A Hint of Immigration

For the first time this month and despite the rain, my garden trap here at Westcott, Bucks just scraped past 100 species again.  Numbers of Brimstone Moth, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and Straw Dot have increased significantly over the past couple of nights but in the lead currently so far as quantity is concerned are the grass moths Agriphila straminella and Agriphila tristella along with Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis.  New for the year last night were Dichrorampha acuminatana, Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis, White-point and Webb's Wainscot (the only other additions to the year list so far this month have been Epinotia nisella & Pammene populana both on the 3rd).  The two Udea ferrugalis and single White-point which graced the trap are migrants, or at least wanderers, so far as my garden is concerned.  Nothing else remotely migratory appeared, though - no Diamond-backs or Silver Ys, for example.

Pammene populana, Westcott 3rd August

Udea ferrugalis, Westcott 5th August

White-point, Westcott 5th August

This afternoon I paid a short visit to what is arguably the best chalk downland site in the Chilterns, at Grangelands near Cadsden, Bucks.  This was mainly to obtain a Bucks 'year tick' for Chalkhill Blue and Silver-spotted Skipper butterflies (duly achieved, along with the unexpected addition of Clouded Yellow), but while there I also checked out the few dark mullein plants on site and found two rather late Striped Lychnis caterpillars still munching away.  It was also good to see at least five examples of the uncommon long-horn micro-moth Nemophora metallica resting on flowers of field scabious.



Nemophora metallica, Grangelands 6th August

Dave Wilton