Report on Moth Trapping event arranged by David Kirk, Chairman of the Boxmoor Trust - 27.07.2016
Last Thursday we decided to trap at a new site that we had acquired permission to trap at.
Halsey field is a beautiful looking reserve full to the brim with wildflowers and dense scrub this site has huge potential and we shall be re-visiting it...on a warmer night!
Once we got through the access gates we drove our cars to the edge of the lower field where we would setup 6 traps and see what we could turn up.
The day had been quite warm at 23 degrees but upon arrival the sky was still clear and although cloud was visible in the distance, with the wind dropping it was never going to reach us.
In short, we struggled.
We will be back Halsey Field!
Catch Report - 14/07/16 - Halsey Field - Hemel Hempstead - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap 1x 40w Actinic Suitcase Trap 1x 80w Actinic Briefcase Trap& 1x 40w Actinic/26w BLB Trap
Macro Moths - 35 Species
Barred Yellow 1
Bordered Sallow 5
Brimstone Moth 2
Brown-line Bright-eye 8
Brown-tail 1
Buff Arches 3
Clay 6
Clouded Border 2
Clouded Brindle 1
Common Footman 4
Dark Arches 4
Double Square-spot 3
Dwarf Cream Wave 1
Engrailed 1
Heart & Dart 2
July Highflyer 1
Large Yellow Underwing 4
Lesser Yellow Underwing 1
Light Arches 1
Light Emerald 1
Maple Prominent 1
Mottled Beauty 2
Mottled Rustic 2
Nut-tree Tussock 1
Peppered Moth 1
Poplar Grey 1
Riband Wave 4
Rustic 2
Scarce Footman 5
Shaded Broad-bar 10
Short-cloaked Moth 2
Shoulder-striped Wainscot 1
Smoky Wainscot 5
Sycamore 1
White Satin Moth 8
Micro Moths - 12 Species
Acentria ephemerella 6
Archips xylosteana 2
Coleophora sp 1
Crambus perlella 1
Eucosma campoliliana 3
Eucosma cana 5
Eudonia pallida 1
Hedya pruniana 1
Hedya nubiferana 1
Pandemis cerasana
Phycitodes binaevella
Scoparia ambigualis
Moth Count on 29th May 2017
The weather was kind to us during our Mothing session last night, with very little wind, no rain and a cloudy sky, resulting in a comfortable temperature of 18C, – much better than our session last July, when the temperature dropped to 7C.
The two moth traps were soon full of activity, and we caught many moths – 32 species which we recognised, and quite a few micro moths which the experts amongst us took home for a closer look the following morning, in order to make a precise identification. In the main there were lots of moths of each species, indicating healthy colonies breeding on the field, the most numerous being the Common Swift moth. Almost all the moths we found were different to those found last July, so this brings our total count for the field to over 80 species so far.
We caught three rather rare moths: – a Nutmeg moth; a Pyrausta despicata moth (a native species which likes to breed on sites with chalky soil and whose caterpillars feed on Ribwort Plantain), and a rare Micro Moth Cochylidia heydeniana, which has never before been recorded in Hertfordshire. Its caterpillars feed on Blue Fleabane, which is quite a common plant in the Halsey Field.
We also trapped a few other insects, including a fierce looking Ichneumon wasp, a Caddis fly with impressively long antennae, a soldier beetle and a Hawthorn Shield bug. All the moths and other insects were released after identification.
A big thank you the Boxmoor Trust for lending us their new battery operated moth traps, to Steve Lings who collected and put up the traps and helped with the moth identification, and to Roger Prue and Ian for their moth identification expertise.
| Setaceous Hebrew Character | Clouded Silver |
| Marbled Minor | Treble Lines |
| Nutmeg | Angle Shades |
| Middle-barred Minor | Diamond-back Moth |
| Knot Grass | Grey Pug |
| Green Carpet | Common Pug |
| Maiden’s Blush | Freyer’s Pug |
| Mint Moth | Flame Shoulder |
| Lime Speck Pug | Brimstone |
| The Flame | Tawny Marbled Minor |
| Light Brocade | Large Nutmeg |
| Pyrausta despicata | Scoparia ambigualis |
| Rustic Shoulder-knot | Crambus lathoniellus |
| Common Swift | Dichrorampha plumbana |
| Common Marbled Carpet | Bryotropha terrella |
| Straw Dot | Brimstone Moth |
| Skin Moth | Cochylis dubitana. |
| Eupoecilia angustana | Cochylidia heydeniana (the only recording of this moth in Hertfordshire) |
Moth Survey on the Halsey field on 12th August 2017
We set up two battery operated traps - one at the top of the slope, and one in a more sheltered position at the bottom. The breeze became stronger during the evening, though it remained reasonably warm (about 15C), so the lower trap attracted the most insects, including lots of Caddis flies, a bush cricket etc. as a well as moths.
