Thursday, 20 June 2019

Close but no cigar

The only migrant in my garden catch at Westcott last night was Plutella xylostella, so there was nothing here anywhere near as exciting as Mark's Purple Marbled.  I had to "make do" instead with a completely unexpected new addition to the garden list in the shape of a smart female Bordered White (Westcott moth number 975).  Despite being a supposedly common species, this is one I don't see very often at all in Bucks.  The closest known site to home used to be Finemere Wood but I haven't recorded it there since 2010 and its fate was probably sealed when most of the conifers were removed from that site.  It is not immediately clear from where this specimen will have wandered in. 

Bordered White, Westcott 19th June

Other new arrivals for the year-list were Eucosma obumbratana, Notocelia uddmanniana, Cataclysta lemnata/Small China-mark and Scarlet Tiger (the last moth always succeeds in brightening up a night's catch!).

Eucosma obumbratana, Westcott 19th June

Scarlet Tiger, Westcott 19th June


Heart and Dart once again produced the highest count (91) with Dark Arches coming second (16).  Amongst last night's 24 micro species were five examples of Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, one of which has to be the smallest I've ever seen.  The field guide does give 5-7mm as the wing length but this one was barely 5mm.

Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Westcott 19th June

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks   
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3 comments:

  1. Adam Bassett21 June 2019 at 09:53

    How does 975 compare to other top Bucks site lists Dave? Seems remarkably high for a single garden. Constant effort obviously helps.

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  2. Peter Hall21 June 2019 at 21:53

    I get Bordered White here and the nearest conifers are almost a mile away and then only a few trees, so I think it must be a wanderer.

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  3. Dave Wilton22 June 2019 at 16:08

    Martin is perhaps best placed to answer that accurately, Adam, because I'm a year or so out-of-date. However, there appear to be about nine current VC24 garden lists in the 500s, one in the 600s and three in the 700s. Non-current gardens are topped by Peter Hall's old abode in Ballinger (700s) and then that of the late George Higgs in Willen (600s). The Rothamsted trap at Burnham Beeches must be in the 900s now and as such is my closest rival! In Bucks we should now have at least ten 10km squares (out of 36 wholly or partially within the county) which have more than 1,000 recorded species, but those totals go back to the year dot whereas my garden records are all post-millennium. I think 1000 species should be possible in any garden with some decent habitat nearby, given (as you say) time, constant effort and the services of Peter Hall's microsope!

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