On Saturday night I was able to enjoy some out in the field mothing; a major
step in my recovery both in terms of driving distance and physicality, though
I have to be honest and say that I was completely knackered the following
morning. I joined a group session at Rutland Water organised by Tim Sexton,
based in and around the Lyndon Center on the south shore. I had Graham Calow
along for company, and amongst the participants were Pete Leonard, Graham
Finch and Margaret McLoughlin along with Lyndon regulars Pete Bennett and
Martin Grimes, plus a handful of other recorders. As it happened Pete headed
in the same direction as me and we set out out lights throughout a section of
woodland known as Berrybut Spinney adjacent to the Rutland Water Golf Course,
using my sheet as a gathering point. There were additional lights running in
Gibbet Gorse, around the center and Graham & Margaret heading the other
way towards Waderscrape Hide. So all in all good coverage and decent potential
for a great combined list.
The two cyan squares are the two halves of Berrybut Spinney, yellow square is
Gibbet Gorse, green square is the Lyndon center and the red square is
Waderscrape Hide.
It's been a while since my sedate family car got abused off-road like this.
Pete (left) and Graham (right) ahead of lighting up.
The brown wooden box next to my chair is the old catch box that Adrian made
the best part of 30 years ago, and it is great being able to use it and give
it some more service. I think he'd approve.
The hope of great things waned after lighting up, when it became clear quite
early on that we were not going to be inundated with moths at the sheet. No
idea why really, but it was a lot quieter across all the traps than I think we
anticipated. Still, my sheet and x2 125W MV traps alone brought in 54sp. and
Pete's x2 MV + x3 actinic traps managed a healthy 66sp. We await the combined
list, but perhaps c100sp. will be achieved. Either way it was great to be out at all, and all the better to be out on a group event.
Best of the bunch on our side was in one of Pete's traps, a worn Agonopterix
purpurea. Otherwise the best micro in my traps was a worn Psoricoptera
gibbosella, whilst macro highlights were my first VC55 worn White-point, a
couple of worn Square-spotted Clay and a worn Dark Sword-grass. You'll
notice that these all share a common characteristic!
Agonopterix purpurea
Psoricoptera gibbosella
White-point
Square-spotted Clay
Dark Sword-grass
The garden trap delivered another first last night ....
Neocochylis molliculana. VC55 first was in 2015, but there has been a
distinct increase since 2019 so perhaps only a matter of time before it popped
up.
Also noteworthy were ....
A knackered Ypsolopha horridella - second garden records after one in
2020.
.... and the third Nephopterix angustella so far this year.
Ok, so I got the final outcome from the consultants at a post-op follow up
last Friday with Nichola. Bottom line - no discussions about how long I've got
and no further treatment; lymph nodes clear and resection margins
microscopically clear (r0) so essentially I am cancer-free and can get on with
planning and living my life like anyone else. No guarantees of course, although ongoing surveillance for five years is reassuring, but
it's absolutely the best outcome I could have hoped for. Just got to get on
with physical recovery, though I'm feeling a bit stronger every day and from
today I'm logging on to work for a while to get back on top of things.
I'm also taking on the VC55 CMR role formally from hereon in. I've been
covering the role since Adrian's passing, but of course was hesitant to
formalise anything too quickly and whilst I had my own health cloud. There is
much to do, initially just to get a grip on a few things.
I ran the garden trap for a couple of nights before the weekend, and picked up
x3 new micros in the process - one of which was completely new to me.
Ironically though, the first new micro was almost overlooked.
From 28/07/2022 there were x2 Brown-line Bright-eye in the trap that I
couldn't remember having here before, and x2 Caloptilia semifascia that has
been turning up in gardens regularly over the last couple of years or so. It
didn't remotely click that mine wasn't one of them. It was only when checking
for last dates that the penny dropped, and thankfully I'd potted both to
ensure a photo anyway. Turned out that after all I had recorded Brown-line
Bright-eye here before - albeit way back in 2000 & 2003.
Caloptilia semifascia - garden tick
Worn but welcome Brown-line Bright-eye - not a garden tick!
The following night, another couple of micros that this time I knew were new
....
Caloptilia cuculipennella - new for me and the garden
Nephopterix angustella - seems to be having a good year locally
"All you've got to do is feel, your body's going to start to heal, Fingertips
of holy fire, everlasting sweet desire, It don't matter what the
doctors say, Healer man, sail away, Immortality for two, miracles
will come to you. The faith healer, the faith healer"
