After a very successful week moth surveying at  Franchises Lodge RSPB reserve, Wiltshire last June, I made the first of two planned visits for this year over the early May bank holiday weekend. It was a very good visit in general but I only found one species new to me, Dichrorampha sedatana, obtained by netting moths flying over tansy in late afternoon sunshine.

Adding this species has also prompted me to write pages on the identification of Dichrorampha species and amendment of the text for these species accordingly.

 

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After searching a local site where this species is known to occur I finally found 4 male Epichnopterix plumella by sweeping a large grassy area (having failed to find them on 6 previous visits in recent years).

​A 2 week trip to Scotland was severely hampered by cold weather in the first week so that no new moths were found in Abernethy or at Tulloch Moor. 5 days at the far end of Strathconan on the Scardroy estate was warmer and more successful in garnering 4 additional species for BritLep - although only the noctuid was definitively identified while we were actually there.

This year I have started trapping at a new site in Cumbria - the Haweswater RSPB reserve. The first session on 14th April was around the headquarters buildings at Naddle Farm. I was surprised to trap a Nepticulid despite cool drizzly conditions and please to find it was a species new to me.





1848 (+7) species presented

I have been sent two specimens by Mick and Will Scott, trapped at Longstone, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, for confirmation of ID: Scopula minorata (Petite Wave) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Fall Armyworm). Neither of these are yet on the main RES list.

Only one species added this month following gen. det. confirmation of the first Essex record of Spiny Hook-tip.

1845 Species presented