140 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 6: 1993 



that many bushes are likely to be Rhododendron ponticum L. in their original form, 

 likewise R. augustini L., but many appear to be hybrids. 



It is interesting that the garden has sometimes been referred to as the 'American 

 Garden', because of the large number of North American plants laid out there. 

 Documents in the Greater London Record Office contain planting lists of many 

 thousands of plants, including, for example, a consignment of 'American plants' 

 received on 4.xii.l890 from Messrs W. Cutbush & Son of Highgate Nurseries: "3200 

 rhododendron seedlings in various colours 1 Vi-2 feet, 1000 azaleas — hardy in various 

 colours . . ." and so on, detailing over 10,000 specimens of herbaceous plants, bushes 

 and trees. Is it any wonder that American insect species such as Graphocephala fennahi 

 and Stephanitis rhododendri became established in Britain at this time? 



Acknowledgements 



My thanks are due to Peter Sibley, ecologist for the London Borough of Southwark, 

 for his advice in sending me off to Dulwich Park, and to Celia Cronin of the same 

 department for supplying details of the current survey and original planting lists. 



References 



Allen, A. A. 1962. Placotettix taeniatifrons Kbm. (Hem., Cicadellidae) in S. E. London 



(N. W. Kent). Entomologist's Mon. Mag. 98: 47. 

 Blair, K. G. 1948. Some recent additions to the British insect fauna. Entomologist's Mon. Mag. 



84: 52, Plate C. 

 Campbell, J. 1993. Oxfordshire BRC Newsletter 17. Cited by Kirby, P. 1993. News Digest. 



Heteroptera Study Group Newsletter (August 1993); 12: 2. 

 Distant, W. L. 1910. Zoologist 1910: 395. Cited by Blair (1948). 

 Dolling, W. R. 1991. The Hemiptera. Oxford: Oxford University Press and London: Natural 



History Museum, p. 112. 

 Judd, S. & Rotherham, I. D. 1992. The phytophagous insect fauna of Rhododendron ponticum 



L. in Britain. Entomologist 111: 134-150. 

 Kirby, P. 1987. Status and decline in British Heteroptera: some problems. Heteroptera Study 



Group Newsletter (May 1987); 7: 3. 

 Southwood, T. R. E. 1985. Stephanitis rhododendri. Heteroptera Study Group Newsletter 



(December 1985); 6: 2. 

 Southwood, T. R. E. & Leston, D. 1959. Land and water bugs on the British Isles. London, 



Frederick Warne & Co, p. 86. 



ANNOUNCEMENT 



A new book offer — The butterflies of Kent. — Just over ten years ago, the Kent 

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 giving detailed distribution maps of 2000 or so flowering plants and ferns to be found 

 in Kent. The Society subsequently decided to embark on a similar scheme to map 

 the distribution of the county's butterflies. 



The results have now just been published in the Society's journal in the form of a 

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 The book (60 pp) contains colour photographs, black and white illustrations, accounts 

 and detailed "dot" distribution maps of the various species to be found in Kent. 



The book is now on sale at £6 a copy but is available at a special price of £5.00 

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