On this trip to the RSPB reserve at Hollesley Matthew Deans and I employed wine ropes in addition to three Robinson MV traps. Deployment was again around our favoured spots in the osier beds, reeds and wet meadow.
Total species count was 129 of which 2 out of the 22 species at the wine ropes were unique to the ropes. These were an Old Lady and Caloptilia stigmatella. The wine ropes were much favoured by Twin-spotted Wainscots in addition to other noctuids including the Pinion-streaked Snout (a regular here) and the pyralid Acrobasis advenella.
The catch featured species generally common in the area at this time of the year such as Cabbage, Turnip, Square-spot Rustic, White-point, Feathered Gothic, Vine’s Rustic, Lime-speck Pug, Light Emerald, Epiphyas postvittana, Elachista canapennella, Scrobipalpa acuminatella, Coptotriche marginea and Coleophora alcyonipennella. More specific to the habitats and common were Brown-veined Wainscot, Twin-spotted Wainscot and also Clepsis spectrana which has been a regular and has shown great variation, turning up a unicolourous form on this occasion.
Hangers on included the Ruby Tiger, Yellow-tail, Brown-tail, White Satin and Cosmopterix lienigiella.
Less common local species included Coronet, Bulrush Wainscot, Webb’s Wainscot, Small Wainscot, Tree Lichen Beauty, Saltern Ear, Yellow Belle, Pima boisduvaliella, Ethmia quadrillella and Monopis monachella which has been a regular. Probably the best catch however was a salt-marsh Scrobipalpa ocellatella.