Basically, ANY data is welcome! Entomologists are so thin on the ground that records of invertebrates generally are much sought after. It is therefore vitally important that any records are passed on to the County Recorder and Staffordshire Ecological Record.
No matter where you record, the chances are that you will either add new species to the 10Km square list or update existing records. The map opposite shows the number of species of butterflies and moths recorded in each 10Km square.
There are some squares such as SJ81, SK03, and SK14, for example, that are obviously under-recorded. However, it must be realised that the records for the well-recorded squares are often based on just a single locality i.e. one site within 100 square kilometres! If we are to produce more refined distribution maps then we at least need data from each tetrad (2 X 2km).
It shouldn't be necessary to point out that you must obtain the landowner's permission before visiting a site but it is worth mentioning that you should inform neighbouring properties and the police if you intend to run a trap. After all, a group of people sitting around a lamp in the dark is going to raise the suspicions of the un-initiated!!
Finally, just to reiterate, even if you only record from your garden, the data is useful - please send it in.
