A better woodland evening

I ran a single MV trap once again for three hours in Shabbington Wood, Bernwood Forest last night and got a reasonable result with more than 600 moths appearing in that time.  If I'd been prepared to stay longer the total could easily have been far higher as Small Quakers in particular kept flooding in as I was packing up.  The micros were disappointing with only Tortricodes alternella putting in an appearance (although there were 98 of them).  The macro species total was perhaps a little disappointing too at only 13 but many of them turned up in reasonable numbers:  Yellow Horned (2), March Moth (5), Small Brindled Beauty (118), Pale Brindled Beauty (19), Oak Beauty (10), Spring Usher (102), Dotted Border (39), Small Quaker (184), Common Quaker (50), Clouded Drab (5), Twin-spotted Quaker (1), Satellite (1) & Chestnut (2).  During the second half of last year there was some noticeable variation in moth sizes with quite a few smaller-than-usual specimens putting in an appearance, possibly due to food-plant dessication during the long, hot summer.  This seems to have continued to affect the early spring species because there were some very small specimens last night, in particular of Small Brindled Beauty and both Small and Common Quaker.  The smallest example in the Small Brindled Beauty trio below had a wing length of just under 13mm.

Yellow Horned, Bernwood Forest 1st March

Small Brindled Beauty trio, Bernwood Forest 1st March

Back in the garden at Westcott, Bucks the catch also amounted to 14 species, of which Lead-coloured Drab and Early Grey were new for the year.  The Lead-coloured Drab was a particularly dark example.

Lead-coloured Drab, Westcott 1st March

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks