Moth Sightings - 2006 Archive - Upper Thames Branch
(Berks, Bucks & Oxon)

Return to Sightings Archive Index

This is an archive of the UTB moth sightings for July 2006.

Photographs have been removed to save space.

 

 

~ Wednesday 2nd August 2006 ~

 

Dave Wilton’s last two trapping sessions at Westcott have seen moth numbers drop to more acceptable levels: “On 25th July (74 macro species, 600+ moths) I added Small Phoenix, White-spotted Pug, Peacock Moth, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Dusky Thorn, Least Yellow Underwing & Straw Underwing to my garden list for the year. The most noteworthy thing that night was the number of Silver-Ys (78 counted, plus a few more escapees!). On 30th July (66 macro species, 500+ moths) I only added Flounced Rustic to my species list but it was a good night for immigrants with Dark Sword-grass (1), Small Mottled Willow (4), Silver-Y (17, including a f.gammina with a wing length of barely 12mm, the smallest I've ever seen), Plutella xylostella/Diamondback Moth (1) and Nomophila noctuella/Rush Veneer (5). Still no exotic hawk-moths here, though!”

 

On a visit to Coombe Hill near the monument on 30th July Dave Maunder recorded these moths: Hummingbird Hawk-moth (1); Silver-Y (5); Vapourer (3); Six-spot Burnet (30+); Pyrausta purpuralis (1).

 

Alastair Driver reports another good night moth trapping in his Sonning garden on Friday night (28th), catching 36 macro species. “New for my parish list was Vestal (see photo below), and firsts of the year for me were Single-dotted Wave and Chinese Character. For the last few weeks I have been catching literally thousands of these tiny micros (see photo), which Peter Hall has identified as Acentria ephemerella (Water Veneer).”

 

David Redhead ran two garden moth traps in the second half of July and they produced his highest two catches ever: “On the 17th I caught an estimated 530 moths and 420 on the 29th but 350 and 220 respectively were one species - Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis). Even after a night in the moth trap they are very flighty and it is impossible to count them accurately and my figures are almost certainly an under-estimate. Their larval foodplant is nettles and the large amount growing on waste land near to our garden accounts for their high numbers. You don't need a moth trap to see them as they are easily disturbed from vegetation in the day. Also examination of garden lavender, marjoram or buddleias with a torch will almost certainly lead to a sighting - they are large for a micro moth and have a slight purplish sheen reminiscent of mother of pearl. These two traps also produced three firsts for my garden list: Black Arches, Coronet and Wormwood Pug. This brings the additions to my garden list this year to 12 and takes my all time total of macros through the 250 barrier. New for my 2006 list were Canary-shouldered Thorn, Common Wave, Double Lobed, Dusky Thorn, Dwarf Cream Wave, Knot Grass, Pebble Prominent, Endrotricha flammealis, Euzophera pinguis and Pyrausta aurata.”

 

~ Monday 31st July 2006 ~

 

Jan Haseler sent the following records on 30th July, adding 19 new moth species to the UTB 2006 species list:

“My best recent moth sighting has been:

7/7 Tilehurst - Paratalanta hyalinalis (the first Berkshire record since 1934)

Other moth sightings for June and July include:

7/6 Tilehurst - Eudonia angustea

10/6 Tilehurst - Epinotia bilunana, Epinotia demarniana

16/6 Tilehurst - Ash Bud Moth (Prays fraxinella)

17/6 Decoy Heath - Grass Wave

23/6 Long Moor - Glyphipterix thrasonella

24/6 The Holies - Lathronympha strigana, Marasmarcha lunaedactyla

27/6 Tilehurst - Dichrorampha petiverella, Dichrorampha vancouverana

29/6 Tilehurst - Cherry Bark Moth (Enarmonia formosana), Dipleurina lacustrata

6/7 Lardon Chase - Pyrausta despicata

11/7 Tilehurst - Nemophora metallica

12/7 Tilehurst - Plum Fruit Moth (Grapholita funebrana)

14/7 Goring - Sitochroa verticalis

15/7 Tilehurst - Argyresthia goedartella, Eudemis profundana

21/7 Tilehurst - Plain Pug, Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella)”

 

On Saturday 29th July Peter Hall saw a Hummingbird Hawk moth in Waddesdon, Bucks.

 

Maureen Cross reported on the daytime Field meeting on Saturday 28th July, to explore new open access land near Goring, South Oxfordshire, which includes BBOWT's Hartslock Reserve and adjacent hillsides: “It produced 23 butterfly species and 10 moths. Two of the moth species, the Pyralid Mecyna flavalis and Chalk Carpet Scotopteryx bipunctaria are of special interest being new for the UTB 2006 list. The Mecyna flavalis is of notable moth status and the Goring Gap is its only known location in the three counties.” The other moths recorded were: Pyrausta aurata, Bloodvein, Shaded Broad-bar, Silver Y, Straw Dot, Six-spot Burnet, Garden Carpet and Yellow Shell. Also recorded were Cinnabar larvae.

 

Dave Maunder sent news on 23rd July that the adult Gypsy Moths are now on the wing as at least two of the pupae found have now emerged (click here to see Dave’s report of 20th July).

 

~ Friday 28th July 2006 ~

 

Alastair Driver caught a lifelong "wannasee" overnight, 26th July, in his trap at home in Sonning: “A Scarce Silver-lines - it was a bit tatty (see photo below), but fulfilled a boyhood ambition, so I'm very pleased! Also had my first Lime-speck Pug and Flounced Rustic of the year, and caught a heavily marked Maiden's Blush (photo below). There must have been at least 50 Silver-Y on my Buddleia bush at dusk tonight and I saw loads of Painted Ladies on Buddleia at Cookham at the weekend as well, so I guess there's a wave of migrant Lepidoptera here now.”

