Hollesley Marshes 24th September

A mid-week excursion on this occasion as Matthew Deans was in a position to take a day off work and as it happened this was the better of the moth nights in the week. Warm, calm, humid and cloudy. We deployed three MV Robinsons at our routine locations. The night turned up most of the expected autumn noctuids along with a few specials of the area.

We searched the brambles for moths feeding on the blackberries during the first hour or so of the evening and found 17 species out of the total of 73 recorded for the night. 4 of these were exclusive to the brambles: singles of Brick and Red-line Quaker, three Herald and most interestingly an abundance of Agonopterix arenella which was equally as common there as the Snout and Square-spot Rustic. Angle Shades turned up later than most for the feast.

Only 3 sallows by way of the Pink-barred, Dusky-lemon and The Sallow along with it’s flavescens aberration which is regular in the area. The first Grey Shoulder-knot of the season for us both was taken along with a freshly emerged Dingy Footman. Still being caught were the Pinion-streaked Snout and Monopis monachella and the regular Clepsis spectrana. 7 Dark Sword-grass and 1 Pearly Underwing. Also of interest were 2 Feathered Brindle, 3 Deep-brown Darts on the meadow and a single almost unicolourous Acleris emargana (confirmed by dissection).

Deep-brown Dart

Deep-brown Dart

The Sallow. Xanthia icteritia ab. flavescens

The Sallow. Xanthia icteritia ab. flavescens

 

 

 

 

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