Bucks Moths: Moth surveys in Bucks, 2014

Away from the garden at Westcott, during 2014 I ran traps at 16 different locations spread right across the county. Bernwood Forest and Finemere Wood were covered most frequently, with 21 visits and 17 visits each respectively, while monthly surveys over the main part of the ‘moth season’ (March to October) were also completed at Salcey Forest, Round Wood and Holtspur Bottom. Pitstone Hill and Stoke Common each received four visits but most of the other sites on the map below were surveyed just the once.

Each site is dealt with below, in alphabetical order:

Ashridge Estate (SP 9713) Owned by the National Trust

Martin Albertini and I ran traps in woodland near the Bridgewater Monument on 26th July to support the annual public “creatures of the night” event organised by the National Trust. My two lights brought in 110 species but there was little of particular note amongst them. Some of the slightly more interesting sightings included the following:

622	Elachista adscitella		26th July
987	Ptycholomoides aeriferanus		26th July
1754	Eulithis prunata	Phoenix	26th July
1782	Horisme tersata	Fern	26th July
1784	Melanthia procellata	Pretty Chalk Carpet	26th July
1876	Hydrelia flammeolaria	Small Yellow Wave	26th July

Bernwood Forest (SP 6111, SP 6210) Owned by the Forestry Commission

Bernwood Forest is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and nature reserve on the border between Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. During 2014 my visits, mostly to Oakley Wood and Shabbington Wood within the forest, were part of an on-going moth survey with Peter Hall which commenced in 2009 (see Blog entry for 12th February). 734 different moth species have now been recorded over that period (taking the site total to 850), of which the following were new to the list in 2014:

181	Taleporia tubulosa		18th June
224	Triaxomera parasitella		18th June
418	Argyresthia conjugella		17th June
465	Plutella porrectella		30th July
602	Elachista apicipunctella		17th June
633	Cosmiotes stabilella*		17th June
871	Oegoconia deauratella		11th July
982	Choristoneura diversana*		17th June
1048	Acleris variegana		1st October
1180	Epiblema tetragonana		3rd June
1809	Perizoma didymata	Twin-spot Carpet	18th June
1933	Agriopis aurantiaria	Scarce Umber	28th November
2120	Diarsia mendica	Ingrailed Clay	18th June

*Cosmiotes stabilella & Choristoneura diversana were actually found in Waterperry Wood where the trap site was just over the boundary into Vice-County 23 Oxfordshire.

Of Bernwood’s notable macro-moths, there was just the one record for Small Black Arches Meganola strigula (a singleton in Shabbington Wood on 11th July) but 14 individuals of Common Fan-foot Pechipogo strigilata were seen between 25th May and 18th June (10 in Oakley and Shabbington Woods with the other four in Waterperry Wood). Unfortunately there was no sign of the rather elusive Triangle Heterogenea asella, last recorded in Bernwood during 2010.

Taleporia tubulosa, 18th June 2014

Choristoneura diversana, 17th June 2014

Small Black Arches, 11th July 2014

Bradenham (SU 8297) Owned by the National Trust

A prime chalk grassland site to the south of Princes Risborough, the single visit made to Bradenham was a short-notice Bucks Invertebrate Group field meeting on 29th July arranged specifically to look for the plume moth Oxyptilus pilosellae. Long thought to have become extinct in the UK (its last sighting anywhere was in 1964), I had found a single male of this small species at the site in 2013 and this was an attempt to see if it could be discovered again. Joined by Martin Albertini, Peter Hall, Mark Telfer and plume expert Colin Hart, eight MV lights were run on an ideal mothing night which produced more than 200 species. My own two traps brought in 144 species, of which the following were highlights:

1370	Sitochroa palealis		29th July
1462	Pempeliella dilutella		29th July
1489	Oxyptilus pilosellae		29th July
1507	Stenoptilia zophodactylus		29th July
1676	Cyclophora annularia	Mocha	29th July
1774	Colostygia olivata	Beech-green Carpet	29th July
2045	Eilema caniola	Hoary Footman	29th July
2131	Xestia rhomboidea	Square-spotted Clay	29th July

Single individuals (all males) of the target species Oxyptilus pilosellae came to each of three traps on the night so we can now say for certain that the moth is in residence. A search of dark mullein plants earlier that afternoon had produced 172 caterpillars of Striped Lychnis Shargacucullia lychnitis, quite a good total for the site.

