What's Flying Tonight

Since I first tested this website out a couple of years ago for the CEH, it has developed quite nicely, so you will now find it on the right hand side under "Useful Links". Peter Hall

Haugh and Wigmore Rolls

The warm spell meant moth trapping. Friday night I went to Haugh Wood and although the breeze stayed with me all 3 hours I trapped, it was slow and steady. It's really nice to be getting some good micros arriving at long last. 52 species of Macro and around 30 species of micro. No unusual macro records and probably the best micro record was 8 Eidophasia messingiella, which Patrick will remember well from his previous visit. Ironically of more interest was a record for the Green Spider Micrommata virescens, when a rather large bright green female walked over my sheet. Very few Herefordshire records and none for Haugh Wood. Then last night I joined up with Rob Hemming and we trapped in Wigmore Rolls, a large Forestry Commission wood north of Leominster and more famous for its butterflies. At pack up time around 1am it was still 16 degrees and again, despite an annoying breeze, it was busy. I think between us we will top 130 species, but my two Robinsons recorded 77 Macro species and the Micros will be around 35 species once all identified. Besides the usual crew, I recorded Little Thorn (2), Beautiful Snout (2), Drab Looper (2 - yes they came to light!), Satin Lutestring (6) and the highlight for me Lunar Thorn (2). Most numerous was Capua vulgana with 245 individuals counted. Then as a surprise there were 3 more of the Green Spiders around the traps, this time males...who says they are rare? Peter Hall

Wigmore Rolls: Lunar Thorn

Wigmore Rolls: Barred Umber

Wigmore Rolls: Scalloped Hook-tip

Haugh Wood: Micrommata virescens - female

Wigmore Rolls: Micrommata virescens - male

Mullein

I grow Verbascum thapsus (Great Mullein) in the garden here on Bringsty Common exclusively for Mullein moth caterpillars to feed on. It never seems to fail and this year I am blessed with 31 caterpillars on most of the 6 plants here and they are from first instar through to 3rd instar at the moment and the plants are just starting to looka bit ragged from the feeding. Peter Hall

Back garden Bringsty Common

 

White-barred Clearwing

Spurred on by a sighting in North Bucks a few days ago, I went to the site at Dymock Forest armed with my TIP lure and managed to attract 5 males in total. Looking at other records for the site, I may have been slightly early for peak numbers, but nice to see it there nonetheless. Peter Hall

Dymock Forest: White-barred Clearwing

Dymock Forest: White-barred Clearwing

 

E-Moth from Butterfly Conservation

The latest edition can be viewed following this link:
https://dmtrk.net/DGT-6AK9B-LHNV0M-3LOVRH-1/c.aspx

Peter Hall

Bringsty Common May 17-18th 2019

Bringsty Common: Shuttle-shaped Dart

Bringsty Common: Purple Bar

Bringsty Common: Broken-barred Carpet

Bringsty Common: Cream Wave

Slightly warmer night temperatures coaxed out the moth trap again, although it is a bit hit and miss if the moon appears. The last 2 nights have produced 46 species of Macromoth and to date 4 species of Micro with a couple to look at more closely. Not too bad overall.
Here's a list for the past 2 days:

Vernacular	Taxon
Twenty-plume	Alucita hexadactyla
	Anania fuscalis
Brimstone Moth	Opisthograptis luteolata
Brindled Pug	Eupithecia abbreviata
Broken-barred Carpet	Electrophaes corylata
Brown Silver-line	Petrophora chlorosata
Buff Ermine	Spilosoma lutea
Chocolate-tip	Clostera curtula
Clouded Border	Lomaspilis marginata
Clouded-bordered Brindle	Apamea crenata
Common Carpet	Epirrhoe alternata
Common Pug	Eupithecia vulgata
Common White Wave	Cabera pusaria
Cream Wave	Scopula floslactata
Flame Shoulder	Ochropleura plecta
Green Carpet	Colostygia pectinataria
Hebrew Character	Orthosia gothica
Iron Prominent	Notodonta dromedarius
Knot Grass	Acronicta rumicis
Least Black Arches	Nola confusalis
Lime Hawk	Mimas tiliae
Maiden's Blush	Cyclophora punctaria
May Highflyer	Hydriomena impluviata
Muslin	Diaphora mendica
Notocelia cynosbatella
Nut-tree Tussock	Colocasia coryli
Oak-tree Pug	Eupithecia dodoneata
Orange Footman	Eilema sororcula
Pale Tussock	Calliteara pudibunda
Pebble Hook-tip	Drepana falcataria
Peppered	Biston betularia
Poplar Hawk	Laothoe populi
Purple Bar	Cosmorhoe ocellata
Red Twin-spot Carpet	Xanthorhoe spadicearia
Rustic Shoulder-knot	Apamea sordens
Scalloped Hazel	Odontopera bidentata
Scoparia ambigualis
Seraphim	Lobophora halterata
Setaceous Hebrew Character	Xestia c-nigrum
Shuttle-shaped Dart	Agrotis puta
Silver Cloud	Egira conspicillaris
Silver-ground Carpet	Xanthorhoe montanata
Small Phoenix	Ecliptopera silaceata
Spectacle	Abrostola tripartita
Treble Lines	Charanyca trigrammica
Vine's Rustic	Hoplodrina ambigua
Waved Umber	Menophra abruptaria
White Ermine	Spilosoma lubricipeda
White-pinion Spotted	Lomographa bimaculata
White-spotted Pug	Eupithecia tripunctaria

Bucculatrix cristatella

Bucculatrix cristatella is a very small dull grey moth that is rarely seen as an adult. The feeding signs of the larvae are quite subtle too. We have very few records of the moth but it is one species that is almost certainly under-recorded.

Feeding signs on Yarrow

Signs can be found now on new growth Yarrow fronds. Look for browned tips to the leaves and then for the pale white-ish ribbed cocoon and the smaller white silk blobs that are the remains of temporary moulting habitations. There are other causes of the brown leaf ends so you really need a cocoon to be sure of the record.

B.cristatella - Cocoon on Yarrow.

To give you some idea of scale, the cocoon is about 3mm long.



Oliver Wadsworth