The good news is that we caught more Cochylidia heydeniana, which means they are in all probability breeding on the site. Their food plant Blue Feabane is certainly flourishing and is in flower all over the field at the moment
| Ruby Tiger
Brimstone Orange Swift Oak Hook tip Large Yellow Under-wing Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing Lesser Yellow Underwing Straw Dot Vine’s Rustic Crambid (grass moth) Flame Shoulder Scorched Carpet Lime specked pug Double striped pug Tawny Speck Pug Yellow Shell Willow Beauty Nephopterix Angustella Balstobasis Adustella Common Wainscot Dusky Sallow Setaceous Hebrew Character Common Rustic Mottled Beauty Shaded Broadba |
Agriphila selasella
Eucosma campililiana (new for me) Cochylimorpha straminea Cochylidia heydeniana (2 more of our star moths plus around another 4 seen last night, though will need checking to be certain) Endothenia sp Coleophora sp (both will need checking to confirm species) Agapeta Zoegana Eucosma Cana Cochylis dubitana
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Total moths on field July 2016 - August 2017
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1. Acentria ephemerella 2. Agapeta hamana 3. Agapeta Zoegana 4. Agriphila selasella 5. Angle Shades 6. Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth) 7. Archips xylosteana 8. Aspilapteryx tringipennella 9. Balstobasis Adustella 10. Barred Hook-tip 11. Beautiful Hook-tip 12. Bordered Sallow 13. Brimstone 14. Brown-line Bright-eye 15. Brown-tail 16. Bryotropha terrella 17. Buff Arches 18. Burnet Companion 19. Cataclysta lemnata (Small China-mark) 20. Chrysoteuchia culmella 21. Clay 22. Clouded Border 23. Clouded Brindle 1 24. Clouded Silver 25. Cochylidia heydeniana (This is the first recording of this species of moth in Hertfordshire)) 26. Cochylimorpha straminea 27. Cochylis dubitana. 28. Coleophora sp 29. Common Footman 30. Common Marbled Carpet 31. Common Pug 32. Common Rustic 33. Common Swift 34. Common Wainscot 35. Crambid (grass moth) 36. Crambus lathoniellus 37. Crambus perlella 38. Dark Arches 39. Diamond-back Moth 40. Dichrorampha plumbana 41. Dingy Footman 42. Double Square-spot 43. Double striped pug 44. Dun-bar 45. Dusky Sallow 46. Dwarf Cream Wave 47. Endothenia species 48. Engrailed 49. Eucosma campoliliana 50. Eucosma Cana 51. Eucosma conterminana 52. Eudonia pallida 53. Eupoecilia angustana 54. Flame Shoulder 55. Freyer’s Pug 56. Green Carpet 57. Grey Pug 58. Heart & Dart 59. Hedya nubiferana 60. Hedya pruniana 61. Hypsopygia costalis (Gold Triangle) 62. July Highflyer 63. Knot Grass 64. Large Nutmeg 65. Large Yellow Under-wing 66. Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing 67. Lesser Yellow Underwing 68. Light Arches 69. Light Brocade 70. Light Emerald 71. Lime specked pug 72. Maiden’s Blush 73. Maple Prominent 74. Marbled Minor 75. Middle-barred Minor 76. Mint Moth 77. Mottled Beauty 78. Mottled Rustic 79. Nephopterix Angustella 80. Nutmeg 81. Nut-tree Tussock 82. Oak Hook tip 83. Orange Swift 84. Pandemis cerasana 85. Peppered Moth 86. Phycita roborella 87. Phycitodes binaevella 88. Poplar Grey 89. Pterophorus pentadactyla (White Plume Moth) 90. Pyrausta despicata 91. Riband Wave 92. Ruby Tiger 93. Rustic 94. Rustic Shoulder-knot 95. Scarce Footman 96. Scoparia ambigualis 97. Scorched Carpet 98. Setaceous Hebrew Character 99. Shaded Broadbar 100. Short-cloaked Moth 101. Shoulder-striped Wainscot 102. Silver Y 103. Skin Moth 104. Smoky Wainscot 105. Straw Dot 106. Sycamore 107. Tawny Marbled Minor 108. Tawny Speck Pug 109. The Flame 110. Treble Lines 111. Vine’s Rustic 112. White Satin Moth 113. White-spotted Pug 114. Willow Beauty 115. Yellow Shell 116. Barred Yellow
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Moths found on the Halsey Field 28th June 2018
Privet Hawkmoth
Elephant Hawkmoths
| Clouded Brindle
Shoulder-stripe Wainscot Smokey Wainscot Green oak tortrix Marbled orchard tortrix Dark fruit tortrix Plum tortrix Cochylis Etricapitana Eucosma campoliliana Heart and Dart Heart and Club Brimstone Dot moth Peppered moth Cranbus Pallela Light Emerald Common Emerald White Plume Yarrow Plume Tawny marbled minor Eudonia Pallida Eudonia Macurella Eucosma Cana (Hoary Bell) Buff Ermine Green Pug Freyer’s Pug Double Square spot Beautiful hook-tip Privet Hawk moth Elephant Hawk moth (at least 8) Pyrausta Purpuralis Scorched Carpet Reddish Light arches Riband Wave Herald Brown-line Bright-eye
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Bramble Shoot moth
Water Veneers (hundreds) Broom moth Least black arches Agapete Hamana Scarce Footman Swallowtail Scoparia Brown Plume Iron Prominent Buff Arches Dark Arches Reddish light arches Clay Small Fan-footed Wave Mottled Beauty Maple Prominent Barred Yellow Scoparia Ambigualis Marbled White-spot Oak Nycteoline Sitochroa palealis (Sulphur Pearl)
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All the Hawkmoths were stunning, and the Elephant Hawkmoths amazingly numerous.
The Broom moth and the Sulphur Pearl were particularly interesting finds.