Peter - there has been a spate of records this autumn of species that do not usually produce 2nd broods. In my garden at Ingatestone I have caught Buff Ermine, Least Carpet, Heart & Dart and Common Footman in the past 2-3 weeks, all well out of season, and there have been reports of several other species on the Moth Group emails. It is doubtful whether isolated out of season records refer to a genuine second brood but they may be an indication that these species are about to produce one in the near future. A few records may simply refer to odd individuals from the first brood emerging very late. The reverse sometimes occurs in the spring with individuals emerging much earlier than usual, perhaps because they found a particularly warm spot in which to pupate. However, despite what our late, unlamented Environment Secretary may believe the times they are a changing, the climate among them, and these out of season records may possibly relate to this,
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The weblog below is for naturalists to use to report interesting sightings, ask questions, report on field meetings and generally post pictures and any information or questions generally relevant in some way to the wildlife and geology of Essex. You will need to register and be logged-on to post to the forum, and you need to upload pictures first, for use in posts. Find out more