Essex Skipper and Green-veined White

[Chris Raper]

On 14 Aug 1998 05:17:48 -0700, J.B.Murray at OPEN.AC.UK (J.B.Murray)
wrote:

>In Hertfordshire and Middlesex, Essex Skipper seems to be taking over
>from the Small Skipper and the Green-veined White from the Small White.
[snip]
>This rather messes things up for the National recording scheme, where
>the instructions are that if you cannot distinguish between two similar
>butterflies, record it as the commoner of the two.  What is the
>situation elsewhere in the U.K.?  

Hi John,

Mmm - I had thought that the Essex Skipper was doing pretty well
wherever I looked but I had just assumed that, as I wasn't doing it
very scientifically, I was just lucky! Essex has definitely been the
commoner of the two species when I have checked one out.

I don't know about the Small White - in south Oxon where I do most of
my field work there was quite a large flush of Small White though I
will have to go back to transect data to confirm this.

Cheers
Chris R.