Monday 22 May 2017

Two Nice Records

While carrying out a butterfly transect in Finemere Wood, Bucks this afternoon I checked a likely patch of speedwell and found one example of the smallest of the long-horn micros, Cauchas fibulella.  The moth is a reasonably common day-flyer locally but its size means that it takes some effort to spot.

Cauchas fibulella, Finemere Wood 22nd May

I expected more from last night's garden catch here at Westcott, the actinic bringing in only 39 moths of 27 species and only one of them a micro, but no doubt things will improve as this week progresses.  There were, however, five new ones for the year-list:  Notocelia cynosbatella, Purple Bar, Light Emerald, True Lover's Knot & Brown Rustic.  Being a heathland specialist, True Lover's Knot is not a moth I should expect here at all so it was presumably dispersing from elsewhere (like the Narrow-winged Pugs which others have been noting in unlikely places over the last week or two).  Very nice indeed that it should stray in this direction, becoming the garden's 415th macro species - new ones are becoming more and more difficult to get!  

True Lover's Knot, Westcott 21st May

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

2 comments:

  1. So at 415 are there any species that you are surprised you haven't caught? When I started trapping here I thought 300 was a reasonable target for a garden. Having added Brown Silver-line and Small Waved Umber last night I have reached a total of 254 so a little way to go yet.

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  2. No macros that I'm surprised I haven't caught yet but there are one or two spreading species which I'm patiently waiting for. Top of the list of these are Jersey Tiger and Toadflax Brocade which I'm sure will get here eventually. There is plenty of opportunity to get more micros, though. They are just a handful short of 500 species for the garden but I'm sure there's plenty of scope to add more yet.

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