A Rare Treat

Clifden Nonpareil, Catocala fraxini.  Crowborough, 4 September 2018.

This is a Clifden Nonpareil, sometimes called Blue Underwing. It was once resident in the UK, but died out, and was then seen only as an occasional immigrant.  It is re-establishing itself, but still is only seen a few times a year away from the coast.  So I was lucky that this specimen appeared on my garden fence above the light of my moth trap.

I saw it from my kitchen window before dawn and thought I might have a Red Underwing.

Red Underwing, Catocala nupta.  West Wickham Common, 8 September 2016.

That would have been good because although these are not scarce, they rarely come to light, and I have only seen two, both at West Wickham Common.  But no!  It was bigger and better than that.

Clifden Nonpareil, Catocala fraxini.  Crowborough, 4 September 2018.

And it is big, one of our biggest moths.   The Old Lady is quite sizeable:

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

.. But it's not as big, and it lacks the flashy underwings.  For size, you might consider Hawk-moths; they are pretty big, like this Privet Hawk-moth that some trappers brought to Sevenoaks.

Privet Hawkmoth, Sphinx ligustri.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 7 July 2013.

I saw one at Hayes the next year.  These were very impressive.  Incidentally, blue is a rare colour among moths.  I only know one other in Britain with some blue, and it's another Hawk-moth:

Eyed Hawk-moth, Smerinthus ocellata.  Crowborough, 3 July 2017.

All of these were a real pleasure to see and handle.  But the Clifden nonpareil is the rarest.

Clifden Nonpareil, Catocala fraxini.  Crowborough, 4 September 2018.

Sevenoak Moths August 2018

Acleris emargana.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 29 August 2018

There was a reasonable collection of late Summer moths in the trap at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve this month.  One moth was sitting on top of the trap - this one, Acleris emargana.

Acleris emargana.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 29 August 2018

It's a species I have not seen before.  There is a confusion species, Acleris effractana, but as that lives in Scotland I think this identification is pretty safe.

Most of the others were quite common types.  This one:

Snout, Hypena proboscidalis.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 29 August 2018

Does not look the way we normally expect because it is a second generation specimen, darker than the first generation and lacking some of the normal markings. 

Square-spot Rustic, Xestia xanthographa.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 29 August 2018

The Square-spot Rustic is an autumnal species, basically brown but often with rich reddish undertones.  It's well named for its distinctive straight-edged spots.

Spectacle, Abrostola tripartita.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 29 August 2018

Spectacles crop up during most of the summer.  This side view shows the prominent crests, formed of long scales.

European corn-borer, Ostrinia nubialis.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 29 August 2018

This European Corn-borer is one I don't see very often so I was glad of the chance to get a good clear photo.  I took a mug-shot as well.  It was just an occasional migrant until the 1930s but is gradually getting established in the UK.  Over here, it actually lives on Mugwort rather than being a crop pest.

European corn-borer, Ostrinia nubialis.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 29 August 201

Ashdown Woods

Ashdown Forest looking south from below Church Hill car park, 19 August 2018

Hot and dry weather has been kind to this part of the Ashdown, which I think must never be entirely dry.  Water runs down this slope into a stream at the bottom.  Here, the heather is in full bloom (this is Ling, Calluna vulgaris) and there is plenty of bracken, broom and young silver birches.  The larger trees are Scots Pine.

Path from Marden Hill to the Secret Lake, 19 August 2018

This path runs parallel to the stream.  Here the uphill slope is to the left, and lush Pendulous Sedges line the path on the damper side, where water tends to collect.

Part of the Old Mill, 19 August 2018

Some old stonework, overgrown with trees and their roots, is part of the Old Mill.  I mentioned that in another post with photos from the same pathway, here: Ashdown Woodland Track.

There are several areas where one type of vegetation seems to run riot.  The Pendulous Sedges above are an example.

Woodland grass.  19 August 2018

This is another.  I don't know what grass this is. The smaller clumps at the front are Wood Melick, but I'm not good at identifying grasses so the larger one has me stumped.  It is certainly doing well here, though.

Here's a photo from close by this spot, taken last year:

Hard Fern, Blechnum spicant.  Ashdown Forest, 20 October 2017.

To show that it's not just grass that can take over a section of woodland.  These are Hard Fern, and I have not seen this many on one spot elsewhere.

Track through the woods, Ashdown Forest, 22 August 2018.

Other inviting tracks lead off from this one.  Here's one - with a row of rushes in its centre, another sign of damp ground.

