Friday 18 May 2018

More day-flyers

Earlier in the week (14th) I completed a butterfly transect in some private woodland near Grendon Underwood, Bucks where day-flying moths included Glyphipterix simpliciella and a white female Muslin Moth.  Yesterday (17th) I had a wander around scrubby areas near the incinerator at Greatmoor, Bucks, searching successfully for Dingy and Grizzled Skippers, and while there bumped into Small Yellow Underwing, Burnet Companion, Mother Shipton & Silver Y.  Another successful search for the same Skippers today at three sites around Calvert, Bucks produced sightings of Pancalia leuwenhoekella, Commophila aeneana, Crambus lathoniellus, Pyrausta purpuralis & Cinnabar. 

Pancalia leuwenhoekella is a regular at two of today's sites and is also found on quite a few of the better chalk grassland locations in the Chilterns.  I find it quite easy to spot because, apart from one which came to a light trap, the 40+ individuals I've seen have always been sat on daisy flowers.  Commophila aeneana is a moth of disturbed scrubby ground on heavy clay soils and as a result is encountered reasonably frequently around here.  It is always a delight to see such a colourful species (almost, but not quite, as smart as Ched George's Aethes tesserana from the other day!).

Muslin Moth female, Grendon Underwood 14th May

Pancalia leuwenhoekella on daisy, Calvert 17th May

Pancalia leuwenhoekella, Calvert 17th May

Commophila aeneana, Calvert 17th May

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks   

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