Bernwood Forest

On Thursday night some cloud cover meant that the temperature was due to hold up until after midnight so I took a couple of MV traps to Bernwood and ran them in different parts of the forest, the result being another 120+ species night with good numbers of micros included.  I was mainly hoping to see the rare Common Fan-foot, one of the forest's specialities, and a fresh singleton duly turned up (this is the beginning of its flight period, which should go on until the end of June).  Otherwise, for the most part the list was made up of common and widespread species but it was also good to see Fox Moth, Birch Mocha, Little Emerald, Grey Birch & Grey Arches.  Those moths around in the highest quantities comprised Marbled White Spot (121), Orange Footman (58) & Pale Tussock (37), while even Green Silver-lines, which usually appears anywhere as a singleton, was trying to get in on the act with eleven seen.  The only identified micro to get into double digits was Scoparia ambigualis but each of the two traps saw swarms of identical-looking Coleophorids which were probably from three or four different species. 

Little Emerald, Bernwood 26th May

Grey Arches, Bernwood 26th May

Common Fan-foot, Bernwood 26th May

Trying to get a decent image of Little Emerald is very difficult.  The moth's wings are almost translucent and there only ever seems to be a hint of green in freshly-emerged specimens which very soon fades to white.

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks