In Loe Bar and the Sandhill Rustic Moth, Adrian Spalding examines the survival of plants and animals on Loe Bar, a shingle beach on the coast of Cornwall, in the context of its history, geomorphology and exposure to the Atlantic environment. He develops these themes within a detailed study of the Sandhill Rustic moth that endures this harsh environment where storm surges, high salinity, high temperatures, strong winds and burial by sand affect the wildlife that occurs there.
Foreword by Professor Jeremy Thomas OBE
Acknowledgements
Preamble
Chapter 1. Man and The Bar
Chapter 2. Formation, Geology and Physical Processes
Chapter 3. Plants
Chapter 4. Sand Couch Grass
Chapter 5. Mammals, Birds and Invertebrates
Chapter 6. Moths on Loe Bar
Chapter 7. The Sandhill Rustic Moth on Loe Bar in the context of the European Populations
Chapter 8. The Sandhill Rustic on Loe Bar
Chapter 9. Loe Bar: The Past and The Future
References
Appendix 3.1. National Vegetation Classification communities on Loe Bar 2012
Appendix 9.1. Threats to the Sandhill Rustic moth from predicted sea-level rise - in the forefront of climate change
Scientific names of plants listed in the text
Scientific names of birds, animals and invertebrates listed in the text
Index
Adrian Spalding Ph.D. (University of Aberdeen), FLS, FRES is a former Assistant Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies (University of Exeter) and currently Director of Spalding Associates (Environmental) Ltd. He has published widely on the ecology of Lepidoptera.
"In many ways, then, this text is a first as this lovely book investigates almost every conceivable aspect of the scarce coast-hugging Sandhill Rustic Luperina nickerlii and its closest relatives – a particularly welcome addition to the literature."
– Professor R.L.H. Dennis. Entomologist's Gazette, 2015
"This is an immaculate study of a corner of Britain by a prominent entomologist who clearly loves and cares about its future."
– Dr Martin Warren, Butterfly 2016
"The book is fantastic!"
– Kurt Jackson (nationally known artist)
"What a wonderful book – science and humanity clearly and beautifully written – one of the finest works of Cornish scholarship [...] ever!"
– Councillor Bert Biscoe
"the history and biology of the Sandhill Rustic and its environment (based largely on the author's work) is encapsulated in this impressive book. It is a meticulous account, written by a skilled and effective observer [...] .. as a thought-provoking and informative account of a highly specialised association and the conservation approaches that may be illuminated by long-term detailed documentation and study. It illustrates well the ecological detail and background information that contribute to practical conservation of taxa, and is an object lesson for emulation elsewhere."
– Professor Tim New, Journal of Insect Conservation 2016
"I did so enjoy your book: quite the best thing to come out last year!"
– Mark Yeates, originator of MapMate
"[...] The pleasant surprise is that this study, despite its detail, is actually a pleasure to read, partly because he does not use technicalities or jargon, and also because Spalding takes as much delight in the Bar's story, its shipwrecks, its storms and shifting sands, and its well-adapted denizens, as he does in the fortunes of L. nickerlii leechi. His study of a small, rare moth and its habitat has the makings of a grass-blade classic."
– Peter Marren, British Wildlife 27(3), February 2016
"I dare to suggest that this book should become a classic, of which I am reminded of the original Natural History of Selborne."
– Dr Chris Page, former Principal Scientific Officer of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh