Thursday 16 June 2022

On the road

I left the Old Vic on Tuesday night, set the moth trap up in Hackbridge (in my mum's garden) , visited Park Gate Down Kent Wildlife Trust reserve on Wednesday, set up the moth trap at Little Woodcote on Wednesday night and work today before back at the Old Vic for moth trapping here (there's the evocative sound of a Curlew calling at cooling dusk while I'm writing this and just had a Yellow Wagtail fly over calling too). We are currently experiencing a heat wave so I'm trying to make the most of it. 

Had a few lifers, here are a few of the highlights. 


Musk Orchid at Park Gate Down- after failing to find these last years, I found (with some help ) eleven plants this time. Such delicate little beauties. This is my second UK orchid tick this year following the Early Spider Orchid a few weeks ago at Howell Hill. Slowly collecting (in light of this years well known orchid raids, for clarity, not literally collecting) them all. 
Chalk Fragrant Orchid with Quaking Grass. There were hundreds of Fragrant and Common Spotted Orchids, several Common Twayblades, a few Greater Butterfly Orchids, a couple of Monkey Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids. A truly magical site. More on Kent Orchids and how to find them  HERE
An almost pure white Common Spotted Orchid
Bird's-wing in my mum's garden, had two of these. A well overdue lifer, a bit of bogey moth for me
Pale Shouldered Brocade - if I've identified these correctly, either this or a dark Clouded Brindle (it has a C shaped line in the forewing) 230622 update- yes this is Clouded Brindle.   I had three of them at Little Woodcote (the Little Oak HQ). Had over 70 moth species at Little Woodcote and 54 at my mums garden. Also had a Dark Green Fritillary flying round, Steve Gale also saw one a few 100 meters by the cross roads later in the day so presumably things dispersing across the Chalk Downs in this weather
The closest fit I can get on this is Purple Argent, Argyresthia albistria
Varied Coronet in the garden
Large Ivy Tortrix, Lozotaenia forsterana . A couple of these at Little Woodcote
I presume this is a worn Buttoned Snout 
I went for a pale Roseate Marble, Celypha rosaceana on this. This might be a lifer.
Tufted Button, Acleris cristana - although I couldn't see much of a Tuft
Waved Black- always great to get this as a NFY. Also NFY was Lobster moth - both of these at Little Woodcote

Still working on this. Update 190622, Brindled Groundling, Recuvaria nanella, (thanks Stephen Palmer!) 
This White Ermine was very white and sparsely marked. I considered the possibility of a Water Ermine but not sure if that's even possible in Surrey.

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