Square-spotted Clay, 29th July 2014

Oxyptilus pilosellae, 29th July 2014 (photo by Peter Hall)

Striped Lychnis larva, 29th July 2014

Brill Common (SP 6514) Common land

Chris Bottrell and I ran traps here on 4th July for the annual public “creatures of the night event” organised by the local BBOWT volunteer group. Windy and wet conditions conspired to ensure that we weren’t overwhelmed with moths but 33 species were recorded, including Epinotia signatana, and they included a few species that didn’t fit with the general lay opinion that “moths are all small boring brown jobs”: Peach Blossom Thyatira batis, Swallow-tailed Moth Ourapteryx sambucaria, Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila elpenor, Broad-barred White Hecatera bicolorata and Plain Golden Y Autographa jota. Even so, far more interest was shown in the Barn Owl and Noctule Bat brought along by other groups!

Broad-barred White, 4th July 2014

Burnham Beeches (SU 9584) Owned by the City of London Corporation

Burnham Beeches is a large SSSI and National Nature Reserve, much of it woodland but with several more open areas. On 6th September traps were run by Martin Albertini, Andy King, Jeremy Palmer and I on the surviving area of heath for a public moth and bat event being hosted by the local rangers. Unfortunately the temperature plummeted quickly after dusk and, because there were few moths flying, the lamps were lit for only two hours. Just over 20 species were recorded, of which Teleiopsis diffinis, a late Peppered Moth Biston betularia, Neglected Rustic Xestia castanea and White-point Mythimna albipuncta were the only moths of any note.

Teleiopsis diffinis, 6th September 2014

Finemere Wood (SP 7221) Owned by Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)

Finemere Wood is a SSSI and nature reserve to the west of Quainton. The wildlife here is under threat from an Energy-from-Waste Incinerator currently being constructed to the west and from future plans for the HS2 rail line, the route of which will pass very close by to the south. The visits here were part of an on-going survey which commenced in 2007. 704 moth species are now known from this tract of ancient woodland, of which 658 have been recorded during the eight years of the survey. Additions to the list during 2014 were as follows:

152	Adela rufimitrella		14th May
555	Coleophora follicularis		20th June
787	Bryotropha terrella		20th June
1041	Acleris sparsana		2nd October
1227	Pammene giganteana		4th April
1661	Archiearis parthenias	Orange Underwing	16th March
1767	Thera firmata	Pine Carpet	2nd October
1789	Rheumaptera undulata	Scallop Shell	20th June
1876	Hydrelia flammeolaria	Small Yellow Wave	20th June
2291	Craniophora ligustri	Coronet	20th June
2299	Amphipyra tragopoginis	Mouse Moth	5th September

Although a common moth, it was good finally to have confirmation of Orange Underwing here, something which had been suspected for a while. The only captures prior to 2014 had been of the supposedly less common Light Orange Underwing Archiearis notha which is present in most of the local woods thanks to the abundance of aspen hereabouts. Now we know for sure that Finemere is home to both species. Scallop Shell (last noted in 1989), Small Yellow Wave (l/n 1992) & Mouse Moth (l/n 2002) have been recorded previously at Finemere but the remainder were completely new to the site list. Nothing else of particular significance was recorded during the year.

Scallop Shell, 20th June 2014

Grangelands (SP 8204) Owned by Bucks County Council

This was a single late-season visit to what is one of the best chalk grassland sites in the county, located to the north-east of Princes Risborough. It is somewhere that I hope to visit on a regular basis during 2015. Martin Albertini and Peter Hall joined me here and there were no real surprises in any of our traps. I caught 42 species, of which the following were nice to see:

423	Argyresthia semitestacella		31st August
1854	Eupithecia pusillata	Juniper Pug	31st August
2177	Tholera cespitis	Hedge Rustic	31st August

A daytime visit to the site earlier in the month (6th August), mainly to see the butterflies Silver-spotted Skipper Hesperia comma and Chalkhill Blue Lysandra corridon, had produced examples of the long-horn moth Nemophora metallica on scabious and a couple of late caterpillars of Striped Lychnis Shargacucullia lychnitis on dark mullein.

Argyresthia semitestacella, 31st August 2014

Holtspur Bottom (SU 9190) Managed by Butterfly Conservation

Owned by Beaconsfield Town Council, this is a nature reserve on former arable fields which have undergone successful reversion to chalk grassland. Holtspur provided me with the most fun during 2014, ten visits here between March and October producing the very pleasing total of 435 moth species and taking the site count up to 511. Perhaps the most important resident moth is the rare Striped Lychnis Shargacucullia lychnitis, one of the few species which rarely come to light traps. Luckily its larvae are easy to spot on the food-plant dark mullein Verbascum nigrum, which is to be found growing in small numbers on the reserve (33 caterpillars were recorded on 23rd July). Plans to significantly increase the number of available plants are currently underway so it is hoped that the species will have a fairly secure future at Holtspur. Moths typical of chalk down-land have been quick to colonise these meadows and the following table includes some of the more interesting species recorded during 2014:

840	Thiotricha subocellea		3rd July
849	Syncopacma cinctella		19th May
861	Acompsia schmidtiellus		23rd July
1370	Sitochroa palealis		23rd July
1396	Mecyna flavalis		23rd July
1457	Hypochalcia ahenella		12th June
1462	Pempeliella dilutella		3rd July
1485	Phycitodes maritima		19th May
1512	Merrifieldia baliodactylus		3rd July
1676	Cyclophora annularia	Mocha	19th May
1841	Eupithecia millefoliata	Yarrow Pug	23rd July
2045	Eilema caniola	Hoary Footman	3rd July
2076	Meganola albula	Kent Black Arches	3rd July
2204	Mythimna obsoleta	Obscure Wainscot	3rd July
2260	Conistra rubiginea	Dotted Chestnut	29th March
2292	Cryphia algae	Tree-lichen Beauty	23rd July
2323	Apamea sublustris	Reddish Light Arches	12th June
2493	Machrochila cribrumalis	Dotted Fan-foot	3rd July

In addition, species such as Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus, Light Brocade Lacanobia w-latinum, Feathered Gothic Tholera decimalis and White-point Mythimna albipuncta were seen in some numbers. Considering that the reversion to chalk grassland began as recently as 1998 it is very pleasing to see how many habitat specialists have now taken up residence.

Acompsia schmidtiellus, 23rd July 2014

Kent Black Arches, 3rd July 2014

Obscure Wainscot, 3rd July 2014

Dotted Fan-foot, 3rd July 2014

Homefield Wood (SU 8186) Owned by the Forestry Commission

Located to the west of Marlow, this large area of mixed woodland surrounding a small enclave of chalk grassland (the latter managed by BBOWT) was visited on 30th October, 7th November and 15th November to search for Plumed Prominent Ptilophora plumigera. A single male of this rare moth finally came to light on the third visit but by then I’d lost the enthusiasm to look for it at other sites in the county!

Plumed Prominent, 15th November 2014

Jordans (SU 9690) Owned by GreenAcres Woodland Burials

Formerly Pitlands Wood, this is now the site of the Chiltern Woodland Burial Park. A Bucks Invertebrate Group field meeting was held here on 31st May and my two traps brought in 72 species. Few were of particular interest but Cydia illutana, Pammene giganteana and Red-necked Footman Atolmis rubricollis were still nice to see.

Cydia illutana, 31st May

Old Wavendon Heath (SP 9334) Owned by Bedford Estates

Old Wavendon Heath, on the greensand ridge near Woburn in Bedfordshire, lies outside the current political boundary of Buckinghamshire but for biological recording purposes is within Vice-County 24 Bucks. Although much of the site’s once extensive heathland is deteriorating into birch and conifer woodland, previous daytime visits had shown that the surviving areas of scrubby heath include quite a substantial amount of broom. My single visit here on 31st October successfully targeted Streak Chesias legatella which is an uncommon moth in Bucks. Indeed, it was the only moth recorded in any numbers, 21 of them coming to light from dusk onwards.

