Norman Hall and Paul Black led a moth-trapping event at Withymead Nature Reserve on the night of Saturday 25 June. Withymead is on the north bank of the River Thames between Goring-on-Thames and South Stoke. A number of members came along at 9am next morning to view the catch. The event was very successful despite the drop in the temperature over the previous few days and the increasingly high wind speeds during the daytime. The number of macro species of moth recorded (81) was surprisingly high for the conditions, especially as numbers of individual specimens were quite low. The number of micro species recorded (17) was however disappointingly low, as well as the number of individuals.
On arrival on Saturday evening, Norman and Paul had been welcomed by warden Pete Morton. They decided that they would both set up their traps and sheets on the east (railway) side of the lane, where there is good chalk flora, an orchard and a surprisingly good variety of native trees, plus the possibility of some good marshland species spilling over from the river side. One member came in the evening to watch the trapping and returned the following morning to view the catch. Other spectators on the Sunday morning included an enthusiastic 9-year old girl.
The catch included 5 species of Hawk-moths, including a Pine Hawk-moth and 5 huge Privet Hawk-moths, a Festoon (a nationally scarce oak feeder in the family Limacodidae, of which Festoon and Triangle are the only British species), a Vestal (which is a migrant), a Brown-tail (which can be a serious pest if breeding conditions are right for it) and Dotted Fan-foot, Southern Wainscot and Obscure Wainscot, all three of which might have come up from the marshy ground nearer the river.
Sample moths of all the species seen had been potted up or put in glass tubes for examination, and there were better opportunities for photography as these were eventually released. Afterwards, the warden invited members to have a look round the main part of the reserve near the river, and several of them were delighted to see a Grass Snake.
Report by Norman Hall
Pictures by Rob Stallard
Recorders/Identifiers both Paul Black & Norman Hall |
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| MV traps and sheets overnight | ||||||
| 17 micromoths recorded, 82 macromoths including 1 pug still to be identified. | ||||||
| Agassiz | Taxon | English Name | Count | National Status | ||
| 16.001 | Yponomeuta evonymella | Bird-cherry Ermine | 1 | Common | ||
| 33.001 | Ethmia dodecea | 1 | Local | |||
| 35.028 | Brachmia blandella | 1 | Common | |||
| 49.013 | Archips podana | Large Fruit-tree Tortrix | 2 | Common | ||
| 49.025 | Pandemis cerasana | Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix | 1 | Common | ||
| 49.040 | Lozotaeniodes formosana | 1 | Common | |||
| 49.161 | Celypha striana | 1 | Common | |||
| 49.166 | Celypha lacunana | 2 | Common | |||
| 49.215 | Ancylis achatana | 1 | Common | |||
| 49.254 | Epinotia bilunana | 1 | Common | |||
| 53.001 | Apoda limacodes | The Festoon | 1 | Notable B | ||
| 62.065 | Ephestia woodiella | 1 | ||||
| 63.018 | Anania coronata | 1 | Common | |||
| 63.025 | Anania hortulata | Small Magpie | 4 | Common | ||
| 63.038 | Pleuroptya ruralis | Mother of Pearl | 1 | Common | ||
| 63.067 | Eudonia lacustrata | 2 | Common | |||
| 63.080 | Chrysoteuchia culmella | 1 | Common | |||
| 63.088 | Crambus perlella | 1 | Common | |||
| 65.009 | Habrosyne pyritoides | Buff Arches | 1 | Common | ||
| 69.002 | Smerinthus ocellata | Eyed Hawk-moth | 1 | Common | ||
| 69.003 | Laothoe populi | Poplar Hawk-moth | 4 | Common | ||
| 69.006 | Sphinx ligustri | Privet Hawk-moth | 5 | Common | ||
| 69.007 | Sphinx pinastri | Pine Hawk-moth | 1 | Local | ||
| 69.016 | Deilephila elpenor | Elephant Hawk-moth | 11 | Common | ||
| 70.004 | Idaea rusticata | Least Carpet | 1 | Local | ||
| 70.006 | Idaea fuscovenosa | Dwarf Cream Wave | 2 | Local | ||
| 70.011 | Idaea dimidiata | Single-dotted Wave | 8 | Common | ||
| 70.012 | Idaea trigeminata | Treble Brown Spot | 1 | Local | ||
| 70.013 | Idaea biselata | Small Fan-footed Wave | 5 | Common | ||
| 70.016 | Idaea aversata | Riband Wave | 9 | Common | ||
| 70.029 | Timandra comae | Blood-vein | 1 | Common | ||
| 70.038 | Rhodometra sacraria | The Vestal | 1 | Immigrant | ||
| 70.055 | Xanthorhoe quadrifasiata | Large Twin-spot Carpet | 2 | Local | ||
| 70.089 | Eulithis prunata | The Phoenix | 1 | Common | ||
| 70.097 | Dysstroma truncata | Common Marbled Carpet | 1 | Common | ||
| Eupithecia sp. | 1 | |||||
| 70.179 | Eupithecia absinthiata | Wormwood Pug | 1 | Common | ||
| 70.199 | Pterapherapteryx sexalata | Small Seraphim | 1 | Local | ||
| 70.207 | Lomaspilis marginata | Clouded Border | 9 | Common | ||
| 70.226 | Opisthograptis luteolata | Brimstone Moth | 3 | Common | ||
| 70.236 | Ennomos erosaria | September Thorn | 1 | Common | ||
| 70.243 | Ourapteryx sambucaria | Swallow-tailed Moth | 4 | Common | ||
| 70.252 | Biston betularia | Peppered Moth | 3 | Common | ||
| 70.258 | Peribatodes rhomboidaria | Willow Beauty | 1 | Common | ||
| 70.265 | Alcis repandata | Mottled Beauty | 4 | Common | ||
| 70.277 | Cabera pusaria | Common White Wave | 3 | Common | ||
| 70.280 | Lomographa temerata | Clouded Silver | 1 | Common | ||
| 70.283 | Campaea margaritaria | Light Emerald | 1 | Common | ||
| 70.305 | Hemithea aestivaria | Common Emerald | 2 | Common | ||
| 71.013 | Notodonta ziczac | Pebble Prominent | 1 | Common | ||
| 71.020 | Pterostoma palpina | Pale Prominent | 1 | Common | ||
| 71.025 | Phalera bucephala | Buff-tip | 1 | Common | ||
| 72.002 | Rivula sericealis | Straw Dot | 1 | Common | ||
| 72.003 | Hypena proboscidalis | The Snout | 14 | Common | ||
| 72.012 | Euproctis chrysorrhoea | Brown-tail | 1 | Local | ||
| 72.013 | Euproctis similis | Yellow-tail | 1 | Common | ||
| 72.019 | Spilosoma lutea | Buff Ermine | 6 | Common | ||
| 72.031 | Tyria jacobaeae | The Cinnabar | 4 | Common | ||
| 72.035 | Miltochrista miniata | Rosy Footman | 4 | Local | ||
| 72.044 | Eilema griseola | Dingy Footman | 3 | Common | ||
| 72.045 | Eilema lurideola | Common Footman | 35 | Common | ||
| 72.046 | Eilema complana | Scarce Footman | 1 | Local | ||
| 72.049 | Eilema sororcula | Orange Footman | 2 | Local | ||
| 72.052 | Macrochilo cribrumalis | Dotted Fan-foot | 1 | Notable B | ||
| 72.069 | Laspeyria flexula | Beautiful Hook-tip | 4 | Local | ||
| 73.001 | Abrostola tripartita | The Spectacle | 6 | Common | ||
| 73.012 | Diachrysia chrysitis | Burnished Brass | 4 | Common | ||
| 73.046 | Subacronicta megacephala | Poplar Grey | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.047 | Craniophora ligustri | The Coronet | 3 | Local | ||
| 73.092 | Caradrina morpheus | Mottled Rustic | 3 | Common | ||
| 73.095 | Caradrina clavipalpis | Pale Mottled Willow | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.096 | Hoplodrina octogenaria | The Uncertain | 17 | Common | ||
| 73.097 | Hoplodrina blanda | The Rustic | 5 | Common | ||
| 73.099 | Hoplodrina ambigua | Vine’s Rustic | 2 | Common | ||
| 73.154 | Apamea remissa | Dusky Brocade | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.162 | Apamea monoglypha | Dark Arches | 3 | Common | ||
| 73.163 | Apamea lithoxylaea | Light Arches | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.173x | Oligia strigilis agg. | Marbled Minor agg | 3 | |||
| 73.216 | Cosmia trapezina | The Dun-bar | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.263 | Lacanobia w-latinum | Light Brocade | 2 | Local | ||
| 73.267 | Lacanobia oleracea | Bright-line Brown-eye | 7 | Common | ||
| 73.279 | Hecatera bicolorata | Broad-barred White | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.281 | Hadena bicruris | The Lychnis | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.290 | Mythimna conigera | Brown-line Bright-eye | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.291 | Mythimna pallens | Common Wainscot | 3 | Common | ||
| 73.293 | Mythimna impura | Smoky Wainscot | 6 | Common | ||
| 73.294 | Mythimna straminea | Southern Wainscot | 2 | Local | ||
| 73.297 | Mythimna albipuncta | White-point | 1 | Established colonist | ||
| 73.298 | Mythimna ferrago | The Clay | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.302 | Leucania obsoleta | Obscure Wainscot | 1 | Local | ||
| 73.317 | Agrotis exclamationis | Heart & Dart | 3 | Common | ||
| 73.320 | Agrotis clavis | Heart & Club | 9 | Common | ||
| 73.328 | Axylia putris | The Flame | 9 | Common | ||
| 73.329 | Ochropleura plecta | Flame Shoulder | 2 | Common | ||
| 73.342 | Noctua pronuba | Large Yellow Underwing | 2 | Common | ||
| 73.343 | Noctua fimbriata | Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing | 1 | Common | ||
| 73.361 | Xestia triangulum | Double Square-spot | 5 | Common | ||
| 74.003 | Nola cucullatella | Short-cloaked Moth | 3 | Common | ||
| 74.008 | Pseudoips prasinana | Green Silver-lines | 1 | Common | ||