Pickworth Great Wood 01/05/2011 - The List n Pics

The digital dictaphones have been transcribed (forgot to mention that tip for out-of-garden mothing, makes emptying traps a much smoother process), lists have been checked, verified and consolidated, and I can now hereby announce the results of the aforementioned 'ridiculous' venture into prime woodland in pants conditions. As I intimated, the overall result was a triumph for the theory that irrespective of the conditions trapping in decent habitat will yield some reward. The numbers taken were low (very low considering the number of traps), but we managed a decent species total with some goodies in a local context.

Before I launch into the summary, here's some vaguely interesting analysis that was prompted by Ben's comment yesterday. Firstly, despite me being slightly dismissive of its ability the 250W metal halide trap on this occasion came out tops with the highest number of both species and individuals. Added to that, no less than 7 of the 22 species it attracted were taken only in this trap. Of the 56 species so far confirmed, 3 were taken only at the sheet that we operated for a few hours. A further 22 species were taken only single traps, and only 2 of the 12 traps failed to attract anything that was not also in other traps. Underlining the conditions, 6 of the 12 traps failed to attract 10 or more species, and 3 of these also failed to muster 10 or more individuals. No species was present in all 12 traps, with Muslin Moth in 10 being the most widely taken. That's enough pseudo-science, here's the full list (231 of 57sp.) .....

0005 Micropterix calthella 1 (NFY)
0140 Nematopogon swammerdamella 2
0150 Adela reaumurella 1
0287 Caloptilia robustella 3
0449 Ash Bud Moth (Prays fraxinella) 6 (NFY)
0602 Elachista apicipunctella 1
0649 Esperia sulphurella 1
0764 Pseudotelphusa scalella 3 (NFY)
0770 Carpatolechia proximella 8 (NFY)
0986 Syndemis musculana 6
1061 Acleris literana 1 (NFY)
1136 Epinotia immundana 1 (NFY)
1648 Pebble Hook-tip (Drepana falcataria) 1
1655 Poplar Lutestring (Tethea or) 1 (NFY)
1680 Maiden's Blush (Cyclophora punctaria) 3 (NFY)
1693 Cream Wave (Scopula floslactata) 13 (NFY)
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 5
1747 Streamer (Anticlea derivata) 1
1750 Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata) 1
1752 Purple Bar (Cosmorhoe ocellata) 1 (NFY)
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 3
1760 Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 1
1773 Broken-barred Carpet (Electrophaes corylata) 3 (NFY)
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 1
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 2
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 19
1853 Oak-tree Pug (Eupithecia dodoneata) 4
1879 Seraphim (Lobophora halterata) 26 (NFY)
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 4 (NFY)
1888 Scorched Carpet (Ligdia adustata) 1
1893 Tawny-barred Angle (Macaria liturata) 1 (NFY)
1902 Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata) 4 (NFY)
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 1
1919 Purple Thorn (Selenia tetralunaria) 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 14
1944 Pale Oak Beauty (Hypomecis punctinalis) 1 (NFY)
1950 Brindled White-spot (Parectropis similaria) 1 (NFY)
1956 Common Wave (Cabera exanthemata) 1 (NFY)
1957 White-pinion Spotted (Lomographa bimaculata) 3
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 1 (NFY)
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 3 (NFY)
2000 Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius) 2
2003 Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) 2
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma) 4
2007 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 6 (NFY)
2019 Chocolate-tip (Clostera curtula) 5 (NFY)
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 7
2043 Orange Footman (Eilema sororcula) 5 (NFY)
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 30
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 2
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 2
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 6
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 1
2289 Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis) 1
2422 Green Silver-lines (Pseudoips prasinana britannica) 1 (NFY)
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1 (NFY)

The are also 3 x Phyllonorycters to check. In addition, whilst wandering around on trap patrol and emptying the traps I found several larvae either on overhanging branches, in traps or on the sheets around traps. Of these, I have so far identified the following:

1777 July Highflyer (NFY)
1797 Autumnal Moth (TBC, though looks spot-on to Porter)
1799 Winter Moth
2182 Small Quaker
2189 Twin-spotted Quaker
2190 Hebrew Character
2248 Brindled Green (NFY)
2335 Slender Brindle (NFY)

Poplar Lutestring - rare in VC55, this is the only site where it has been reliably recorded

Pseudotelphusa scalella - one I've only ever seen at Pickworth

Acleris literana f. flavana

Brindled White-spot - scarce in VC55, though recent increase

Pale Oak Beauty - ditto the above

Scorched Carpet - scarce and local in VC55

Carpatolechia proximella - seems not that long ago we recorded the first for VC55 (though probably 10 years) now more widespread

Cream Wave - good to see this in numbers, refused to sit on anything but a Primrose leaf

Maiden's Blush - nice!

