Moth report, Little Hadham Parish Jan - March

A first quarter report of moths within the parish in Little Hadham. At home, I run a 125MV Skinner trap every night I am home. Within the first quarter I missed 12 nights due to holiday at the end of Feb-beginning of March. Consequently, run all night on 78 occasions.

Away from home I use a 15W heath trap which I have used 32 times in this period in 12 sites, with Millennium Wood being visited the most, on 9 nights.

In total, a record of 393 moths were recorded, made up of 29 macro species and 9 micro species. There have been 2 new for parish records: small brindled beauty on 19.ii.17 from Westland Green and Caloptilia semifascia from Valley Fields on 30.iii.17.

Caloptilia semifascia

Small brindled beauty

 The year began very quietly, with just numbers being supplied by winter moth, most notably on on 07.i.17 when I netted 33 in Millennium Wood. Between 16.i.17 and 31.i.17 I recorded precisely 3 moths, an Early moth on the 20th, winter moth (28th) and another Early moth (30th) In total, January gave up 5 macro species: Mottled umber, winter moth, Chestnut, Satellite and Early moth.

 February didn't really improve things, with just Dotted border (6th) Pale brindled beauty (13th) Spring Usher (16th) March moth (19th) Small brindled beauty (19th) and dark chestnut (20th) along with the first micros of the year: Agonopterix heracliana (6th) Tortricodes alternella (14th) Acleris ferrugana (15th) Acleris cristana (17th) and Emmelina monodactyla (20th) February concluded, for me on the 21st as off to Sri Lanka and by this time the running total was 141 moths made up of 11 macros and 5 micros.

Returning on the 7th March and back to trapping, immediately scoring with species I probably have taken earlier had I been running the traps: Macro species were:

Common quaker (8th) Shoulder stripe (8th) Oak Beauty (8th) Hebrew character (8th) Clouded drab (9th) Double striped pug (10th) Engrailed (10th) Small quaker (16th) Early thorn (19th) Early grey (19th) Streamer (24th) Brindled pug (24th) Twin spotted quaker (24th) Water carpet (29th) Lunar marbled brown (30th) Purple thorn (30th) V pug (30th) and nut tree tussock (31st)

V pug

Lunar marbled brown

Water carpet

Micros during March were: Diurnea fagella (10th) Caloptilia semifascia (30th) Eriocrania subpurpurella (30th) and Acleris literana (31st)

As can be noted, the warmer last week of March provided a few better moths, showing that they are probably always there, just need temperatures in excess of 12C to get them to fly to the trap.

Notables on this list, apart from the 2 new for parish records were my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Water carpet, 2nd Lunar marbled brown and 2nd Acleris literana.

All in all, a pleasing first quarter that compares favourably to 2016 where I took 276 moths of 20 macros and 7 micros.

Oak beauty

Spring Usher