August 2009

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Essex is one of the few counties which can boast some sizeable salt marshes (saltings) though these are becoming regrettably fewer because of erosion by rising tides; reclamations to make way for industrial or port expansion; and pollution. Where they still flourish look for a very special flower, sea lavender, which is at its best in August and attracts many butterflies, moths and other nectar-seeking insects. Good places to seek out sea lavender's purple-blue flowers are Walton Naze; Mersea island; St Osyth; Copt hall, Lt Wigborough and the estuarine areas of Rivers Colne, Blackwater and Stour. Also blooming on the saltings and tidal edges are the lavender- blue flowers of sea aster. A moth called the starwort (which belongs to a group of moths known as "sharks”) has sea aster as its larval foodplant and you should look for its beautiful yellow-green striped caterpillars feeding on the leaves and flowers. Sea lavender plants are host to a tiny plume moth which is confined to the salt marsh habitat.

August sees more movements of birds which have spent the summer months nesting here and begin the long and hazardous journey south to Africa and the Mediterranean. Lots of wading birds such as whimbrel, greenshanks, spotted redshanks, ruff and common sandpipers pass along the coast and in the estuaries and some stop over at reservoirs where there are patches of exposed mud.

This has been a disappointing summer once more for turtle doves; spotted flycatchers; even cuckoos. There is growing concern for the future of these. They are affected by several factors during their migrations between their summer and winter quarters such as illegal shooting and trapping in some mediterranean islands and countries and having to face longer flights over increasing waterless desert areas of Africa where some countries are using pesticides which have been banned in Britain and other Western countries.

Despite the often wet and windy conditions of July this has proved in the main to have been a good butterfly year with large numbers of peacocks, painted ladies, commas, small tortoiseshells, meadow browns, gatekeepers; large, small and green veined whites. A good showing too of white admiral butterflies in their strongholds at Stour Wood Wrabness, Friday Wood Berechurch, Colchester and Highwoods Country Park, Colchester. There have been new sightings this year in woods at Alresford, Tendring Hundred and Tiptree which is a clear sign that this elegant woodland butterfly is naturally expanding its range to areas where it once occurred in the 1960s.

The stag beetle has one of its few UK strongholds in the Colchester area and it is the logo of Colchester Natural History Society. Sadly this fine big Red Data beetle is heavily predated by magpies with people living at Lexden, Shrub End, Stanway and Copford reporting scores of the elytra (wing cases) of stag beetles in their gardens as the result of this calamitous persecution. Magpies are very much on the increase especially in suburban areas. These wily members of the crow family also take a heavy toll of the nestlings and eggs of many garden nesting birds but on the credit side perhaps, they do clear up a lot of carcases of road animal and bird casualties as natural carrion feeders.

I was pleased to see that a colony of an uncommon flower, the small
balsam, is still flourishing in the churchyard of St Peter's church. on North Hill. Its presence was reported in 16th century floras so it has long been a native. It has pretty yellow blooms and it has seed pods which explode when touched scattering seed some distance. There is another colony in Spring Lane, Lexden on the approach to the Spring Meadow local nature reserve.

Butterfly Days Reprint

My little book 'Butterfly Days in High Provence - Flying Jewels along the Lavendar Route' fully illustrated in colour by Ted Benton is back in print. Published by CNHS in 2007 in a limited edition of 100, it quickly sold out with requests from all over the world including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand following a very favourable national review.

Because of continuing interest a new limited run has been printed. To get a signed copy please send a cheque for £12 (includes p&p) to 55 Chapel Road, West Bergholt, Colchester, CO6 3HZ or telephone 01206 241389 to reserve. Cheques payable to Joe Firmin.

The book not only describes and illustrates many of the butterflies of Southern France but it also describes my butterflying adventures and some of the colourful personalities drawn to that sunny area. As well as supplying the photos Ted Benton has written a chapter abouthis own visits to Provence in search of its butterflies.

Updates for August

Records of spotted flycatchers few and far between as usual but John Thorogood, CNHS ornithologist recorder, reports one from a neighbour's garden at Shrub End , Colchester and Philip Smith and Hugh Owen saw two at Fordham Hall Estate in the second week of August.

Good news of a rare moth

CNHS and Essex Moth Group member Hugh Owen is 'host' to a rare moth on his four acres at Langenhoe called the white-spotted pinion, the caterpillars of which feed on leaves of elm. Despite the spread of elm disease at the site Hugh had two of the moths in his garden moth trap on August 14 - very good news indeed.

**STOP PRESS**

Mega rarity moth record for CNHS member

CNHS and Essex Moth Group member David Scott had what is certainly the Essex Moth record of the year, and probably also for the UK, when a specimen of the sorcerer Aedia leucomelas arrived in his garden moth trap at Ford Farm, Brightlingsea on August 12. This is a very rare immigrant (vagrant) from the Mediterranean, Southern Europe and North Africa and so far only the second record for the UK, the first being on the Isle of Wight in September 2007. The specimen has been retained and photographed.

The rascally "thieving magpie" which is adding to its unpopularity by killing many stag beetles as well as preying on eggs and young of garden birds.

The stag beetle, emblem of CNHS is suffering heavy predation by magpies (above) in Colchester, one of its remaining strongholds.

The common sandpiper is one of the birds to look out for at local reservoirs as it passes through on its journey to southern wintering quarters.

The small balsam is an uncommon wild flower which still has a colony in Colchester's town centre in St Peter's Churchyard. it was reported there as far back as Victorian times.

It has been a good year for both broods of the common blue butterfly. The second brood flies in August in flowery meadows and waysides where its larval foodplant, bird's foot trefoil, grows.

A white spotted pinion moth, a rarity in North Essex found at only 3 sites, two of which are owned by CNHS members Hugh Owen and David Scott.

The very rare immigrant (vagrant) the sorcerer Aedia leucomelas which arrived at David Scott's garden moth trap on August 12. Only the second UK record.

Photo: David Barnard

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