polychloros) and the Dingy Skipper (Nisoniades tages) seem to be increasing in numbers'. These four
species are now extinct in the Forest.
Species Recorded in the Forest over the last Decade
Twenty-nine species of butterfly have been reported in the Forest over the last ten years. In 1991
Stephen Davis of the Polytechnic of East London, assisted by volunteers, undertook a survey of the
butterflies at nine selected sites in the Forest. A total of 24 species were recorded. Stephen Davis and
Dr. David Corke have kindly allowed me to use some of the information from their co-authored paper
on the butterflies of Epping Forest in the account below. Their paper is to be published at a later date.
Patches of creeping thistle and bramble on woodland rides and paths attract species such as the Comma
(Polygonia c-album). Peacock (Inachis io) and Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae), all of which have
nettle-feeding larvae, a common enough plant in the Epping Forest area. Two woodland and hedgerow
brown butterflies (Satyridae) have been widespread in the Forest this year (1991)- the Speckled Wood
(Pararge aegeria) and the Hedge Brown or Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus). The former was reported
from the Forest in the late 19th century. There are specimens from Monk Wood in the William Cole
collection (P.E.M.) dated 1874 and 1890, but it was seemingly absent not only from the Forest but
from most of Essex until the 1950s (Emmet and Pyman, 1985). Over the last three or four years I have
seen Speckled Woods along many woodland rides between Wanstead Park in the south and Monk
Wood near Loughton. In 1983 I published a small book about Lords Bushes (Hanson, 1983) in which
were listed the butterflies I had recorded there. The Speckled Wood was not included in the original
list and yet in the years 1989-91 I noted it frequently there. Similarly, I had never seen the Hedge
Brown here, yet in 1991 I was able to record at least half a dozen specimens in the more open parts
of the wood. The years 1989-91 have also seen the Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) have one of its
periods of abundance, particularly so in 1989 and 1990. It is a marked feature of this species, that for
many years few or no individuals are seen and then it has a period of abundance before once again its
population declines to almost nothing.
The Forest grasslands, providing they harbour larval food plants such as Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus
corniculatus), Sheep's Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) and a range of grasses, provide a habitat for species
such as the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus). Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola), Large Skipper
(Ochlodes venata), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Small Copper (Lycaenaphlaeas), Small Heath
(Coenonympha pamphilus) and Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris). These species are found in
open grassland from Wanstead Flats in the south to the Lower Forest in the north. The Essex Skipper
has only been known in Epping Forest since the 1950s. Generally distributed species are the three
whites. Green-veined. Large and Small (Pieris napi, P. brassicae and P. rapae). These species
probably rely on the presence of gardens and disturbed ground for their larval food plants. It must be
emphasised that numbers of a particular species can vary greatly year by year.
Less frequently encountered species include the Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), the larvae of
which feed on Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus), a plant not common in the Forest, but it can be found
along the Ching Brook. The lovely lemon yellow males of this species are great wanderers and they
have been widely reported from the northern half of the Forest, particularly in the vicinity of the green
lanes. I have records from the 1970s and 1980s from Pole Hill, Warren Hill. Debden Green. North
Farm and Staples Hill. Orange Tips (Anthocharis cardamines), another Pierid, are recorded throughout
the Forest, but rarely in numbers. They are perhaps more a species of the green lanes and roadside
verges where their larvae feed on Hedge Garlic (Alliaria petiolata). The Purple Hairstreak (Quercusia
quercus) (Fig. 1) is a rather small inconspicuous butterfly. It is not often reported from the Forest
because of its secretive habits. It spends most of its time high up in the crowns of mature Oaks (Quercus
robur) only flying occasionally and settling quickly. It may well be fairly common and widespread
in the Forest. William Cole (Fitch, 1891) recorded it being 'beaten' in great numbers from Oaks in
the Forest. The Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) is another butterfly which, although widely
reported in the Forest, has periods when it is seemingly absent or found only in very low numbers.
The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and Clouded Yellow (Colias
croceus) are all migrant species and occur only in the Forest when favourable conditions on the
continent allow an influx of these species. The Red Admiral is probably the most frequently reported
of this small group, with the Painted Lady not far behind. The Clouded Yellow is of very irregular
occurrence. Years when this species have been reported in abundance in the Forest area are 1877,
1928, 1947 and 1983. Thousands were seen in the 1877 influx in fields at Woodford Bridge (including
many of the pale variety 'helice'), along with numbers of Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Peacock
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