60 Essex and London Ladybird Survey, 1999
Fig. 1 All records from Essex
than gardens which were observed by most recorders. Other species seem to be present in expected
proportions. However the relative paucity of 2- and 7-spots in urban areas is notable. My records
from 1994-1996 show the 7-spot as 27% of all records while in 1997, from mainly cultivated sites,
it contributed nearly 80% of individuals; the 2-spot contributed 14% of records. These compare
with 24% and 15% in Essex for 1999. However, the wider survey (that is, from the whole of the
London recording area) showed 7-spots as only 14% of all records and 2-spots as 34% in 1999
(Mabbott, 2000). There is clearly too little data to speculate constructively but there may have been
a specific population decline of 7-spots in built-up areas. Figure 2, showing the distribution of 2-
and 7-spot records through the year, suggests that there may have been a resurgence of 7-spots after
the summer; however, it may simply reflect greater activity by recorders, especially in rural areas, in
that half of the year. There is no similar "come-back'' in the London records.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 17 (2000)