Two years ago while trapping in early July with Keith at a site on the Somerleyton estate we recorded over 40 Four-spotted Footman, males and females. We returned in hope last year but recorded just one male. So our target moth when we returned to the site on Thursday 7th was of course Four-spotted. Is it breeding in the area or was the 2014 record just a freak year? By 2am we had still drawn a blank but on the final inspection while packing up; Keith found 3 very fresh males in his 125mv traps. We ruled out migrants, so breeding is still supposed. Probably emergence is later than 2014 which was a season when everything was early.
As it was a good warm cloudy evening, there were plenty of other moths to keep us busy. We had a few that didn’t look right for Mottled Beauty so we potted one each to have a closer look in the hope that they might be Satin Beauty especially as there is an abundance of the food-plant at the site. I checked mine but released it, thinking it was just a dark specimen of Mottled. Fortunately Keith retained his and in the light of day it proved to be a Satin – new for both of us. We probably had about 5.
Just short of 150 species on the night which included Gold Swift, Clay Triple-lines, Lilac Beauty, Juniper Pug, Red-necked Footman (10), Grey Arches, good numbers of Shaded Fan-foot and several Pine Hawk-moth. The micros appeared in good numbers and included Strophedra weirana, Cydia coniferana. Olindia schumacherana, Spatalistis bifasciana and Dioryctria sylvestrella.
So the riddle of the Four-spotted has not quite been solved. Maybe a further visit to the site in a weeks’ time would be more conclusive but would the weather co-operate in this unpredictable year?
Brian