7
a boyhood interest in entomology was re-awakened
and he and his wife will be going with us to
the annual exhibition of the Amateur Entomologists'
Society. He too found he had a generator we
could use in a wood.
The light-trap must be supplemented by field work,
for some moths fly by day and others are not
attracted by light. This applies to many of
the pugs which are easy to find in the larval stage;
the pimpinel pug is a good example.
With so much help and encouragement from new
friends, recording has been a delightful pastime.
As senior citizens, we have probably been able
to devote more time than the other recorders, but
when you receive your Essex Naturalist it will be
the joint product of a small band of enthusiasts.
Its publication will mark only a stage in the
recording of the ever-changing lepidoptera of the
the County. I have tried to show what fun you
will have if you decide to make records for the
next edition.
Maitland Emmet
The Fall and Rise of the Speckled Wood Butterfly
in Essex
Sadly, Essex has lost several fine butterfly
species since World War II, but it is some
consolation to know that it has gained or,
strictly re-gained one - the speckled wood
(Pararge aegeria Linn.).
According to the Victoria County History of Essex,
the speckled wood, which had once been well