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and also present were representatives of the Suffolk Moth Group, making this an
important event for strenghtening links between groups.
The day's events were opened by a welcoming speech from Joe Firmin, Chairman of the
Moth Group. The first speaker was the main guest Colin Hart of the British
Entomological Society, a contributor to the multi-volume The Moths and Butterflies of
Great Britain and Ireland and author of a forthcoming book on Plume Moths. His talk was
on the plume moths and their fascinating life histories. They are a relatively overlooked
group because many do not fly to light traps and their larvae tend to be small and cryptic.
Colin used his beautifully illustrated talk to exhort us all to be more active in the field and
to be more observant. How many of us, when out enjoying the first flowers of spring,
have examined closely the flowerheads of that common wayside plant Coltsfoot to find
the Plume Moth that lives on them? Is the moth as common as the plant? And has anyone
noticed the tell-tale "windows" in Burdock leaves created by another interesting but little
known species? As Colin said we can't just wait for the moths to come to us, we must go
out and search if we are to understand more about their ecology and distribution. This
may be a truism but it is often not heeded in this world of demarcated nature reserves and
televisual virtuosity.
Identification books often create the enthusiasm in people for such fieldwork and Colin
Hart's book on plume moths can't come too soon for many of us; it's due, he told us, in
2000 he hopes.
The next speaker, Chris Gibson, then gave an update on a project that provides a good
example of observation and patient fieldwork. The conservation of the Fisher's Estaurine
Moth, an Essex speciality, and its scarce foodplant, Sea Hog's Fennel, has been the
subject of a joint project between English Nature, the Environment Agency, the Essex
Wildlife Trust and the Essex Moth Group (representing CNHS and Essex Field Club). It
was launched in 1997 to examine the effects of different cutting regimes on an 800 metre
section of sea-wall near Landermere. As many aspects of the wildlife of the grassland on
the wall are being studied to see how they respond to the mowing, including butterflies,
grasshoppers, and mammals. So far it is too early to point to any clear effects. We await
developments with great interest as this project has implications for the management of
all 500 km of Essex's sea-walls.
Following the talks came the the chance for networking and wide ranging discussions. It
was helped by the spacious expanse provided by Tendring Hundred Water Services and
above all by the superb buffet lunch. There was a chance to look at the exhibits, including
the publications of the Amateur Entomologist's Society and the equipment displayed by
Anglian Lepidopterist Supplies.
Brian Goodey, the main organiser of the event, began the afternoon session by reviewing
the moth records of 1998. Many of these have been published in the Moth Group's
Newsletter and highlights have been or will be included in the moth report in the Essex
Naturalist.
Following on from this was an informal session of slides starting with Ian Rose's truly
stunning photographs. The slides on show stimulated some interesting discussions and the
whole session worked extremely well, encouraging wide participation without anyone
holding the floor for too long.
There was also a very informative demonstration of collecting equipment was provided
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 29, May 1999