On Saturday night I headed out with a couple of light traps, something of a
rarity in recent years for all the obvious reasons (cancer / chemo / surgeries
/ covid restrictions ....). Checking back, I managed four nights out in 2019,
none in 2020, two in 2021 and just the one last year. Most pertinently, only
two of these were nights out on my own setting up and recording and they were
in 2019. I am absolutely going to be out a bit more this year.
Aside from the paucity of nights out around a light, it has just occurred to
me that in all that time my current car has been the most under-utilised
vehicle I've ever had. Weeks parked up whilst I was unable to drive, long
periods off road during lock-downs, and we've not been up and down to Devon
with any regularity either. Coincidentally: it very much looks like the this
outing will be the last mothing effort in this car anyway, as I'm expecting a
changeover in the next week or so (though dealership delays may scupper that),
and the last mothing trip I made in the previous car was to the same site -
Fox Covert at Ulverscroft.
My next car will not be mistaken for an Uber everywhere I go.
Even more under-utilised than the car, good to know it still runs.
I ran a 125W MV over a sheet ....
.... and a couple of 125W MV traps along the main track.
I really wasn't expecting a lot, as garden catches have continued to be poor
and anecdotally the mothing up and down the country has been relatively poor.
There really does seem to have been a major entomological crash, perhaps more
due to the prolonged drought and searingly hot period last summer. Time will
tell if anything picks up or recovers. So it was no surprise really that
things were a bit slow, at least for the first hour. I ended up with a pretty
respectable total of 174 of 50sp. running the lights from dusk until 00:30.
Most pleasingly though I saw quite a few species that I haven't seen for a
long while, and some that are either rare or have never turned up in my
garden.
I had the TG-6 to hand, which meant I was able to snap quite a lot on the
sheet rather than bringing stuff home. Very serviceable snaps, albeit not the
most aesthetically pleasing background! I did take a few micros to check. So
in no particular order, here's a load of moth photos from the night ....
There were numerous Netelia/Ophion type Ichneumons on the sheet, a number of
Melanotus sp. click beetles, but by far the most numerous thing were
Cockchafers. Loads of them. Initially, the first ten or so were
unceremoniously chucked away, only to come bumbling back like six-legged
boomerangs. I then started collecting them in the plastic tub that the light
bulb goes in, more successful but I can assure you that two hours or so of
writhing incarcerated Cockchafers stinks.
There were at least 80 or so spread across the lights. I rarely get these at
home - thankfully - and had forgotten how much I loathe these getting in the
way. I thought I'd done a great job of containing them and then getting shot
of them all. However, much to my surprise given that I cleared out the gear
yesterday and used the car, today there was one sitting on the parcel shelf.
How the hell it avoided setting off the alarm for two nights I'll never know.
It prompted a further check, during which I found a much less offensive weevil
which I can only assume came home on Saturday as well ....
Bumbling hairy twatCockchafer
Strophosoma melanogrammum
The outing yesterday was to go and watch LCFC win majestically whilst being
relegated. Wow, it's been a ridiculous few seasons that we could never have
imagined possible, and which makes this drop even tougher than any we've
suffered previously. We played shite all season, were badly managed and the
Club made decisions too late. Totally avoidable. Back to a 46-game season
in the toughest league to get out of. If we don't bounce straight back up (and
I'm not sure we will) I suspect a long period of frustrating play offs. Still, we won more in our short stint than some other clubs (Spurs, Everton
....).
All your hopes and dreams, all you need to know, joy ride ....
After the visit to Herbert's Meadow in the day, it occurred to me that the Ulverscroft NR woods would be as good a place as any to leave traps running overnight. So, just before dusk I was back only this time I accessed the site through the Fox Covert track and drove down to the edge of Poultney Wood.
I ran 3 x 125W MV traps in roughly the locations marked (1, 2, 3) on these OS and aerial views of the reserve. For reference, Herbert's Meadow is shown with an 'H'.
I knew it wouldn't be the most spectacular night, as with the clear sunny day I expected a clear cool night. It was c13°C at dusk, dropping down to c6°C at dawn though back up to 9°C when I got back there at 05:30.
Not a bad night though, with the total catch being 264 of 62sp.
Main highlights:
Carpatolechia proximella 1
Pammene germmana 6
Barred Hook-tip (Watsonalla cultraria) 1
Clay Triple-lines (Cyclophora linearia) 8
Galium Carpet (Epirrhoe galiata) 1
May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata) 3
Grey Birch (Aethalura punctulata) 1
Orange Footman (Eilema sororcula) 26
Gold Spot (Plusia festucae) 1
Other highest counts (>10):
Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 31
Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi) 21
Green Silver-lines (Pseudoips prasinana britannica) 21
Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 11
Faultless - cheapo far-east gennie just keeps on running
Trap 1
Trap 2
Trap 3
Clay Triple-lines - still a generally scarce moth in VC55
Barred Hook-tip - another Beech feeder
Galium Carpet
Green Silver-lines - not sure if this is an aberrant individual or referable to a named form (looks like it should be a Silver Green-lines!). Compared to the example below from Charnwood Lodge in May 2006, it is a lot whiter. See also this one.
