Early moth news from the Norton Priory Bio-blitz

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SteveH
Posts: 2072
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:50 am
Location: Elton, Cheshire

Early moth news from the Norton Priory Bio-blitz

Post by SteveH »

Early moth news from the Norton Priory Bio-blitz:

Those of you who weren't able to make this event might be interested to know a little about what went on there with respect to mothing.

The 'moth' team comprised five (that I know of, and aplologies if I left anyone out!) of us, myself, Steve Hind, Marion Barlow, Paul Hillyer and Dave Edwards. Some eight light traps were spread around the walled garden, the grass meadow and the flower meadow and were patrolled on a regular basis throughout the night (one or two of us went sleepless, with others grabbing just a couple of hours in vans and cars!). At 7am we began opening the traps (light sheets already having had their species lists compiled during the night). By 9am, the combined list was in the order of 110 species, which climbed to around the 130 mark by the end of the event. There are still a few species likely to be determined, which, together with a few 'spp' only records, will possibly see us reach 140.

Some of the notables found included:

Calybites phasianipennella f. quadruplella - 4th Cheshire record following Elton (2005) Delamere Forest (1887.. yes, 1887!!)
Endothenia nigricostana - few Cheshire records only, the last in 2005.
Isotrias rectifasciana
Dingy Shell
Obscure Wainscot - several
Minor Shoulder-knot, and
Pinion-streaked Snout

It was a superb event, brilliantly organised by CAN and equally well attended by 'experts' and the general public (400+) alike.

Steve Holmes

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