Monday 29 May 2017

Hensol Forest, Saturday night

I was frustrated not to be able to get out trapping away from the garden during last week's hot spell, so had to content myself with a session on Saturday night - by which time the heat had gone and a chilly wind was blowing. As a result I was surprisingly pleased with the result - 69 species in 3 hours in mixed woodland at Hensol Forest. The temperature held up at 13C throughout, and it stayed cloudy - which no doubt helped as the moths kept arriving throughout.

I used the 'three card trick' of 125W MV, 6W actinic and my newly acquired 3W LED trap (electrics supplied by Paul Batty in Sheffield, 'retro-fitted' onto a Heath trap body). The LED trap performed slightly better than the 6W actinic, and contained the night's best moth - Epinotia subocellana (6th VC record I think), as well as a Little Thorn.
 
Other minor highlights included Waved Carpet, Barred Umber, Map-winged Swift, Green Silver-lines, Orange Footman, Square Spot, Dwarf Pug, Grass Rivulet, Alder Moth,  Epinotia tedella, Ancylis mitterbacheriana, Argyresthia conjugella, Mompha raschkiella and Cydia fagiglandana.
Green Silver-lines
Waved Carpet
Ancylis mitterbacheriana
Argyresthia conjugella
Mompha raschkiella

1 comment:

  1. Interesting re the trapping options George, and great photos of some nice moths (some of which I`m jealous of!). Well done.

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