WORCESTERSHIRE MOTH REPORT 2002
Dr.A.N.B. Simpson
Despite the wet summer, with the welcome absence of restrictions
on access to the countryside that troubled us in 2001, a
comprehensive moth recording programme was carried out by the
"mothers" group and by Rosemary Winnall's Wyre Forest
study group. She was also able to visit Wissetts Wood to the west
of the main forest area, and reported that it looked very
interesting, and has planned visits to a number of new sites in
2003. We will be going to Ribbesford Wood for National Moth Night
on the 12th April 2003. Dave Grundy and Jeff Rush have been doing
a lot of recording in Wyre Forest and visited other sites in the
north and east of the county. Dave has been carrying out a pilot
study on the Common Fanfoot Pechipogo strigilata in the Wyre
Forest, which is probably the most important site in the UK. for
this now very localised insect. As its English name suggests it
was once fairly common and widespread (including several other
woods in Worcestershire e.g. Monk Wood), but has now declined
nationally for reasons that are not entirely understood. It is
now a UKBAP species with records from only seven sites. Dave was
able to show that the moth was still present in fairly good
numbers and he was able to find larvae in the wild, and created
suitable feeding sites on wilted oak leaves by leaving broken
small branches hanging from trees, on which he found feeding
larvae later in the year. This conservation project will
hopefully be ongoing with the aim to recreate suitable habitat
and eventually return the species to some of its former sites.
MACROLEPIDOPTERA
There was one new larger moth for the county in 2003. Rosemary
Winnall caught a Welsh Wave Venusia cambrica in her moth-trap
at Bliss Gate on 25/7/02. This moth feeds on Rowan and is not
normally a migrant, but is resident to the north and west of us
in Wales and Shropshire. It will be interesting to see if this
was a casual vagrant or might represent an extension to its
breeding range.
Another new species turned up on 16/8/02 when eight Devon
Carpet Lampropteryx otregiata came to lights along the
Dowles Brook in the Wyre Forest. However they all stubbornly kept
to the Salop side of the brook with none in my trap in VC37 only
40 yards away! So they have still not technically been recorded
for Worcestershire. They are probably a new arrival from the
west, and seem likely to be resident in the wet flushes along
both sides of the Dowles Brook, feeding on Marsh Bedstraw.
I was surprised and delighted to be brought an Orange Footman Eilema
sororcula by Peter Garner that had come to his porch light
on 16/5/02 at West Malvern. The moth used to occur in Monk Wood,
Tiddesley Wood, at Cotheridge, and Middleyard Coppice near
Bransford, but the last record was in 1902. The nearest resident
population is in the lower Wye valley. Then when this year I
received the print out for the Rothhampsted Trap at Westmancote
on Bredon Hill for 2001, there was a record for another Orange
Footman from last year. One each year in successive years with no
records since 1902 makes simple migration less likely, so keep an
eye out for this pretty moth which may be expanding its range.
Kevin McGee photographed a clearwing, which alighted briefly on a
marsh thistle flowerhead, in Tiddesley Wood on 18/8/02. He was
delighted to show me a photo of a worn male Red-tipped Clearwing Synanthedon
formicaeformis which had not been seen in VC37 since records
near Worcester in the nineteenth century . In April I collected
some logs of Goat Willow which had been left on the ground next
to the village pond at Crowle Green after clearance operations,
and which had "sawdust" filled holes in their cut ends.
Three Lunar-Hornet Clearwings Aegeria bembeciformis
emerged in the summer, and when released next to the pond one
flew straight up into the top of the willows. Where forestry or
ride clearance work has been done look for recent cut small
pieces of timber containing possible clearwing feedings, and
stand these in damp sand in a container, and you may succeed in
breeding out some of these fascinating insects. Ian Duncan was
again successful in attracting some Red-belted Clearwings S.
myopaeformis to his pheromone lures at Melrose Farm Meadows,
and also some Currant Clearwings S. tipuliformis at a
farm near Powick. I was totally unsuccessful myself however in
Bransford and at the Knapp, but the weather did not give us many
good days suitable for daytime clearwing hunting in 2002.
Migrants were very uncommon this year. The only notable ones were
a single Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua on 1/6/02
at Crossway Green (Mike Southall), and a Gem Orthonama obstipata
on 21/10/02 at Stoke Prior (Jeff Rush).
Blomer's Rivulet Discoloxia blomeri was seen at Hanley
Dingle and Ribbesford Wood, which is a further spread of this
species which has been increasing in Herefordshire. Mike Southall
had a Dusky-lemon Sallow Xanthia gilvago to light on 20/9/02.
This moth has now become very uncommon since the onset of the Elm
Disease, so it is nice to see it is still "hanging on".
