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MOTH REPORT 2022
A REVIEW OF NEW AND INTERESTING MOTHS SEEN IN SUFFOLK DURING 2022 PLUS AN ADDITION TO THE COUNTY LIST FROM 2009 NOT YET REPORTED NEIL SHERMAN
SPECIES NEW TO SUFFOLK IN 2022 15.018 Povolnya leucapennella (Stephens, 1835) - 24/06/2022 - Rougham VC26 (NS et al.). Recorded at a Suffolk Moth Group survey event on the Rougham estate. A scarce species in the UK with a scattered distribution. A cream-coloured moth with the characteristic upright stance of this group of moths. The main distinguishing feature is the cone shaped tuft of scales projecting forwards from the head, no other species in the group has this. Double-brooded, flying in June/July then again from August through to April, hibernating as an adult. Feeds as a larva on Oak (Quercus sp.) and the moth was found in a trap close to a remnant of old Oak woodland in one of the woods at Rougham. Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 59 (2023)
Neil Sherman
This article aims to review the new county records and other selected moth species of interest seen during the 2022 season as well as covering any older records recently discovered that are new species for Suffolk. Species are listed in checklist order, with notes on the observation as well as the location and recorder(s). Any additional determination of the record will also be given. The number for each species is the one assigned using the Checklist of the Lepidoptera of the British Isles by Agassiz, J. L., Bevan, S. D. and Heckford, R. J., 2016. All records are from light traps unless otherwise mentioned. It was a bumper year for moth recording in the county, with over 144,000+ records sent in. This was almost certainly due to the extraordinary weather conditions during 2022. The hot summer with its record-breaking temperatures plus a mild autumn resulted in big catches of moths in traps. In such conditions widespread dispersal of species away from their normal habitats and also from other parts of the UK can occur and this was certainly the case in this year. On top of that there were a number of waves of migrant moths from southern Europe and north Africa, particularly in the autumn which added to the mix. The result was that it was a record-breaking year for species in Suffolk with 1437 noted, beating the previous highest in 2021 of 1386 by some margin. This high total was also been boosted by all the additional recording effort as there were more suitable nights for running moth traps during the year. However, the drought conditions that occurred because of the heatwave in the summer may yet have a knock-on effect on moths. With grassland and heathland habitats suffering particularly badly with major areas of dieback and also localized wildfires and trees shedding their leaves early in woodlands, hedgerows and gardens it will be interesting to see how these conditions affect moth numbers in 2023. With the large number of interesting records seen in the county in 2022 this report cannot cover them all in detail so selected sightings not in the main accounts are listed at the end.