More Than Micro Interest at Farnham

After several weeks of appaling weather, I took my first proper outing with my loaned generator yesterday evening.  It was a bit windy, and the sky was rather clear by the end, but I was pretty happy with a total of 45 species, in what was my first real attempt at IDing all micros too (thanks to the new micro book of course!).  I trapped on a small water meadow next to the River Wey, on the RSPB reserve at Farnham Heath.  Best macros were only my second ever Sandy Carpet and Slender Pug.  I was delighted with how many micros I was able to successfully ID (I hope!), including the Reed feeder Elachista maculicerusella.

15th June, Farnham Heath:

7 Straw Dot

6 Celypha lacunana

5 Scorparia ambigualis

4 Agapeta hamana

4 Marbled Brown

3 Small Rivulet

3 Common Carpet

3 Common Marbled Carpet

2 Scorparia pyralella

2 Yellow Shell

2 Sandy Carpet

2 Brown Silver-line

2 May Highflyer

2 Common White Wave

2 Snout

2 Green Carpet

2 Peppered Moth

1 Cnephasia sp.

1 Coleophora sp.

1 Nemophora degreella (before dusk)

1 Elachista maculicerusella

1 Argyresthia retinella

1 Caloptilia alchimiella

1 Triaxomera parasitella

1 Fox Moth

1 Rivulet

1 Argyresthia brockeela

1 Silver-ground Carpet

1 Water Ermine

1 Grey Pug

1 Small Elephant Hawk

1 Heart and Dart

1 Udea olivalis

1 Clouded Border

1 Mottled Beauty

1 Grey Pine Carpet

1 Waved Umber

1 Buff Ermine

1 Bordered White

1 Pale Oak Beauty

1 Orange Footman

1 Iron Prominent

1 Middle-barred Minor

1 Bird's Wing

1 Slender Pug
1 Blastobasis laticolella

Total: 46

Elachista maculicerusella

Bordered White

Caloptilia alchimiella

Triaxomera parasitella

Sandy Carpet

Argyresthia retinella

Small Elephant Hawk-moth

I found this in the house the other day - the Case-bearing Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella) sitting by its case:

Quite recently, I worked out my pan-species British list (i.e. the list of ALL species of everything plants, birds, insects etc.).  These latest micros brought that list to 1999.  I'm hoping to twitch the Little Bittern in Hertfordshire tomorrow, as that would be a rather fitting 2000th (compared to a tiny dull micro moth for instance anyway!). 

Pachyderms make it Haworth it at the Corner

I had a fascinating nights trapping at Newlands Corner last night. Paul Wheeler, the moth officer for the Surrey branch of Butterfly Conservation, was there to look for a group of micros that are currently unrecorded in Surrey, that feed on Knapweeds. No luck on that score, but I did get the opportunity to see what macros are at this lovely site. It didn't start well, as David Gardner got his car stuck! This meant he could not run his trap, so we had to make do with Paul's.
.
The conditions were good with thick cloud cover, although it was a little cold. In the end the macro total of 71 is one of the best yet, and that was with only the one trap. I managed to spot five lifers, that included Bordered Sallow and Haworth's Pug. Nice to see only my second Small Elephant Hawks (2), alongside thier larger cousins (4).
.
4th July, Newlands Corner (lifer = *):
Brown Scallop
Buff Ermine
Yellow Shell
Ghost Swift
Barred Yellow
Flame
Peach Blossom
Beautiful Hook-tip
Shoulder-striped Wainscot
Snout
V-Pug
Dunbar
Swallow-tail Moth
Brimstone
Light Arches
Small Fan-foot
Dark Umber*
Short-cloaked Moth
Dusky Brocade
Double-striped Pug
Haworth's Pug*
Buff Arches
Uncertain
Small Angle Shades
Reddish Light Arches
July Highflyer
Clouded Silver
Angle Shades
Rosy Footman
Blue-bordered Carpet*
Dark Arches
Clay
Pale Prominent
Smoky Wainscot
Flame Shoulder
Marbled Minor
Heart and Club
Light Emerald
Satin Beauty*
Bordered Sallow*
Elephant Hawk-moth
Small Elephant Hawk-moth
Yellow-tail
Treble Brown Spot
Mottled Beauty
Willow Beauty
Rosy Minor
Ruby Tiger
Burnished Brass
Green Pug
Dingy Footman
Straw Dot
Large Yellow Underwing
Marbled White Spot
Common Marbled Carpet
Common Footman
Scrace Footman
Small Fan-tooted Wave
Riband Wave
Beautiful Golden Y
Small Phoenix
Peppered Moth
Dagger sp.
Dot Moth
Engrailed
Sharp-angled Carpet
Heart and Dart
Lunar-spotted Pinion
Setaceous Hebrew Character
White Ermine
Clouded Brindle
.
Agapate zoegana and Ruby Tiger


Blue-bordered Carpet

Small Elephant Hawk-moth

Elephant Hawk-moth (and Setaceous Hebrew Character!)

Dark Umber

Bordered Sallow