 

Dave Maunder sent the following report from Aylesbury on 25th July: “I was lucky enough to have a Convolvulus Hawk-moth in my back garden on Monday 24th at dusk - it hovered around my patio door like a bat, nearly coming inside! After a few seconds (just enough for me to identify it!) it flew off up over my house and away - a wonderful sight! Also on Sunday up in Wendover woods I found a male Black Arches moth on a Pine trunk, which I managed to photograph (see below).”

 

Peter Hall trapped 124 moth species in his garden in Ballinger on 24/07/06, 20 of which are new to this year’s UTB Species List:

Scalloped Hook-tip; Barred Hook-tip; Chinese Character; Maiden's Blush; Clay Triple-lines; Blood-vein; Small Fan-footed Wave; Single-dotted Wave; Riband Wave; Red Twin-spot Carpet; Shaded Broad-bar; Common Carpet; Phoenix; Small Phoenix; Small Waved Umber; Small Rivulet; Haworth's Pug; Lime-speck Pug; V-Pug; Double-striped Pug; Magpie; Scorched Carpet; Brimstone Moth; August Thorn; Dusky Thorn; Early Thorn; Purple Thorn; Scalloped Oak; Peppered; Willow Beauty; Engrailed; Poplar Hawk; Elephant Hawk; Buff-tip; Iron Prominent; Pebble Prominent; Coxcomb Prominent; Maple Prominent; Pale Prominent; Yellow-tail; Black Arches; Dingy Footman; Scarce Footman; Buff Footman; Common Footman; Ruby Tiger; Heart & Dart; Shuttle-shaped Dart; Flame; Flame Shoulder; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Lesser Broad-border; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Double Square-spot; Brown-line Bright-eye; Clay; Smoky Wainscot; Common Wainscot; Grey Dagger; Marbled Beauty; Straw Underwing; Dun-bar; Lunar-spotted Pinion; Dark Arches; Common Rustic; Dusky Sallow; Rustic; Nut-tree Tussock; Silver Y; Beautiful Hook-tip; Straw Dot; Waved Black; Snout; Tinea trinotella; Lyonetia clerkella, Apple Leaf Miner; Yponomeuta sedella; Zelleria hepariella; Ypsolopha dentella, Honeysuckle; Ypsolopha scabrella; Ypsolopha parenthesella; Ypsolopha sequella; Plutella xylostella, Diamond-back; Coleophora hemerobiella; Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Brown House; Carcina quercana; Agonopterix heracliana; Blastobasis adustella; Blastobasis lacticolella; Agapeta hamana; Agapeta zoegana; Pandemis corylana, Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix; Pandemis heparana, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix; Ditula angustiorana, Red-barred Tortrix; Acleris forsskaleana; Acleris holmiana; Acleris laterana; Acleris variegana, Garden Rose Tortrix; Celypha striana; Celypha lacunana; Ancylis badiana; Rhopobota naevana, Holly Tortrix; Spilonota ocellana, Bud; Rhyacionia pinivorana, Spotted Shoot; Cydia pomonella, Codling; Alucita hexadactyla, Twenty-plume; Chrysoteuchia culmella; Crambus pascuella; Agriphila straminella; Agriphila tristella; Catoptria falsella; Acentria ephemerella, Water Veneer; Pyrausta aurata; Eurrhypara hortulata, Small Magpie; Udea prunalis; Nomophila noctuella, Rush Veneer; Pleuroptya ruralis, Mother of Pearl; Hypsopygia costalis, Gold Triangle; Orthopygia glaucinalis; Orthopygia glaucinalis; Endotricha flammealis; Conobathra repandana; Dioryctria abietella; Euzophera pinguis.

 

On a walk in the Jarn Mound/ Matthew Arnold Field/ Wootton/ Youlbury/ Chilswell Farm/ Boars Hill area on Sunday afternoon, 23rd, David Redhead recorded the following moths Silver-Y, Dusky Sallow and Six-spot Burnet.

 

~ Wednesday 26th July 2006 ~

 

Welcome to the website, new contributor Becky Isherwood who sent this report on 25th July: “I have been lucky enough to see two of the most pretty Magpie moths in my kitchen over the last couple of nights...what a pleasure.”

 

Ched George had a Canary Shouldered Thorn in his Radnage trap on night of 22nd July.

 

Peter Hall added the micro Tinea trinotella to the moth trap list for Bradenham NT, 22nd July (see below).

 

At Westcott on 18th July Dave Wilton ran another garden moth trap: “I added Shaded Broad-bar, Magpie, Vapourer, White Satin & Mouse Moth to my garden list for the year, while on 20th July further additions comprised Black Arches, Sallow Kitten, Copper Underwing, Double Lobed & Rosy Minor. I'm still working on the micros! Bill Parker and I had another trapping session for BBOWT at Rushbeds Wood on 21st July which produced Phoenix, September Thorn, Least Yellow Underwing and Slender Brindle of interest from just over 50 macro species recorded in the three hours that we were there. This time we were invaded by hornets which made life just a little bit difficult!”