Streak, 31st October 2014

Pitstone Fen (SP 9314) Owned by BBOWT

Designated as a Local Wildlife Site, Pitstone Fen is quite a small, linear nature reserve alongside the West Coast Main Line near Tring and is not normally open to the public. A Bucks Invertebrate Group field meeting was held here on 16th August but the results were rather disappointing. My own trap produced 42 run-of-the-mill species and the only ‘fenland’ moth seen at any of the lights was a solitary Southern Wainscot Mythimna straminea.

Pitstone Hill (SP 9414) Owned by the National Trust

Pitstone Hill is a SSSI which comprises botanically-rich chalk grassland on steep slopes above a working chalk quarry. Fairly extensive moth surveys of the adjacent Ivinghoe Beacon and Steps Hill were carried out by Peter Hall and I over the previous couple of years but Pitstone Hill was largely ignored and this was an attempt to put that right. In actual fact only four site visits were achieved so it is hoped that more work can be carried out here in 2015. An early visit in April with Colin Plant, county recorder for Hertfordshire, to look specifically for Mottled Grey Colostygia multistrigaria and Northern Drab Orthosia opima (both known from the other local hills) was partly successful in that Northern Drab turned up to light. The four visits here produced 237 species altogether and amongst them were the following highlights:

1	Micropterix tunbergella		17th May
530	Coleophora lixella		16th July
841	Sophronia semicostella		16th July
1441	Oncocera semirubella		16th July
1457	Hypochalcia ahenella		13th June
1462	Pempeliella dilutella		13th June
1731	Scotopteryx bipunctaria	Chalk Carpet	16th July
1845	Eupithecia pimpinelata	Pimpinel Pug	16th July
2082	Euxoa nigricans	Garden Dart	16th July
2084	Agrotis cinerea	Light Feathered Rustic	17th May
2163	Melanchra pisi	Broom Moth	17th May
2176	Cerapteryx graminis	Antler Moth	16th July
2323	Apamea sublustris	Reddish Light Arches	13th June

The 17th May visit with Marc Botham produced more than 20 Light Feathered Rustics, while the 16th July visit with Martin Albertini and Andy King was particularly noteworthy for the numbers of Oncocera semirubella present, more than 200 being counted between the traps. Actually, that visit will be remembered more for its disasters because both Andy and I had generator failures (both happily resolved, although in Andy’s case involving some major maintenance by torchlight), I wrecked the driver’s door on my vehicle while reversing up a slope and Martin managed to lose his keys and had to return the next day to retrieve his car!

Micropterix tunbergella, 17th May 2014

Sophronia semicostella, 16th July 2014

Light Feathered Rustic, 17th May 2014

Round Wood (SP 6531) Owned by the Woodland Trust

Round Wood is a small mixed woodland in an under-recorded area of north-west Bucks, close to the village of Barton Hartshorn. Half of it is still conifer plantation while the remainder is regenerating (but still quite young) deciduous woodland. Ten visits here produced 280 moth species, nowhere near as many as at Salcey Forest (see later) but the total was around about my expectations for the habitat. Listed below are some of the more interesting species found:

336	Phyllonorycter dubitella		3rd April
447	Roeslerstammia erxlebella		11th August
555	Coleophora follicularis		9th July
1144	Epinotia signatana		9th July
1145	Epinotia nanana		6th June
1455	Dioryctria simplicella		10th October
1661	Archiearis parthenias	Orange Underwing	9th March
1789	Rheumaptera undulata	Scallop Shell	9th July
2260	Conistra rubiginea	Dotted Chestnut	16th March
2268	Parastichtis suspecta	Suspected	9th July

Suspected is known primarily from the heathy areas in the extreme south of the county and on the greensand ridge adjacent to the border with Bedfordshire, so it came as a bit of a surprise to find the moth at Round Wood but there is a large amount of birch (the larval food-plant) in the deciduous areas. Needless to say, conifer feeders such as Dingy Shell Euchoeca nebulata, Barred Red Hylaea fasciaria and Pine Beauty Panolis flammea were found in some numbers.

