Newsletter no. 3: September 2000

Page 2

Wilstone Reservoir, 19^th August 2000

About a dozen people turned up on a night that did not appear particularly promising - perhaps it was the lure of the barbecue organised by our leader for the evening, Ian Burrus. Traps were set up at various places through the reed bed at the edge of the lake and in the surrounding young woodland. Suggestions that I should go on a diet followed my near total submergence in a particularly squelchy bit of reed bed!!! Sorry to disappoint folks - but I headed straight for the barbecue!!!

Highlights of the evening were Brown-veined Wainscot and Twin-spotted Wainscot, and there were lots of Southern Wainscot too. An August Thorn arrived at a trap in the car park - an odd species, which I never seem to find in the east of the county. A single Black Arches in one of the reed bed traps was a surprise as there is no oak tree (the usual larval food) for miles. A single Dagger moth was a male and so could be identified later as Grey Dagger. All the copper underwings were Svensson's Copper Underwing whilst both Common Rustic and Lesser Common Rustic were identified from a small sample taken away for genitalia dissection.

Two or three scale-less pugs remain to be identified (why is it that pugs always seem completely worn?). These I will do with several others over the winter period. There is only one other moth to look at. I tentatively named it as a female Brown-veined Wainscot at the trap, but it looked odd so I brought it home and set it. I have to say it has me confused. It has the slim body and weak appearance of Brown-veined, but the wings are no quite the right shape and more like Twin-spotted. However, the markings are more reminiscent of Webb's Wainscot. I will look again when it comes off the setting board in a few weeks time.

Round-up of other news

I welcome reports from people's trips out looking for moths, be they fully fledged nocturnal expeditions or a short wander looking for the day-flying species. Here are just a few...

At Rye Meads Nature Reserve on 30^th June 2000, Charles Watson, Andrew Wood, Stephen Wood and myself ran four lights from 10 pm until 5 am. A series of Southern Wainscot at the lights were very dark in the forewing and thought at the time to be Obscure Wainscot. A closer examination of set specimens revealed all to be Southern. This casts some doubt on the record of Obscure Wainscot made at Rye Meads by Hugh Lansdown in 1984, especially since Southern Wainscot (an expected species) is curiously absent from his list. The only other Hertfordshire record of Obscure Wainscot appears to be of "larvae common in September" at Wilstone Reservoir, seen by "Elliman" and reported by Foster in his 1937 county list. On this basis, the presence of Obscure Wainscot on the Hertfordshire list must surely now be regarded as provisional and in need of confirmation. Does anyone out there have any additional information? Does anyone know where Hugh is now (or where the voucher specimens are held)?

The old London road at Puckeridge on 1^st July 2000 was chosen by Rob Souter and myself as a spot worth a look. It lies in the centre of a large hole in the county map for which there are practically no moth records. Unfortunately, nothing special was noted in the 48 macros and 17 micros caught between 10 pm and 2.30 am at the four lights and the best was probably a male Shark. Most species were typical species of disturbed habitats (caterpillars feed on "wasteland" plants), but all were completely new records for this part of the county.

Thanks to the generosity of the Course Manager John Wells, I ran 3 lights at Brocket Hall Golf Club from 9.30 pm to 5.00 am on 3^rd July 2000. I was principally looking for Heart Moth (not found). I trapped at the northern end, near Ayot Green, in the area marked as "Cat's Gallows" on the map. This was once a larch plantation, but the larch were felled to extend the golf course and as a result there is now a well-managed "parkland" landscape. The magnificent veteran oaks that were once buried under larch contain much dead wood, hollows, rot-holes, splits, etc, and are excellent invertebrate habitat. Evidently not all golf courses are bad ones! A wet night, with heavy mist and passing showers, but mild. The 105 species caught were made up of 70 macros, 14 pyrales, 19 tortricoids and two "real" micros (Argyresthia brockeella and Ypsolopha parenthesella). Pine Hawk, Minor Shoulder-knot, Large Emerald, Buff Footman and a few Heart and Club were amongst the macros. The one "dagger" that arrived was a male Grey. A male glow worm also came to one of the lights.

On 4^th July I visited Aldury Common, Ashridge, where I was joined by Ian Burrus and Alan Bernard, as well as by Don Otter from the National Trust (who own the site) and two of his staff. Four lights were set out at about 9.30 pm, and three continued running until 5 the next morning. It rained most of night, notably after everyone else had left! By morning there was localised flooding on the roads, the moth trapswere waterlogged and the sheets needed to be wrung out. Nevertheless it remai ed warm throughout, and the moths were in plenty. Notable was the large number of Great Oak Beauty (over 20 by morning). A dagger proved on dissection to be a male Dark Dagger. There were lots of Foxglove Pugs, several Purple Clay, Grey Arches and others making up the total of 62 macros. The micros numbered 23 species, the most interesting perhaps being the tortrix Pseudosciaphila branderiana, a very local species that has apparently not been seen in Herts since 1890 and Cryptoblabes bistriga, an allegedly common pyralid that feeds on oak, but which in reality seems very local in Hertfordshire. There was no sign of the Heart Moth, which was my target species.

A couple of nights later on 7^th July 2000 I was joined by Anna Marett and Duncan Fraser (Surrey is evidently so poor that he had to come to Hertfordshire to see some real moths!), at Chorleywood Common, near Rickmansworth. If Ashridge was wet, then Chorleywood Common was cold. We ran only two lights in the avenues between the woodland blocks, largely because of the presence of several teenage lads that were evidently having a great time running and screaming in the woodland. They eventually found the light - I said we were looking for a rare moth - they vanished thinking I was a complete nutter and were not seen again. After all this, the night was rather poor, with only 37 macros and 16 micros to the lights. However, we did get a single Clay Triple-line, apparently quite localised in the county and the pyralid Perinephila lancealis, apparently only the second Herts record, though Brian Goodey tells me it is locally very common in north-east Essex and should be so in our county too.

Rob Souter and myself ran traps at Hadham Towers, near Much Hadham on 1^st August 2000. A former rubbish tip now grassed over, but surrounded by ancient woodland in the Ash Valley. We ran 4 lights from 9.30 pm until 2 am and picked up 82 macro species, 15 pyrales and 18 other micros. The undoubted highlight was a male Waved Black. This is a spreading species and is evidently on its way north across Hertfordshire. The caterpillars feed on fungi under bark. Another spreading species is the Least carpet, of which one was also taken. A Straw Underwing heralded the start of autumn and two Svensson's Copper Underwing were also attracted. Large numbers of the Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella - a small white pyralid - were clearly confused into thinking the white sheet was a water surface; there were loads of them thrashing about. The caterpillars are fully aquatic and feed on duckweed (Lemna).

It has been an abysmally poor year in my garden, but I did manage to add Small Dotted Buff and Orange Sallow to the list. Having trapped here since 1987 these additions were a surprise, taking my garden list to 514 species (including 318 macros).

Events: Extra field meetings for remainder of the year

Amwell Gravel Pits, Saturday 23^rd September 2000 - National Moth Night. Join meeting with the Herts and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation

Meet: Meet at birders watchpoint. TL376 128. Park cars on Amwell Road at TL374 125.

Assemble: At 8 pm.

Trap site: Reed bed and damp woodland. Leader - Rob Souter (01992 410783).

Broxbourne Wood, Sunday 8^th October 2000

Meet: West car park at grid reference TL 322070. This is the south-western end of the really long main ride that runs right through the Broxbourne Woods complex to Hoddesdon.

Assemble: 10.30 am for 11 am start. Bring lunch.

Leaders: Ray Uffen and Colin Plant