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On the return of my slides I double-checked
the moth against those illustrated in the ‘Skinner’
guide, it was at once obvious to me that it was the
Sycamore, Acronicta aceris. Then I looked in Dr. A.N.B.Simpson’s
guide to the status of the macro moths of Worcestershire;
the Sycamore is listed in Group D as an extinct species!
There are possibly records from Bromsgrove 1980,
Chaddesley 1992 and Bewdley 1998. I sent one of my slides
to Tony Simpson, both he and Mike Harper agree that it is
indeed the Sycamore. The mystery is what the larval food plant is? Horse Chestnut and Sycamore are the usual host-trees, neither of which are present anywhere near the location I found it at. However, Birch, Field Maple and Oak are mentioned in Porter’s guide to Caterpillars of the British Isles as alternative food-plants, all in abundance in the Mill Meadow area. The larva is well worth looking for; unmistakeable with bright orange tufts all over it. In fact, the photo in Porter’s guide depicts the larva feeding on Oak! With grateful thanks to Dr.A.N.B.Simpson.
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