Jeff Rush recorded a Crescent Celaena leucostigma on 17/8/02
in a wet area near the canal and river just east of Hawford. This
is a very rarely seen species in our area. There have been
records of Square-spot Paradarisa consonaria from Wyre
Forest, Uffmoor Wood, and Gannow Wood, and the Satin Beauty Deileptenia
ribeata, the Barred Hook-tip Watsonalla cultraria,
the Bird's Wing Dypterygia scabriuscula, the Buff
Footman Eilema depressa= deplana, and the Dingy Footman Eilema
griseola continue to increase and spread, and the Sycamore Acronicta
aceris was recorded at Stoke Prior, Bransford, and the
Knapp, and after the 2001 record this suggests that it is now
moving into our area. Rosemary Winnall recorded a single Autumn
Green Carpet C. miata at Stoke Bliss on 5/10/02.
One of our priority species in the West Midlands, the Argent and
Sable Rheumaptera hastata, was not seen at all in Wyre
Forest and no larvae were found, and another, the Drab Looper Minoa
murinata, was only recorded twice: once by Dowles Brook in
Wyre Forest on 6/5/02 and once in Monk Wood on 1/6/02. The
weather in May/June in 2002 was not good for the recording of
these day flying species and we must hope for better conditions,
with nice sunny days in 2003!
Other notable Macrolepidoptera listed by 10km. square were:
SP05 Gannow Wood
Jeff Rush made a number of visits in April and May and recorded:
3 Mottled Grey Colostygia multistrigaria 21/4/02
c.35 Seraphim Lobophora halterata in 5/02
1 Tissue Triphosia dubitata 15/5/02
2 Square-spot Paradarisa consonaria 15/5/02
c30 Poplar Lutestring Tethea or in 5/02
SO74 Malvern Wells
1 Barred Hooktip 4/8/02 W. cultraria and
2 Buff Footman E. griseola 4-7/8/02 (Peter Holmes).
SO75 Bransford
2 Sycamore Acronicta aceris on 20/7/02 (ANBS)
The Knapp
1 Sycamore A. aceris on 28/7/02 (Fergus Henderson)
SO76 Hanley Dingle
1 Blomer's Rivulet Discoloxia blomeri 22/6/02 (Neil and
Corrina Gregory)
Kingswood
1 Rosy Footman Miltochrista miniata record from J.W.Meiklejohn
SO77 Wyre Forest
1 Broom-tip Chesias rufata on 19/4/02 (R.Winnall et. al.)
1 Lesser Cream Wave Scopula immutata 2/6/02 (J.Rush)
7 Satin Beauty D. ribeata over several visits (D. Grundy
and J. Rush)
4 Square-spot P. consonaria over several visits (D.
Grundy and J. Rush) and
large numbers of Bilberry Pug Pasiphila debiliata, 2
Orange Moth
Angerona prunaria, and over 20 Great Oak Beauty Hypomecis
roboraria
Ribbesford Wood
3 Blomer's Rivulet D. blomeri on 15/6/02 (R. Winnall et.
al.)
SO84 Ashmoor Common
1 Dingy Footman E. griseola on 21/7/02 (K. McGee)
1 Blackneck Lygephila pastinum on 6/7/02 (K.McGee)
SO86 Crossway Green
Mike Southall also recorded the following of particular interest:
1 Ochreous Pug Eupithecia indigata on 11/5/02
1 Mallow Larentia clavaria on 21/9/02
1 Scarce Tissue Rheumaptera cervinalis on 4/5/02
1 Light Brocade Lacanobia w-latinum on 17/5/02
SO88 Kingsford Country Park
1 Clouded Magpie Abraxas sylvata on 29/6/02 (D.Grundy
and J. Rush)
1 Suspected Parastichtis suspecta on 29/6/02 (D.Grundy
and J.Rush)
SO96 Stoke Prior
Jeff Rush recorded among many others the following of particular
interest:
1 Clay Triple-lines Cyclophora linearia 8/6/02
1 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Xanthoroe ferrugata on 20/7/02
5 Spinach Eulithis mellinata between 24/29/6/02
1 Barred Rivulet Perizoma bifaciata on 12/8/02
9 Buff Footman E. depressa
7 Dingy Footman E. griseola
2 Bird's Wing Dypterygia scabriuscula 166/02 & 12/8/02
2 Golden Plusia Polychrisia moneta on 5&17/7/02
SO97 Pepper Wood
D. Grundy and ANBS recorded:
11 Lead-coloured Pug Eupithecia plumbeolata on 22/6/02
1 Varied Coronet Hadena compta on 22/6/02
SO98 Uffmoor Wood
4 Square-spot P. consonaria on 25/5/02 (D. Grundy and J.Rush)
MICROLEPIDOPTERA
The second volume of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Atlas
covering all the microlepidoptera except for the Tortricids,
Pyralids, and Plumes was published at the end of January 2003 (copies
available from Jim and Christine Chance details after this
article), with the third volume planned for early 2004.
There were 6 smaller moths recorded in the county for the first
time in 2002:
Tachystola acroxantha (Meyrick)(the Ruddy Streak): Jim
and Christine Chance had a specimen of this species identified by
Mike Harper. It had come to actinic light in their garden in
Harborne on 30/7/02. I told them that this locality was just
inside VC39 (Staffordshire) for recording purposes. However when
later looking through some specimens that Dave Grundy had kept
from his garden trap in Balsall Heath, which is in VC37 despite
being in Birmingham, I found another, dated 25/6/02, which
confirms that this adventive Australian species is now resident
in the West Midland conurbation. Its larva feeds on dead and
decaying vegetation on the ground.
Mompha lacteella (Stephens): 2 specimens were taken at
light by D. Grundy and J. Rush in Wyre Forest on 2/6/02. The
larva feeds on willowherb species.
Spatalistis bifasciana (Hubner): 1 to my light-trap at
Ribbesford Wood on 15/6/02 was the first known VC37 record, but
when going through Dave Grundy's specimens that he had retained
for identification, I found 2 more from Lodge Hill Wyre Forest
dated 2/6/02 and 9/6/02. The larva feeds in the berries of alder
buckthorn, and sometimes purging buckthorn and dogwood.
Acleris hyemana (Haworth): a worn male at light by the
clay road in the Wyre forest on 19/4/02 (ANBS). The larva feeds
on heather and heath spp.
Ancylis upupana (Treischke): 2 examples of this species
came to light near Lodge Hill Farm, Wyre Forest on 2/6/02 (D.
Grundy and J. Rush). In this locality it is probably feeding on
birch rather than on elm, its other foodplant.
Ephestia cautella (Walker), also known as the Dried Currant Moth,
which is a synanthrope, feeding on seeds and dried fruit and nuts.
Recorded by Val Weston and Alan Prior at Hall Green, which is
just in VC37; probably originating from larvae in their bird food.
Messrs. Grundy and Rush also recorded a small black and white
tortrix on 2/6/02, which I was able to identify as Epinotia
demarniana (Fischer von Roslerstamm), and I saw 2 more at
light myself at Ribbesford Wood on 15/6/02. This is another birch
feeder of which there is only one previous VC37 record. There is
a specimen in the Worcester Museum collection labelled "Worcs."
21/6/1902, so it is nice to find it is still around and to have
some definite localities for it now.
On 30/5/02 Jenny Joy was going into Ribbesford Wood at about 11.0a.m.
when she noticed 8 small moths resting on a wooden gate-post in
the sunshine. She noticed how very pretty they were and put a
container over one to get it identified later. She gave the
specimen to Neil Gregory who put an image of it on a moth website
and an old friend, John Langmaid replied to say it looked like Schiffermuellerina
grandis (Devignes), a rare moth nationally. In fact the
original "Type specimen", from which Desvignes
described this insect for the first time in 1842, and which is in
the national collection at the Natural History Museum South
Kensington, came from "Bewdley, Worcs."
I was able to examine the specimen and confirm the identity. On
the 15/6/02 in another part of the same wood, quite by chance I
found another of the same species in the bottom of my moth trap!
The larva feeds in dead wood, and the moth is reported to be
usually diurnal, flying in the sunshine in the morning.
Other notable smaller moths:
Tinea dubiella Stainton Stoke Prior 2/6/02 (J. Rush)
Bucculatrix demaryella (Duponchel) 3 at Wyre Forest on 2/6/02
(D. Grundy and J. Rush)
Caloptilia populetorum (Zeller) Stoke Prior 12/9/02 and
Bilberry Hill 14/9/02 (J. Rush)
Yponomeuta rorrella (Hubner) Bransford 29/7/02 (ANBS)
Swammerdamia compunctella Herrich-Schaffer Wyre Forest 2/6/02,
the second VC37 record (J. Rush)
Coleophora alcyonipennella (Kollar) frischella auct.
Wyre Forest 2/6/02 (J. Rush)
Pseudatemelia josephinae (Toll) Wyre Forest 7/7/02 (D.
Grundy)
Pseudotelphusa scalella (Scopoli) Gannow Wood 16/5/02 (J.
Rush) as well as several from Wyre Forest where it is regularly
recorded.
Pseudotelphusa paripunctella (Thunberg) several from
Wyre Forest 2-9/6/02 (D. Grundy and J. Rush)
Gelechia rhombella (Denis & Schiffermuller) 1 at
light at Stoke Prior 12/9/02 (J.Rush)
Commophila aeneana (Hubner) 1 near Bredon's Norton 30/5/02
(P. Garner)
Cochylis hybridella (Hubner) 1 at St. Wulstans Nature
Reserve near Malvern 1/7/02 (ANBS)
Ancylis uncella (Denis & Schiffermuller) 1 at Wyre
Forest 2/6/02 (J. Rush)
Pempelia formosa (Haworth) 1 at Crossway Green 16/7/02 (M.
Southall)
Dioryctria simplicella Heinemann= mutatella Fuchs
2 in the Wyre Forest on 5/7/02 (J. Rush).
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