Suspected, 9th July 2014

Salcey Forest (SP 8050) Owned by the Forestry Commission

Just inside Northamptonshire, Salcey is a working forest, part of which is an SSSI. This is another site outside the current political boundary of Bucks but for recording purposes the south-east quadrant of the forest (Knighton’s Copse and Rose Copse) is within Vice-County 24 and it was here that the survey was carried out, with occasional help from Martin Albertini and Peter Hall. The main reason for choosing this site was to search for Concolorous Chortodes extrema which is known from Salcey. Unfortunately the moth failed to show during its main flight season (May/June) and the few possible candidates which turned up at the beginning of July all proved to be Mere Wainscot Chortodes fluxa.

Nine visits to Salcey produced a list of 388 species (206 macros & 182 micros) which was quite a pleasing result for the amount of effort put in although nothing particularly significant was found. The pick of the bunch are listed below:

637	Elachista bisulcella		2nd September
637	Crassa tinctella		1st June
982	Choristoneura diversana		2nd July
1119a	Ancylis diminutana		22nd June
1144	Epinotia signatana		22nd June
1152	Epinotia maculana		30th September
1227	Pammene giganteana		30th March
1655	Tethea or	Poplar Lutestring	16th May
1658	Cymatophorima diluta	Oak Lutestring	2nd September
1789	Rheumaptera undulata	Scallop Shell	22nd June
1828	Eupithecia satyrata	Satyr Pug	2nd July
2009	Ptilodon cucullina	Maple Prominent	1st June
2029	Euproctis chrysorrhoea	Brown-tail	2nd July
2039	Atolmis rubricollis	Red-necked Footman	1st June
2140	Cerastis leucographa	White-marked	30th March
2484	Schrankia costaestrigalis	Pinion-streaked Snout	2nd July

Unusually, Alder Moth Acronicta alni appeared in significant numbers (28 recorded) and it was also nice to see typical woodland noctuids such as Purple Clay Diarsia brunnea, Green Arches Anaplectiodes prasina & Grey Arches Polia nebulosa appearing frequently. Clematis-feeding species such as Fern Horisme tersata, Pretty Chalk Carpet Melanthia procellata & Haworth’s Pug Eupithecia haworthiata, which in Bucks are more usually associated with the Chilterns, were also welcome sightings. A very effective daytime visit here in October, searching for leaf-mines with David Manning and Andy & Melissa Banthorpe, added the scarce species Ectoedemia rubivora (on dewberry) and Emmetia angusticollella (on dog rose) to the site list.

Pammene giganteana, 30th March 2014

Oak Lutestring, 2nd September 2014

Brown-tail, 2nd July 2014

White-marked, 30th March 2014

Grey Arches, Green Arches & Purple Clay, 1st June 2014

Mines of Emmetia angusticollella, 18th October 2014

Stoke Common (SU 9885) Owned by the City of London Corporation

This SSSI to the south of Gerrards Cross is the most extensive area of heather heathland remaining in Buckinghamshire and is managed by the City of London as a nature reserve. A number of heathland specialist moths on the Bucks list are found only in this area of the county. Martin Albertini has been carrying out surveys here for some years and he was joined by Andy King and I on four occasions during the latter part of 2014. Amongst the more interesting species seen were the following:

856	Anarsia spartiella		24th June
1443	Pempelia genistella		17th July
1478b	Vitula biviella		17th July
1665	Pseudoterpna pruinata	Grass Emerald	24th June
1846	Eupithecia nanata	Narrow-winged Pug	17th July
2067	Euplagia quadripunctaria	Jersey Tiger	17th July
2118	Lycophotia porphyrea	True Lover’s Knot	24th June
2132	Xestia castanea	Neglected Rustic	27th August
2142	Anarta myrtilli	Beautiful Yellow U’wing	24th June
2194	Mythimna albipuncta	White-point	27th August
2268	Parastichtis suspecta	Suspected	24th June

True Lover’s Knot and Beautiful Yellow Underwing were present in very good numbers and it was also pleasing to see Neglected Rustic (12) and White-point (16) in my traps on 27th August.