Field Trip - Roughdown Common - New to Herts Jersey Mocha! Our last visit of the year to this prolific nature reserve that always springs a surprise on us, and this night was no different. With a warm South-westerly breeze dominating the weather forecast and lows of a comfortable 15 degrees, we once again decided to run traps on the Boxmoor Trusts land. The hope was to turn up something unusual for the site or intercept a migrant (for which there were plenty about). We succeeded on both accounts and star of the show had to go to a worn Maiden's Blush looking moth which Ian Bennell found in the long grass, several feet away from one of my traps. Passing it around to everyone it just didn't look right for this species and the brain thought of other possibilities which were quickly narrowed down to either a worn Maiden's Blush (likely) a Clay Triple-lines (still quite likely) and then the absurd (Jersey Mocha). The moth was retained and dissected the next day and I was literally on the edge of my seat awaiting the results back from Graeme Smith. When he said that it is a Jersey Mocha, that inkling to retain the moth was all worth it! Graeme had to promptly get a cup of coffee to calm down as neither myself or he could believe it, another new to Herts this year! And hat's off to Ian Bennell for spotting it and not just discarding it as a worn Maiden's Blush.

Other good species included a pair of Psoricoptera gibbosella (Only my 2nd and 3rd examples in 10 years), Hellinsia carphodactyla (Which was new to me) and Depressria badiella (Which was retained and also dissected by Graeme Smith and a great record for Herts, again NEW TO ME!)

What a fantastic night it was and thanks go out to David, Roger and Ian for helping me make the night a success and for being as eagle-eyed as ever.

Species counted but numbers not noted.

Catch Report - 07/09/16 - Roughdown Common - Hemel Hempstead - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap 1x 80w Actinic Briefcase Trap & 1x 40w Actinic/26w BLB Trap

Macro Moths - 40 Species

Angle Shades Beautiful Hook-tip Brimstone Moth Brindled Green Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Centre-barred Sallow Common Carpet Common Marbled Carpet Common Rustic Common Wainscot Copper Underwing Double-striped Pug Dun-bar Dusky Thorn Feathered Gothic Flame Shoulder Flounced Rustic Garden Carpet Jersey Mocha [NEW!] Large Yellow Underwing Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Lesser Yellow Underwing Light Emerald Lime-speck Pug Maiden's Blush Marbled White-spot Pink-barred Sallow Setaceous Hebrew Character Shuttle-shaped Dart Silver-Y Small Dusty Wave Small Square-spot Square-spot Rustic Snout Spectacle Square-spot Rustic White-point Willow Beauty Yellow-barred Brindle Yellow Shell

Micro Moths - 51 Species

Acentria ephemerella Acleris rhombana Acleris variegana Acrobasis advenella Agonopterix arenella Agonopterix laterana/comariana Agonopterix nervosa Agriphila geniculea Agriphila tristella Ancylis laetana Archips podana Argyresthia semifusca Blastobasis adustella Cameraria ohridella Caloptilia robustella Caloptilia syringella Celypha lacunana Cochylis dubitana Cydia pomonella Cydia splendana Depressria badiella [NEW!] Ectoedemia decentella Emmelina monodactyla Emmetia marginea Epinotia nisella Epinotia ramella Epiphyas postvittana Eudonia mercurella Eudonia pallida Galleria mellonella Hellinsia carphodactyla [NEW!] Hypatima rhomboidella Metalampra italica Hofmannophila pseudospretella Pandemis cinnamomeana Pandemis corylana Pandemis heparana Phyllonorycter harrisella Pleuroptya ruralis Plutella xylostella Prays fraxinella Psoricoptera gibbosella Pyrausta aurata Rhopobota naevana Stenolechia gemmella Tinea semifulvella Udea ferrugalis Ypsolopha alpella Ypsolopha parenthesella Ypsolopha scabrella