As indicated in the report for 1998, there are now just five species below the number of tetrads recorded in the previous mid-eighties survey. The Wall Brown Lasiommata megera is one of these and is something of an enigma since, to my knowledge, there has never been a detailed survey of this species and its requirements. The only one I know is a site article about its breeding at Minsmere.
As you may have noted, it features in the current Butterfly Conservation national magazine with the comment, on page 7 that 'Over the last few years some branch conservation officers and recorders have been expressing concern for the Wall Brown's fast decline'. The Suffolk Branch has been at the forefront of this concern and I raised it at the last Branches meeting in London, in the presence of most of the Conservation office staff. Others supported me. So what can we do in Suffolk?
If you look at the distribution map, and the one in the 'Butterflies of Suffolk' (Mendel and Piotrowski), there is a definite preference for coastal sites or along estuaries. Why this occurs is not definitely known. At present the Wall Brown is recorded in 305 tetrads during the survey (for main recorders there has been one extra late record, TM3484 since the booklet was published). The flight period is from May to October, with a few gaps and I am asking all members to try the coastal strip areas in the hope that between us we can raise the total to a 'plus', which needs another 38 records in new tetrads. These are the current coastal gaps (note that I have included areas slightly inland as well) - if all produced new sightings, and were added to just a sprinkling of extra inland records, the target would be achieved:
1634 Lower Holbrook;
1834, 1836 Harkstead;
1838 Woolverstone;
2034, 2036 Erwarton;
2038 Chelmondiston;
2040, 2238 Nacton;
2438 Levington;
2638, 2838 Trimley St. Martin;
3442 Alderton;
3648 Boyton;
3852 Chillesford;
4060, 4062 Friston;
4064, 4066 near Kelsale;
4068 Middleton;
4264, 4266 Theberton;
4070, 4072 Darsham;
4272, 4472 Bramfield-Dunwich;
4676 Blythburgh;
4876, 4878 Reydon;
5290 Lowestoft;
The rest are vice-county Suffolk, i.e. 5098, 5002, 5202,5204,5206, 5008.
Reproduced from the SNS publication
The Butterflies of Suffolk
by Howard Mendal and Steven Piotrowski
1999; Recorded in 305 Tetrads
Under-Recorded, cause for concern.
Richard Stewart