Sheets puts on a Show

Conditions are fantastic just now, so perhaps I should expect large hauls, particularly from visits into the field.  Last evening, there was an event at Sheets Heath which is a young heathland and woodland site near Woking, next to Bisley shooting range.  Our last visit last year was excellent with some heathland specials.  In keeping with that, this nights trapping was brilliant with two lifers amongst other top species.  We had four traps going, but both of my highlights were in my trap, as first a single Hoary Footman appeared, and then a Scarce Silver-lines.

24th July, Sheets Heath:
6 Scalloped Hook-tip
3 Oak Hook-tip
2 Pebble Hook-tip
3 Buff Arches
3 Grass Emerald (including a specimen of the red form)
2 Large Emerald
3 Common Emerald
1 Maiden's Blush
1 Least Carpet
3 Dotted Border Wave
12 Small Fan-footed Wave
1 Single-dotted Wave
3 Riband Wave
3 Plain Wave
2 Common Carpet
3 Yellow Shell
1 Small Phoenix
1 Blue-bordered Carpet
4 July Highflyer
1 May Highflyer
3 Small Rivulet
1 Ling Pug
6 Narrow-winged Pug
1 Double-striped Pug
2 Small Seraphim
1 Clouded Border
3 Horse Chestnut
2 Brimstone
1 September Thorn
1 Early Thorn
1 Purple Thorn
1 Scalloped Oak
8 Peppered Moth (including examples of all three forms [normal, carbonaria, and intermediate])
3 Mottled Beauty
2 Engrailed
1 Common White Wave
2 Pine Hawk-moth
1 Poplar Hawk-moth
3 Elephant Hawk-moth
2 Iron Prominent
1 Pale Prominent
2 Yellow-tail
2 Black Arches
6 Rosy Footman
3 Dingy Footman
1 Hoary Footman
8 Scarce Footman
3 Buff Footman
2 Common Footman
1 White Ermine
3 Buff Ermine
1 Ruby Tiger
1 Flame Shoulder
2 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 LBBYU
8 True Lover's Knot
1 Double Square-spot
5 Beautiful Yellow Underwing
1 Clay
1 Minor Shoulder-knot
1 Miller
4 Suspected
2 Dunbar
3 Uncertain
1 Marbled White-spot
1 Scarce Silver-lines
1 Nut-tree Tussock
2 Spectacle
1 Beautiful Hook-tip
2 Snout
1 Small Fan-foot

Total: 72
Also, a bewildering array of micros!

Hoary Footman

Scarce Silver-lines

the red form of Grass Emerald

Beautiful Yellow Underwing

We go for Gold at Bisley

There was an event on at Sheet's Heath this evening, which is a heathland/woodland site near Woking, right next to Bisley shooting centre. However, the forecast looked appalling, with the rain careering in around 10:00pm. I thought it was worth going just in case. It did cloud over around 9:00, as forecast, but incredibly, we just experienced one or two light showers, until we packed up at 1:00, with no threat to our electronics thank goodness. With the cloud cover at least temperatures stayed constant, although it had not been a hot day. We had four traps running, so normally I would be a little dissappionted with the numbers we got, but considering the forecast, I was happy with anything! As a matter of fact quality was very high, with several scarce species, and three lifers. These included two heathland specialists, with Dotted Border Wave, and the stunning Purple-bordered Gold, as well as three Plain Waves (I was surprised at how striking the latter was, being smaller than Riband, with clear dots, but faint lines).

6th July, Sheet's Heath;

Dunbar

Riband Wave

True Lover's Knot

Swallowtail

Brown Rustic

Double Square-spot

Suspected

Dark Arches

Clouded Silver

Coronet

Iron Prominent

Purple-bordered Gold*

Oak Nycteoline

Mottled Beauty

Poplar Grey

September Thorn

Smoky Wainscot

Elephant Hawk

Buff Arches

Narrow-winged Pug

Heart and Dart

Peppered Moth (including a carbonaria example)

Scarce Footman

Striped Wainscot

Flame

Willow Beauty

Light Emerald

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Marbled White-spot

Grass Emerald

July Highflyer

Pine Hawk

Pebble Prominent

Buff-tip

Uncertain

Purple Clay

Heart and Club

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Rustic

Plain Wave*

Silver Y

Common Footman

Dotted Border Wave*

Total: 44

carbonaria Peppered Moth

Suspected

September Thorn

Grass Emerald

Dotted Border Wave

Plain Wave

Purple-bordered Gold