Little Hadham Birding: Hadham Hall moths

Awaiting the first arrivals

Last night I set the 15W trap and sheet up next to the pond at Hadham Hall. The pond has extensive reedmace stands along with irises and loosestrife, so looked good for china mark species and wainscots. The temperature was 16C between 9 and midnight with a gentle breeze and overcast.

Once everything was set up I wandered around the lawns and pond perimeter netting anything that came to the head torch before returning and potting moths roosting on the sheet.

The moths were slow but steady, not perhaps in numbers that I had expected but nevertheless regular arrivals at the sheet helped build up a pile of filled pots. Once identified I took them away from the light to release, those requiring further identification were taken home.

I switched the trap off at 11.45, emptied and returned home.

Notable moths were Crambus pascuella, swallow prominent and Chilo phragmitella which were all new for the year whilst Catalysta lemnata (Small China mark) was a new moth for parish records. Numbers were supplied by the dingy footman, with 22 presenting themselves.

The Catalysta lemnata constituted my 300th micro moth species for the parish and was the 621st moth species in total.

Species list:

Macro moths: