On the night of 25^th June, the moth trap was set up within the Crowhurst Reserve woodland for a second time, 3 weeks earlier in the season than last year’s event.  A highlight for me was watching three Large Elephant Hawkmoths in torchlight at dusk as they hovered to feed from honeysuckle flowers high up in the tree canopy.

The following morning 15 people, mainly enthusiastic ‘friends of Quarry Wood’ including Paul Johnson, David Burrows (a fellow ‘moth man’) and myself gathered to examine the catch.  Despite the unsettled weather, a good total of 38 species was logged.  All were relatively common species, but there were many gasps as they were extracted from the trap indicating just how attractive many of our moth species really are when seen close up.  Just 14 of these were also recorded on the night of 18^th July last year, so the reserve list now advances from 46 to 70.

Ralph Hobbs

Large Elephant Hawkmoth (not in trap)

Common Emerald

Light Emerald*

Clouded Border*

Clouded Silver*

Brimstone moth*

Satin Lutestring*

Common Lutestring

Heart and Dart

Mottled Beauty

Willow Beauty*

Pale Oak Beauty

Silver Y

Beautiful Golden Y

Small White Wave

Orange Footman

Rosy Footman*

Treble Brown-spot*

Scorched Wing

Large Yellow Underwing*

White Ermine

Buff Ermine*

Bloodvein

Riband Wave*

Twin-spot Carpet

Treble Lines

July Highflyer*

Barred Yellow

Barred Straw*

Ingrailed Clay

The Rustic

Flame Shoulder

Small Square-spot

Uncertain*

Green Oak Tortrix (micro)

Bee moth (Pyralid micro)

Large Fruit-tree Tortix Archips podana (micro)

Donacaula forficella (Pyrale micro)

TOTAL 38 species positively identified.

* also recorded here last year