Atropos migrant insect review – Mid-September 2010

The undoubted butterfly highlight was the Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus photographed at Portland, Dorset, on 8th – this is an extremely rare migrant to the British Isles. Clouded Yellow Colias croceus were also occasionally reported from Portland and elsewhere during this period.

Swallowtail Papilio machaon were still flying on Alderney, Channel Islands during the first half of September. No high numbers of Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta or Painted Lady V. cardui were reported.

Odonata sightings included a Southern Emerald Damselfly Lestes barbarus noted on the Isle of Grain, Kent, on 11th (see photo on Flight Arrivals). The spread of the Willow Emerald Damselfly Lestes viridis continues with at least a dozen recorded near Reculver, Kent, on 12th and the first records for West Suffolk were made.

Amongst the rarest immigrant moths trapped were Dusky Hook-tip Drepana curvatula at Braintree, Essex, on 6th (S. Rolls – see photo Flight Arrivals); Silver-striped Hawk-moth Hippotion celerio at Harlech, Merionethshire, on 4th (H. Bantock – see photo Flight Arrivals) and Slender Burnished Brass Thysanoplusia orichalcea on St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly on 11th (M. Hicks). Dewick’s Plusia MacDunnoughia confusa is still a very exciting moth to catch, even though it is now much more frequent than just a few years ago. Records so far this month have come from Barrow, West Suffolk, where unusually one was found by day on 15th, resting on a fence (A. Parr) and another was light trapped at Shaggs, Dorset, on the night of 15th (M. Parsons).

It has been a good season for Death’s-head Hawk-moth Acherontia atropos with further records from Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Essex on 1st (D. Allen); two in Co. Waterford – at an apiary in Knockanore on 2nd (P. Deasy) and at light the following night at Brownstown Head (P. Walsh) and at West Bexington, Dorset, on 14th (R. Eden). A second larva was also discovered in Somerset – at North Newton on 8th (J. Bebbington).

Single Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica were light trapped at Portland, Dorset, on 7th and 8th with the only Bedstraw Hawk-moth Hyles gallii at Crows-an-Wra, Cornwall, on 3rd.

There was a definite increase in the number of Convolvulus Hawk-moth Agrius convolvuli sightings with six on St. Agnes, Scilly on 11th and three at West Bexington, Dorset, on 14th the highest counts made. Noteworthy records included two well inland: at Woodnewton, Northants, on 9th and at Bodenham, Herefords, on 15th.

Other excellent inland records included Vestal Rhodometra sacraria (three at Woodnewton, Northants on 10th); Gem Orthonama obstipata at Charlecote, Warwicks, on 4th and Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera (one at Woodnewton on 7th).

There was also an increase in records of Delicate Mythimna vitellina from scattered localities between Cornwall and Kent and a widespread influx of Vestal R. sacraria. A handful of the rare migrant pyralid Palpita vitrealis were noted with two on Thanet, Kent.

The magnificent Clifden Nonpareil Catocala fraxini was recorded during this period in both Dorset and Hampshire. In recent years, records from these two counties have become regular, suggesting the existence of established populations. One at light at Bracklesham, W. Sussex, on 12th (D. Lee) was likely to have been a primary immigrant. A report from Norfolk remains unconfirmed.

There were widespread reports of the Western Conifer Seed Bug Leptoglossus occidentalis from Cornwall, Dorset, Suffolk, Cheshire and even from the decks of the Pride of Bilbao in the Bay of Biscay (two on 1st)!

At this very exciting time of year, keep a look out for some of the more obscure rare immigrant moths, which may include Porter’s Rustic Proxenus hospes or even Eastern Nycteoline Nycteola asiatica as well as the more colourful Beautiful Marbled Eublemma purpurina.

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