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THE ESSEX NATURALIST
June the Privet Hawk (Sphinx ligustri (L.)) appears to have been commoner
than usual. An interesting feature was the unusual number of the Poplar
Hornet Clearwing (Sesia apiformis (Clerck.)) on poplar trunks; by examining
these about 9 a.m. for a week I found about a score of specimens. On 3
June my friend Mr. Lionel Day brought me a fine var. candelisequa of the
Sycamore moth (Apatele aceris (L.))—the first I have seen locally—which
had flown into his house on the previous night.
At the end of June the Stout Dart (Spaelotis ravida (Schiff.)), always an
insect which fluctuates greatly in numbers, appeared for the first time since
I have collected here on my favourite sugaring round. This species varies
greatly in the amount and brilliance of the red flush on the forewings. At
about midnight on 26 June the first one appeared at sugar ; it was the most
magnificent one I have ever seen, all the forewings were flushed with so deep
a crimson that the moth glowed like a great ruby. Unfortunately it was in
a difficult position to take and while I was working towards it it flew off.
As about six insects accompanied it my son netted a big Agrotis segetum
by mistake and although we made another round half-an-hour later we never
saw it again. On the 28th we again tried for ravida and saw three, they were
all skittish and two dropped directly the light was turned on them. After
ten minutes persistent searching my son found one of these in the grass so
we obtained two perfect specimens. These were of the usual type with a red
flush on the costal area only. We sugared twice more before I left for
Ireland but saw no more ravida although other insects were as common as ever.
However, on 26 August, after we had sugared nearly throughout the month,
another of the usual type turned up, perfect except for a slight chip in the cilia.
It would appear from this moth's turning up on three nights only out of at
least a dozen that it needs special atmospheric conditions to make it active.
On 2 July when we were sugaring my son netted a perfect male of the
beautiful Rose Plume (Euenaemidophorus rhododactyla (Schiff.)) which flew
to his torch late at night. This is the only record so far as I can ascertain
for east Essex and it does not seem to have been found in the county at all
for over fifty years. The only two previous records are for the Epping
district.
Mr. D. More, on my return from Ireland, brought me several insects
for identification taken at light in his garden, and amongst these was an
example of Crambus contaminellus (Hubn.) The last local record for this
moth seems to be about fifty years old, by the late F. G. Whittle.
On 24 August, Mr. More brought me a perfect Vine's Rustic (Caradrina
ambigua (Schiff.)), also taken in his garden. This migrant is not usually
found here but on the 26th I took two more myself at sugar. Other unusual
migrants were the White Point (Leucania albipuncta (Schiff.)), one on 26
August and one on 3 September; and the Small Mottled Willow (Laphygma
exigua (Hubn.)), one on 4 September.
In the last week of August and throughout September the Humming-bird
Hawk moth (Macroglossam stellatarum (L.)) was not uncommon, whilst
in late September several Convolvulus Hawk moths (Herse convolvuli (L.))
were taken in the town. Larvae and pupae of the Death's Head Hawk moth
(Acherontia atropos (L.)) were fairly generally distributed in fields and gardens
in August and September and on 23 September a friend living within 200
yards of my address in Westcliff rang me up to say that a Death's Head was
sitting on the wall of his house. I walked over and found it was a small
quite perfect male. The following day a large female Large Thorn (Ennomos
autumnaria (Wernb.)) was brought along in a jam pot ; it was quite fresh
but slightly rubbed on the thorax. This was the last item of interest in the
season except that the Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta (L.)), of which I saw
the first specimen on 9 May, was still flying on warm days until the beginning
of November.