Westland Green and Garden mothing

meadow plant bug

A quick trip with my sweep net to Westland Green yesterday afternoon, proved successful with a fair few insects netted in the short time I had. A Roesel's bush cricket was a first for me here, with plenty od meadow grasshoppers, groundhoppers and cantharsis nigrans and cantharsis rustica, too. Mirius striatus taken on many a sweep, whilst meadow plant bug (Leptopterna dolabrata) were too numerous to count. As the summer continues, I plan to spend more time collecting, identifying and listing local bugs and beetles. Flies and hoverflies too, but I shall not be specifically targetting these, just yet.

Meadow grasshopper

Roesel's bush cricket

Last night looked really good for another successful mothing night, but a huge electrical storm and a downpour in the early hours meant much was washed away. However, a haul of 33 moths of 25 species was better than I had anticipated as I lazily emptied the trap at 7.30am. Many had not survived the heavy rain and were unidentifiable and several egg boxes just good for a papier mache project!
Of note as new for the year were clouded brindle and small emerald, with nothing else apart from the expected regulars at this time of the year eg riband wave, clouded silver, common footman, brown rustic,Anaia hortulata, Celypha striana and lacunana etc.

clouded brindle

small emerald

clouded silver, on variegated pineapple mint, not a larval foodplant as far as I know!