Orange Moth at last

6th July

Slade Wood, Highmoor Hill

A good visit to this woodland this evening where I saw over 130 moths (*some to look at properly still), but the species count was really the most I'd experienced for while at 61.* Not huge amounts of any species just a good spread which had a lot of interest. Highest totals went to Common Footman (13) and Fern (9) which I find always records well here. The most exciting for me and one on my wish list turned up in the form of Orange Moth. I stumbled upon a female Orange Moth back in July 2013 near Caerwent but always hoped I would see the vibrant orange of the male with what I call brown iron-filings scattered across the forewings- a spectacular looking moth indeed close up and just about worth the long wait.

It was nice to see a Sharp-angled Carpet again and this was a rare time where I had 2 Elephant hawk-moths turn up in woodland.

Micro's were good too with Zelleria hepariella (Brown Ash Ermine) recorded here again, so doing well here of note, quite rare in Gwent at present. New micro's encountered for me were Chilo pragmitella (Reed Veneer) pictured below, which Sam Bosanquet reports as being a wanderer and the first real inland record away from it's normal wetland habitat on the Gwent Levels. 

Another newly seen was this fabulous micro moth photographed below, was this Ethmia dodecea (Dotted Ermel), which is apparently doing well is this woodland. It's foodplant of Common Gromwell is well established in here at Slade Wood so the future for it looks promising.