National Moth Night - Balls Wood - Hertford - 11/06/16

Our fouth trip of the year saw eleven keen mother's descend on Ball's Wood for our effort for National Moth Night.

The target was to be Hawk-moths of which we saw very few, in fact just one species which was Poplar Hawk-moth, 4 specimens were observed.

When we all arrived the weather did not look very promising and rain put a slight dampener on the night ahead, the only saving grace was that it was cloudy, still warm at 20 degrees and still...maybe we would do ok despite the rain?

Lots of lights were set-up and I myself ran four traps with different bulbs in to try and tempt different species to be attracted to them.

We covered a few of the rides and made sure everything was water-proofed to avoid any accidents. 

As the rain continued into the night I was confident that we would do well, famous last words I know but with the ambient temperature not expected to drop below 14 degrees it would be perfect if the rain stopped, and it did! At about 11pm the rain ceased and the moths seemed to be spurred on by this and more were arriving to the traps.

We stuck it right out until the bitter end and as the time was approaching 3am we were still going through the traps!

There were many superb moths found in all of the traps and several uncommon species that just aren't found in your average garden. Species such as Poplar Lutestring, Great Oak Beauty, Cream Wave, Grey Arches and Gold Swift to name but a few of the Macro's.

And then there were the Micro's...there were quite a few! And I nearly ran out of pots for them all.

One species in particular Choristoneura hebenstreitella, a very large Tortrix reminiscent of a bigger variety of Pandemis cerasana I don't recall seeing before, there were several to my lights.

Another good moth confirmed today was Epinotia tedella, only my second example, my first one was recorded at Roughdown Common in July 2013.

Other Micro's of note included a stunning Spatalistis bifasciana and plenty of the pretty Tortrix moth Ptycholoma lecheana, one example was so brightly coloured with yellow, it looked like a piece of shining gold in the trap.

All in all 152 species was pretty good considering the amount of rain we endured before it got dark leaving the vegetation soaking.

Numbers below are approximate. 

 

Catch Report - 11/06/16 - Balls Wood - Hertford - 7x 125w MV Robinson Traps 1x 160w MBT Trap 1x 26w BLB Robinson Trap and 1x 80w Actinic & 26w CFL Bulb Suitcase Trap

Macro Moths - 89  Species

2x Angle Shades

2x Beautiful Golden-Y

1x Beautiful Hook-tip

1x Blood-vein

1x Brimstone Moth

3x Brindled White-spot

2x Broken-barred Carpet

2x Brown Rustic

1x Buff Ermine

1x Buff-tip

2x Burnished Brass

5x Clouded Border 

5x Clouded Silver

1x Clouded-bordered Brindle

3x Common Marbled Carpet

5x Common Pug

25+ Common Swift

3x Common White Wave

1x Dark Arches

1x Double Square-spot

1x Dusky Brocade 

2x Flame

2x Flame Shoulder

1x Foxglove Pug

5x Gold Swift

5x Great Oak Beauty

1x Grey Arches

5x Green Carpet

2x Green Silver-lines

1x Grey-pine Carpet

5x Grey Pug

2x Heart & Dart

2x Ingrailed Clay

1x Iron Prominent

2x Large Nutmeg

1x Large Yellow Underwing

1x Lesser Swallow Prominent

5x Light Brocade

10x Light Emerald

2x Lobster Moth

1x Maiden's Blush

2x Marbled Minor

6x Marbled White-spot

1x Middle-barred Minor

1x Mottled Beauty

3x Mottled Pug

2x Mottled Rustic

4x Orange Footman

10x Pale Oak Beauty

1x Pale Prominent

6x Pale Tussock

1x Peach Blossom

2x Peacock Moth

1x Pebble Prominent

1x Peppered Moth

1x Poplar Grey

1x Poplar Hawk-moth

5x Poplar Lutestring

1x Purple Bar

1x Red-necked Footman

1x Riband Wave

2x Rustic Shoulder-knot

1x Scalloped Hazel

1x Scorched Carpet

8x Scorched Wing

1x Seraphim 

1x Setaceous Hebrew Character

10x Silver-ground Carpet

1x Small Angle Shades

3x Small Dotted Buff

1x Small Dusty Wave

3x Small Fan-foot

1x Small Rivulet

1x Small Square-spot

15+ Small White Wave

2x Small Yellow Wave

1x Snout

1x Spruce Carpet

5x Straw Dot

3x Swallow Prominent 

2x Sycamore 

2x Tawny Marbled Minor

2x Tawny-barred Angle

2x Treble Brown Spot

5x Treble Lines

4x White Ermine

1x White-pinion Spotted

1x White-spotted Pug

2x Willow Beauty

1x Yellow-barred Brindle 

Micro Moths -  63 Species

Adela reaumurella 1

Aleimma loeflingiana

Ancylis badiana 1

Ancylis laetana 5+

Ancylis mitterbacheriana 3

Aphomia sociella 1

Apotomis turbidana 1 

Archips Podana 2

Argyresthia brockeella 3

Argyresthia goedartella 1

Argyresthia spinosella 2

Argyresthia albstria 1 

Blastobasis lacticolella 2

Caloptilia alchiemiella 

Caloptilia robustella 1

Capua vulgana 1

Carpatolechia proximella 1

Celypha cespitana 3

Celypha lacunana 5

Choristoneura hebenstreitella 10

Cochylis molliculana 1

Cochylis nana 5

Crambus lathoniellus 5

Cryptoblabes bistriga 1

Cydia fagiglandana 8

Elachista apicipunctella 2

Elophila nymphaeata 10+

Epinotia bilunana 10+

Epinotia demarniana 10+ 

Epinotia nisella 1

Epinotia ramella 1

Epinotia tedella 1

Epiphyas postvittana 4

Eucosma cana 1

Eudonia lacustrata 2

Eudonia pallida 1

Hedya pruniana 10+

Hedya nubiferana 2

Lathronympha strigana 5

Monopis laevigella 1

Monopis weaverella 2

Morophaga choragella 2

Nemapogon cloacella 2

Nemophora degeerella 2

Notocelia cynosbatella 1

Notocelia trimaculana 1

Notocelia uddmanniana 2

Pandemis cerasana 10+

Pandemis cinnamomeana 1

Parapoynx stratiotata 5

Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 1

Phtheochroa inopiana 1

Plutella xylostella 50+

Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 4

Ptycholoma lecheana 4

Scoparia ambigualis 30+

Scoparia pyralella 1

Spatalistis bifasciana 1

Teleiodes luculella 10+

Tinea semifulvella 1

Tinea trinotella 1

Tortrix viridana 15+

Triaxomera parasitella 1

 

Ancylis mitterbacheriana

Ancylis laetana

Apotomis turbidana

Epinotia tedella

Choristoneura hebenstreitella

 

Celypha cespitana

Gold Swift

Small Fan-foot

Spatalistis bifasciana

Ptycholoma lecheana

Great Oak Beauty