Woodland Moths

Last night I ran an MV trap again in the local woodland which I'm surveying regularly this year and got 114 moths of a very welcome 17 species in the usual three hours from dusk:  Agonopterix heracliana (1), Acleris ferrugana/notana (1), Tortricodes alternella (3), March Moth (8), Shoulder Stripe (1), Brindled Pug (3), Small Brindled Beauty (1), Pale Brindled Beauty (53), Spring Usher (3), Dotted Border (2, one f. fuscata), Early Moth (2), Red Chestnut (4), Common Quaker (5), Clouded Drab (1), Hebrew Character (1), Satellite (2) & Chestnut (23).  Three of those species were my earliest ever records, Shoulder Stripe by ten days, Brindled Pug by six weeks and Red Chestnut by nine days.  It looks as though it is going to be another interesting year!

Shoulder Stripe, 4th February

Small Brindled Beauty, 4th February

Red Chestnut, 4th February

Back at home, the garden actinic managed its best performance of the year so far, bringing in a grand total of six moths:  Agonopterix heracliana (1), Tortricodes alternella (1), Common Quaker (1), Hebrew Character (1) & Chestnut (2).  No complaints here though, because I've now had two species this year which I didn't see at all in the garden in 2015 (Spring Usher which came to the actinic on 1st February and last night's Tortricodes alternella).

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks