Disused Railway

Yesterday my first visit this year to a local disused railway cutting to check on the butterfly populations there proved quite useful for moths too, with a number of day-flying species recorded:  Adela reaumurella, Nematopogon swammerdamella, Incurvaria masculella, Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, Grapholita jungiella, Pammene rhediella, Pyrausta purpuralis, Common Carpet, Green Carpet & Common Heath all seen.  Caterpillars of Winter Moth and Mottled Umber were abundant on hawthorn and blackthorn, while a Drinker larva was found sunning itself on a grass stem.  It was perhaps still a little early for some of the other interesting micro-moths known from the place (Cauchas fibulella, Aethes piercei, Rhopobota stagnana and several Dichrorampha species spring to mind).  Typical of such sites, the cutting is slowly scrubbing up with hawthorn and the habitat will likely be lost within another ten years unless some clearance work is carried out.

Disused railway cutting

Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, 2nd May

Grapholita jungiella, 2nd May

Pammene rhediella, 2nd May

Near the end of the long walk through fields back to my car I disturbed the tortrix below from some nettles.  It is a Lobesia species, possibly Lobesia abscisana but didn't look quite right to me so will be dissected to confirm its identity.

Lobesia species, 2nd May

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks