Field Trip - Bramfield Woods - 20/05/19 - Hertfordshire

We decided to plump for Monday night this week to do our weekly visit to Bramfield Woods.

The weather had been just perfect with a warm muggy and cloudy day, and even on the way to the reserve the cloud was still around which was unexpected.
It didn't last long unfortunately, and in the time that it took to set up all of the traps, it had all but disappeared which was a shame.
We were left with clear skies and a falling temperature though not as drastic as last weeks 5 degrees by midnight (in fact it was still around 10c at the same time).
The temperature did hold and with little or no breeze we did pretty damn well for just past mid-May.

The moths were slow to respond to the lights as it took a lot longer than expected for it to go completely dark, well past 10pm!

Small White Waves were observed in their droves at dusk, with 30 or so counted, maybe more. 

With the increase in temperature, the smaller Micro-Moths were in more profusion which was great to see. 
The larger Macro Moths featured expected species for this time of year, but the Micro Moths had a few real gems amongst them once more.
Best moth of the night was Epinotia rubiginosana, of which two examples were trapped, this is once again another Pine feeder and reflects the perfect habitat for Coniferous feeding moths.

We also managed several of the rather striking Beech feeder Ancylis mitterbacheriana.

An incredible 42 species were added to the site list which is great.
57 Macro and 31 Micro species recorded.

There are still a few species pending (TBC) and numbers below are approximate.

Total : 88 species

42 species were added to the site list which now stands at 109 species for 2019.

Catch Report - 20/05/19 - Hertfordshire - 1x 250w Clear MV Robinson Trap, 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x twin 20w Wemite Actinic & 40w Actinic Trap & 1x 160w Mercury Blended Robinson Trap - 5 traps in total + 3 extra traps provided by Trevor

Macro Moths

Angle Shades 1
Barred Hook-tip 1
Brimstone Moth 3
Brindled Pug 1
Brown Silver-lines 10
Buff tip 1
Cinnabar 1
Clouded Border 1
Common Carpet 2
Common Marbled Carpet 2
Common Swift 3
Common Wave 2
Common White Wave 4
Coxcomb Prominent 1
Cream Wave 5
Dwarf Pug 10
Flame Shoulder 3
Green Carpet 4
Iron Prominent 2
Latticed Heath 1
Least Black Arches 1
Light Emerald 3
Lime Hawk-moth 3
Lobster Moth 1
Maiden's Blush 5
Mottled Pug 1
Nut-tree Tussock 2
Oak Hook-tip 2
Oak-tree Pug 1
Ochreous Pug 4
Orange Footman 10
Pale Oak Beauty 5
Pale Prominent 1
Pale Tussock 8
Peacock Moth 1
Pebble Hook-tip 4
Peppered Moth 1
Pine Hawk-moth 1
Poplar Hawk-moth 1
Red Twin-spot Carpet 1
Rustic Shoulder-knot 2
Scalloped Hazel 6
Scalloped Hook-tip 4
Scorched Carpet 1
Scorched Wing 2
Seraphim 5
Setaceous Hebrew Character 4
Shuttle-shaped Dart 1
Silver Y 1
Small White Wave 30+
Spruce Carpet 2
Swallow Prominent 1
Tawny-barred Angle 1
Treble Lines 2
Waved Umber 2
White Ermine 2

Micro Moths

Aphomia sociella 1
Aproaerema anthyllidella 1
Ancylis mitterbacheriana 3
Caloptilia alchimiella/robustella 2
Capua vulgana 1
Celypha lacunana 2
Cnephasia sp 5
Coleophora sp 5
Coptotriche marginea 2
Elachista argentella 1
Epinotia immundana 1
Epinotia rubiginosana 2
Epinotia tetraquetrana 2
Eudonia mercurella 1
Eulia ministrana 2
Evergestis forficalis 1
Incurvaria oehlmanniella 1
Lathronympha strigana 1
Lobesia reliquana 1
Monopis weaverella 5
Nemapogon cloacella 1 (GEN DET GJS)
Notocelia cynosbatella 2
Nematopogon swammerdamella 3
Parornix 2
Phyllonorycter harisella 4
Phyllonorycter quercifoliella 1
Plutella xylostella 6
Scoparia ambigualis 1
Stigmella sp TBC 2
Syndemis musculana 4
Teleoides luculella 1

Ancylis mitterbacheriana

Epinotia rubiginosana

Eulia ministrana

Incurvaria oehlmanniella

Lathronympha strigana

Monopis weaverella

Nemapogon cloacella (GEN DET GJS)