France Trip - Las Descargues - 27/06/16 to 01/07/16 - Part One - Macro's

Hello all.
I recently got back from a really enjoyable 5 nights of Moth trapping, Butterfly and Bird watching in the Midi-Pyrenees.
I went with good friends Roger and Steve whom accompany me on many trips out in our County or Hertfordshire.
It was decided at the end of last year that we should go for a short week away to sample some of the Moths that would be on offer in South-Wast France.

The article below is copied from Robin Howard's Lot Moths website. He describes it perfectly so didn't feel the need to re-write it!

"The Gite that we stayed in lies in a stunningly beautiful part of the Haute Quercy in the Lot southwest France. Located at the end of a ridge overlooking the Bave Valley it is surrounded by rolling, wooded hills, deep, river-cut gorges and on the nearby Causse, limestone pavement. The proximity of the limestone Causse de Gramat and volcanic Massif Central have produced a complex local geology that has formed the basis for a mosaic of habitats supporting a diverse flora with a rich moth and butterfly fauna. Over 1820 species have been recorded so far from the immediate area with more than 1600 species taken from the environs of the farm alone.
Mercury vapour and actinic traps are run throughout the year in and around the farm with weekly forays made onto the limestone pavement and local poplar plantations, whilst the nearby volcanic peaks are regularly visited during the summer months for the more esoteric species.
For further information regarding holidays and research opportunities at our farm and for a full description of the area and available accommodation please visit our sister site at www.lasdescargues.com or email us for a comprehensive information pack".

Robin and Sue are both fantastic hosts and could not do enough for you, I urge anyone to go there and experience the amazing wildlife that is on offer there.

The species site list is in excess of an incredible 2000 species of Moth! In 16 years that is incredible, and shows how special this habitat really is.

Our target was 300 species and with nearly 200 Macro's we may just get to the 300 mark with the Micro's still to sort.

We ran 2 static traps in the garden (Both MV 125s) and I brought my 160w MBT Blended bulb on a tripod.
We then had access to a further two traps, an MV Robinson and an Actinic Midi-Robinson which we could take further afield, in fact we tried three further sites.

Macro Moths listed so far...
Species in red are completely new to me
The Micro's are still pending and a lot are so far unnamed!

Adactylotis contaminaria
Alchymist
Alder Kitten
Alder Moth
Anaplectoides prasina
Angle-striped Sallow
Angle Shades
Balsam Carpet
Barred Hook-tip
Barred Red
Barred Yellow (only at Causse)
Beautiful Golden-Y
Beautiful Hook-tip
Bird's Wing
Black Arches
Black V-moth
Blood-vein
Bordered Beauty
Bright-line Brown-eye
Brimstone Moth
Brindled White-spot
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Broken-barred Carpet
Brown Rustic
Buff Arches
Buff Ermine
Buff Footman
Buff-tip
Burnished Brass
Clay Fan-foot
Clouded Border
Clouded Magpie
Clouded Silver
Common Carpet
Common Emerald
Common Footman
Common White Wave
Coronet
Cream Wave
Cream-spot Tiger
Dagger sp
Dark Arches
Dark Umber
Delicate
Dingy Footman
Double Square-spot
Double-striped Pug
Dun-bar
Dwarf Cream Wave
Elephant Hawk-moth
Engrailed sp
Fan-foot
Feathered Footman
Festoon
Fiery Clearwing
Flame
Flame Shoulder
Four-dotted Footman (only at Causse)
Four-spotted Footman
Fox Moth
Foxglove Pug
Goat Moth
Grass Emerald
Great Dart
Great Oak Beauty
Green Arches
Green Pug
Green Silver-lines
Grey Arches
Grey Pug
Grey-pine Carpet
Guernsey Underwing
Handmaid
Heart & Club
Heart & Dart
Heart Moth
Herald
Hoary Footman
Hoplodrina respersa
Horse Chestnut
Humming-bird Hawk-moth
Idaea moniliata
Idia calvaria
Iron Prominent
Isle of Wight Wave
Ivory Footman
Jubilee Fan-foot
Lace Border
Lackey
Lamprosticta culta
Large Emerald
Large Yellow Underwing
Latin
Latticed Heath
Least Carpet
Leopard Moth
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Lesser Swallow Prominent
Lesser Treble-bar
Lesser Yellow Underwing
Lewes Wave
Light Brocade
Light Emerald
Lilac Beauty
Lobster Moth
Marbled Brown
Marbled Minor
Marbled White-spot
Miller
Mottled Rustic
Nut-tree Tussock
Oak Hawk-moth
Oak Hook-tip
Orache Moth
Orange Footman
Orange Moth
Pale Mottled Willow
Pale Oak Beauty
Pale Shoulder
Peach Blossom
Pebble Prominent
Peppered Moth
Petrophora narbonea
Phalera bucephaloides
Pine Hawk-moth
Pine-tree Lappet
Plain Wave
Plum Lappet
Poplar Lappet
Portland Riband Wave
Powdered Rustic
Privet Hawk-moth
Purple Bar
Pygmy Footman
Red-necked Footman
Riband Wave
Rosy Footman
Rosy Marbled
Ruby Tiger
Rustic
Scallop Shell
Scarce Blackneck
Scarce Footman
Scarce Merveille du-jour
Scarce Silver-lines
Scarlet Tiger
Scorched Carpet
Scorched Wing
September Thorn
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Shaded Fan-foot
Shark
Shears
Short-cloaked Moth (only at Causse)
Silver-Y
Single-dotted Wave
Small Angle Shades
Small Blood-vein
Small Dusty Wave
Small Emerald
Small Fan-foot
Small Fan-footed Wave
Small Purple-barred
Small White Wave
Snout
Speckled Yellow
Spectacle
Swallow-tailed Moth
Swarthy Annulet
Tawny Prominent
Tawny-barred Angle
Tephronia sepiaria
Toadflax Brocade
Treble Brown Spot
Turnip Moth
Uncertain
Vine's Rustic
V-moth
V-Pug
White Ermine
White-point
Willow Beauty
Yellow Shell
Yellow-tail

A few pictures of Moth photos that I have processed so far, more will be added as soon as I can on my flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/33398884@N03/

Angle-striped Sallow

Lamprosticta culta

Alchymist

Adactylotis contaminaria

Grass Emerald

Guernsey Underwing

Heart Moth

Balsam Carpet

Chequered Wave

 

Clouded Magpie

Lycophotia erythrina

Oak Hawk-moth