Tawny-barred Angle - impossible to photograph well

Broken-barred Carpet - a smart fresh one

All of the following are a selection of Seraphims - amazing variability, and a species that I would normally be pleased to see one during the year let alone 26 in one session.

Bloody Oaks Quarry, 24/05/2009

Over the bank holiday weekend, it was only Sunday night that I was able to get out for a mothing session. Despite the forecast being less than promising I set off to Bloody Oaks Quarry with the intention of running the traps overnight. It is almost six years to the day since I last trapped there, but the habitat has not changed. I ran 4 x 125W MV traps and 1 x 80W actinic trap, giving good coverage over the whole site although I avoided the hollow where the temperature can plummet. Before dusk there was a lot of activity as I set up the traps, mainly Green carpets and Common Swifts with the odd Scoparia sp. and Crambus lathoniellus. After dark though it soon went quiet, and by 23:00 it wasn't looking too good and the temperature had dropped off. I topped up the gennie and decided to get a good few hours sleep in the car and leave the traps to it. At 04:30 in the morning it was already very light and I started pulling in the traps. Turned out to be a reasonably good night in the end, not least because I caught up with a couple of species I haven't seen for a long while - Shaded Pug and Tawny Shears. The Total catch was 622 of 69sp. Main Highlights: Pale Oak Beauty (Hypomecis punctinalis) 2 Pine Hawk-moth (Hyloicus pinastri) 1 Orange Footman (Eilema sororcula) 3 Light Brocade (Lacanobia w-latinum) 4 Campion (Hadena rivularis) 1 Tawny Shears (Hadena perplexa) 1 Alder Moth (Acronicta alni) 1 Highest counts (>10): Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 103 Common Swift (Hepialus lupulinus) 96 Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens) 51 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 44 Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae) 38 Scoparia sp. (pres. ambigualis) 37 Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica) 35 Large Nutmeg (Apamea anceps) 25 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 14 Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata) 12 Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea) 12 The full listing is uploaded here for those registered to the VC55 Yahoo Group. Traps 1, 2, 4 & 5 = 125W MV Trap 3 = 80W actinic Trap 1 viewed from the site entrance gate Trap 2 viewed from the entrance gate, the hollow is just beyond this trap Trap 3 looking back towards the entrance Trap 4 viewed from the 'plateau' east of the hollow Trap 5 viewed from where the grassland narrows with the conifer plantation east and south The hollow, looking toward the entrance
Overnight mothing luxury - a pump-up bed (courtesy of an electric pump and the gennie) and room to lie fully outstretched. I really miss the nights cramped on the back seat of the Peugeot 106 .....

During the early hours whilst collecting the traps, sorting out the cable reels, counting moths and taking photos, the dawn chorus was gradually increasing. Along with the expected early morning singers there was Lesser Whitethroat and Yellow-hammer, mewing Buzzard, yaffling Green Woodpecker, coo-cooing Cuckoo and a nice flyover Red Kite. All very mellow and peaceful with not a soul in sight for the whole time I was there.

Tawny Shears - sadly rubbed on one side Pine Hawk-moth Pale Oak Beauty - used to be very scarce, seems to be increasing Light Brocade - smart Clouded Bordered Brindle Dwarf Pug - a large fat female

Pickworth Great Wood - Images

A few shots from the Pickworth Great Wood session on 7th June - all photographed during the trap emptying session the following morning. All should be clickable for a larger size.


Poplar Lutestring


Pale Oak Beauty


Brindled White-spot


Iron Prominent


Light Brocade


Alder Moth / Buff-tip


Clouded Brindle / Beautiful Golden Y


The Coronet


Grey Arches