I have just finished inputting my moth records for 2019 and totted up my totals for Dingestow. I recorded 15,461 individuals of 543 moth species at Dingestow, on 139 dates, beating last year's total of 12,339 of 532 on 121 dates into a cocked hat.
Top nights, with over 100 species, were:
1st August - 690 individuals of 114 species (2 traps)
26th July - 775 individuals of 108 species (2 traps)
8th July - 486 individuals of 103 species (2 traps)
10th July - 448 of individuals of 103 species (2 traps)
These are exceptions though, and probably relate to significant influxes from the wooded ridge to the south, and the mean species tally for summer trapping (June to August) was just 54 species.
10 new species of Macro and 10 new species of Micro take the Dingestow totals to 413 and 541 respectively. The majority of Macro additions were migrants or wanderers from elsewhere in Britain, whilst half the Micros are likely to be overlooked local residents.
Residents: Pale November Moth, Adela croesella, Narycia duplicella, Coleophora albitarsella, Hysterophora maculosana, Dichrorampha montanana
Wanderers: Satin Wave, Pine Hawkmoth, Campion, Double Lobed, Small Rufous, Dark Spectacle, Biselachista albidella, Aphelia viburnana, Catoptria margaritella, Scoparia basistrigalis
Migrants: Bedstraw Hawkmoth, White Point, Small Marbled, Crombrugghia laetus
Out of all 15,000 moths there is one I will never forget: the Bedstraw Hawkmoth that arrived on 4th August! Happy New Year to all Gwent Moth'ers - may 2020 bring us all lepidopteran riches.
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ReplyDeleteWell done Sam, very impressive figures and observations at your locality!
ReplyDeleteWhen I popped in the other day I was quite impressed with the views across the landscape and the established trees, shrubs and plants that adorned the estate. Mildly envious would be an appropriate understatement on my part.
Still, this is not to undermine the effort put in by yourself in such busy lives we lead these days.
Nice one Sam! So jealous of your Bedstraw Hawkmoth. I tried trapping at Goldcliff around that weekend, but no luck. I think I had just missed them.
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