A few views of Wakehurst

A meadow at Wakehurst, West Sussex.  17 August 2018.

Wakehurst is a botanic garden in West Sussex, owned by the National Trust but run by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.  It's half an hour's drive from my current house and I joined as a friend soon after moving here.

These are just a few shots from a recent visit. 

A path at Wakehurst, West Sussex.  17 August 2018.

It's styled as a "wild" botanic garden, but it only merits that name in comparison with Kew where almost everything is in glasshouses.  It's intensively tended and kept up.

On my way in I noticed some small Wollemi Pines for sale.  This is a rare tree.  (Wollemia nobilis, family Auracariaceae.) There are less than 100 specimens known in the wild.  As you might expect, these small potted plants were very expensive.  But later, on this path, I recognised the young conifers at either side - this is a Wollemi Pine pathway!  They are doing very well.  I don't think they would be selling them unless there were plenty of spares.

Sandstone at Wakehurst, West Sussex.  17 August 2018.

In common with many spots in Sussex, Wakehurst has several sandstone outcrops.  Picturesque tree growth like this is easy to find.  What's odd about this particular spot is that the path on this side of the wooden bridge does not seem to go anywhere.

Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, West Sussex.  17 August 2018.

Outside the Millennium Seed Bank are a set of plots with different soil types - gravel, hillside, chalk, hay meadow, wet meadow and others.  It is interesting to see examples of the different ecologies. 

Sign showing various charges at Wakehurst, West Sussex.  April and August 2018.

But one thing they don't seem to be able to do is produce clear and unambiguous signage.  The old version (on the left) just stopped my in my tracks.  What, it costs £25 to get in if you're a Friend?   And why is it free to enter the car park for a day, but also £10 to park for a day? 

The new version (probably produced because rates had increased) does away with the first oddity.  But it still says that an adult ticket is free.  If only the sign had read "Adult Ticket Holders" it would have been quite clear ...

Catkins

Hazel catkins on Hayes Common, 5 February 2017.

I was searching my photo folders with the key work "cat" and I came across a lot of interesting pictures, including cathedrals and catkins.  So here are some of the catkins.

This photo is what people probably think of first.  Hazel catkins in early spring.  This is the male reproductive organ, and you can tap off showers of pollen.  It is spread by the wind to the tiny red female flowers:

Hazel, female flower.  The Knoll, Hayes, 19 February 2017.

No petals, because they do not need to attract insects.  Just sticky stigmas, with some tiny yellow pollen grains already stuck on.

These catkins are one of the first signs of spring, showing new growth on the trees.  But quite a few different sorts of trees use catkins to reproduce.

Pussy Willow catkins in Jubilee Country Park, 15 March 2011.

Pussy Willow is what we called this where I grew up, because the catkins were soft and furry.  These ones have been rained on!  It seems to be more often called Goat Willow here in the south, which matches its scientific name, Salix caprea.  The female flowers are on separate trees and are also bunched up into a sort of catkin:

Female goat willow catkins, Hayes common; 2 April 2011.

These are either Pussy Willow or a close relative.   Other catkin trees include:

Catkin of a Silver Birch.  Hayes Common SSSI, 16 May 2012.

Birches - this one is Silver Birch.

Oak catkins in Spring Park, 22 April 2011.

Oaks.  These rather straggly catkins can sometimes have their own parasitic galls, caused by the sexual generation of same gall wasp that produces leaf galls later in the year.

Currant Galls, sexual generation of the gall wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum.  Heathfield Road, Keston.  4 May 2015.

And the last catkin tree that I have photos of, Alders.

Alder catkins, Alnus glutinosa, on the roadside on Hayes Lane, Hayes.  4 March 2013.

You can see the alder cones, but otherwise this looks a lot like a tall Hazel.  But these catkins can sometimes be quite showy.

Alder catkins, Alnus glutinosa. Cudham recreation ground, 25 February 2012.

On the Fence

Moths on the fence near my light trap.  Crowborough, 14 July 2018.

On any good mothing night there is a collection of moths near, but not inside, the light trap.  It's interesting that the moths that have chosen to rest on the grey wood are more or less neutral in colour, with some patterning that might help to disguise their outlines.

Black Arches, Lymantria monacha.  On the fence near my light trap in Crowborough on 13 July 2018

Though, disguised or not, some of them, like this Black Arches, are quite worth a closer look.

Nearby, on a patch with a little bit of alga and lichen growth, was a moth with a more colourful pattern.

Sallow Kitten, Furcula furcula.  On the fence near my light trap in Crowborough, 13 July 2018.

A Sallow Kitten, the only one I have seen this year.

And here are a couple of photos from that night just because I like them

Udea olivalis.  In my light trap in Crowborough, 13 July 2018.

 A mugshot of Udea olivalis, which usually rests with its antennae flat along its back - here, it's become alert.

And when I released the moths, this Canary-shouldered Thorn decided to park upside down ...

Canary-shouldered Thorn, Ennomos alniaria.  From my light trap in Crowborough, 13 July 2018.

I'll do something non-mothy next time.

Country Park Butterflies

Gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus.  Crowborough Country Park, 6 July 2018.

Crowborough Country Park is a small but scenic area managed by our local ranger.  It was a clay quarry as recently as 1980, and has since been improved as an amenity and nature reserve.  I walked round today and saw many butterflies.  We have had two weeks of hot dry weather, and yesterday a thunderstorm gave everything a thorough wetting.  The sun's back today and the butterflies love it.

The top photo is the first Gatekeeper I have seen this year.  It was in a pleasant glade.

Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus. Crowborough Country Park, 6 July 2018.

On the way up to the glade I saw this Holly Blue on the path.  I had to follow it round to get this photo.  That is true of almost all my butterfly photos and all the day-flying moth shots, too.

Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria. Crowborough Country Park, 6 July 2018.

The glade was being shared by Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Speckled Woods like this one, Gatekeepers like the one at the top, some white butterflies - some definitely Large Whites, some might have been Small Whites but they didn't stop near enough for me to tell.  And this big orange beauty feeding on a Marsh Thistle:

Silver-washed Fritillary, Argynnis paphia.  Crowborough Country Park, 6 July 2018.

A male Silver-washed Fritillary.  It was keeping high and I could not get really close, but this photo shows it nicely.  These Fritillaries are not really rare, their population is fairly stable, but they are still marked as of some concern, so it's good to see them. 

Also in the glade was a small moth, a Straw Grass-veneer:

Straw Grass-veneer, Agriphila straminella.  Crowborough Country Park, 6 July 2018.

Properly called Agriphila straminella.  This and other similar moths do not fly by day by choice, but they are very easily disturbed and they fly around to look for another resting-place.

On my way out I passed one of the park's ponds and photographed this Large Red Damselfly:

Large Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula.  Crowborough Country Park, 6 July 2018.

There were no dragonflies there at that time, but I had seen one earlier and I was told there were nymphs in the pond, so I'll probably see more later.

A Boxful

Moths from a garden light trap in an egg box.  25 June 2018.

When I have counted and photographed moths from my garden light trap, I tap as many as I can into one or two of these small egg boxes and then tap them out over concealing plant life.  If I am not careful, blackbirds scour the fence and the ground and pick off what they can.  In fact I have to get out just as it gets light or the blackbirds beat me to it.

Some species will fly off when tapped or persuaded out of their resting place, but many more don't seem to have the energy.  This selection includes 8 Noctuidae, 5 Geometridae, 2 Erebidae and one Sphingidae.  That relates to the numbers in the trap as well as their normal energy levels.  Noctuidae tend to just sit there, and sometimes lie on their backs.  Sphingidae hang on grimly but will fly if they can warm up.  Many Geometridae are quite frisky, and some usually escape before they can be counted.

To continue ...

Swallow-tailed Moth, Ourapteryx sambucaria.  In my garden light trap set on 22 June 2018

Nearly two months since my last post!  I keep getting material together and thinking it's not yet complete enough.   That isn't working, so I'll just post ... some stuff.  Starting with moths.

This is a Swallow-tailed Moth, one of our larger and prettier species.  Above it's on my finger.  Here it's on my garden fence:

Swallow-tailed Moth, Ourapteryx sambucaria.  In my garden light trap set on 22 June 2018

I've been running my garden trap three times a week in the warm weather, and seeing some interesting moths, including several I have not seen before.  For example:

Bordered White, Bupalus piniaria.  On the fence near my garden light trap set on 20 June 2018

A Bordered White, which would not open its wings while at rest, rather like a butterfly in that respect.  There have also been a few with plush upholstery, like this Purple Clay:

Purple Clay, Diarsia brunnea.  In my garden light trap set on 20 June 2018.

And this Rustic Shoulder-knot.

Rustic Shoulder-knot, Apamea sordens.  In my garden light trap set on 12 June 2018

Moths got the name "shoulder-knot" for those dark streaks beside the shoulder fur.  Knots they are not, but "shoulder" is reasonably accurate.

So, this is not a very well organised post, but at least it is one.