Very disappointing weather conditions meant both home and away traps were not recording insects in any great numbers. On some occasions, it just wasn't worth the effort to set up the 15 watt heath trap at one of the 14 local sites I have used this year.
A new for year record on the 21st was a browntail, but better was a new for parish records: a yarrow pug. Upon our return from Holkham, nothing notable on the 24th whilst the following night, I ventured out to Pig's Green, a damp green lane surrounded by mature trees. In with the 50+ hornets upon my return at 11.45pm were Cydalima perspectalis (NFY) and another new for the parish record in the shape of Least Yellow underwing. At home that night, a relatively poor haul to the garden 125 watt Skinner trap included a new for year Agriphila tristella.
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| Black arches |
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| Hummingbird hawkmoth |
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| Least yellow underwing |
A hummingbird hawkmoth was noted in the garden on the 26th and everyday since whilst a reasonably early rosy rustic and Notocelia roborana were new for year in the garden trap that night. The best of the haul was my first record of Bordered pug, not a common moth for gardens.
The 27th was just a home trap night, giving a new for year record of Coleophora trifolii. Similar set up the following night realised a new for parish record of a rather worn Maple pug.
The 29th was particularly poor so on the 30th I thought I may as well run the heath trap, nothing to lose, so I left it from 8.30pm until 11.45 on a footpath crossing Ash Valley Golf Course. Plenty of goat willow, fescues and lots of longer grasses. Consequently, plenty of shaded broad bar, but also Cochylis hybridella , new for year. On the same night, the garden trap gave up new for year records of Monopsis weaverella and Archips rosana.
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| Bordered pug |
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| Coleophora trifolii |
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| Cochylimorpha straminea |
On the last night of the month, I set the Heath trap on a field margin, adjacent to some elder and nettle scrub. only 10C and breezy meant, in total just 33 moths of 9 species. Amazingly, all at the trap were micros, with the only macro being a magpie that I netted as I walked back to the car with all the gear. In these micros a new for year Cochylimorpha straminea.
So, the start of a new month and the Heath trap left until near midnight in an unmanaged deciduous woodland, where over 70 moths were taken. This total included new for parish records of Lesser spotted pinion whilst at home, another reasonable haul of 65 included Argyresthia albistria and cabbage moth being added to the year list.
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| Ypsolopha scabrella |
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| Lesser spotted pinion |
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| Argyresthia albistria |
As from 01.viii.17 my annual records stand at:
6211 moths identified of 399 species made up of 226 macro species and 173 micro species.
With 34 species added to the parish list so far in 2017, I have now recorded 698 moth species in Little Hadham since I started recording on a daily basis in 2011. This total is made up from 344 macro species and 354 micro species. I anticipate the 700th parish record within the next week or so.
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