Warren Hills 17/08/2011

Time to catch up on some mothing action. Last Wednesday in less than ideal conditions, I cajoled Adrian into a quick effort at Warren Hills targeting Heath Rustic and Annulet. Warren Hills is part of the Charnwood Lodge reserve, and holds possibly the best area of heather in VC55 (though there is not that much of it). It was good to see the heather in full bloom, and there appeared to be a notable spread since a grazing policy in recent years.

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No success with either of the target scarce site specialities, but we managed a respectable 346 of 51sp in 2.5hrs. We ran a 125W MV light over a sheet, a 125W MV trap, a 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo and a 40W/20W CFL Actinic/CFL combo. Here's the full list:

0015 Orange Swift (Hepialus sylvina) 2
0018 Map-winged Swift (Hepialus fusconebulosa) 1
0464 Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella) 1
0873 Blastobasis adustella 3
0954 Eupoecilia angustana f. fasciella 3 (NFY subspecies)
0987 Ptycholomoides aeriferanus 1
1093 Apotomis betuletana 2 (NFY)
1134 Epinotia ramella 1 (NFY)
1260 Cydia splendana 2
1304 Agriphila straminella 8
1305 Agriphila tristella 4
1340 Eudonia truncicolella 5 (NFY)
1342 Eudonia angustea 1 (NFY)
1344 Eudonia mercurella 1
1702 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata) 3
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 1
1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 1
1740 Galium Carpet (Epirrhoe galiata) 1
1756 Northern Spinach (Eulithis populata) 10
1757 Spinach (Eulithis mellinata) 4 (NFY)
1831 Ling Pug (Eupithecia absinthiata f. goossensiata) 1 (NFY subspecies)
1846 Narrow-winged Pug (Eupithecia nanata) 5 (NFY)
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1914 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria) 1 (NFY)
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
2000 Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius) 1
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma) 1
2047 Scarce Footman (Eilema complana) 5
2050 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 3
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 14
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 7
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 4
2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 2
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 35
2118 True Lover's Knot (Lycophotia porphyrea) 8
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 11
2130 Dotted Clay (Xestia baja) 10 (NFY)
2133 Six-striped Rustic (Xestia sexstrigata) 6
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 7
2145 Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii) 1
2176 Antler Moth (Cerapteryx graminis) 149
2177 Hedge Rustic (Tholera cespitis) 1 (NFY)
2198 Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura) 1
2254 Grey Chi (Antitype chi) 2 (NFY)
2293 Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) 1
2297 Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) 1
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 3
2342 Rosy Minor (Mesoligia literosa) 2 (NFY)
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 3
2350 Small Wainscot (Chortodes pygmina) 3 (NFY)

Narrow-winged Pug

True Lover's Knot

Galium Carpet

Dotted Clay

'Ling Pug'

Grey Chi

Hedge Rustic

Flame Shoulder - a really smart individual

Eudonia truncicolella - all in various states of wear and disrepair

Poultney Wood, 30/05/2009

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.

Charnwood Lodge - 29/08/2008

After a week of heavy numbers in the garden, and with conditions looking as good as or better than previous nights, I decided to leave trap running around the open grasslands at the entrance to Charnwood Lodge. I placed traps up on the bomb rocks and along the dry stone wall, hoping that the gennie would run all night and the cattle wouldn't shit on everything. My only targets as such were late summer noctuids associated with this habitat, and species I'm unlikely to see in the garden. Arriving back in the morning I was pleased to see traps still in situ and devoid of sloppy pats, and the gennie was still running. In fact, by the time I switched it off the gennie had run 3 x 125W MV traps along with 200M of cable for 10.5 hours! The catch was pretty good in terms of range of species, but surprisingly low on numbers considering the 500+ I'd had a few times in the garden. Total catch 536 of 63sp. Main highlights were: Brown-dotted Clothes Moth (Niditinea fuscella) 1 (county tick for me) Teleiopsis diffinis 14 Galium Carpet (Epirrhoe galiata) 1 Autumnal Rustic (Eugnorisma glareosa) 9 True Lover's Knot (Lycophotia porphyrea) 1 Antler Moth (Cerapteryx graminis) 25 Hedge Rustic (Tholera cespitis) 22 Grey Chi (Antitype chi) 1 Angle-striped Sallow (Enargia paleacea) 2 Gold Spot (Plusia festucae) 11 Only expected species I missed was Feathered Gothic, and no sign of hoped-for enigmas Neglected Rustic and Golden-rod Brindle. Angle-striped Sallow - a Nationally Scarce species, one of VC55s specialities Autumnal Rustic - I think these are smart, a Charnwood speciality True Lover's Knot - a heather feeder, no idea where the name comes from Galium Carpet Grey Chi Hedge Rustic Antler Sallow - normal form, compare to the one from my garden