 

~ Sunday 23rd July 2006 ~

 

Peter Hall sent the following list of 114 moth species recorded at the moth trap event held on 22nd July at Bradenham NT. 14 of these are new to the UTB 2006 Species List:

Barred Hook-tip; Barred Rivulet; Beautiful Hook-tip; Black Arches; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brimstone Moth; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Brown-line Bright-eye; Buff Footman; Chinese Character; Clay; Clay Triple-lines; Cloaked Minor; Clouded Magpie; Common Carpet; Common Footman; Common White Wave; Coronet; Coxcomb Prominent; Dark Arches; Dark Umber; Dingy Footman; Dot; Double Square-spot; Drinker; Dun-bar; Dusky Sallow; Early Thorn; Elephant Hawk; Engrailed; Fern; Flame Shoulder; Heart & Dart; Iron Prominent; July Highflyer; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Lime-speck Pug; Lobster; Maple Prominent; Mocha; Nut-tree Tussock; Pebble Hook-tip; Peppered; Phoenix; Pine Hawk; Poplar Grey; Poplar Hawk; Pretty Chalk Carpet; Purple Bar; Red Twin-spot Carpet; Riband Wave; Ruby Tiger; Rustic; Satin Beauty; Scalloped Oak; Scarce Footman; Scorched Carpet; Shaded Broad-bar; Silver Y; Single-dotted Wave; Slender Brindle; Small Blood-vein; Small Elephant Hawk larva; Small Emerald; Small Fan-footed Wave; Small Purple-barred; Small Waved Umber; Snout; Straw Dot; Svensson's Copper Underwing; Uncertain; White-spotted Pug; Willow Beauty; Yellow-tail.

Micros were: Acentria ephemerella, Water Veneer; Acleris forsskaleana; Agapeta hamana; Agapeta zoegana; Agriphila straminella; Ancylis unculana; Aphomia sociella (Bee); Apotomis betuletana; Blastobasis adustella; Carcina quercana; Catoptria falsella; Catoptria pinella; Celypha striana; Chrysoteuchia culmella; Cochylis dubitana; Cochylis hybridella; Conobathra repandana; Crambus perlella; Cydia fagiglandana; Endotricha flammealis; Epinotia brunnichana; Eucosma campoliliana; Eucosma cana; Eucosma hohenwartiana; Gypsonoma dealbana; Mompha propinquella; Nomophila noctuella (Rush Veneer); Orthopygia glaucinalis; Pandemis corylana (Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix); Pandemis heparana (Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix); Phlyctaenia coronata; Phycita roborella; Phycitodes binaevella; Pleuroptya ruralis (Mother of Pearl); Ptycholomoides aeriferanus; Pyrausta aurata; Sitochroa palealis; Trachycera advenella.

Thanks to Peter for leading this successful moth trap.

(Correction: Plain Wave removed from above list by Peter Hall on 26/7.)

 

Danny Howard sent this news on 21st July: “I’ve just seen a Ghost Moth (female) on platform 1 of the Oxford train station whilst on my way to work this morning.”

 

Alastair Driver sent the following report: “Another good night's trapping at home in Sonning on Tues 18th - see a selection of pictures (below). New for my parish list were Small Scallop and Small Fan-footed Wave. New for my yearlist were Dusky Sallow, Dun-bar, Ruby Tiger and Lesser-spotted Pinion. Least Carpet now seem to be quite common - 7 in the trap on Tuesday, having only had one a year for the last two or three years.”

 

A few more moth records received from Dave Maunder, Aylesbury on 20th July: - 2 more Hummingbird Hawk-moths, 1 on 8th; 1 on 13th; also started finding more Gypsy moth larvae and pupae (see photos below) around Aylesbury - from the 9th July I've found 9 males and two females, plus two larvae skins with ichneumon pupae near them! Silver-Y moths everywhere from about the 12th July.”

 

~ Friday 21st July 2006 ~

 

Peter Hall ran another garden moth trap on 15th July in Ballinger Common. It produced a catch of 91 moth species, the following six being new to this year’s UTB Species List:

Acleris comariana (Strawberry Tortrix), Agriphila straminella, Clepsis consimilana, Least Yellow Underwing, Pempelia Formosa, Small Rivulet.

 

18/07/06 - In response to the request by Peter Hall on 10th July to look out for the Horse Chestnut leaf miner Cameraria ohridella, David Redhead sent the following: “There’s a row of 7 fully grown Horse Chestnut trees near my house, south of Oxford. After attending a Berks Moth Group meeting last summer I checked this row of trees out fairly carefully and could find no sign of the tell tale brown blotches caused by Cameraria ohridella. Now all 7 appear heavily infested (see photo below). The infestation appears to get less the higher you go up the tree. What is the likely effect on the trees? Will they die?”

Peter Hall replies: “It seems unlikely that it can cause death of the trees, but populations abroad have been maintained at very high levels and the trees then become unsightly with early leaf fall. Check the following link for more detail: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-68JJRC. It seems to have no naturally effective predators and the only current control (that works partially) is via collection of fallen leaves and burning. Somewhere in the link it says up to 700 mines per leaf have been found. That’s quite a lot, room for a few more on your photo!”

 

Last Sunday 16th July, Alastair Driver ran a nature walk for the Earley Environmental Group around the ponds in Sonning: “During the walk I showed them the small circular Hornet Moth larval bore-holes approximately 2 inches above ground in the trunk of a poplar tree in a garden adjacent to Ali's Pond LNR. Grahame Hawker and Stuart Hine immediately got down on their hands and knees and very quickly found two recently hatched, 1" long, pupal cases of the species at a distance of about 8" from the trunk of the tree (see photo below). I have previously found an adult of the species near my home in Sonning roughly 500 metres away, along with more holes in a lone poplar, but this is the first confirmed breeding near the Ali's Pond site in the 5 years of my moth recording there.”

 

Adam Bassett ran the Skinner trap in his garden in Marlow Bottom on 30th June, 7th July and 15th July, producing a total 324 moths of 89 species:

Green Oak Tortrix; Small Magpie; Udea Olivalis; Mother of Pearl; Bee Moth; Barred Hook-tip; Pebble Hook-tip; Peach Blossom; Common Emerald; Small Emerald; Maiden's Blush; Clay Triple-lines; Small Fan-footed Wave; Dwarf Cream Wave; Single-dotted Wave; Treble Brown Spot; Riband Wave; Balsam Carpet (confirmed by Peter Hall); Garden Carpet; Shaded Broad-bar; Phoenix; Barred Straw; Barred Yellow; Green Carpet; July Highflyer; Fern; Dark Umber; Foxglove Pug; Green Pug; Magpie; Scorched Carpet; Tawny-barred Angle; Brimstone Moth; Lilac Beauty; August Thorn; Early Thorn; Purple Thorn; Scalloped Oak; Swallow-tailed Moth; Peppered Moth; Willow Beauty; Mottled Beauty; Engrailed; Common White Wave; Clouded Silver; Light Emerald; Poplar Hawk-moth; Elephant Hawk-moth; Buff-tip; Lobster Moth; Coxcomb Prominent; Maple Prominent; Black Arches; Scarce Footman; Buff Footman; Common Footman; Buff Ermine; Heart & Club; Heart & Dart; Double Square-spot; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brown-line Bright-eye; Coronet; Bird's Wing; Brown Rustic; Small Angle Shades; Angle Shades; Dun-bar; Dark Arches; Light Arches; Reddish Light Arches; Clouded Brindle; Large Nutmeg; Common/Lesser Rustic agg; Ear Moth; Treble Lines; Uncertain; Mottled Rustic; Pale Mottled Willow; Nut-tree Tussock; Burnished Brass; Silver Y; Beautiful Golden Y; Spectacle; Beautiful Hook-tip; Straw Dot; Snout; Fan-foot; Small Fan-foot.

 

~ Wednesday 19th July 2006 ~

 

Phil Coles visited Swain’s Wood (BBOWT permit reserve) on July 18th and saw a Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

 

Colin Campbell sent the following photo of a Brimstone Moth which landed on his living room window sill in Didcot on 18th July.

 

18th July - Dave Wilton has 16 Lime Hawk-moth caterpillars from eggs laid in his trap at Westcott on 9th June: “Their sizes currently range from less than one inch long to well over two inches, as shown in the photograph below. While getting more leaves for them this morning I noticed that one area of our Lime tree about 20ft above ground level has been defoliated. Looking through binoculars I found at least 20 Buff-tip caterpillars munching away on the leaves. They are each at least three inches long so must be almost fully-grown. This seems very early for them to be at that size (the books say the caterpillar stage should be from mid-July to early October), so I wonder if I'll they'll manage a second brood this year?”

 

On Friday 7th July Paul Bowyer led a joint meeting with the Friends of Holtspur Bank. The following species were identified:-Peach Blossom,Buff Arches, Large Emerald, Common Emerald, Small Fan-footed Wave, Riband Wave, Shaded Broad-bar, Common Carpet, Green Carpet, Brown Scallop, Foxglove Pug, Green Pug, Double Striped Pug, Scorched Carpet, Brimstone, Swallow-tailed, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, Light Emerald, Elephant Hawk, Yellow-tail, Scarce Footman, Common Footman, Short-cloaked, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, Flame, Flame Shoulder, Double Square spot, Campion, Brown-line Bright-eye, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, Coronet, Dun-bar, Lunar-spotted Pinion, Dark Arches, Clouded Brindle, Uncertain, Rustic, Mottled Rustic, Silver-Y, Spectacle, Herald, Beautiful Hook-tip, Straw Dot, Plutella xylostella, Batia lunaris, Batia unitella, Agapeta zoegana, Eupoecilia angustana, Archips podana, Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Celypha lacunana, Hedya nubiferana, Epiblema uddmanniana, Epiblema robrana, Eucosma cana, Cydia fagiglandana, Cydia pomonella, Chrysoteuchia culmella, Acentria ephemerella, Eurrhypara hortulata, Udea prunalis, Pleuroptya ruralis, Hypsopygia costalis, Endotricha flammealis, Hypochalcia ahenella, Emmelina monodactyla, Swammerdamia pyrella, Ancylis achatana.

 

17th July - Tom Stevenson had another night's trapping with the home made trap: “Numbers well down on earlier trappings but the Gothic was somewhat special (see photo below). Results were:

Small Magpie (2), Endotricha flammealis (2), Silver-Y, Gothic, Small Blood Vein, Short Cloaked, Uncertain and Buff Ermine.”

 

Alastair Driver had another good session with the Robinson Trap at Ali's Pond LNR on 15th July: “I caught 28 species of macro-moth including 2 new species for the parish list (taking it up to the 250 species mark) - Svensson's Copper Underwing and Waved Black. New records for the reserve were Scarce Footman and White-spotted Pug and new for my yearlist were Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and Lesser Yellow Underwing. I've never caught Scarce Footman until this year, despite always looking out for them, but now I'm catching quite a few - perhaps they're expanding their range?”

