All's Rosy, as I find the Red-neck of the Grove

I thought it might be worth popping up the road yesterday evening to a small woodland called Holmen's Grove, as its a previously (as far as I know) unsurveyed site.  According to the forecast, there would only be a small window of oppurtunity between the clear skies and the heavy rain, but I thought I may as well give it a go for an hour or two, as the habitat looked really nice (Nightingale and Woodcock present for instance).

The cloud cover was there as forecast, but incredibly, I got to 12:30 with no rain.  This leant itself to a quality night for moths, and boy was it.   I had to pack up early, as I had work the next day, but I would have stayed longer if I could.  As it was, I was woken up at around 4:00 by the rain lashing down outside!

There was a constant stream of moths towards the end of the session after a slow start.  I managed three macro lifers, including a stonking Red-necked Footman!  The others were a very worn moth that I am pretty confident is a Brindled White-spot, and three Rosy Marbled.  I was delighted I was able to pick out the latter without first taking a skim through the micro book!

A few micro ticks were got too including Brown China-mark, Dipleurina (was Eudonia) lacustrana and Ptocheuusa paupella.

20th June, Holmen's Grove (* = lifer):
2 Grey Pine Carpet
6 Common Swift
11 Scorparia ambigualis
5 Straw Dot
3 Brown Silver-line
3 Celypha lacunana
1 Emmetia marginea*
4 Green Oak Tortrix
1 Willow Beauty
2 Brown China-mark*
4 Mottled Beauty
2 Udea olivalis
2 Green Carpet
1 Nematopogon metaxella*
2 Tinea semifulvella
1 Large Fruit-tree Tortrix*
1 Ptocheuusa paupella*
1 Beautiful Hook-tip
2 Small Seraphim
1 Bramble Shoot Moth
4 Light Emerald
3 Common Carpet
1 Middle-barred Minor
1 Beautiful Golden Y (pristine specimen!)
2 Orange Footman
2 Common White Wave
1 Scalloped Hook-tip
2 Spruce Carpet
1 Scorched Wing
1 Common Marbled Carpet
1 Blood Vein
1 Red-necked Footman *
1 Epinotia demarniana*
1 Brimstone
1 Poplar Grey
1 Agapeta hamana
2 Purple Clay
1 Peach Blossom
1 Red-barred Tortrix*
1 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 Maiden's Blush
1 Fan-foot
1 Blotched Emerald
1 Peppered Moth
2 Small Angle Shades
1 Marbled White-spot
1 Dwarf Pug
1 Foxglove Pug
3 Rosy Marbled*
1 Brindled White-spot*
1 Dipleurina lacustrana*
1 Carpatolechia proximella*
1 Lobster Moth
1 Satin Lutestring
1 Flame
1 Barred Yellow
1 Ingrailed Clay
1 White Ermine
1 Holly Tortrix
1 Dusky Brocade
Total: 59

Red-necked Footman

Rosy Marbled

Brindled White-spot (it was more confincing in the flesh, honest!)

Brown China-mark

Blood Vein

Purple Clay no. 1

Purple Clay no. 2 (decent shout for Square-spotted Clay?)

Peach Blossom

Oak-tree Pug (it was tiny!)

Dipleurina lacustrana

Thats what mothing is all about!!

witch hunt

Mother Shipton was a witch, apparently, and she has a moth named after her. I've seen the species often enough in meadows and stream-side vegetation but they seem to like perching deep in the vegetation. I didn't manage to get a great shot but at least it's recognisable. I also got on friendly terms with a large skipper in the same meadow... and a blood-vein.

Mother Shipton

large skipper
blood-vein

The Beautiful Rough comes up trumps

Last evening, I went to a place called Fames Rough near Banstead, in the hope of seeing some nice chalk scrub species. David Gardner was determined to look for a group of micros which feed on Thyme. We did not find those, but we had a fantastic night in near-perfect conditions. Three lifers for me, and even a few micro lifers for the expert!

Up to 1:10 we managed the most macros I have ever experienced, with 82 species. The three new ones were a fantastic Beautiful Carpet, a worn Green Arches, and two Small Emerald. Some other notables were Phoenix, Olive, Waved Black, and three Kent Black Arches.

Fames Rough, 19th July:
Dunbar
Small Fan-footed Wave
Clay Triple-lines
Buff Footman
Buff Arches
Ruby Tiger
July Highflyer
Beautiful Carpet*
Marbled White Spot
Silver Y
Scorched Carpet
Clouded Silver
Smoky Wainscot
Rustic
Double-striped Pug
Common White Wave
Light Emerald
Double Square-spot
Green Pug
Dark Arches
Riband Wave
Brimstone
Clay
Lesser Yellow Underwing
Flame
Brown Scallop
V-pug
Mottled Beauty
Brown-line Bright-eye
Coronet
Single-dotted Wave
Phoenix
Large Yellow Underwing
Scarce Footman
Large Emerald
Common Footman
Garden Carpet
Small Purple-barred
Common Rustic
Oak Nycteoline
Waved Black
Flame Shoulder
Iron Prominent
Small Emerald*
Engrailed
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Small Rivulet
Copper Underwing
Snout
Black Arches
Small Angle Shades
Heart and Dart
Kent Black Arches
Orange Footman
Straw Dot
Ear Moth
Fan-foot
Dusky Sallow
Olive
Common Emerald
Elephant Hawk-moth
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Dark Sword-grass
Least Carpet
Miller
Peppered Moth
Spruce Carpet
Herald
Green Arches*
Poplar Hawk-moth
Dark Umber
Common Lutestring
Bright-line Brown-eye
Blood Vein
Grey Dagger
Common Carpet
Beautiful Hook-tip
Willow Beauty
Small Yellow Wave
Uncertain
Scalloped Hook-tip
Swallow-tail moth

Waved Black

Snout

Small Emerald

Catoptria pinella

Orange Footman, Dunbar, and Kent Black Arches

Herald

Dark Sword-grass

Blood Vein

Dusky Sallow

Beautiful Carpet

Carpet Challenge

I was a bit disappointed with last night's catch considering how warm the day had been. But a clear sky again meant a limited no. of moths (although it didn't seem to stop the cockchafers arriving - there were about a dozen of them).
List as follows:
Orange Footman 2
Flame Carpet 2
Brimstone
Swallow prominent
Blood-vein (nfy)

Clouded Border (nfy)

May highflyer (nfy)

Poplar Hawk-moth
White Ermine
Muslin Moth 2
Broken-barred Carpet (nfy)

Common White Wave (nfy)

Pale Prominent
Celipha lacunana (nfy)

There was also a carpet which I'm struggling to ID. I think it's probably a faded common carpet but could it possibly be the rare wood carpet? I've asked for comments on www.birdforum.net so I'll probably know soon. Edit: It's just been pointed out that it's a Sharp-angled Carpet... Doh!


Today there was a lovely Pyrausta aurata flying around the mint in our garden. But I couldn't get a photo.