Upper Thames Branch Moth Sightings Archive - January to June 2007 On Friday 29th June Dave Wilton carried out his transect in Finemere Wood and in the evening ran his overnight moth trap in his Westcott garden: "Moths seen in Finemere Wood were Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet (3), Clouded Border (2), Marbled White Spot (1) and Silver Y (1). My garden Robinson trap produced my first reasonable catch for a week or two, with more than 400 moths from about 80 species ending up in the trap. Best of the bunch were Lappet and Scarce Silver-lines, with Scarce Footman, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, Olive, Pleuroptya ruralis/Mother of Pearl and Phycitodes binaevella also new for my garden year list. The following evening a Blackneck came to our kitchen window light." Phycitodes binaevella Scarce Silver-lines Blackneck Photo © Dave Wilton Photo © Dave Wilton Photo © Dave Wilton ~ Thursday 28th June 2007 ~ Dave Wilton sent this moth report on 27th June: "On 26th June I was foolish enough to run my actinic trap at Westcott even though the temperature fell to 8 degrees Celsius overnight. The result was a pitiful catch of 64 moths from 17 species. Compare that to the same day last year when I got 800 moths in the Robinson! The poor weather of the past few days seems to have had a drastic effect on catches all across the country although last night did produce one new species for me, the Short-cloaked Moth. Looking on the bright side, thanks to Peter Hall and his microscope I do now have a few additions to the UTB list from back in April: Dichrorampha acuminatana, Elachista canapennella, Dipleurina lacustrata, Eudonia truncicolella and Parornix anglicella were all trapped in my garden, Rhopobota stagnana (B&F 1161, formerly Griselda stagnana) was found in the disused railway cutting west of Westcott Airfield and Pammene argyrana was caught in Rushbeds Wood." Also, while doing a butterfly transect in Finemere Wood on 20th June, Dave kicked up a Crambus perlella from the grass. Crambus perlella Photo © Dave Wilton Wendy & Mick Campbell visited Sydlings Copse on Tuesday 26th June looking for butterflies and found an Emperor Moth caterpillar and the longhorn micro Nemophora cupriacella. Emperor Moth caterpillar Nemophora cupriacella Photo © Wendy Campbell Photo © Wendy Campbell Trevor Lawson glanced out of his office window in Hyde Heath, Bucks, on 25th June and spotted what was almost certainly a Hummingbird Hawk-moth hovering by and feeding on the catnip flowers. He dashed out to confirm it, but it had already gone. Jan Haseler reported the following day-flying moths: On 19th June at Bearwood College - Ringed China-marks and on 24th June, Tilehurst - Hummingbird Hawk-moth. Adam Bassett ran his moth trap in his Marlow Bottom (Bucks) garden on 22nd June: "Mottled Beauty was most evident with 10 records, but hot on the heels of last week's Great Oak Beauty, which was a new garden tick, another one appeared (underside forewing checked) - and they do look big. Two photos to show both specimens are below. The full list was: Small Magpie,Bee Moth, Maiden's Blush,Clay Triple-lines,Treble Brown Spot,Riband Wave,Phoenix, July Highflyer,Brimstone Moth,Swallow-tailed Moth, Peppered Moth,Willow Beauty,Mottled Beauty,Great Oak Beauty,Engrailed,Common White Wave, Clouded Silver,Light Emerald,Poplar Hawk-moth,Buff-tip,Buff Ermine,Heart & Club, Heart & Dart,Large Yellow Underwing,Shears,Bright-line Brown-eye,Dark Arches,Uncertain, Spectacle,Snout,Fan-foot and Acleris boscana. [Note 06/07/07: A.boscana has been renamed A. kockiella.] Great Oak Beauty Great Oak Beauty Photo © Adam Bassett Photo © Adam Bassett ~ Monday 25th June 2007 ~ Dave Wilton sent the following report on 24th June: "Here are a few more moth species I've trapped recently which are either additional to or update the UTB list: Blastodacna hellerella (Westcott, 18th June); Spinach (Westcott, 20th June); Lunar-spotted Pinion, Clouded Brindle, Choreutis pariana/Apple Leaf Skeletonizer, Udea prunalis, Orthopygia glaucinalis (all Westcott, 22nd June); Drinker, Small Fan-footed Wave, Minor Shoulder- knot, Teleiodes luculella, Archips crataegana/Brown Oak Tortrix, Conobathra repandana (all Finemere Wood, 23rd June)." On Saturday 23rd June at Moor Copse, Martin & Dee Raper saw Scarlet Tiger moths(4) and Silver Y(1). David Redhead reports that they had their first Scarlet Tiger moth flying in their Oxford garden on Friday afternoon, 22nd June. Also, on Wednesday 20th he saw his first Six-spot Burnets at the M40 Compensation Area. Dave Maunder recorded his first Old Lady moth of the year on 22nd June: "A few other moths seen recently around Aylesbury were:- Bee moth (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1), Small Magpie (1), Common Swift (2), Common Emerald (1)." Maureen Cross saw a Scarlet Tiger moth in her neighbour's garden in Streatley on 21st June. Alastair Driver has been running regular moth traps at his home in Sonning: "New for my yearlist have been: 13th June - Robinson Trap - Clouded Brindle (a new site record), Bright-line Brown-eye, Lesser Treble-bar, Uncertain and Heart and Club. 19th June - indoors - Broad-barred White, Swallow-tailed Moth. 20th June - Robinson trap - Dun-bar, Herald, Endotricha flammealis, Lozotaeniodes formosanus. 21st June - Robinson Trap - Eyed Hawk-moth, Silver-y." Peter Hall ran his MV light trap in his Ballinger Common garden on 20th June and caught the following 76 moth species: Macros: Clay Triple-lines,Treble Brown Spot,Riband Wave,Common Marbled Carpet, Barred Yellow,Double-striped Pug,Small White Wave,Scorched Wing,Brimstone Moth, Peppered,Mottled Beauty,Pale Oak Beauty,Clouded Silver,Light Emerald,Privet Hawk, Pine Hawk,Lime Hawk,Elephant Hawk,Buff-tip,Lobster,Scarce Footman,Common Footman,Buff Ermine, Turnip,Heart & Club,Heart & Dart,Flame,Large Yellow Underwing,Ingrailed Clay, Purple Clay,Setaceous Hebrew Character,Double Square-spot,Green Arches,Grey Arches, Bright-line Brown- eye,Delicate,Smoky Wainscot,Common Wainscot,Small Angle Shades, Dark Arches,Clouded Brindle,Large Nutmeg,Middle-barred Minor, Treble Lines,Uncertain,Pale Mottled Willow,Marbled White Spot,Burnished Brass,Silver Y, Beautiful Golden Y,Spectacle,Beautiful Hook-tip,Straw Dot,Snout and Fan-foot. Micros: Nematopogon swammerdamella,Plutella xylostella (Diamond-back),Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House),Agapeta hamana,Pandemis cerasana (Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix), Archips podana (Large Fruit-tree Tortrix),Archips xylosteana (Variegated Golden Tortrix), Lozotaenia forsterana,Ditula angustiorana (Red-barred Tortrix),Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Aleimma loeflingiana,Tortrix viridana (Green Oak Tortrix),Celypha striana,Celypha lacunana, Epiblema uddmanniana (Bramble Shoot),Chrysoteuchia culmella,Crambus pascuella, Crambus lathoniellus,Eurrhypara hortulata (Small Magpie),Udea olivalis and Aphomia sociella (Bee). Lime Hawk-moth Pine Hawk-moth Privet Hawk-moth Photo © Peter Hall Photo © Peter Hall Photo © Peter Hall ~ Thursday 21st June 2007 ~ David Redhead sent this update on his latest moth sightings: 17th June - An expedition to the Bletchingdon area produced Cinnabar (2) and a single Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet. On 19th June he went to various sites in and around Oxford and recorded 26 Narrow- bordered Five-spot Burnet moths plus a Cinnabar, Shaded Broad-bar and Blood-vein. Dave Wilton's visit to Woodsides Meadow (BBOWT) near Wendlebury, Oxon on 19th June produced small numbers of both Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet and Six-spot Burnet. Other moths disturbed from the vegetation included Blood-vein, Barred Straw, Yellow Shell and a very tired-looking Burnet Companion. On 18th June Dave Ferguson saw 3+ Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnets at Hedgerley Spoil Heap. 19th June - Peter Hall sent the results of two moth traps in his Ballinger garden: On 1st June he recorded 45 moth species, of which 3 are additions to the UTB Species List: Tawny Marbled Minor, Ditula angustiorana and Olindia schumacherana. On 18th June he recorded 62 species of which Coleophora mayrella was new to the UTB list. Nigel Partridge sent the following records from his recent Loosley Row garden moth traps: An additional species from 17-06-07 - Agapeta zoegana; Scallop Shell on 18-06-07; Phlyctaenia coronata, 19-06-07 and Endotricha flammealis, 20-06-07. Agapeta zoegana Scallop Shell Photo © Nigel Partridge Photo © Nigel Partridge Phlyctaenia coronata Endotricha flammealis Photo © Nigel Partridge Photo © Nigel Partridge Adam Bassett sent some moth records from 1st, 2nd, 9th and 15th June trapping in his Marlow Bottom, Bucks, garden: "Nothing unusual apart from a Great Oak Beauty on June 15th, which is new for the garden list (confirmed with County Recorders). Common Swift,Green Oak Tortrix,Garden Pebble, Small Magpie,Udea Olivalis,Bee Moth,Pebble Hook-tip,Peach Blossom,Mocha,Maiden's Blush, Clay Triple-lines,Small Blood- vein,Treble Brown Spot,Riband Wave,Flame Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet,Garden Carpet,Common Marbled Carpet,Barred Yellow,Green Carpet, Small Waved Umber,Pretty Chalk Carpet,Mottled Pug,Green Pug,Small White Wave, Yellow-barred Brindle,Scorched Carpet,Scorched Wing,Brimstone Moth, Lilac Beauty,Peppered Moth,Willow Beauty,Mottled Beauty, Great Oak Beauty,Pale Oak Beauty,Square Spot,Common White Wave,White-pinion Spotted, Light Emerald,Privet Hawk-moth,Small Elephant Hawk- moth,Buff-tip,Lobster Moth,Orange Footman, White Ermine,Buff Ermine,Heart & Dart,Large Yellow Underwing,Ingrailed Clay,Shears, Light Brocade,Coronet,Brown Rustic,Dark Arches,Treble Lines,Uncertain,Vine's Rustic, Green Silver-lines,Nut-tree Tussock,Beautiful Hook-tip,Snout and Small Fan-foot." The following is a list of moths recorded by Dave Maunder since his last report of 21st May: "On 25-05-07 I ran my garden m.v. trap in Aylesbury and caught Pale Tussock (2), Large Nutmeg (3), Rustic Shoulder-knot (2), Heart and Dart (5), Shuttle-shaped Dart (1), Treble Lines (2), Marbled Minor agg.(8), Large Yellow Underwing (1), Snout (1), Small Magpie (1), and Archips podana (1).