ColinD
Well-known member
A friend of mine, Dave Owen, trapped a Small Ranunculus in his town centre backyard in St Helens (VC59) on Friday 15th July. He showed it to a few of us on Saturday, and we were very confident of the id, and it has now been confirmed by both the Lancashire macro moth recorder and Richard Lewington.
To give you a clue as to the scale of this catch, I can do no better than quote from Ian Kimber's excellent Uk Moths website, as follows:
"Formerly a relatively common species in the south-east, it had become extinct by the early part of the 20th century. In the last few years, however, it has become re-established in a small area of Kent and Essex, around the Thames, where it is now frequently recorded, especially around allotments."
I suppose we shouldn't be surprised at any record, because moths and butterflies do sometimes move large distances, but this seems a quite incredible record for St Helens Town centre. I'm not sure if the species is a migrant, but I don't think it is, or at least not a regular migrant. Has anybody else recorded this species anywhere outside Kent or Essex?
Dave has taken a few photos, which I'll post here later this evening,
Colin
To give you a clue as to the scale of this catch, I can do no better than quote from Ian Kimber's excellent Uk Moths website, as follows:
"Formerly a relatively common species in the south-east, it had become extinct by the early part of the 20th century. In the last few years, however, it has become re-established in a small area of Kent and Essex, around the Thames, where it is now frequently recorded, especially around allotments."
I suppose we shouldn't be surprised at any record, because moths and butterflies do sometimes move large distances, but this seems a quite incredible record for St Helens Town centre. I'm not sure if the species is a migrant, but I don't think it is, or at least not a regular migrant. Has anybody else recorded this species anywhere outside Kent or Essex?
Dave has taken a few photos, which I'll post here later this evening,
Colin
