Lardon Chase, 15 June 2007

Report by Jan Haseler

12 people attended the joint Berkshire Moth Group / Upper Thames Butterfly Conservation field trip to Lardon Chase on Friday 15 June. A 125W MV light was set up over a sheet half way up the slope on the west side of the first line of bushes from the top car park, and a 125W MV Skinner trap was set up on the east side of the bushes. The generator was placed on the only flat piece of ground. Both the sheet and the trap were on fairly steeply sloping ground. (Jan then learned a fundamental lesson about the stability of folding chairs on sloping ground.) 2 Robinson traps were also set up at the top of the hill, near the car park. With the exception of Norman Hall, who stayed overnight to look after the Robinson traps, the group left the site by 01:30.

A combined list from the 4 lights is given below. In total, 86 species of moth were identified.

Dark Umber	The Fern

0014 Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli) 1

0017 Common Swift (Hepialus lupulinus) 3

0718 Ethmia dodecea 1

0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 1

0938 Agapeta zoegana 10

1002 Lozotaenia forsterana 1

1032 Aleimma loeflingiana 2

1063 Celypha striana 1

1076 Celypha lacunana 2

1092 Apotomis turbidana 1

1293 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 100

1301 Crambus lathoniellus 9

1302 Crambus perlella 4

1321 Thisanotia chrysonuchella 6

1333 Scoparia pyralella 8

1362 Pyrausta purpuralis 1

1365 Pyrausta despicata 3

1392 Udea olivalis 4

1462 Pempeliella dilutella 1

1667 Blotched Emerald (Comibaena bajularia) 1

1669 Common Emerald (Hemithea aestivaria) 2

1680 Maidens Blush (Cyclophora punctaria) 1

1690 Small Blood-vein (Scopula imitaria) 1

1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 1

1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 3

1752 Purple Bar (Cosmorhoe ocellata) 2

1765 Barred Yellow (Cidaria fulvata) 5

1782 Fern (Horisme tersata) 1

1792 Dark Umber (Philereme transversata) 1

1860 Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata) 1

1888 Scorched Carpet (Ligdia adustata) 1

1889 Peacock (Macaria notata) 2

1904 Scorched Wing (Plagodis dolabraria) 1

1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 4

1922 Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) 2

1931 Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) 13

1941 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata) 4

1944 Pale Oak Beauty (Hypomecis punctinalis) 1

1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 1

1961 Light Emerald (Campaea margaritata) 6

1976 Privet Hawk-moth (Sphinx ligustri) 3

1979 Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae) 1

1991 Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) 5

1992 Small Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila porcellus) 9

1994 Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) 1

1999 Lobster Moth (Stauropus fagi) 5

2000 Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius) 3

2007 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 1

2043 Orange Footman (Eilema sororcula) 1

2047 Scarce Footman (Eilema complana) 1

2061 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) 11

2069 Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae) 2

2088 Heart and Club (Agrotis clavis) 20

2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 200

2098 Flame (Axylia putris) 7

2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 1

2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 40

2120 Ingrailed Clay (Diarsia mendica) 3

2122 Purple Clay (Diarsia brunnea) 2

2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 4

2147 Shears (Hada plebeja) 8

2150 Grey Arches (Polia nebulosa) 2

2157 Light Brocade (Lacanobia w-latinum) 4

2195 Delicate (Mythimna vitellina) 1

2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1

2205 Shoulder-striped Wainscot (Mythimna comma) 3

2291 Coronet (Craniophora ligustri) 2

2293 Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) 1

2301 Birds Wing (Dypterygia scabriuscula) 1

2302 Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea) 3

2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 23

2322 Light Arches (Apamea lithoxylaea) 1

2323 Reddish Light Arches (Apamea sublustris) 8

2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 8

2380 Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica) 10

2381 Uncertain (Hoplodrina alsines) 3

2384 Vines Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 1

2387 Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus) 1

2399 Bordered Sallow (Pyrrhia umbra) 1

2434 Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis) 5

2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1

2442 Beautiful Golden Y (Autographa pulchrina) 1

2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 3

2474 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis) 2

2477 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1

2492 Small Fan-foot (Herminia grisealis) 1

Bordered Sallow	Ethmia dodecea

Jan Haseler