars feeding on elm in Bridge of Allan, confirmed that the Comma is successfully breeding in the central belt.

Sightings can be returned on special Comma postcards or online by going to
www.butterfly-conservation.org/scottishcommasurvey

Postcard for recording Comma sightings in 2011

Contacts
Alex Hogg, Community Participation Officer, Butterfly Conservation Scotland
ahogg@butterfly-conservation.org
Tel: 01786 447753

Paul Kirkland, Director, Butterfly Conservation Scotland,
pkirkland@butterfly-conservation.org
Tel: 01786 447753 Mobile: 07770 732825

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Kentish Glory Surveys at Loch Rannoch in 2012

Andrew Masterman — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:01:01 +0000

LIGHT TRAPPING 2012: three nights of light trapping for Kentish Glory at Loch Rannoch have been organised for Thur 3 May, Fri 4 May and Sat 5 May with myself and two other volunteers currently attending. As there are a number of sites to check out around Loch Rannoch and some around Loch Tummel, more volunteers, preferably with light traps are required. However, volunteers without light traps can do daytime searches for adult Kentish Glory and egg batches and searches for Netted Mountain Moth and Small Dark Yellow Underwing are alternative daytime activities. If you would like to get involved, please email andrewmasterman@hotmail.com

Kentish Glory is classified as Nationally Scarce A being only found in Scotland in the Rannoch area, south Aberdeenshire, on Speyside and on the Morayshire coast.

: Distribution of Kentish Glory in Scotland.

Kentish Glory is a large and spectacular moth with a very attractive combination of white and chocolate brown markings and the sexes show marked sexual dimorphism with females being much larger than the males

: Pair of Kentish Glory. Credit John Knowler

The larval foodplant of Kentish Glory is Silver Birch although Downy Birch and Alder are sometimes used (Waring et al., 2003). Alder feeding larvae in Britain have been found in the Rannoch area and in Glen Tanar on Deeside (Heath and Emmett, 1983a) although, on the continent, Alder is one of a list of species Kentish Glory larvae may feed on (Pelham-Clinton, 1982; Shaw, 1989). In 1982, Pelham-Clinton stated, “it would be interesting to know whether the Kentish Glory ever fed on Birch at Rannoch” which suggests he was unaware of the 1966 Kentish Glory record by the late Michael Majerus at North Rannoch which is an area of Birch scrub. Shaw (1989) later reported that he beat two Kentish Glory larvae from Silver Birch about 1 km north-west of Tummel Bridge in July 1988 and some other more recent records are also from areas of birch scrub. So there is now firm evidence that Kentish Glory in the Rannoch area does use Silver Birch and there have been no records of Alder-feeding larvae since 1939 (Pelham-Clinton, 1982). But surveyors who look for Kentish Glory in the Rannoch area should be aware that Alder may be used as a larval foodplant.

The habitat of Kentish Glory is lightly wooded moorland where the birch scrub is no more than 1 - 3m tall as shown in the photograph below:

: Kentish Glory habitat at Drumcroy Hill

Butterfly Conservation commissioned survey work in 2010 on rare moths in the Rannoch area as part of the Moths Count project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and many other partner organisations. The results for Kentish Glory are discussed below.

Three historical sites, Killiekrankie, Tummel Bridge and North Rannoch were visited during the daytime on three occasions (North Rannoch only once) when adults were searched for and also egg batches which are quite conspicuous. Unfortunately, neither adults nor eggs were found at any of these three historical sites.

: Kentish Glory eggs on birch. Credit: John Knowler

However, on Drumcroy hill a few km west of the Tummel Bridge site and about 1 km away from one of the 1939 larval records from Alder, six large brown moths were seen in flight in the vicinity of NN724618 in which there was a lot of birch scrub 1-3m high. As none were seen at rest, they can only be designated as probable sightings but two were seen fairly close-up and the characteristic prominent white cross-lines were seen. But both Fox Moth and Emperor moth are large brown moths which fly during May in the same habitat as Kentish Glory so caution is appropriate when the moths are only seen in flight.

The map below shows Drumcroy Hill and the probable sightings of Kentish Glory in 2010 together with a shaded area which denotes a large area with patches of birch scrub 1-3 m high. Permission to use light traps has been granted by the landowner so light trapping here is planned during early May 2011. As this is a large area to cover, any volunteers who would like bring along their light traps to help out would be greatly appreciated.

: Kentish Glory at Drumcroy Hill

There are also three large areas with suitable habitat around Loch Rannoch which also need to be searched for Kentish Glory but permission for light trapping has only been granted for one of these, the Finnart area at the SW corner of Loch Rannoch. These three other areas are shown on the map below and daytime searches for adults and eggs could be done.

: Kentish Glory habitat around Loch Rannoch

It is quite possible that Kentish Glory is present in quite a number of 1 km squares around Lochs Rannoch and Tummel but records are few and far between. As a consequence, there have been concerns that Kentish Glory may be in decline in the Rannoch area but these concerns are probably unfounded.

The flight period of Kentish Glory is late April to mid-May. Kentish Glory is not an easy species to record and the Rannoch area is rather remote so under-recording is the most likely cause of the lack of records. It is very encouraging that some old serendipitous records of Kentish Glory being found resting on building walls, presumably having been attracted by light overnight, have surfaced in 2011 for new 1 km squares: Killiekrankie NN915600 from 1987; Tummel Bridge NN810598 in 1996 & NN770589 in 2000. This strongly suggests that Kentish Glory is alive and well in the Rannoch area and is possibly quite widespread. But this hypothesis needs testing via more recording in 2011, preferably using light traps as daytime searches are less efficient. If you would like to get involved in recording Kentish Glory in the Rannoch area in late April/early May 2011, please email andrewmasterman@hotmail.com

Accommodation options in the area include budget rooms at the MacDonald Loch Rannoch Hotel from £68 mid-week or there are some wild camping spots around Loch Rannoch or on the south side of Loch Tummel and there is the Kilvrecht Forestry Commission campsite on the south side of Loch Rannoch which has toilets but no showers/hot water for £6 per person per night - no lights in the toilets too so you need a head torch!

Current plans for trapping are Easter Sunday/Monday and the following weekend 30 Apr/ 1May.

REFERENCES

Heath, J. and Emmett, A. M. 1983a. The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol 7(2). Harley Books.

Pelham-Clinton, E. C 1982. The Kentish Glory Moth, Endromis versicolara (L.) at Rannoch. Entomologists Record and Journal of Variation, 94, 215-216.

Shaw, M. R. 1989. The Kentish Glory Moth, Endromis versicolara (L.) (Lep: Endromidae), at Rannoch. Entomologists Record and Journal of Variation, 101, 45-46.

Waring, P.,Townsend, M. and Lewington, R. 2003. Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing.

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Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey 2011

Andrew Masterman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:20:41 +0000

“We are delighted to inform you that we have decided to continue the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey (WCBS) again in 2011. Once again this will be a collaborative project with BTO and CEH. We would like to thank everyone who took part last year and especially the WCBS Champions who helped promote the survey within the Branches.

The survey had another successful year in 2010 with nearly 700 squares sampled. We hope you will continue to survey the same squares in the same way as last year. Our priority is to re-survey these squares for at least the next 2 years so that we can determine trends in the wider countryside and see whether they differ from transect trends. We also welcome new participants either to help re-survey old squares, or to survey new ones for the first time. New surveyors will be allocated randomly selected 1-km squares in their Branch area. The squares need to be surveyed in July and August by two visits at least ten days apart.

Anyone interested in taking part in the WCBS in Glasgow and South West Scotland in the coming season should contact Jo Davis jo.davis60@btinternet.com (the Branch Champion) for further information.”

You can read more about WCBS on the UK BMS website.

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Light Trapping for Rannoch Sprawler at Loch Rannoch in 2012

Andrew Masterman — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:14:19 +0000

UPDATE 2012: Further survey work is planned for the weekend of 23-25 March 2012 to search for Rannoch Sprawler along the south-east quadrant of Loch Rannoch and to do some further survey work on the north side further away from the road and behind the MacDonald Loch Rannoch Hotel. If you would like to get involved, please email andrewmasterman@hotmail.com

RESULTS 2012: A total of 77 Rannoch Sprawler were obtained in 2012 during four nights trapping. The map below shows the trapping results for both 2011 and 2012.

In 2011, the result of the four nights light trapping at 19 different points was a total of 33 Rannoch Sprawler which were caught in seven different 1 km squares five of which were new.

In 2012, the result of four nights trapping at 29 different points was a total of 77 Rannoch Sprawler in eight different 1 km squares four of which were new.

These results show that Rannoch Sprawler occurs in at least 12 different 1 km squares at Loch Rannoch and sometimes occurs in large numbers. These are very positive results.

The first British specimen of Rannoch Sprawler was taken at Rannoch in the spring of 1854 and it is currently known from four different areas of Scotland: the Rannoch area; near Braemar; on Speyside; and in Glens Affric and Moriston.

: Distribution of Rannoch Sprawler in Scotland

The Rannoch Spawler is a large and impressive noctuid which occurs in two forms: a grey Speyside form and a reddy Rannoch form.

: Grey Speyside form of Rannoch Sprawler on left and red Rannoch form on right. Credit John Knowler.

The flight period of the Rannoch Sprawler is from March to mid-April when it can be caught using light traps or you can search for adults on the south side of the trunks of large birch trees during the day. Waring & Townsend Moths Field Guide suggests it can take as long as six hours to find one Rannoch Sprawler using this daytime search method. Daytime searches for Rannoch Sprawler on the south sides of the trunks of large birch trees were unsuccessful in 2010. While some distinguished Scottish Lepidopterists have been heard to lament the loss of traditional Lepidoptera methods such as searching the trunks of trees for moths during the daytime, there is such a thing as being a Luddite! In the case of Rannoch Sprawler, using a light trap is a much more efficient method than daytime searches of birch trunks and therefore the author is using this method in 2011 to confirm that Rannoch Sprawler is present in the areas of suitable habitat which were identified in 2010.

The habitat of the Rannoch Sprawler is mature open birch woodland with large trees. Waring & Townsend suggest that both downy and silver birch are used and that downy birch is used at Rannoch. However, the surveys in 2010 revealed that silver birch and not downy birch occurs at the sites of the historical records. The photos below show such silver birch habitat on the north side of Loch Rannoch and a close-up of the trunk of one silver birch tree which has large crevices and knobbly bits at the bottom.

: Birch Woodland occupied by Rannoch Sprawler on north side of Loch Rannoch

: Close-up of Silver birch trunk in woodland occupied by Rannoch Sprawler

The map below shows the areas around Loch Rannoch which were identified as containing suitable habitat for Rannoch Sprawler in 2010 plus the sparse historical Rannoch Sprawler records. The areas of apparently suitable habitat are large and light trapping across these areas is required in 2011 to confirm that Rannoch Sprawer is present. Click here for a Word document file containing this map which can be printed out and taken into the field.

: Distribution of Rannoch Sprawler records around Loch Rannoch and areas of habitat.

Permission to use light traps in the shaded areas on the north side of Loch Rannoch has been obtained so there is an opportunity here to catch a very rare and spectacular moth if you have not already had the priviledge of recording this large majestic noctuid! If anyone is keen to bag the red ‘Rannoch’ form of the Rannoch Sprawler during the latter half of March when I plan to trap there over 2 or 3 nights, please email andrewmasterman@hotmail.com .

You can get a budget room for £43 a night for a mid-week stay at the Loch Rannoch Hotel , Kinloch Rannoch if you book online, or there are very scenic wild camping spots at the east end of Loch Rannoch at Kinloch Rannoch.

RESULTS Posted 1 April 2011

Trapping took place on the nights of 21, 22, 23 & 28 March 2011. Heath traps were placed at a total of 19 different points and Rannoch Spawler found at 12( 63%) of these random sites within suitable habitat. A total of 33 Rannoch Sprawler were caught in seven different 1 km squares, five of which were new 1 km squares for Rannoch Sprawler.

Eight and nine individual Rannoch Sprawler were caught in two traps on the 28 March 2011 suggesting that Rannoch Sprawler is very numerous at these sites around Loch Rannoch. However, the two squares above Kinloch Rannoch, NN6559 & NN6659 had both Silver & Downy Birch whereas the squares further west were dominated by Silver Birch. The habitat in these two squares seemed less good with fewer old Silver Birch trees and this was confirmed by the absence of Rannoch Sprawler at four trapping sites in NN6559 and at one of the trapping sites in NN6659. But overall, there is certainly large areas of suitable habitat for Rannoch Sprawler as well as large populations of the moth which is shown by the large trap totals at some sites.

Many thanks to Greg & Andy Fitchett for trapping over two nights with four Heath Traps and to Stan Campbell for attending.

: Results of trapping for Rannoch Sprawler in 2011

: Three Rannoch Sprawler caught in a Heath trap & placed on a Birch trunk

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Welsh Clearwing Surveys at Loch Rannoch 2011

Andrew Masterman — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 15:29:52 +0000

Welsh Clearwing is a spectacular moth which is a wasp-mimic and its UK stronghold is in Wales where it was first found at Llangollen in 1854.

Welsh Clearwing Credit: John Knowler

Welsh Clearwing was first recorded in Scotland in the Rannoch area in 1867. There are scattered populations in Scotland: the Rannoch area; the Trossachs; Perth; and Glens Affric and Moriston.

Distribution of Welsh Clearwing in Scotland

The easiest method of detecting Welsh Clearwing is by searching for exit holes on the south facing aspects of birch trunks. These exit holes which are created by the emerging adults can be numerous and may persist for many years. Searches for exit holes and pupal exuviae (the empty pupal cases which can sometimes be found protruding from the exit holes) increased the number of 1 km squares with Welsh Clearwing in the Rannoch area from seven to 16 which includes two new sites (Killichonan & Innerhadden) away from the previously one known site with Welsh Clearwing: Finnart on the south-west side of Loch Rannoch.

Three sites around Loch Rannoch where old Welsh Clearwing exit holes were found in 2010.

In Wales and Staffordshire, both Silver and Downy Birch are used (Graham, 2007) but in the Rannoch area, while both birch species are present, Welsh Clearwing exit holes were only found on Downy Birch. In the Trossachs too, Welsh Clearwing is only found on Downy Birch.

Aas and Riedmiller (1994) describe the bark of Downy Birch as “Red-brown at first, becoming greyish-white with brown or grey horizontal banding. Sometimes bark stays brownish even in large trees”. Their description of the bark of Silver Birch is “Shiny, reddish brown at first, later turning pinkish or white with pale grey horizontal markings and dark grey scales, with deep fissures and knobbly bumps towards base of tree”. A Downy birch trunk riddled with Welsh Clearwing exit holes is shown below while Silver Birch trees tend to have larger crevices and are less horizontally banded.

Downy Birch trunk riddled with Welsh Clearwing exit holes.

Another difference between Silver and Downy Birch is the tree shape with Silver Birch generally being slender and taller up to 30 m high with branches angled sharply upwards and the outer branches curve downwards such that the foliage appears to elegantly cascade downwards. In contrast, Downy Birch are shorter up to 20 m tall with branches either angled upwards or more horizontal and they don’t curve downwards towards the tip giving the tree a much more compact and less attractive profile. However, both Silver and Downy Birch can hybridise with each other producing intermediate forms which are difficult to identify (Aas and Riedmiller,1994).

The two new sites with Welsh Clearwing exit holes present on Downy Birch trunks, Killichonan and Innerhadden, were discovered during nine random examinations of birch trees around Loch Rannoch. At one further site, only Downy Birch trees were found, but at the remaining six sites, only Silver Birch were present indicating that Silver Birch is dominant along large parts of the banks of Loch Rannoch.

Random sites around Loch Rannoch searched for Welsh Clearwing.

Given these results, it is unlikely that other new Welsh Clearwing sites will be found along the banks of Loch Rannoch but it is possible that Downy Birch may be present higher up the slopes above Loch Rannoch, so venturing away from the roadside might lead to new Welsh Clearwing sites. On the NBN gateway, there are two 10 km squares to the west of Loch Rannoch with historical Welsh Clearwing records (no specific details available) which need to be explored for presence of Downy Birch and Welsh Clearwing: NN35 and NN45.

Nine random sites around Loch Tummel were searched for Downy Birch and Welsh Clearwing but only Silver Birch trees were found so it is unlikely that Welsh Clearwing is present around Loch Tummel.

Raondom sites around Loch Tummel searched for Downy Birch and Welsh Clearwing.

The map below shows the distribution of trees with Welsh Clearwing exit holes around Finnart found during survey work in 2010. New exit holes can be identified by their perfectly round shape and size (10 mm in diameter- see photo below) and fresh edges and a presence of a pupal exuvium (see photo below) is also proof of occupancy by Welsh Clearwing in the current year. But in some of the 1 km squares below, only old exit holes were found which could mean that Welsh Clearwing is no longer present as these exit holes can persist from many years. Click here for a Word Document containing the Finnart map below which you can print out and take into the field.

Distribution of Downy Birch trees with Welsh Clearwing exit Holes at Finnart

A perfectly round fresh Welsh Clearwing exit hole.

A Welsh Clearwing pupal exuvium at Finnart on 30 June 2010

Adult Welsh Clearwing are not easy to find (none found in 2010) but a Welsh Clearwing pheromone lure is available which makes finding adult Welsh Clearwing males easy in areas where they are present. This pheromone lure (termed SCO) can be pre-ordered before April from Anglian Lepidoptera Supplies and this is very effective at attracting male adult Welsh Clearwing during the flight period: late June to July. Use of this pheromone lure is recommended for 2011 searches in those areas where only old exit holes were found in 2010. At Finnart, these are the following 1 km squares: NN5257; NN5455; NN5355: NN5224 and two further squares with birch woodland but which were not searched in 2010 need to be checked as well, NN5225 and NN5125.

A few new exit holes and one pupal exuvium were found at the first new site in 2010: Killichonan NN5556. At the second new site, Innerhadden, only old Welsh Clearwing exit holes were found so use of the pheromone lure is also required in square NN6657. The extent of this new site was not fully explored in 2010 so the 1 km squares either side also need exploring but it is suspected that these other squares only contain Silver Birch trees. Click here for a Word Document containing the Innerhadden map below which you can print out and take into the field.

Welsh Clearwing exit holes present in Downy Birch at Innerhadden

Welsh Clearwing is a rare moth only found locally at a few sites in Scotland (see Scottish Distribution map at the top of the page). However, it may be under-recorded to some extent, so if you visit the Rannoch area to familiarize yourself with the sort of open birch woodland it occupies and the appearance of the exit holes - trees with exit holes are common in areas in which Welsh Clearwing occurs - you will be able to recognise potential new sites when you are out and about in the Highlands of Scotland.

References

Aas, G and Riedmiller, A. 1994. Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins Nature Guide.

Graham,A.N. 2007. Welsh Clearwing Synanthedon scoliaeformis on Berwyn, Montgomeryshire. CCW Contrct Science Report. Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor.

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Largest National Insect Study Reveals Major Changes to UK Wildlife

Andrew Masterman — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 11:14:04 +0000

A world-leading research project carried out by thousands of volunteers from all over the UK has shed new light on conservation issues.

The newly-published Provisional Atlas of the UK’s Larger Moths contains up-to-date maps showing the distributions of 868 moth species, many of which have never been published before. The maps are based on a staggering 11.3 million moth records and is the culmination of four years work by the National Moth Recording Scheme, led by Butterfly Conservation. The Atlas is the compilation of centuries of citizen science undertaken by members of the public.

Initial findings from the huge data set include a pattern of considerable decline among some common moth species. These species include the Lappet moth, an amazing species that looks like a leaf and has a ‘snout’ that resembles a leaf stalk. This creature used to be common across central and southern England but has retreated to a few strongholds. Another once-widespread moth, the Stout Dart, now appears to be on the brink of extinction.

Scarcer moths have also suffered serious declines, including the Wood Tiger, Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, GoldSwift, Dew Moth, Light Feathered Rustic and Silvery Arches.

Moths make up a substantial portion of the UK’s biodiversity and their caterpillars are a vital part of the food chain for many birds and other wildlife. The Atlas and the database underlying it is a vital new resource to help society make informed decisions about the environment and to enable scientists to investigate the causes of the dramatic changes revealed by the maps.

Interestingly, the new maps also show that some of Britain’s moth populations are heading northwards, almost certainly as a result of climate change. Types of moth previously confined to southern parts of Britain are now being found in the north or even in Scotland. Examples of species moving north include the beautiful Lime Hawk-moth and striking Red Underwing.

At the same time new moths are arriving in Britain from mainland Europe. Since the turn of the century 28 new species have been seen in the UK for the first time. These include the Beautiful Marbled, Patton’s Tiger and Minsmere Crimson Underwing. Some recent arrivals have successfully colonised southern parts of Britain, such as Clancy’s Rustic, Small Ranunculus and Oak Rustic.
Richard Fox, Surveys Manager for Butterfly Conservation, said: “Moths have a lot to tell us. Their declines alert us to deterioration in the environment. Where they are found can also tell us something significant about climate change. This is why the new Atlas is so important. It is a huge step forward in helping to protect Britain’s moths. It’s been a fantastic effort to get to this stage, with thousands of volunteer moth recorders sending in sightings from every county across the UK. A full analysis of the data is now being undertaken to make the most of this vital and internationally-important resource”.
Moth recording is increasing in popularity and you don’t have to be an expert (or go out at night!) to help. You can contact your local county moth recorder with your sightings and these will be added to the database. To buy a copy of The Provisional Atlas of the UK’s Larger Moths or to find details of your county recorder, visit www.butterfly-conservation.org

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Red alert for Britain’s butterflies

Andrew Masterman — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:59:50 +0000

A new Red List of British butterflies outlines 23 species which are already extinct here or whose numbers have dropped to such low levels that they are vulnerable to extinction.

The High Brown Fritillary is one of two species rated as Critically Endangered. This species has been the fastest declining of all British butterflies seeing numbers drop by 85 per cent over a 10-year period.

The research confirms that butterflies are not only a highly threatened group in Britain but that they are faring worse than dragonflies, birds and plants. Twenty three species – 37 per cent of all our native butterflies – are considered to be regionally extinct or threatened. This compares to 21 per cent of dragonflies, 29 per cent of birds and 20 per cent of plants. A further 11 butterfly species are classified as ‘near threatened’ in the new Red List, leaving fewer than half (45 per cent) of Britain’s butterflies considered to be safe at present.

The figures are the result of a major re-assessment of the state of British butterfly populations using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List approach. It is based on data collected by thousands of volunteer recorders coordinated by the charity Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. The results are consistent with previous evidence of butterfly trends and confirm that butterflies are a highly threatened group in Britain.

“The new Red List shows that the number of butterflies in need of our help has increased dramatically in the past 10 years,” says Richard Fox from Butterfly Conservation, who is lead author of the study. “We have already seen conservationists bring the Large Blue butterfly back from extinction but there is so much more we need to do to secure the future for our fastest declining species. They are our heritage.”

The new Red List of British butterflies was produced by scientists working for Butterfly Conservation, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Threatened British butterflies defined by the new Red List (in order of threat category and then taxonomic order).

Species		Overall assessment
Black-veined White	Aporia crataegi	Regionally Extinct
Large Copper	Lycaena dispar	Regionally Extinct
Mazarine Blue	Polyommatus semi-argus	Regionally Extinct
Large Tortoiseshell	Nymphalis polychloros	Regionally Extinct
Large Blue	Glaucopsyche arion	Critically Endangered
High Brown Fritillary	Argynnis adippe	Critically Endangered
Chequered Skipper	Carterocephalus palaemon	Endangered
Wood White	Leptidea sinapis	Endangered
White-letter Hairstreak	Satyrium w-album	Endangered
Black Hairstreak	Satyrium pruni	Endangered
Duke of Burgundy	Hamearis lucina	Endangered
Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Boloria euphrosyne	Endangered
Glanville Fritillary	Melitaea cinxia	Endangered
Heath Fritillary	Melitaea athalia	Endangered
Dingy Skipper	Erynnis tages	Vulnerable
Grizzled Skipper	Pyrgus malvae	Vulnerable
Brown Hairstreak	Thecla betulae	Vulnerable
Silver-studded Blue	Plebeius argus	Vulnerable
Northern Brown Argus	Plebeius artaxerxes	Vulnerable
White Admiral	Limenitis camilla	Vulnerable
Marsh Fritillary	Euphydryas aurinia	Vulnerable
Grayling	Hipparchia semele	Vulnerable
Large Heath	Coenonympha tullia	Vulnerable

Butterfly Conservation. Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468).

Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP.

Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268)

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Report on Members’ Day at Battleby 30 Oct 2010

Andrew Masterman — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:37:19 +0000

120 members of the wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation enjoyed a very successful Members’ Day at the Battleby Conference Centre on Saturday 30 October. A presentation was made to Mr Duncan Davidson as Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, and the audience warmly congratulated Mr Roy Leverton, who was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his many years devoted to the recording and study of moths and butterflies.

The event also celebrated the significant milestone of 1000 individual members in Scotland, with a presentation to Mr Tom Delaney of Lasswade, the 1000 th member.Mr Maurice Avent, Chairman of Butterfly Conservation presented the awards saying: “I am thrilled by the enormous enthusiasm shown for butterflies and moths in Scotland, reflected in some of our fastest membership growth in the UK”.

Participants came from all over Scotland, from Thurso to Peebles, and Lochalsh to Kirkcudbright, to compare notes on the butterfly and moth highlights of the year, and to learn how climate change is affecting their distribution. There was also a talk about the culmination of the hugely successful Moths Count project, which for the first time will produce maps of all the UK’s moths.

The day was even rounded off by a ghost story, a fascinating talk by Mr Nick Picozzi on the behaviour of the Ghost Moth, whose males form mating groups or ‘leks’ akin to capercaillie and black grouse, from which the females choose a mate.

Those attending were also able to go to workshops on digital photography, rearing caterpillars at home, and an introduction to the bizarre world of micro-moths.

The star attraction of the day however was probably the spooky Death’s Head Hawk-moth, which had been caught a few days earlier on a North Sea oil rig!

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There’s no stopping the Comma

Andrew Masterman — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:05:00 +0000

The Comma butterfly, which went extinct in Scotland in the 1870’s is spreading quickly through the southern half of the country, due to climate change. And if the current rate of spread continues, it should arrive in Inverness by 2017!

The butterfly is moving north at between 12 and 15km/year, and in the last ten years has successfully colonised the Borders, all of the Lothians, Fife and the southern parts of Tayside, with recent sightings reported from Dundee and Pitlochry.

Ragged wing edges distinguish this pretty orange and brown butterfly and make it unmistakeable. This, together with the distinctive white comma-shaped marking on the undersides, mean it is an easy butterfly for the public to record.

The butterfly can be seen in gardens and woodlands from May through to September, as it has two generations a year. Commas pass the winter as hibernating adult butterflies, and it was feared that last year’s exceptionally cold winter might have reduced Comma numbers, but recent sightings have shown that it is well established and thriving.

Paul Kirkland, Director of Butterfly Conservation Scotland said: “The large number of records we are now receiving from the public mean we can accurately track the butterfly’s re-colonisation of Scotland. The first butterflies seen a few years back were probably migrants from Northern England, but we know now that the Comma is once again breeding throughout southern Scotland

The colourful caterpillars were found earlier this year in Bridge of Allan feeding on elm, confirming breeding in the Central Belt. Sightings of adults are still being received, and this late in the year they will be butterflies looking for a sheltered place where they can spend the winter.

The Comma hibernates through the winter, along with other butterflies such as the Peacock, but you may still be lucky enough to spot one in the next couple of weeks in your garden or in woodland. The undersides of the Comma’s wings are highly camouflaged, which together with its ‘ragged’ outline help it to resemble a tattered dead leaf. This is important to help keep it safe from predators over the winter.

The northern range margin of the Comma (as defined by the average latitude of the 10 most northerly 10km grid squares with Comma records in each period, method of Hill et al 2002 and Hickling et al 2006) has moved northwards by:

150km in the past 10 years (i.e. between 1995-99 and 2005-2010) (15km per year)
362km in the past 30 years (i.e. between 1970-82 and 2005-2010) (12km per year)

This is a big shift, equivalent to the biggest shifts of other resident insects measured to date e.g. Common Darter dragonfly (13.8km per year, 346km northward shift between 1960-70 and 1985-95) (Hickling et al 2005) and Red-necked Footman moth (15.7km per year, 393 km northward shift between 1960-82 and 1983-2009) (Fox et al 2010). Other species, such as Peacock, Orange-tip and Ringlet have also spread north quickly in recent years.

Comma Credit: Graham Checkley

Contact

Paul Kirkland, Director, Butterfly Conservation Scotland,

pkirkland@butterfly-conservation.org

Tel: 01786 447753 Mobile: 07770 732825

Louise Keeling, Senior Publicity Officer, Butterfly Conservation

Phone 01929 406 005

Email lkeeling@butterfly-conservation.org

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Some more photos of Lepidoptera in 2010

Andrew Masterman — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:29:53 +0000

The Common Blue is one species of UK butterfly which shows marked differences in wing colouration between the sexes and there is also a difference in the appearance of the females between northern and southern Britain. The female upperwings are brown and blue with orange margins and individuals from Scotland typically have a higher proportion of blue colouration than those found in England and Wales and completely brown individuals are rare in Scotland. Below is a female Common Blue from the Rannoch area which is more blue than brown

Common Blue, Rannoch, 17 July 2010

Arguably, the undersides of Common Blue are more beautiful than the upperwings as shown below:

Common Blue underwings, Rannoch, 30 June 2010

The Northern Eggar which is found on moorland in northern England, Wales and Scotland is a northern sub-species of the Oak Eggar which is found in southern Britain. As well as some difference in the markings, a notable difference between the sub-species is the length of the life-cycle with Oak Eggars having a one-year life cycle while Northern Eggars have a two year life cycle with it overwintering as a small larva in the first winter and as a pupa in the second winter. The flight period is late May to July in Scotland when it can be seen flying fast on moorland - it is a large dark brown moth! But at the same time as seeing adults in flight, the two year life cycle means that you may encounter fully grown caterpillars at the same time as seeing adults in flight. While the bright green with yellow spots fully grown larvae of the Emperor moth certainly are the king of caterpillars in the UK, the caterpillars of the Northern Eggar come a close second. They are large - up to 8 cm - and brown with a stripy appearance and can be found feeding on heather by day. The photo below was taken in the Rannoch area.

Final instar Northern Eggar caterpillar, Rannoch 16 July 2010

While the Meadow Brown is certainly not one of the UK’s most beautiful butterflies, its underwings are perhaps more attractive than its upperwings with a two-tone colouring.

Meadow Brown mating, Glasgow, 26 June 2010

The Small Copper is always a delight to come across with both its upperwings and underwings being a colurful copper colour.

Even with big chunks of wing missing, possibly from a bird attempting to eat it, this Small Copper still manages to look bright and colourful

Small Copper, Glasgow, 14 Aug 2010

The Welsh Clearwing is a red data book species and its UK stronghold is in Wales where it was first found at Llangollen in 1854. It was first recorded in Scotland at Rannoch in 1867 and other sites where it occurs locally in Scotland are the Trossachs, Perth, Sutherland and Glens Affric and Moriston.

It has a two year life-cycle with the larvae feeding on the inner bark of old birch trees. The fully-grown larvae shortly before spinning a cocoon and pupating, bore a tunnel to the bark surface just leaving a thin barrier of bark. This allows the adult moth to emerge from its pupa and escape to the outside world in the following late June and July. This sequence of events leaves a characteristic exit hole 5 mm wide and these are visible for many years. Just after emergence, the holes are perfectly round and the edges show fresh wood and sometimes, the remains of the pupae (pupal exuvium) can be seen protruding from the exit hole. More info on Welsh Clearwing will be posted on the blog later in the year but in the meantime, here are a few photos.

Downy Birch tree with Welsh Clearwing exit holes. Rannoch July 2010

Fresh-round Welsh Clearwing exit hole 2010

Welsh Clearwing pupal exuvium protruding from an exit hole

Written by Andrew Masterman

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