Away trapping, North Bucks

Last Friday evening (2nd July) I took three MV lights to a couple of adjacent privately-owned woods in North Bucks which I hadn't visited before, my first bit of trapping away from the garden for a couple of weeks.  The lights were on for the usual three hours and produced a reasonable list of just over 150 species altogether.  There was nothing particularly surprising or unexpected and the only macros worthy of note were Phoenix, Red-necked Footman and Purple Clay, although I should perhaps mention Coronet of which no less than 28 were recorded between the three lights.  However, I was very pleased to see that nearly half of the species were micros, which have been noticeably absent from earlier trapping sessions anywhere in this rather poor year.  Being mixed woodland with plenty of oaks, there was a veritable invasion of the usual suspects, with 50+ counts from Tortrix viridana, Aleimma loeflingiana, Archips xylosteana and Pandemis cerasana.  Otherwise perhaps the most interesting species was the smart little plutellid Eidophasia messingiella with 17 of them seen.  My records for this species have all come from woods in the far north of the county and I haven't seen it anywhere for nine years, although by all accounts it seems to be having quite a good season in 2021.  Other nice micros included Cedestis subfasciella, Anarsia innoxiella, Olindia schumacherana, Eana incanana, Epinotia signatana and Piniphila bifasciana.  

Eidophasia messingiella, 2nd July

Cedestis subfasciella, 2nd July

Olindia schumacherana, 2nd July

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks