True Love is found

Chatsworth Park 31st July 2011

After a very generous offer of accompanying IanG on a camping/moth-trapping session to Chatsworth Park, me and Jordan joined him just after 8pm on Sunday night in the main car park. After a short recce to find a good spot, we decided on a spot near the woods on the east side of the river/road. Ian went higher up the hill to the fenceline only 20m from the woods, whereas I chose a stand of oak trees lower down, just to provide a bit of variety (and so I didn't have to carry all the kit up the hill, eh Ian?)

The night boded well when we were setting up our tents and kicking tons of crambids out of the grasses. The weather was absolutely perfect, still, cloudy, dry and feeling heavy. Our hopes were high! I wasn't to be let down, no less than 9 new species for me - 4 micros and 5 macros.

The star of the show I think has to go to these two fantastic moths. The first new moth to tumble was this Antler Moth (left). Both our traps attracted this species around the same time, 10.30pm. Both colour forms were observed and by the end of the night my little 15W Actinic had picked up 6 of these little crackers. The other good looking moth was this True Lover's Knot (right). This was found later (towards my bedtime) about 11.30pm but again I found more in the trap and counted 8 in total.

After only a short time the crambids (along with thousands of flies, midges, beetles, caddisflies etc) were buzzing round the traplights, so many that at some points it was difficult to get closer than a few feet without breathing them in! In between trying to ignore the crambids, as there was just too many to count, we did find the Muslin Footman. It's wings are almost transparent and looks so delicate. The last two newbies for me were this Ear Moth, which is a beautful orangey colour that doesn't really do it justice in this photo. I also caught four Six-striped Rustic, again another subtly coloured moth that a photo doesn't really bring across.

The new micros for me were this Eupoecilia angustana, a Catoptria margaritella, which I managed to spot in amongst the crambids resting on the perspex and initially thought it was C. pinella and was going to let it find it's own way into the trap. Thank goodness I didn't! I also trapped but couldn't photograph an Agriphila selasella as it was too quick off the mark (at least for me at 5am!), but this one did hang around - Acleris aspersana.

The full list doesn't include at least 150+ crambids which simply could not be counted, they were just everywhere! Ian had much more than me, he was using a 125W MV bulb. Check out his blog here - Derby Moths

Catch report for 31st July 2011 - 71 moths of 33 species (12 micros; 21 macros) plus too many crambids
Acleris aspersana (New for Me)
Agapeta hamana
Agriphila selasella x 2 (New for Me)
Agriphila straminella x 6
Ancylis achatana
Antler Moth x 6 (New for Me)
Brimstone
Catoptria margaritella (New for Me)
Common Footman
Common Rustic agg
Crambus pascuella
Dipleurina lacustrata x 5
Double Square-spot
Dun-bar x 2
Ear Moth x 2 (New for Me)
Eupoecilia angustana (New for Me)
Green Carpet
July Highflyer x 2
Large Yellow Underwing x 9
Muslin Footman x 2 (New for Me)
Pammene fasciana x 2
Red-barred Tortrix
Riband Wave
Scalloped Hook-tip
Shoulder-striped Wainscot
Six-striped Rustic x 4 (New for Me)
Smoky Wainscot
Swallow Prominent
True Lover's Knot x 8 (New for Me)
V Pug
Water Veneer
Ruby Tiger