A three-hour session at Lavernock Point Nature Reserve last night (MV plus 6W Heath trap) produced 36 species, two thirds of which were macros. The site was chosen due to the abundance of fleabane in the meadows, with Vaughn's recent
Tebenna micalis very much in mind. Sure enough, one of these little beauties turned up - the photo, taken under the MV lamp, doesn't do it justice I'm afraid!
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| Tebenna micalis (3rd VC41 record) |
Also new for ST16 were Bordered Beauty, Pink-barred Sallow and
Scrobipalpa costella. Other highlights included Barred Sallow, Brindled Green, Oak Nycteoline, Dusky Thorn, a very late Blackneck, Wax Moth,
Ebulea crocealis and
Epermenia falciformis.
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| Barred Sallow |
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| Bordered Beauty |
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| Oak Nycteoline |
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| Wax moth, Galleria mellonella |
George and Martin Tordoff
I`ll have to target Tebenna myself in Carms George...it should be around.
ReplyDeleteBarred Sallow is a moth I'd love to get on my county list, they are exceptionally rare in the west - I like authentic moth light hue in these shots - why cameras don't have a 'MV bulb' setting I don't know!
ReplyDeleteRe Tebenna - I think any coastal site with lots of fleabane is a good bet. They probably arrived earlier in the year and have bred, but the books say they'll die out over the winter.
ReplyDeleteHadn't realised Barred Sallow was rare in the west.
I was a bit too lazy to tinker with the colour balance in the photos, but I agree Barry that the moth light hue is rather nice!
Diurnal searching might work for Tebenna too, if you can find any Fleabane still flowering. I bumped into my only one on a skiing trip to Pembrey. Luckily I had a moth tube in my pocket.
ReplyDeleteI did have a look at Lavernock during the daytime on Friday but all the fleabane had gone over, and there were thousands of fleabane plants across the meadows so it was hard to pin point any one area to search thoroughly.
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