Wall Browns - 3rd generation in Suffolk

[Chris Raper]

On Tue, 7 Oct 1997 12:41:06 -0400, Michael Healy
<MJRHEALY at COMPUSERVE.COM> wrote:

>Walking in Suffolk recently, I was pleased to see  a Wall Brown (Lasiommata
>megera) at TM464660 between Eastbridge and the sea on September 27th.
>There was another one N of Aldeburgh at TM461576 on September 29th.
>Neither day was particularly sunny.
>I notice that Thomas and Lewington  refer to this species as 'common in dry
>grassland'.  Both these sites, and another one near Aldeburgh that I
>reported earlier this year, are actually quite wet, and I wonder whether
>its decline in Hertfordshire (where it is now extremely scarce) may be due
>to dry seasons.

Hi Michael

Nice to hear that Wall are doing well somewhere at least. I don't know
about the habitat requirements but around here (south Oxon) Wall
Browns were plentiful on the downs from Streatley to Moulsford around
15 years ago but they just seemed to disappear. I can't remember the
last time I saw a Wall Brown ini this area.

Is this a UK-wide thing? Are Wall Browns on the decline or had they
gone through a period of expansion (in the last 30 or so years) which
collapsed leaving the remaining ones are in ther more normal haunts?

Thanks
Chris R.