On the night of Friday 5th July I spent the night at Brimham Rocks in preparation for a Bioblitz planned for the Saturday when various experts were due to be present to try and identify as many species as possible in a 24hour period. So, I got the ball rolling operating three traps overnight and despite ideal conditions, only managed about 80 species of the usual suspects for Brimham. The highlight, at least for me, was Ancylis myrtillana, a moorland micro which I had only seen for the first time at this site last year. Fortunately, for the benefit of the general public who were due to visit during the daytime, I had a good selection of the more colourful moths for their benefit. These included, Barred Yellow, Peach Blossom, Garden Tiger and Elephant Hawk-moth plus a few of the more regular brown jobbies. Unfortunately I had to leave for work by 10:00am, but by leaving my potted specimens in a cool place for others to see worked ok.
Trap 2 was at Wellesbourne in Warks at my Brother-in-Law's garden on Wednesday night. A well-stocked suburban garden adjoining farmland, and the prize was a Cream-bordered Green Pea. This is a species that somehow never seemed to venture north of Dorchester when I lived in Dorset, and is relatively scarce up here in Yorkshire. With the Warks County Recorder David Brown only living 3 miles away in Charlecote, I sent him my records as usual, and he commented that he had only had the 2nd and 3rd county records in his garden, so mine was a notable local scarcity.
With this fantastic run of warm weather continuing, Saturday night meant trapping at Staveley NR just 3 miles from where I live. With three traps around the furthest hide, a double gladiator actinic in the reeds, a Robinson on the main path between the trees and the waterside herbage, and the 160 MVB over a sheet next to the reeds in the more open grassy area. Despite the early morning mist that bordered on drizzle, there were almost 900 moths of 116 species was the prize, including a new one for me, a Beautiful China-mark. I had had one before but it escaped before I could pot it and photograph it.
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| Beautiful China-mark |
The highlights among the rest were two Large Clover Case-bearer, six Elachista atricomella, a Metzneria metzneriella, a Syncopacma larseniella/cinctella, a Brachmia blandella, nine Mompha ochraceella, an Endothenia quadrimaculana, three each of Lobesia abscisana and Phlyctaenia perlucidalis, two Adaina microdactyla, three each of White Satin and Double Lobed, 15 Silky Wainscot and two Blackneck.
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| Large Clover Case-bearer |
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| Metzneria metzneriella |
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| Brachmia blandella |
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| Mompha ochraceela |
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| Lobesia abscisana |
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| Spilonota ocellana |
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| Crambus pascuella |
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| Adaina microdactyla |
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| Green Pug |
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| Shoulder-striped Wainscot |
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| Silky Wainscot. |
It is worth bearing in mind that the micro-moths featured here are mostly less than 10mm in length, indeed the plume moth shown microdactyla which is the smallest of the plumes and had a wingspan on less than 20mm. You do not have to be big to be beautiful....
