Immigrant Dragonfly Alert!

Vagrant Emperor Anax ephippiger

Two further records of ephippiger have surfaced from South West England:

A male on Friday 15 April at Plymouth, Devon

A female on Saturday 16 April at Penryn, Cornwall.

Red admiral at Thornbury on 20 April.

Immigrant moth alert!

Night of 18 April:

Euchromius ocellea - one at light (R.J.G. Dawson).

Also Dark Sword-grass (3)

night of 19th:

Diamond Back 6
Rush Veneer 1
Dark Swordgrass 6
Silver Y 1

19 April - Bordered Straw in the Actinic.
My first migrant of the year in the garden.

Our third Blossom Underwing of the year last night 19/4 - presumed migrants.

second attempt to submit this, sorry if it turns up twice

Night of 18th April;
Dark Swordgrass 8,
Silver Y 3

19th April:
Clouded Yellow 1 at Lands End
Red Admiral - small numbers everywhere from St. Levan to Lands End

Night of 18 April:
Diamond-back Moth (1), Rush Veneer (2), Dark Sword-grass (1), Small Mottled Willow (1)

18th April.Dark Sword Grass. First Migrant of the year for this Midlands location.

Atropos migrant insect review – mid-April 2011

This is the first of many regular migrant insect reviews of 2011. This summary rounds up the year so far. The season has already got off to an exciting start, with some interesting Lepidoptera and Odonata sightings.

The Odonata year started in fine style with sightings of Vagrant Emperor Anax ephippiger (a rare dragonfly from Mediterranean/North Africa) at St. David’s, Pembrokeshire, on 10 January (M. Grey) and at Kennack Sands, Cornwall, on 19 February (T & A Polglase).

Glorious Spring weather has resulted in many early emergences of resident Odonata with Hairy Dragonfly Brachytron pratense noted in Bedfordshire on 10 April; Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum in Lincolnshire and Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa in Devon on 16 April and widespread reports of Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula.

The warm dry spring has resulted in a few sightings of Clouded Yellow Colias croceus with a single in Cornwall on 27 March the earliest noted. Painted Lady Vanessa cardui and Red Admiral V.atalanta have also been sighted, particularly in the south-west of England, with the former appearing in Cornwall as early as 20 January. Pride of place amongst the butterflies, however, went to the Camberwell Beauty Nymphalis antiopa which appeared after hibernation at Rainham Marshes, London, on 19 March (D. Preston).

The most exciting immigrant moth news concerns species which have almost certainly over-wintered here. An example of the immigrant form of The Conformist Lithophane furcifera furcifera was light trapped at Insh Marshes, Inverness-shire on the night of 9 April (M.J. Deans & P. E. Bryant). This is the first record for Scotland of this species and only about the twelfth British record of this form. A Red-headed Chestnut Conistra erythrocephala light-trapped at St. Osyth, Essex, on 11 February by Reg Arthur was another excellent Spring record. Another interesting record came from the Channel Islands where an Eastern Nycteoline Nycteola asiatica – was trapped on Alderney on 28 March (D. Wedd) – the second spring record there.

Warm southerly winds in April brought single Striped Hawk-moths Hyles livornica to Hampshire and to Brownstown Head, Co. Waterford on 15th (P. Walsh). A few Humming-bird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum have been noted, with most records as expected, along the south coast in Hampshire and Dorset.

The regular immigrant moths have been well represented with Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella and Dark Sword-grass Agrotis ipsilon widely recorded – the latter appearing in good numbers with twenty caught at Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry on the night of 7 April. Smaller numbers of Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis, Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella and Silver Y Autographa gamma were noted.

The warm conditions also provided early records of Pearly Underwing Peridroma saucia from Dungeness on 3 April, Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua on St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly (three between 10 – 13 April); Bordered Straw Heliothis peltigera at Dursley, Gloucestershire on 9 April and Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera at Maenporth, Cornwall, on 5 April. Early records of Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba and Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum most probably relate to immigrants too – please remember to email your photographs to us of unusual looking Turnips for a forthcoming ‘Atropos’ article.

Observers have been reporting high counts of the orthosias this spring, most probably following the cold and dry winter. The Blossom Underwing Orthosia miniosa has had a good year with probable immigrant examples light-trapped at locations where the moth is not known to be resident. Records came from the Channel Islands, Isle of Wight, West Sussex and Kent.

Atropos would like to thank you for your contributions to the Flight Arrivals webpage. Please keep posting your migrant news and we look forward to an exciting remainder of the month.