When you go down to the woods today…

19th November 2007

  
Cornwall Wildlife Trust is encouraging everyone to look up, down, left and right while you are enjoying being out and about in the crisp winter weather.  You never know what you might find, as demonstrated by two recent interesting discoveries by wildlife recorders.

A local beetle expert, Dr Ian McClenaghan, has found a specimen of one of our rarest beetles Hypulus quercinus (Quensel) on a Cornwall Wildlife Trust reserve - Cabilla and Redrice Woods.  This is the first ever recorded sighting in Cornwall.  Cabilla and Redrice Woods comprises 190 acres (77 hectares) of primarily broadleaved deciduous woodland.  The woods form part of the largest continuous wooded area in Cornwall cloaking parts of the Glynn Valley.  

Dr McClenaghan said, “The species is associated with red rot in dead wood and I am not aware of anyone having taken it in the UK for a number of years. Probably about one per year is discovered in Britain.  The specimen was in dry moss on a tree stump in a tree-felled area which should favour this species as the felled wood has been left in situ in the clearing.  The local Blue Ground Beetle Carabus intricatus is also found in this wood suggesting that the site could be of considerable biological interest and certainly worth further study.”

This rare beetle has previously been recorded in south Devon and also in Wales and 8 other counties pre 1970 but in only 4 counties between 1970 and 1992.  The sighting has generated considerable interest from beetle recorders. 

Nic Harrison-White from the Trust’s Wildlife Information Service said, “It is a great achievement to have this species in one of our reserves.  This beetle is black with brownish yellow stripes and around 10mm in length.  At present its only threat is the removal of its habitat, which is deadwood.  The beetle is likely to be thriving on the deadwood habitat created through the Trust’s management of this important woodland nature reserve.  This sighting will attract a lot of interest from those who study the near 350,000 species of named beetles who are always on the lookout for new species.  Cornwall Wildlife Trust together with the Cornwall Invertebrate Group will be monitoring the population of this truly rare beetle.”

Meanwhile, further east in the county the Launceston Parish Wildlife Recording Group have made an interesting discovery whilst recording moths in the parish of Lezant.  The group has discovered an unusual looking leaf hopper Ledra aurita (Linnaeus). 

Brian Stringer, the Parish Wildlife Recording Group coordinator said, “One of the parishes taking part in the Parish Wildlife project found this species in a moth trap and did not appreciate its importance until consulting the Records Centre database and local experts to discover it is a significant find.”  

The leaf hopper occurs in oak woodland, is 14mm long and feeds on lichen.  Although the species is not listed as Nationally Rare, it occurs only in localised areas in the UK and Cornwall with only three recent records of it in our area. Add to this that is it also well camouflaged and it makes this a difficult creature to find. 

Nic continued, “These two recent discoveries highlight the important role that wildlife recording plays in the conservation of Cornwall’s wildlife.  It is crucial for the Trust and landowners to have detailed information about rare or local species that might occur on their land.  This can help the experts at the Trust advise on managing land to conserve the wealth of wildlife across Cornwall.  The discovery by the Parish Wildlife Recording group in Lezant demonstrates the important role that local recording groups play in providing an up to date picture of the state of local wildlife.”

Brian Stringer from the Launceston Area Parish Wildlife Group (LAPWG) was at the scene and said, “We were all amazed to find this strange creature in the light trap – nobody in our group had seen anything like it before.”

LAPWG is a community group working in North Cornwall to learn about, enjoy, and record its unique countryside and wildlife.  The Group works through 5 parish-based teams and has been developed with the encouragement of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, North Cornwall District Council, the Environment Agency and the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.  The Group has recently received financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund Your Heritage programme to support improved recording and communication.  Records collected by the group are sent to the Environmental Records Centre to help develop the database of Cornwall’s wildlife.

To get involved in the project or find out more you can visit the website at www.parish-wildlife.org.uk

A licence is needed to collect animals or plants from certain designated sites in Cornwall and a permit required to collect from a Cornwall Wildlife Trust reserve.  The landowner's permission should also always be sought.