With several of my regular trapping locations for this year still needing their August visit, I decided to make the best of it last night and tackled the closest to home, a private wetland site less than 4km away as the moth flies, even though the conditions weren't really suitable (there was a full moon without any cloud cover and being a large lake would cool very quickly after dark with the temperature there undoubtedly dropping below the forecast minimum of 13C by midnight). It did indeed get very cool very quickly and the four MV lights were rather underwhelmed by moths, particularly micros of which very few species ventured forth. The best trap managed 48 species of moth, the worst a mere 24! All the same, most of the habitat-specialists I had expected to find did turn up and I was pleased to record seven Wainscot species (Southern, Smoky, Bulrush, Twin-spotted, Brown-veined, Webb's and Silky).
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| Twin-spotted Wainscot, 15th August |
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| Brown-veined Wainscot, 15th August |
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| Webb's Wainscot, 15th August |
Three of the Wainscots (Southern, Twin-spotted & Webb's) have yet to appear on the Westcott garden list so, being so close, it is good to know that they are potential additions for one day in the future!
Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks
Nice selection of Wainscots, Dave!
ReplyDeleteYes. The night before I had been on the Essex coast, actually on a saltmarsh and next to a reed bed and only managed 2 Wainscot species - Southern and Common.
ReplyDeleteAndy.