Bog Trotting

A quick post before I settle into an afternoon of nail-biting nervous tension with the close of the longest football season imaginable.

This morning I've been out on a quest. It was like twitching birds, except having far more chance of scoring as the quarry is absolutely unable to get up and wander off (although in some situations it could have been mowed, picked or lathered in weed killer). Yes - I've been tracking down published dots on Naturespot maps and finding vascular plants and their parasites where they were recorded as being.

So the blue dots on here are for various records from a site that I'll refer to as Sapcote Marsh. They are all generated by probably the most diligent and prolific recorder on Naturespot, Graham Calow. I'd never been to this site, but Graham assured me that access was easy from a signposted footpath through a field and that walking boots were more than adequate ....

I'm glad I put full length trousers on and also took the precaution of wearing my waterproof Sealskinz socks! The site is essentially a wide strip between a cultivated field and a drainage ditch, surrounded by mixed hedgerow. It has a potential to be damp. No idea of the history of the site, or whether the landowner is obliged to maintain the strip as it has been there for decades, but Graham seems to think it is a little in decline and generally dryer than it used to be.

I managed to traipse around for an hour or so getting wetter by the minute thanks to the knee-high vegetation and over-night rain. The strip between the crop and the grass was best, with a few arable plants mixed in with the crop. I ended up finding most of the species I was looking for, including Gypsywort, Pale Persicaria, Black-bindweed and Parsley-piert. I also found dipteran galls on Perennial Sow-thistle and Meadowsweet, and a smut rust on White Campion.

I've got a few plants lined up to look for, but the Leicester City lockdown is creating a bit of a blocker for that the moment.

Meanwhile the moth trap has been dormant for most of the week with poor trapping conditions and/or work related commitments getting in the way. Here's a couple from recently ....

Plain Pug

Lackey

Hoary Footman (hindwing checked)

New Grass

I left the garden trap off on Tuesday night. The forecast was for slightly cooler conditions with the temps and risk of thundery showers increasing by Wednesday night, so I opted for a lie in and to then give it a proper go last night with both traps. The plan paid off, as at 5am this morning both traps were liberally covered with moths. And there in plain view was yet another new macro for the garden!

Grass Rivulet - 674th garden and 315th macro species

There is also another potential garden macro tick, I'm fairly confident but I'm awaiting the thoughts of others about this one - a putative Hoary Footman. This species has moved into the county in the last couple of years and has been spreading pretty rapidly. (post-script - confirmed as Hoary Footman via gen. det.)

Hoary Footman

Scarce Footman left (straw yellow hindwing) / Hoary Footman right (off-white hindwing)

Other highlights were the second Privet Hawk for the garden, fourth Anania perlucidalis, Sycamore, 3x Miller, several Coronets and these ....

Stathmopoda pedella - 3rd garden record

Love the daft legs-akimbo pose of this moth. Thought it was out the picture after a neighbour cut down the only large alder tree in the vicinity.

Dark Umber - less than annual

Always seem to be knackered by the time they end up in my garden traps!

And here's a couple for the sake of it.

Batrachedra praeangusta - I like these, slightly quirky

Hypsopygia glaucinalis - another name change to get used to

Common Emerald

And whilst I'm at it, here's a couple from a breif but very enjoyable session with a sheet and trap at Misterton Marsh on Monday evening with Adrian Russell and Graham Finch.

Miller

Blue-bordered Carpet

Phalonidia manniana