Moth News!

It was a cold evening at the end of August for our last trapping session of 2010 - as is usual in late summer the number of moths trapped falls away. We none the less trapped 132 moths of about 36 species using six 125mv, one 15w actinic skinner and sugaring a few trees. Some records are still to come in and some species to be confirmed.

Three moths were new for the site: willow ermine Yponomeuta rorrella, Ypsolopha parenthesella and frosted orange Gortyna flavago. Good moths for the site included crescent Celaena leucostigma, pale eggar Trichlura crateagi, and bullrush wainscot Nonagria typhae.

I mentioned last time that as part of the wider Lepodoptera project we have been monitoring butterflies and that the area in the Education Reserve around the Upton (Rabbit) 'Warren' was turning out to be particularly interesting. A day time visit to the area in mid August turned up a previously unknown breeding colony of brown argus butterflies breeding on dove's-foot crane's bill G.molle. A very good find. A photograph of a male and female brown argus taken by JHR Ridley is attached.

Regards
John, Upton Warren

Photos: Pale eggar, bullrush wainscot, brown argus