Norman Hall organised the annual moth-trapping night at Hosehill Local Nature Reserve near Theale on Saturday 3rd August. The skies were clear and the temperature initially dropped fairly rapidly. Norman ran a mercury vapour (MV) light over a sheet and 2 Robinson traps with MV lights in the meadow on the east of the reserve. Jan Haseler ran a MV light over a sheet, a Robinson trap under a big willow by the lake edge and a Skinner trap with an actinic light, all near the central reserve entrance. A disco at the Fox and Hounds pub across the road made this the noisiest mothing station. As dusk fell, the first moths to come in were Ruby Tiger, Dingy Footman, in both grey and yellow forms, Cloaked Minor and Orange Swift. A handsome Black Arches and a number of Sallow Kittens arrived on the sheet in the meadow. These were joined by a Barred Rivulet, whose larval food-plants are the ripening seedheads of Red Bartsia, a plant which is abundant in the meadow. A Pale Prominent settled on the sheet, looking like a dead twig. Small Seraphim, Small Scallop, Least Carpet, Straw Underwing and Scorched Carpet were amongst the other finds at Norman’s lights.
One of the highlight at Jan’s traps was a Double Kidney moth. Its caterpillars feed on willows, and an adult moth was attracted to the trap under the big willow by the lake. Other highlights included a delicate pink Rosy Footman, a Purple Thorn and a showy black and white Leopard moth. Graham Saunders brought his bat detector and identified Noctule, Daubenton’s and 55 kHz Pipistrelle bats. By about 12:30am, most of the members had left and Jan and Laurie began to pack up. At this point, it began to cloud over and Canary-shouldered Thorns started to appear in good numbers. The rest of the night was warmer, and Norman, who stayed overnight, report that a good deal more species came in later in the night. Next morning, 9 members turned up to view the night’s catch.
Pictures by Rob Stallard, Laurie Haseler and Jan Haseler
| Bradley | Taxon | English Name | Quantity |
| 0015 | Hepialus sylvina | Orange Swift | 1 |
| 0161 | Zeuzera pyrina | Leopard Moth | 1 |
| 0294 | Aspilapteryx tringipennella | 1 | |
| 0642 | Batia unitella | 1 | |
| 0868 | Helcystogramma rufescens | 2 | |
| 0873 | Blastobasis adustella | 2 | |
| 0937 | Agapeta hamana | 2 | |
| 0969 | Pandemis corylana | Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix | 1 |
| 0972 | Pandemis heparana | Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix | 2 |
| 1036 | Acleris forsskaleana | 1 | |
| 1038 | Acleris laterana | 3 | |
| 1048 | Acleris variegana | Garden Rose Tortrix | 2 |
| 1086 | Hedya salicella | 0 | |
| 1159 | Rhopobota naevana | Holly Tortrix | 1 |
| 1205 | Spilonota ocellana | Bud Moth | 1 |
| 1304 | Agriphila straminella | 9 | |
| 1305 | Agriphila tristella | 4 | |
| 1313 | Catoptria pinella | 1 | |
| 1316 | Catoptria falsella | 1 | |
| 1331 | Acentria ephemerella | Water Veneer | 0 |
| 1334A | Scoparia basistrigalis | 0 | |
| 1344 | Eudonia mercurella | 1 | |
| 1348 | Parapoynx stratiotata | Ringed China-mark | 3 |
| 1405 | Pleuroptya ruralis | Mother of Pearl | 6 |
| 1424 | Endotricha flammealis | 1 | |
| 1439 | Trachycera advenella | 5 | |
| 1452 | Phycita roborella | 1 | |
| 1646 | Watsonalla binaria | Oak Hook-tip | 1 |
| 1654 | Tethea ocularis | Figure of Eighty | 1 |
| 1699 | Idaea rusticata | Least Carpet | 2 |
