Another Good Night

Last night it was the turn of Finemere Wood, Bucks to receive a February visit.  Two MV traps were run for the usual three hours but they didn't perform as well as they had the night before in Bernwood because the combined total was 'only' 571 moths.  At Finemere it was noticeable that Pale Brindled Beauty and Spring Usher were both well past their peak whereas at Bernwood they seemed just to have reached it.  The 13 species seen were Acleris hastiana (1), Tortricodes alternella (238), March Moth (5), Shoulder Stripe (4), Small Brindled Beauty (200), Pale Brindled Beauty (69), Oak Beauty (2), Spring Usher (22), Dotted Border (5, plus a female on a nearby oak trunk), Small Quaker (1), Common Quaker (2), Satellite (4) & Chestnut (18).

Acleris hastiana, Finemere Wood 19th February

Back home in the garden at Westcott the twin-30wt actinic brought Agonopterix heracliana (5), Tortricodes alternella (1), March Moth (1), Dotted Border (1), Common Quaker (2), Satellite (1), Chestnut (3) & Dark Chestnut (1) to the conservatory windows, the best result of the year so far.  However, it looks as though we're almost at the end of this current warmer period and the weather should soon turn very wintry again, probably until the middle of March. 

Satellite, Westcott 19th February

Dark Chestnut (left) & Chestnut (right), Westcott 19th February

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks