Roughdown Common and Gadesprings Field Trip report - 30/04/14 I was joined by Roger and Lucy last night at Roughdown Common, for our first trip to this fantastic mixture of open chalk grassland with intersecting woodland. This is the earliest in the year that we have trapped this site, and we waited with baited breath to see what might turn up to the lights.

Conditions were quite good with a faint breeze and a temperature of around 15c at dusk, dropping to 10c when driving home.

We set 1 light up overlooking the lower grass field, the second one along the edge of the woodland and the third (MV) within the wood itself and under a large Oak. Interestingly my Mercury blended bulb did quite well on the edge of the field and attracted a good variety of species, equal to that of the Mercury vapour (this isn't always the case!)

It was slow going at first, with a few Waved Umber's and Green Carpet's first to the trap, then the variety performance turned up and we started to accumulate a nice list.

Lights were on at 8.45pm and by 11.15pm we were ready to pack up as there was a distinct chill in the air and the sky had cleared. In 2 and a half hours of trapping with 3 lights we had amassed 70 moths roughly of 38 species, a very pleasing result. Moth species were also very specific to which light they went to. Only Small Phoenix, Powdered Quaker and Sallow Kitten went to the Actinic. Most of the Brimstones favoured the 160w Blended bulb. To the MV we had Knot Grass.

Common Marbled Carpet was my earliest ever, and I didn't expect a Twin-spotted Quaker either having last seen them a few weeks back now thinking that they had finished.

All in all a very pleasing catch and nice to add some Spring species to the site list.

On our way back from Roughdown Common, we checked to see how the trap had fared at Gadesprings...we couldn't believe it. Although there was only 14 moths present, 7 species were recorded here that did not feature in the catch at Roughdown Common!

I look forward to coming over again soon.

Thanks to Roger and Lucy for helping me set up, and for Roger being with me as always until the bitter end!

Catch Report - 30/04/14 - Roughdown Common - Hemel Hempstead - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Suitcase Trap.

Macro Moths

8x Brimstone Moth 5x Green Carpet 5x Red Twin-spot Carpet 4x Waved Umber 1x Streamer 1x Knot Grass 1x Common Pug 1x Common Carpet 2x V-pug 3x Hebrew Character 4x Least Black Arches 2x Small Phoenix 1x Common Marbled Carpet 1x Common White Wave 2x Scorched Carpet 1x Spectacle 1x Pebble Hook-tip 1x Twin-spotted Quaker 2x Brindled Pug 1x Grey Dagger 1x Yellow-barred Brindle 1x Lesser Swallow Prominent 1x Powdered Quaker 1x Sallow Kitten 1x Clouded Border 1x Garden Carpet 1x Light Brocade 2x Nut-tree Tussock 1x Shuttle-shaped Dart 1x Coxcomb Prominent

Micro Moths

2x Phyllonorycter quercifoliella 2x Cochylimorpha straminea 2x Alucita hexadactyla 2x Phyllonorycter harrisella 1x Nematopogon swammerdamella 1x Agonopterix arenella 2x Parornix sp 1x Pseudoswammerdamia combinella

Catch Report - 30/04/14 - Gadesprings - Hemel Hempstead - 1x 125w MV Robinson

Macro Moths

1x Pale Tussock 2x Pebble Prominent 1x Grey-pine Carpet 2x Clouded Drab 3x Brindled Pug 1x Oak-tree Pug 1x Flame Shoulder 1x Nut-tree Tussock 1x Scalloped Hazel

Micro Moths