| 1702 | Idaea biselata | Small Fan-footed Wave | 5 |
| 1708 | Idaea dimidiata | Single-dotted Wave | 2 |
| 1712 | Idaea emarginata | Small Scallop | 1 |
| 1713 | Idaea aversata | Riband Wave | 3 |
| 1724x | Xanthorhoe spadicearia/ferrugata | Twin-spot Carpet agg | 3 |
| 1732 | Scotopteryx chenopodiata | Shaded Broad-bar | 8 |
| 1738 | Epirrhoe alternata | Common Carpet | 0 |
| 1742 | Camptogramma bilineata | Yellow Shell | 0 |
| 1777 | Hydriomena furcata | July Highflyer | 3 |
| 1804 | Perizoma bifaciata | Barred Rivulet | 0 |
| 1882 | Pterapherapteryx sexalata | Small Seraphim | 0 |
| 1887 | Lomaspilis marginata | Clouded Border | 2 |
| 1888 | Ligdia adustata | Scorched Carpet | 2 |
| 1906 | Opisthograptis luteolata | Brimstone Moth | 1 |
| 1913 | Ennomos alniaria | Canary-shouldered Thorn | 2 |
| 1917 | Selenia dentaria | Early Thorn | 1 |
| 1919 | Selenia tetralunaria | Purple Thorn | 0 |
| 1921 | Crocallis elinguaria | Scalloped Oak | 2 |
| 1937 | Peribatodes rhomboidaria | Willow Beauty | 3 |
| 1947 | Ectropis bistortata | The Engrailed | 2 |
| 1956 | Cabera exanthemata | Common Wave | 3 |
| 1981 | Laothoe populi | Poplar Hawk-moth | 2 |
| 1997 | Furcula furcula | Sallow Kitten | 3 |
| 2003 | Notodonta ziczac | Pebble Prominent | 6 |
| 2007 | Pheosia tremula | Swallow Prominent | 4 |
| 2008 | Ptilodon capucina | Coxcomb Prominent | 1 |
| 2011 | Pterostoma palpina | Pale Prominent | 10 |
| 2030 | Euproctis similis | Yellow-tail | 2 |
| 2033 | Lymantria monacha | Black Arches | 1 |
| 2037 | Miltochrista miniata | Rosy Footman | 1 |
| 2044 | Eilema griseola | Dingy Footman | 16 |
| 2050 | Eilema lurideola | Common Footman | 5 |
| 2064 | Phragmatobia fuliginosa | Ruby Tiger | 4 |
| 2087 | Agrotis segetum | Turnip Moth | 1 |
| 2089 | Agrotis exclamationis | Heart & Dart | 0 |
| 2092 | Agrotis puta | Shuttle-shaped Dart | 0 |
| 2102 | Ochropleura plecta | Flame Shoulder | 12 |
| 2107 | Noctua pronuba | Large Yellow Underwing | 1 |
| 2109 | Noctua comes | Lesser Yellow Underwing | 14 |
| 2110 | Noctua fimbriata | Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing | 5 |
| 2111 | Noctua janthe | Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing | 15 |
| 2112 | Noctua interjecta | Least Yellow Underwing | 1 |
| 2128 | Xestia triangulum | Double Square Spot | 1 |
| 2160 | Lacanobia oleracea | Bright-line Brown-eye | 1 |
| 2193 | Mythimna ferrago | The Clay | 3 |
| 2194 | Mythimna albipuncta | White-point | 1 |
| 2198 | Mythimna impura | Smoky Wainscot | 3 |
| 2289 | Acronicta rumicis | Knot Grass | 1 |
| 2297x | Amphipyra pyramidea agg. | Copper Underwing agg | 0 |
| 2303 | Thalpophila matura | Straw Underwing | 1 |
| 2311 | Ipimorpha retusa | Double Kidney | 1 |
| 2318 | Cosmia trapezina | The Dun-bar | 3 |
| 2321 | Apamea monoglypha | Dark Arches | 15 |
| 2341 | Mesoligia furuncula | Cloaked Minor | 3 |
| 2343x | Mesapamea secalis agg. | Common Rustic agg | 52 |
| 2361 | Hydraecia micacea | Rosy Rustic | 1 |
| 2381 | Hoplodrina octogenaria | The Uncertain | 2 |
| 2382 | Hoplodrina blanda | The Rustic | 15 |
| 2410 | Protodeltote pygarga | Marbled White Spot | 0 |
| 2425 | Colocasia coryli | Nut-tree Tussock | 1 |
| 2441 | Autographa gamma | Silver Y | 6 |
| 2469 | Scoliopteryx libatrix | The Herald | 1 |
| 2474 | Rivula sericealis | Straw Dot | 2 |
| 2477 | Hypena proboscidalis | The Snout | 1 |