Wentwood
A belated post due to technology- e-mails not going where they should!
On Saturday 19th Barry Catlin and I decided we would take our two traps to Wentwood for an evening.
The temperature dropped away but we managed to record a few moths totalling 24 of 13 species.
Barry's trap was placed a distance away in what we thought might be a favourable area but only managed to pull in two moths unfortunately, a Black Rustic and LYU.
The most likely outcome to this situation was our encounters with 2 bats which flew around our traps quite regularly and as Barry's trap was a distance away and left unattended for a time it may well be that bats had a three course meal. I was frequently distracting bats away from my trap and sure more moths would have been caught otherwise.
Still, we ended up trapping:
Silver Y-1, Square-spot Rustic-1, Green Carpet -3, Black Rustic-3, Autumnal Rustic-7, Dingy Footman-1, LYU- 2, Brimstone Moth-1, Canary-shouldered Thorn-1, Frosted Orange-1, Common Wainscot-1.
With 1 micro each of Agonopterix arenella (Brindled Flat-body)
and Nationally localised Pyla Fusca (Brown Knot-horn)
As far as I know according to the online micro maps of V35 listed on this site, there are no records of Pyla Fusca being seen in the county for some time. i.e. Only Pre-2000 records exist.
Frosted Orange
Agonopterix arenella (Brindled Flat-body)
Pyla Fusca (Brown Knot-horn)
There are 5 previous records of Pyla fusca, all made by Neil Horton between 1969 and 1987 and from widespread sites: Usk (a wanderer), Cwmtillery, Cleddon Bog, Llansoy (another wanderer) and St Mary's Vale. Nick & Barry's record may indicate a resident population of this heathland moth in Wentwood, although it was caught at a time when there was some immigration/wandering going on so its origin isn't certain. Nice record though!
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