 

Ben Carpenter recorded the following moths from Wolfson College and Wytham Woods during the last few months:

Wytham Woods:

April - Water Carpet

May - Common Heath, Silver-Y, White-pinion Spotted, Green Carpet, Silver Ground Carpet, Red/Dark-barred Twin Spot Carpet, Clouded Silver, Pyrausta purpuralis

June - Pretty Chalk Carpet, Burnet Companion, Mother Shipton, Angle Shades, Yellow Shell, Brimstone, The Snout, Agapeta hamana, Common Carpet, Dark Arches, Large Yellow Underwing.

and these are the species which are new to the UTB 2006 Species List, which were all recorded in Wolfson College:

June - Phtheochroa rugosana, Large Tabby

July - Agriphila tristella, Nymphula stagnata (Beautiful China-mark), Lesser Cream Wave, Toadflax Pug

 

~ Sunday 16th July 2006 ~

 

The following chart shows the monthly UTB moth species count for this year, compared to the previous 2 years. It shows that this season got off to a rather slow start, no doubt due to the cold Spring, but we are now ahead of schedule and on target to achieve our 601 goal. Thanks to Peter Hall for producing the graph:

 

Dave Wilton sent the following results from his garden moth trap: “Thankfully my last two trapping sessions in the garden at Westcott have seen the contents of the Robinson come down to more sensible levels, with 76 macros species (590 moths) on 10th July and a mere 56 macro species (422 moths) on 15th July!  On the 10th I had Large Twin-spot Carpet, Shark and Bordered Sallow as new additions for the year, while Early Thorn and Ruby Tiger made re-appearances as second brood. On the 15th I got Small Scallop, Single-dotted Wave, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and Dusky Sallow as first-timers plus Purple Thorn, Pebble Prominent and Swallow Prominent as second-brood.”

 

Alastair Driver set the Robinson trap at home in Sonning on 12th July and trapped 28 species of macro-moth: “New for my parish list was Scarce Footman and firsts for the year for me were Scalloped Oak, Bird's Wing, Common Rustic, Maiden's Blush, Pine Hawk-moth (a particularly large specimen - see photo below), Dot Moth, Clay and Broad-barred White. Also I found a fatally trodden-on Leopard Moth on the doorstep of the French Horn earlier in the day - another first for my Sonning area list.”

 

Peter Hall ran his garden moth trap in Ballinger Common on 8th July. He recorded 96 species, the following 10 of which were new to the UTB 2006 Species List:

Argyresthia pruniella; Athrips mouffetella; Batia unitella; Black Arches; Common Rustic; Ditula angustiorana (Red-barred Tortrix); Epermenia chaerophyllella; Epiblema roborana; Pammene regiana; Rhopobota naevana (Holly Tortrix).

 

~ Wednesday 12th July 2006 ~

 

Peter Hall sent this message on 10th July: “It’s time to look out for Cameraria ohridella, the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner. Trees are heavily infected in and around Maidenhead, Beaconsfield and High Wycombe this year and I’m sure elsewhere. Here’s a photo taken at Swan Bottom, near to Great Missenden of what the leaf mines look like. Send in your records – date, site and grid reference if possible. Photos would be helpful too.”

 

Ched George recorded a Striped Lychnis in his garden MV trap on July 6th.

 

John & Shirley Spencer sent their latest report from Riseley:

“July 3 – Very successful catch with a wide variety of species, several of which we had not seen before. We identified positively the following:- Elephant Hawkmoth, Buff Tip, Common Wainscot, Clouded Silver, Willow Beauty, Small Magpie, Garden Carpet, Heart & Dart, Rosy Footman, Small Scallop, Bird's Wing, Poplar Grey, The Flame, Triple-spotted Clay, Burnished Brass, Beautiful Hooktip, Common Footman.

July 6 - Caught inside the house – Swallow-tailed moth.

July 8  - Tried wine roping again. Our first two attempts this year attracted nothing, but this time we had more success with 4 specimens of Herald, another new species for us. Rather a messy business, but it seems to attract moths that might not come to the light box.”

 

David Redhead sent the following report for Saturday 8th July: “First thing this morning I identified the moths from my eighth overnight garden moth trap of the year with 105 moths from 40 identified species. One, the Leopard Moth, was an addition to my all time garden list and several were new for 2006: Dun-bar (5), Small Fan-footed Wave (3), Dingy Footman (2), Dingy Shears (1), Least Carpet (1), Plain Golden-Y (1), Short-cloaked Moth (1), Single-dotted Wave (1), White Satin Moth (1) and Yellow-tail (1). The most numerous was Common Footman (22).”

 

Peter Hall trapped 98 species of moth on 5th July in his garden in Ballinger Common. The following 10 are new to this year’s UTB Species list:

Argyresthia brockeella; Batia lunaris; Blastobasis adustella; Catoptria falsella; Cochylis dubitana; Dark Dagger; Isotrias rectifasciana; Pandemis heparana (Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix); Ptycholomoides aeriferanus; Shaded Broad-bar.

Peter also reported a Hummingbird Hawk-moth in his garden on the 6th feeding on lavender.

 

~ Sunday 9th July 2006 ~

 

David Redhead found a Bee Moth settled on his bedroom wall on Thursday morning, 6th July, probably sheltering from the overnight thunderstorm and heavy rain.

 

On 4th July Derek Brown discovered an Old Lady moth flying around his conservatory: “Big aren't they - my first for the garden. I managed a few pictures before releasing her.”

