Further day-flyers

Surveying Striped Lychnis sites in the Chilterns over the past couple of days has produced sightings of one or two interesting day-flyers.  Yesterday at Green Farm, a site in the Hughenden Valley north of High Wycombe which is owned by the National Trust, moths included the inevitable Pyrausta aurata, Six-spot Burnet, Shaded Broad-bar, Yellow Shell, Dusky Sallow & Silver Y in some numbers, but it was also pleasing to find in excess of 40 examples of the long-horn Nemophora metallica sitting around on flowers of field scabious.  However, prize for the best sighting there goes to a single example of the phycitinid Oncocera semirubella which seems to be spreading quite rapidly across the Chilterns.

Oncocera semirubella, Hughenden Valley 30th July

Today, before looking at sites in the Wendover area, I called at Aston Clinton Ragpits where Nemophora metallica was again out in some numbers on scabious flowers (17 counted) while three examples of the small tortrix Pammene aurana were seen on umbellifers.

Pammene aurana, Aston Clinton Ragpits 31st July

One day perhaps I'll find the confusion species Phaulernis fulviguttella which looks very similar, but it has never been recorded in Bucks.  Some experts seem to consider it to be a common species but that does not appear to be true, certainly in our area, and it is in any case on the Nationally Scarce 'B' List (known only from between 31 and 100 ten kilometre squares nationally).

Dave Wilton