Kelsey Park Moths 2015

Mother of Pearl, Pleuroptya ruralis.  Kelsey Park, 28 August 2015.

While the bat walkers were moving round the lake in Kelsey Park, I was looking for moths.  I saw this Mother of Pearl flying around.  It ignored the light trap and landed on the underside of a leaf on a nearby bush.  With some contortions, I managed to get this photo of it, before capturing it in a plastic pot.  I would have at least one moth to show the bat people!

But actually there were half a dozen eventually.  This Maiden's Blush turned up in the trap quite soon.

Maiden's Blush, Cyclophora punctaria.  Kelsey Park, 28 August 2015.

You can see the dark patches on its wings from which it gets its common name.  And also in the trap were two smaller moths.

Chequered Grass-veneer, Catoptria falsella.  Kelsey Park, 28 August 2015.

This Chequered Grass-veneer is one of a group of very similar moths which you can often see flying ahead of you if you walk through long summer grass.  They are easily disturbed in the day.

Piniphila bifasciana.  Kelsey Park, 28 August 2015.

The larvae of this little Piniphila bifasciana live on Scots Pine, of which there are several specimens near the trap.   I was pleased to be able to identify this, as it is a new species for me. 

Just before we packed up, an old favourite flew into the trap.

Old Lady, Mormo maura.  Kelsey Park, 28 August 2015.

This is quite a large moth, though not really showy.  We have seen this species here before.  And during the bat walk on 1 September, arranged late to cope with unexpected demand, one of these was the only moth to settle in the trap.  It might even have been the same individual.  My photo from 1 September shows noticeably more wear than this one.

We only had two other moths,  a Double-striped Pug and a Vine's Rustic, and I don't have a decent photo of either, so I will finish with another view of the reliable Old Lady.

Old Lady, Mormo maura.  Kelsey Park, 28 August 2015.

Dark red eyes and purple legs.  So not entirely dowdy!

Let me just add that all the creatures that came to my light trap were, as always, released unharmed.