Pett Nature Notes: August 2014

A very busy month for moths. As well as the rarities (See Goat and Footman post) there was an abundance of more common species as well as plenty of species new to our moth trap. On the advice of Trevor, who is an old hand at the moth trapping business, we moved our trap further down the garden and ended up with a much bigger catch as a result. Pictures of some of the more photogenic below as well as a full list of the moths seen - not including those that flew out of the trap as soon as it was opened because the weather and their wing muscles were so warm.

In total, it was 124 different species - not including the other insects that also get drawn to light.

Common Yellow Conch - Agapeta hamana

7th July

Bright-line Brown-eye

Broad-barred White

Brown Tail

Buff Arches

Buff Ermine

Cinnabar

Common Footman

Common Plume (micro)

Common Yellow Conch (Agapeta hamana - micro)

Coronet

Coxcomb Prominent

Dark Arches

Coxcomb Prominent - Ptilodon capucina

Dot moth

Early Thorn

Elephant Hawkmoth

Flame

Flame Shoulder

Heart and Club

Heart and Dart

Herald

L-album Wainscot

Large Yellow Underwing

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Poplar Hawkmoth

White Plume - Pterophorus pentadactyla

Riband Wave

Rosy Footman

Scalloped Oak

Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella - micro)

Small Magpie (micro)

Small White Wave

Smoky Wainscot

Spectacle

Spotted Magpie (Phlyctaenia coronata - micro)

Suspected

White Plume (not in trap)

Willow Beauty

12th July

Small Phoenix - Ecliptopera silaceata

Acorn Piercer (Pammene fasciana - micro)

Bright-line Brown-eye

Buff Arches

Clay

Clouded Silver

Common Bright (Incurvaria oehlmanniella - micro)

Common Rustic

Dark Arches

Dot Moth

Double-square spot

Mirid Bug - Miridius quadrivirgatus

Ear Moth

Elephant Hawkmoth (7)

Heart and Club

Heart and Dart

Large Yellow Underwing

Miller

Mother of Pearl - micro

Oak Nycteoline

Rosy Footman

Rosy Tabby (Endotricha flammealis - micro)

Rustic

Satin Grass-veneer (Crambus perlella - micro)

Scalloped Oak

Buff Arches - Habrosyne pyritoides

Silver Y

Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella - micro)

Small Phoenix

Treble Brown-spot

Uncertain

Yarrow Plume - micro

Other Insects

Orange Ladybird
Sexton Beetle - Nicrophorus interruptus
Black Snail Beetle - Silpha atrata
Mirid Bug - Miridius quadrivirgatus

21st July

Peacock - Macaria notata

Blood Vein

Bright-line Brown-eye

Brimstone

Brown China Mark - micro

Buff Arches

Buff Ermine

Buff-tip

Chinese Character

Clay

Clouded Border

Clouded Silver

Common Footman

Jersey Tiger - Euplagia quadripunctaria

Common Quaker

Coxcomb Prominent

Dark Arches

Dark/Grey Dagger

Dot Moth

Drinker

Dusky Pearl (Udea prunalis - micro)

Ear Moth

Early Thorn

Elephant Hawkmoth

European Corn-borer (Ostrinia nubilalis - micro)

Fan-foot

Notch Wing Tortix - Acleris emargana

Flame Shoulder

Four-spotted Footman

Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella - micro)

Garden Tiger

Goat Moth

Heart and Dart

Heather Knot-horn (Pempelia palumbella - micro)

Hebrew Character

Iron Prominent

Jersey Tiger

Least Yellow Underwing

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Blood-vein - Timandra comae

Lunar-spotted Pinion

Magpie

Maple Prominent

Marbled Piercer (Cydia splendana - micro)

Meal Moth - micro

Mother of Pearl - micro

Notch Wing Tortix (Acleris emargana - micro)

Nut-tree Tussock

Oak Hook-tip

Orthopygia glaucinalis - micro

Pale Prominent

Pale Water-veneer (Donacaula forficella)

Peacock

Pebble Hook-tip

Pebble Prominent

Poplar Hawkmoth

Riband Wave

Ringed China-mark (Parapoynx stratiotata - micro)

Rosy Footman

Rosy Tabby (Endotricha flammealis - micro)

Ruby Tiger

Scalloped Oak

Scarce Footman

Single-dotted Wave

Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella - micro)

Small Yellow Wave

Smoky Wainscot

Straw Dot

Swallow Prominent

Swallow-tailed Moth

Sycamore

Treble Brown Spot

Triple Striped Piercer (Grapholita compositella - micro)

Other Insects

10-spot Ladybird

26th July

Small Rivulet - Perizoma alchemillata

Bird-cherry Ermine - micro

Black Arches

Bright-line Brown-eye

Brimstone

Buff Ermine

Canary-shouldered Thorn

Common Footman

Common Purple & Gold (Pyrausta purpuralis - micro)

Common Rustic

Coronet

Dark Arches

Dark Pine Knot-horn (Dioryctria abietella - micro)

Marbled Green - Cryphia muralis

Dingy Footman

Dun-bar

Dusky Thorn

Elephant Hawkmoth

Flame Shoulder

Iron Prominent

Large Yellow Underwing

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana - micro)

Long-horned Flat-body (Carcina quercana - micro)

Lunar Thorn

Marbled Green

Oak Hook-tip

Pine Hawk-moth - Hyloicus pinastri

Oak Hook-tip

Pale Water-veneer (Donacaula forficella - micro)

Peacock

Peppered Moth

Pine Hawkmoth

Poplar Hawkmoth

Red Twin-spot Carpet

Riband Wave

Ruby Tiger

Sallow

Satin Grass-veneer (Crambus perlella - micro)

Scarce Footman

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Silver Y

Small Rivulet

Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella - micro)

Straw Dot

Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella - micro)

Swallow Prominent

Swallowtail

Sycamore

Tree-lichen Beauty

Twin-spotted Wainscot

Uncertain

Wax Moth

Yellow-tail

Other Insects

Hawthorn Shield-bug

At the weekend we went for a walk in Ashdown Forest with Sussex Wildlife Trust looking for dragonflies - and we found plenty. Two of the species were comparatively rare - the Keeled Skimmer and the Small Red Damselfly. Both of these need the unshaded slightly acidic conditions typical of the heathland habitat in Ashdown Forest. Everybody got a good look at the rarities and we had very good views of the not so rare species like the spectacular Golden-ringed Dragonfly and the smartly dressed Black Darter. We finished off at the ponds in a private garden looking for Brilliant Emerald dragonflies. We didn't see any but had lots of fun trying to distinguish between Red-eyed damselflies and Small Red-eyed damselflies.