Field Trip - Croxley Common Moor - 12/07/19

I was invited to help out at a public event at Croxley Common Moor.

It was a privilege to run some traps on this unique habitat (particularly for Hertfordshire).

I was joined by David and Roger and Graham whom is the secretary for the reserve.

We setup 7 traps in the centre of the reserve and waited for the general public to arrive.

The moths were quite slow to respond to the lights and there weren't many big moths at all to show the masses, we did however did pot a few nicely coloured moths, Agapeta zoegana (or Zoe) was a hit with many of the guests, owing to its bright yellow colours. Kent Black Arches was nice and intricately marked and a good one to show around. It was nice to share my enthusiasm with others.

Once everyone had left at around 11:30pm, it was down to the business of recording the moths and seeing what specialities were around. Although numbers and species were low due to the unfavourable mothing conditions (cool, clear and a bit windy) we did manage a few goodies! The site is full of Broom, Gorse and Dyer's Greenweed... hence the special species represented moths that feed from these foodplants

Agonopterix assimilella, Trifurcula immundella and Leucoptera spartifoliella were all new moths for my records and all associated with the above foodplants.

We also managed another two great species both Caryocolum fraternella and Sophronia semicostella are not common in the County, and another two new ones for me.

Once again, thanks to Graham for allowing us access to this site.

Here is the total list.

Catch Report - 12/07/19 - Croxley Common Moor - Hertfordshire - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 250w MV Clear Robinson Trap, 1x 30w Actinic Trap & 1x 160w Mercury Blended Robinson Trap - 4 traps in total + 3 extra traps provided by Roger Prue & David Kirk

Macro Moths

Beautiful Hook-tip Black neck Bordered Beauty Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Brown-line Bright-eye Buff Ermine Buff-tip Burnished Brass Campion Cinnabar Clay Cloaked Minor Clouded Border Clouded Silver Common Emerald Dingy Footman Double Lobed Double Square-spot Dwarf Cream Wave Ear Moth Early Thorn Elephant Hawk-moth Fan-foot Flame Flame Shoulder Ghost Moth Grey Pug Heart & Club Heart & Dart Kent Black Arches Large Yellow Underwing Lesser Yellow Underwing Light Arches Marbled Minor Mottled Beauty Mottled Rustic Oak Nycteoline Peppered Moth Purple Bar Riband Wave Ruby Tiger Rustic Sallow Kitten Scalloped Oak Scarce Footman Shears Short Cloaked Moth Shoulder-striped Wainscot Small Elephant Hawk-moth Small Emerald Small Fan-footed Wave Small Rivulet Smoky Wainscot Snout Tree-lichen Beauty Willow Beauty

Micro Moths

Adaina microdactyla Agapeta hamana Agapeta zoegana Agonopterix assimilella Anania coronata Anania perlucidalis Ancylis achatana Aphelia paleana Batia lunaris Brachmia blandella Bryotropha terrella Caryocolum fraternella Catoptria pinella Celypha lacunana Chrysoteuchia culmella Clepsis spectrana Cnephasia sp Cochylis atricapitana Crambus perlella Crassa unitella Eana incanana Endotricha flammealis Eucosma campoliliana Eucosma cana Eucosma hohenwartiana Gillmeria pallidactyla Grapholita funebrana Hedya nubiferana Homoeosoma sinuella Leucoptera spartifoliella Lobesia abscisana Mompha ochraceella Monochroa tenebrella Notocelia trimaculana Oncocera semirubelaa Pammene fasciana Paraswammerdamia nebulella Pediasia contaminella Phycita roborella Phycitodes binaevella Plutella xylostella Ptherochroa inopiana Pyrausta purpuralis Recurvaria leucatella Sophronia semicostella Spilonota ocellana Stenoptilia pterodactyla Teleiopsis diffinis Trifurcula immundella