Moths on the night of 1st/2nd May (UK)

[tony.aw.prichard at bt.com]

Here are some more moth records from Suffolk in the UK.

An MV session (a cold night ~5 degrees C with a fullish moon) at Hollesley
Meadows (an area of alder carr, with oak and willow) on Friday night
(30/4/99) didn't produce much. 4 moths turned up to the 2 lights - 3 Clouded
Drab (Orthosia incerta) and 1 Lunar Marbled Brown (Drymonia ruficornis). 

During the long idle periods we managed to find a few more by searching the
tree trunks and beating the foliage; Merveille du Jour larva (Dichonia
aprilina), female Orange-tip butterfly (Anthocaris cardamines), Epinotia
immundana (a tortrix), Syndemis musculana (a tortrix).

On the Saturday night (1/5/99) I was at a joint BENHS/Butterfly Conservation
moth night at the Icknield Way, King's Forest, Suffolk. Temperatures were
higher ( >10 degrees C) than the previous night and there was almost total
cloud cover. 6 MV lights run. 

Abundance figures are estimates.

1	Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria)
25 	Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia)
2	Oblique Striped (Phibalapteryx virgata)
40	Nut-tree Tussock (Colocasia coryli)
15	Scalloped Hook-tip (Falcaria lacertinaria)
10	Lunar Marbled Brown (Drymonia ruficornis)
10	Red Chestnut (Cerastis rubricosa)
10	Clay Triple-lines (Cyclophora linearia)
20	Barred Hook-tip (Watsonalla cultraria)
10	Syndemis musculana (a tortrix)
2 	Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)
15	Larch Pug (Eupithecia lariciata)
3	Pine Beauty (Panolis flammea)
2	Maiden's Blush (Cyclophora punctaria)
3	Dwarf Pug (Eupithecia tantillaria)
7	Pebble Hook-tip (Drepana falcataria)
2	Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata)
1	Poplar Grey (Acronicta megacephala)
4	Coxcomb Prominent (Ptilodon capucina)
3	Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata)
1	Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda)
3	Grey Birch (Aethalura punctulata)
1	Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata)
3	Broom-tip (Chesias rufata)
10	Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata)
10	Epinotia immundana (a tortrix)
1	Grey Carpet (Lithostege griseata)
25	Great Prominent (Peridea anceps)
1	Incurvaria masculella (a longhorn moth)
1	Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata)
2	Waved Umber (Menophra abruptaria)
1	Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa)
3	Spruce Carpet (Thera britannica)
1	Scarce Tissue (Rheumaptera cervinalis)
2	Latticed Heath (Chiasmia clathrata)
1	Semioscopis steinkellneriana (an oecophorid)
3	Least Black Arches (Nola confusalis)
4	Narrow-winged Pug (Eupithecia nanata)
1	Emperor (female) (Saturnia pavonia)
2	Ochreous Pug (Eupithecia indigata)
2	(Small) Engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia)
1	Tawny-barred Angle (Semiothisa liturata)
2	Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)
1	Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata)
1	Lobster (Stauropus fagi)
1	Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina)
2	Ancylis mitterbacheriana (a tortrix)

plus a few micros we haven't yet identified.

The Grey Carpet seems quite early. It was a nice sight to see the female
Emperor moth in a Skinner trap.

Tony Prichard