The Comma • Autumn 2011 - Butterfly Conservation

New online Worcestershire
Moth Recorder information
including up to date list of species and recording advice
By Tony Simpson
The last published information on the Worcestershire
(VC37) moths was by Harper and Simpson in the Atlas
of the Larger Moths and the two Atlases on the Smaller
Moths of Herefordshire & Worcestershire published by the
West Midlands Branch of Butterfly Conservation in 2000 to
2003.
There have been a lot of changes since then in the numbers
and status of moths in VC37 both because of the spread of
new species to our area, the increases and decreases in
frequency of a lot of species possibly related to climate
change, and because of an enormous increase in recorders and
recording effort over the last ten years. There was obviously a
need to bring county moth recording up to date.
Nigel Stone has been keeping the database for the whole
of the West Midlands but has now asked the counties to take
back the responsibility for the management of their own
records, as the huge number of recent records has made his
work load increasingly onerous. A big vote of thanks is due to
him for his sterling work and help which has been much
appreciated. He will continue to keep a back-up database
whilst we run and manage the county list and records.
I remain the county recorder for Worcestershire (Vice
County 37) but Oliver Wadsworth has kindly agreed to be
Yellow-tail (Paul Nicholas)
the IT manager for the county records. Jeff Rush produced an online moth list including information on status
and flight times and based on this Oliver and myself have produced an up to date county list and notes for
VC37 moth recorders which can be obtained from Oliver at oliver.wadsworth@sky.com Danny Arnold has
kindly agreed to hosting up to date copies of the “recorders package” and an on line version of the county list
at http://www.temevalleywildlife.com/galleries/WorcestershireMothWebsite.htm
Species are listed separately under Smaller (Micro) and Larger (Macro) moth lists with Bradley number,
English names for the Larger Moths, scientific names and their status, usual flight times, and for rare species
their first and last records and some details of their sites in the county. The species have been put into the
following categories: Common/Fairly Common and Widespread which are accepted without need for other
details; Uncommon/Localised for which a photo or specimen may be needed unless previously recorded from
that site or area; species which need dissection to be certain of their identification and should otherwise be
recorded as an aggregate; Rare/First County Record/presumed Extinct for which a specimen or photo where
appropriate is needed. We will keep the list of species and changes in status up to date and this will be available
on line in a readable only format. Further information is in the Notes for Recorders. For those who contribute
to the Garden Moth Scheme it should be noted that we no longer automatically receive these records and
therefore it is important to send us all your records as these will otherwise not get into the county moth data.
Records can be emailed to Oliver, or me at tonysimpson.1945@hotmail.co.uk or by post if wished to:
A.N.B. Simpson,The Sycamores, Old Rectory Gardens, Leigh, WR6 5LD. Tel. 01886 832637.
Autumn 2011 • The Comma 21