Roughdown Common and Gadesprings Field Trip report - 30/04/14

I was joined by Roger and Lucy last night at Roughdown Common, for our first trip to this fantastic mixture of open chalk grassland with intersecting woodland.
This is the earliest in the year that we have trapped this site, and we waited with baited breath to see what might turn up to the lights.

Conditions were quite good with a faint breeze and a temperature of around 15c at dusk, dropping to 10c when driving home.

We set 1 light up overlooking the lower grass field, the second one along the edge of the woodland and the third (MV) within the wood itself and under a large Oak.
Interestingly my Mercury blended bulb did quite well on the edge of the field and attracted a good variety of species, equal to that of the Mercury vapour (this isn't always the case!)

It was slow going at first, with a few Waved Umber's and Green Carpet's first to the trap, then the variety performance turned up and we started to accumulate a nice list.

Lights were on at 8.45pm and by 11.15pm we were ready to pack up as there was a distinct chill in the air and the sky had cleared.
In 2 and a half hours of trapping with 3 lights we had amassed 70 moths roughly of 38 species, a very pleasing result.
Moth species were also very specific to which light they went to. Only Small Phoenix, Powdered Quaker and Sallow Kitten went to the Actinic.
Most of the Brimstones favoured the 160w Blended bulb.
To the MV we had Knot Grass.

Common Marbled Carpet was my earliest ever, and I didn't expect a Twin-spotted Quaker either having last seen them a few weeks back now thinking that they had finished.

All in all a very pleasing catch and nice to add some Spring species to the site list.

On our way back from Roughdown Common, we checked to see how the trap had fared at Gadesprings...we couldn't believe it. Although there was only 14 moths present, 7 species were recorded here that did not feature in the catch at Roughdown Common!

I look forward to coming over again soon.

Thanks to Roger and Lucy for helping me set up, and for Roger being with me as always until the bitter end!


Catch Report - 30/04/14 - Roughdown Common - Hemel Hempstead - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Suitcase Trap.

Macro Moths

8x Brimstone Moth
5x Green Carpet
5x Red Twin-spot Carpet
4x Waved Umber
1x Streamer
1x Knot Grass
1x Common Pug
1x Common Carpet
2x V-pug
3x Hebrew Character
4x Least Black Arches
2x Small Phoenix
1x Common Marbled Carpet
1x Common White Wave
2x Scorched Carpet
1x Spectacle
1x Pebble Hook-tip
1x Twin-spotted Quaker
2x Brindled Pug
1x Grey Dagger
1x Yellow-barred Brindle
1x Lesser Swallow Prominent
1x Powdered Quaker
1x Sallow Kitten
1x Clouded Border
1x Garden Carpet
1x Light Brocade
2x Nut-tree Tussock
1x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1x Coxcomb Prominent

Micro Moths 

2x Phyllonorycter quercifoliella
2x Cochylimorpha straminea
2x Alucita hexadactyla
2x Phyllonorycter harrisella
1x Nematopogon swammerdamella
1x Agonopterix arenella
2x Parornix sp
1x Pseudoswammerdamia combinella

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Catch Report - 30/04/14 - Gadesprings - Hemel Hempstead - 1x 125w MV Robinson 

Macro Moths

1x Pale Tussock
2x Pebble Prominent
1x Grey-pine Carpet
2x Clouded Drab
3x Brindled Pug
1x Oak-tree Pug
1x Flame Shoulder
1x Nut-tree Tussock
1x Scalloped Hazel

Micro Moths 

None recorded!

Sallow Kitten

Coxcomb Prominent

Least Black Arches

Nematopogon swammerdamella

Clouded Border

Pseudoswammerdamia combinella