Moths, Sweat & Beers

National Moth Night 2013. And it's all in the title really.

So yeah, I attended 2 events, both bringing my traps - one I organised and one I was just helping out with.

Lankham Bottom - 9-10th August

So, as it was NMN, the weather decided it would be awkward. Better than last year, which I seem to remember was strong winds and heavy rain, but cold. Very cold in fact. A cloudless night, staring at the stars, having a good chat with a glass of wine in my hand. One of the best things of NMN is the public event, you meet other people into moths, but who are also a good laugh!

So yeah, a cold night, and in 5 traps (4 MVs and an Actinic), there were 76 species identified, and of the macros, only one was new for me (as this is my 3rd year of moths, I feel I should have got more than one new macro, but hey, what can you do?), but it was a nice one - Grass Emerald. There were a couple of Grass Emeralds, including a nice brown form (possibly worn? It just had the markings pretty well intact)

Grass Emerald - New for me

Grass Emerald - the hindwings show a tinge of green, but the forewings want nothing of it!

Broadcroft Quarry - 10-11th August

So yeah, this was my event, with only 2 traps running (1 MV, 1 Actinic), and again conditions weren't fantastic. The clouds had gathered, and it was warm, with a scatter of light rain, but the wind had picked up, and Portland was naturally windy. Anyhow, found a fairly windless spot, and decided to put the traps there, not far from each other.
I must admit, the micros that night were better, so with the traps running, we netted for a couple of hours, and there were masses of the colourful pyralid Oncocera semirubella about, as well as a couple of Chalk Carpets and a Vapourer, and then a Bordered Sallow appeared (which was very nice, and about 2 minutes after one member of our party said "It's too late for Bordered Sallow" - I was pleased to prove him wrong!).
Anyhow, went back to get a beer before going to bed (can't go to many moth events without a good beer).
Morning came, and managed 86 species between the traps, which was petty good going I thought, with the Actinic having only slightly less species than the MV. Nice macros were good numbers of Small Waved Umber, 2 Oak Eggar, 2 Drinker, 3 Annulet, several Chalk Carpet, Kent Black Arches, and 2 macros new for me (both pretty common, but nice moths - Dusky Sallow & Brown-line Bright-eye).

Oak Eggar - a very nice large Lasiocampid.

 



 

 



 Micros come next, with many species new for me, and many new for site, and some being very rare in Dorset.
So yeah, let's start on the rare ones, there were 2 Gynnidomorpha luridana, which is a nice little tortrix, 45 or so Oncocera semirubella, Agonopterix rotundella, Dolichartria punctalis, 2 Syncopacma taeniolella, Mecyna asinalis, and Acompsia schmidtiellus, which were the micro highlights. (lots of common names there!). Also, the rare Portland form of Eudonia mercurella was there! A total of 9 species of micros new to me (not all of the ones above are on that list)

O. semirubella - a fairly common rare micro. A very nicely coloured moth.

Eudonia mercurella form portlandica - Restricted to Portland

Acompsia schmidtiellus - a rare gelechiid.

The weekend was finished off with a quick trip to Portland Bird Obs, where they had 4 moths I'd like to see - Great Dart, Tree-lichen Beauty, Four-spotted, and an Antler Moth (quite a irregular migrant in Dorset - though I had one in the garden the other night too).

Great Dart - a rare migrant.

Four-spotted - a rather nice macro