 

Dave Wilton ran his moth trap on 4th July and recorded this impressive list of moths, 21 of which are new to the UTB 2006 Species List. “Even though there were no migrants to speak of, the night of 4th July, just before the arrival of those thunderstorms from across the Channel, provided me with my best ever catch here at Westcott. 1,166 moths from 100 species, and that was just the macros! I’d packed the Robinson with as many egg boxes as I could cram into it in order to avoid the problem I’d had the previous session with moths being unable to settle. That seems to have done the trick, although I still managed to lose quite a few while emptying the trap. The species marked * were new to my garden this year: Leopard Moth (2), Lackey (4), Drinker (1), Chinese Character (1), Peach Blossom (1), Buff Arches (9), *Large Emerald (1), Common Emerald (2), Blood-vein (2), Small Blood-vein (3), *Least Carpet (1), Small Fan-footed Wave (6), Dwarf Cream Wave (3), Small Dusty Wave (1), Riband Wave (20), Common Carpet (1), Yellow Shell (1), Barred Straw (2), Barred Yellow (2), Blue-bordered Carpet (1), July Highflyer (1), *Barred Rivulet (1), *Lime-speck Pug (1), Freyer’s Pug (1), *Bordered Pug (1), V-Pug (2), Green Pug (7), Clouded Border (9), Brimstone Moth (3), *Scalloped Oak (3), Swallow-tailed Moth (9), Peppered Moth (1), Mottled Beauty (5), *Engrailed (1), Common Wave (1), Clouded Silver (12), Light Emerald (5), Lime Hawk-moth (1), Poplar Hawk-moth (1), Elephant Hawk-moth (6), Small Elephant Hawk-moth (3), Pale Prominent (1), Buff-tip (9), Brown-tail (1), Yellow-tail (1), *Round-winged Muslin (1), *Dingy Footman (2), Scarce Footman (36), Buff Footman (5), Common Footman (67), Cinnabar (1), Short-cloaked Moth (12), Heart & Club (35), Heart & Dart (182), Flame (14), Flame Shoulder (15), Large Yellow Underwing (34), Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (5), Double Square-spot (7), *Green Arches (1), Nutmeg (7), Dot Moth (12), Bright-line Brown-eye (11), Smoky Wainscot (1), Common Wainscot (38), Shoulder-striped Wainscot (47), *Minor Shoulder-knot (1), Poplar Grey (9), Sycamore (1), Miller (1), Dark/Grey Dagger (19), Marbled Beauty (1), Olive (9), Dingy Shears (21), Dun-bar (4), Lunar-spotted Pinion (16), Dark Arches (116), Light Arches (13), Large Nutmeg (3), Rustic Shoulder-knot (1), Marbled Minor sp. (26), Middle-barred Minor (3), *Cloaked Minor (3), Common/Lesser Common Rustic (6), Small Dotted Buff (8), Uncertain/Rustic (168), Mottled Rustic (8), Pale Mottled Willow (1), *Marbled White-spot (1), Burnished Brass (6), Silver-Y (5), Plain Golden-Y (3), Spectacle (3), Blackneck (3), Beautiful Hook-tip (7), Straw Dot (8), Snout (4) & Fan-foot (2).

Micros: 188+ moths from 29 species: *Yponomeuta evonymella/Bird-cherry Ermine (4), *Carcina quercana (2), Agapeta hamana (4), Archips podana/Large Fruit-tree Tortrix (8), Lozotaeniodes formosanus (2), Crambus lathionellus (100+), *Crambus perlella (3), *Eudonia mercurella (6), Elophila nymphaeata/Brown China-mark (1), *Sitochroa palealis (2), Eurrhypara hortulata/Small Magpie (6), Phlyctaenia coronata (1), *Phlyctaenia perlucidalis (3), Udea prunalis (3), Udea olivalis (8), Pleuroptya ruralis/Mother-of-Pearl (20), Hypsopygia costalis/Gold Triangle (6), Orthopygia glaucinalis (5), *Endotricha flammealis (1), Aphomia sociella/Bee Moth (1), Myelois circumvoluta/Thistle Ermine (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1), Blastobasis decolorella (1), Limnaecia phragmitella (3), Hedya salicella (1), Parapoynx stratiota/Ringed China-mark (1), Trachycera advenella (1), Homoeosoma sinuella (1) & Phycitodes binaevella (1).”

 

Results of Tom Stevenson’s moth trapping on 2nd July are as follows:

Common Footman (7), Riband Wave (4), Lilac Beauty, Bee Moth, Yellow Tail, Phlyctaenia coronata, Uncertain, Heart and Club (2), Udea olivalis, Small Blood Vein, Water carpet, Dark Arches and Garden Carpet.

 

Thanks to Jan Haseler for leading the joint Berks Moth Group / Upper Thames BC Moth Trap at Greenham Common on Friday 23rd June. It was a very successful evening, attended by 17 people, with 138 species of moth identified. The following species were new to the UTB 2006 Species List. Click here to see the full report.

Aethes smeathmanniana; Agapeta zoegana; Ancylis achatana; Apotomis turbidana; Archips xylosteana (Variegated Golden Tortrix); Blastobasis decolorella; Capperia britanniodactylus; Catoptria pinella; Conobathra repandana; Crambus perlella; Dun-bar; Elegia similella; Epagoge grotiana; Epiblema rosaecolana; Eucalybites auroguttella; Eucosma campoliliana; Eudonia pallida; Fox Moth; Pseudoterpna pruinata atropunctaria (Grass Emerald); Grey Arches; Hedya nubiferana (Marbled Orchard Tortrix); Homoeosoma sinuella; Lathronympha strigana; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Marbled White-spot; Pempelia palumbella; Phycita roborella; Phycitodes binaevella; Platyptilia pallidactyla; Red-necked Footman; Rosy Footman; Satin Wave; Scoparia pyralella; Shark; True Lover's Knot.

 

~ Wednesday 5th July 2006 ~

 

Mark Calway sent this interesting report on 4th July: “Hornet moths have been on the wing for around three weeks now in Berkshire and emergences are still being recorded. On Saturday 1st I watched two recently emerged female Hornet moths in Reading. Once they started calling, males were buzzing around within a minute or so and pairing took place immediately. They remained in cop for several hours. Photos and more information will be presented at the BMG meeting on Thursday 13th July.

 

Dave Maunder recorded the following moths in Aylesbury recently: Hummingbird hawk moths (2 - 1 on 30th, Fairford leys on Lavender; 1 in Adstock on 2nd), Drinker moth (1 - female), Light arches (3), Dark arches (1), Silver y (1), Vapourer (1, on 3rd), Heart and dart (1), Lg. yellow u/wing (1), Lsr. yellow u/wing (1), Swallowtail moth (1, on 1st),

Common emeralds (2), Riband waves (4), Barred straw (1, in Adstock), Magpie moth (1), Brimstone moth (1), Garden carpet (1), Yellow shell (1), Small dusty wave (1), Mottled beauty (1). Looks like a reasonable influx of Hummingbird hawks this year - will you be counting them as in previous years? I was lucky enough to get a photo of one settled for a while!

 

Alastair Driver had a good trapping session in his garden on 2nd July: “Only 21 macro-spp, but 3 new species for my parish list and another new site record. Parish records were Brown-tail (of which I had two), Large Twin-spot Carpet and Clay Triple-lines. Site record was Cinnabar. Other firsts for the year for me were Buff Arches and Cloaked Minor.

 

Derek Brown sent the following report and photos on 2nd July: “Recent new species for the garden are Scarlet Tiger, Barred Yellow, Beautiful Golden Y, Shears, Knot Grass, Scorched Wing, Privet Hawk, Lobster and Leopard.

 

Paul Bowyer led a meeting of the Wycombe Wildlife Group and the Prestwood Nature Group at the Prestwood Local Nature Reserve on 23rd June. Moths identified were: Brimstone, Purple Bar, Small Emerald, Flame, Plain Golden Y, Buff Arches, Green Carpet, Riband Wave, Barred Yellow, Pine Hawk, Beautiful Hook Tip, Small Magpie, Elephant Hawk, Common Marbled Carpet, Clouded Border, Double Square Spot, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Mottled Beauty, Common Wainscot, Buff Ermine, Burnished Brass, Clouded Silver, Treble Lines, Peppered Moth, Pale Tussock.

On 30th June Paul also ran a trap in his garden in Flackwell Heath, identifying the following moths: Small Elephant Hawk, Elephant Hawk, Lime Hawk, Buff Arches, Heart and Dart, Swallow-tailed, Large Emerald, Small Magpie, Buff Ermine, The Flame, Common Footman, Riband Wave, Light Emerald, Flame Shoulder, Brimstone, The Phoenix, Small Yellow Wave, Barred Yellow, Little Emerald, Beautiful Golden Y, Small Emerald, Dark Arches, Scarce Silver Lines, Shoulder Striped Wainscot, Great Oak Beauty (diagnostic on underside of forewing was checked), Clouded Silver, The Snout, Garden Carpet, Bright Line Brown Eye, The Dot, The Coronet, The Spectacle.

 

~ Monday 3rd July 2006 ~

 

In response to Susan Nicholls’ question regarding flight times for the Small Square Spot (see report dated 24th June below), Peter Hall produced the following graph from the Bucks moth database of emergence weeks for the moth, showing the 2 broods very nicely. This indicates that, for Bucks at least, Week 25 (June 24th week) is not so late.

 

David Redhead sent the following moth records on 1st July: “I’ve decided moths are like buses – I’ve spent several years looking for the adult Blue-bordered Carpet Moth and had my first success just over a week ago (see report for 23rd June below) and whilst in Brasenose Woods this morning 1st July, I spotted a small carpet moth flying about which turned out to be a Blue-bordered Carpet when I caught up with it. Neither of these moths had read the books which say they fly at dusk or night - but I have to admit this one today did seem to be seeking shade by landing on the undersides of large leaves.

I ran my seventh moth trap of the year on 30th June. It produced 126 moths from 50 identified species which included three new additions to my garden list - Lilac Beauty, Lobster Moth & Small Blood-vein. Double square-spot was the most numerous with 15 and there were a number of other additions to my 2006 garden list - Barred Yellow, Common Emerald, Common Footman, Common White Wave, Donacaula forficella, Dusky Brocade, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Olive, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Smoky Wainscot, Swallow-tailed Moth & Thistle Ermine. The Olive surprised me last year as I caught my first of two on the 10th July and the books say it is on the wing from late July, so I was even more surprised to find it my trap this morning and took extra care to make sure my identification was correct. On Wednesday evening 28th June Wendy reported 7 Scarlet Tigers flying in our garden.”

 

~ Sunday 2nd July 2006 ~

 

On 30th June Peter Holland recorded the following at his moth trap in Wallingford: Leopard Moth; Buff Arches; Elephant Hawk Moth; Burnished Brass; Grey/Dark Dagger; Dot; Bright-line Brown Eye; Common Footman; The Flame; Riband Wave; Purple Clay; Heart and Dart; Double Square Spot; Spectacle; Smoky Wainscot; Common Wainscot; Snout; Clouded Silver; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Dark Arches; Beautiful Hook Tip; Single-dotted Wave; Clouded Bordered Brindle; The Uncertain; Heart and Club.

 

Peter Hall ran another garden moth trap in Ballinger Common on 29th June. It produced 68 species, of which 6 were new to the UTB 2006 Species List:

Aleimma loeflingiana; Aphelia paleana (Timothy Tortrix); Epiblema uddmanniana (Bramble Shoot Moth); Little Emerald; Nutmeg; Pempeliella dilutella.

 

May Webber ran her moth trap again on Thursday night, 29th June, and caught the following moths:

Eyed Hawk-moth, Small Elephant Hawk-moth, Elephant Hawk-moth, Poplar Hawk-moth, Buff Arches, Leopard moth, Buff-tip, Peppered moth, Burnished Brass, Beautiful Golden y, Yellow-tail, Blotched Emerald, Beautiful Hook-tip, Barred Straw, Common Footman, Common Wainscot, Coronet, Clouded Silver, Clouded Border, Heart and Dart, Barred Yellow, Angle Shades, Riband Wave, Swallow-tailed moth, Ear moth agg, Rustic, Pale Prominent.

 

Jan Haseler led the moth trap event at Greenham Common on 23rd June: “We had a very successful night, attended by 17 people, with over 130 species of moth identified from 3 trap lists. I hope to find time to put the field trip report together next week.”

 

~ Saturday 1st July 2006 ~

 

Colleen Watts took the following excellent photos of a Hummingbird Hawk-moth at Whitchurch on 25th June. Tim Watts sent this report: “The photos were taken by Colleen on her little Coolpix (see below and top of this page). She's very proud of them! I sat watching it and announced ‘waste of time running for the camera as they only stay in the same spot for a short time’. Blooming thing fed on the same plant for ages, by which time Colleen had got her camera out. As she had got some shots, I felt I had to run for my camera and show her how it's done! As you can guess it flew off the second I approached it!” Tim & Colleen have also seen Hummingbird Hawk-moths in their garden on 24th, 27th and 28th June.

 

Dave Maunder has recorded some more moths around Aylesbury over the last few weeks:-

Hummingbird hawk (1, on 25th), White ermine (1), Silver y (13), Small square-spot (1), Burnet companion (4), Six-spot burnet (2), Light arches (1), Dark arches (1), Broad-barred white (1), Cinnabar (1), Common swift (3), Large yellow underwing (2), Buff-tip (1), Marbled minor agg (1), Small dusty wave (7), Riband wave (1), Yellow shell (1), Garden carpet (1), Common emerald (1), Brimstone (1), Common marbled carpets (2), Willow beauty (1), Treble brown-spot (5), Blood-vein (1), Udea olivalis (1), Phlyctaenia coronata (1), Pyrausta purpuralis (2), Small magpie (2), Bee moth (7), Short cloaked (1), White plume (1), Emmelina monodactyla (2), and Green oak tortrix (1).

 

Maurice Gavin sent the following photo of an Elephant Hawk-moth: “The big creature [50mm long] startled me zooming up and down the landing in the early daylight hours and settled near the bathroom window where I snapped it (see photo below). Its wings were like leaves! Placed it outside the window on the sill where it quivered for a while and was gone. Nice experience.”

 

Dave Wilton sent the following moth report on 27th June: “A trapping session in the garden at Westcott on 21st June added Barred Straw, Four-dotted Footman, Double Dart* and Clouded Brindle to this year's list, while a Freyer's Pug came to the light of the kitchen window on 24th June. I had another "bumper" night with the trap on 25th June (819 moths of 89 species) which included Lackey, Buff Arches, Small Dusty Wave, Dwarf Cream Wave, Barred Yellow*, July Highflyer, Dark Umber*, V-Pug, Small Yellow Wave*, Dot Moth, Blackneck and micros: Aphomia sociella/Bee Moth, Elophila lymphaeata/Brown China-mark, Phlyctaenia coronata, Udea prunalis. Those marked * are completely new to my garden list.”

 

Peter Hall ran his garden moth trap in Ballinger Common on 25th June and recorded 74 species:

Agonopterix arenella; Scrobipalpa costella; Blastobasis lacticolella; Mompha subbistrigella; Pandemis cerasana (Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix); Archips podana (Large Fruit-tree Tortrix); Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple); Lozotaenia forsterana; Celypha striana; Celypha lacunana; Eucosma cana; Chrysoteuchia culmella; Crambus pascuella; Eurrhypara hortulata (Small Magpie); Udea prunalis; Udea olivalis; Aphomia sociella (Bee); Pebble Hook-tip; Buff Arches; Small Fan-footed Wave; Dwarf Cream Wave; Treble Brown Spot; Flame Carpet; Common Carpet; Small Phoenix; Broken-barred Carpet; Grass Rivulet; Foxglove Pug; Green Pug; Clouded Border; Scorched Wing; Peppered; Mottled Beauty; Pale Oak Beauty; Clouded Silver; Light Emerald; Pine Hawk; Elephant Hawk; Buff-tip; Lobster; Pebble Prominent; Orange Footman; Common Footman; Buff Ermine; Short-cloaked; Turnip; Heart & Club; Heart & Dart; Dark Sword-grass; Flame; Large Yellow Underwing; Ingrailed Clay; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Shears; Pale-shouldered Brocade; Bright-line Brown-eye; Common Wainscot; Shoulder-striped Wainscot; Poplar Grey; Dark Arches; Light Arches; Large Nutmeg; Treble Lines; Uncertain; Mottled Rustic; Pale Mottled Willow; Green Silver-lines; Beautiful Golden Y; Plain Golden Y; Beautiful Hook-tip; Straw Dot; Snout; Fan-foot; Small Fan-foot.

 

 

ooOOOoo

 

►Return to Sightings Archive Index

►Top of Page