Oakhill Wood, Milton Keynes

Last night I ran three MV traps in Oakhill Wood on the western side of Milton Keynes.  It is quite nice mixed woodland, the only drawback being that it is so close to HM Prison Woodhill that you are "serenaded" by noisy prisoners shouting out of their windows.  Still, this was my third visit in three months and I've become used to that now!  The main problem last night was the number of hornets, with more than 30 of them shared between the traps.  Moth numbers weren't brilliant but two of the traps each brought in nearly 70 species and the combined total will have been more than 100.   

Pine Hawk-moth, Oakhill Wood 5th August

There were good numbers of Cydia splendana but the only other micros to reach double figures were Eudonia mercurella, Chrysoteuchia culmella, Agriphila straminella & Patania ruralis.  Amongst the expected species it was good to see Psoricoptera gibbosella, Clavigesta purdeyi and the Wax Moth Galleria mellonella (perhaps a little unusual to find that one in the middle of dense woodland).  The macros were very much as expected, with half a dozen examples of Poplar Lutestring, a Dingy Shell and a rather tired-looking Fen Wainscot the only things even slightly out of the ordinary.  Black Arches and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing were the only species around in any numbers.

Poplar Lutestring, Oakhill Wood 5th August

Dingy Shell, Oakhill Wood 5th August

Fen Wainscot, Oakhill Wood 5th August

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks