Sevenoaks Moths for March

Oak Beauty, Biston strataria.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 24 March 2018.

Once a month (usually) I go to Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve to unpack a moth trap that has been set out behind the visitor centre the evening before.  (These traps are harmless and the moths and any other visitors are all released.)

Here are some from the March catch that are all different from those I have had so far in Crowborough.  First, an Oak Beauty, one of the prettier early moths.

Early Thorn, Selenia dentaria.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 24 March 2018.

An Early Thorn.  Thorns are my favourite moths for looks.  This species sits with its wings clasped above its body, like a butterfly.

Yellow Horned, Achlya flavicornis.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 24 March 2018.

These are Yellow Horned.  They look only faintly yellow to the naked eye, and not really very horned, but enough of both for a good name to be found.  The one on the left is only showing its underwings because it has been disturbed.

Twin-spotted Quaker, Anorthoa munda.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 24 March 2018.

A Twin-spotted Quaker.  This moth is common in areas of deciduous woodland.

Brindled Beauty, Lycia hirtaria.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 24 March 2018.

A Brindled Beauty, showing off its antennae like huge eyebrows.

We also had this visitor in the trap:

A ground beetle, Carabus nemoralis.  Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, 24 March 2018.

A large ground beetle, Carabus nemoralis.  This is a carnivore, and although moths are not its normal diet (it likes slugs and worms) it will happily eat them if they come down to ground level.  I am pleased to say that I did not find any half-eaten specimens or discarded wings.  In my Hayes trap I often found left-over wings in the summer.  That was down to the local ants, which came in through cracks in my trap.  Lots of small creatures can be as dangerous as one large one.

moths moths moths

Small Brindled Beauty, Apocheima hispidaria.  In my light trap in Crowborough on 4 March 2018.

The moths are back!  Here are a few that have turned up in my garden light trap in Crowborough.  Some of these are moths I haven't seen before - they may well be common around here, but I haven't trapped in Crowborough at this time of year before.

This first one is a Small Brindled Beauty, one of those which are new to me.  Here's another new one:

Grey Shoulder-knot, Lithophane ornitopus.  In my light trap in Crowborough on 11 March 2018.

A Grey Shoulder-knot.  Moths with stripes on their shoulders like this one were called shoulder-knots.  There are three others in this country, though one of them has only been seen once.

Hebrew Character, Orthosia gothica.  In my light trap in Crowborough on 11 March 2018.

Unlike this Hebrew Character, which is extremely common.  It gets its common name from the resemblance of its marking to the Hebrew letter Nun.

Here's another common one:

Common Quaker, Orthosia cerasi.  In my light trap in Crowborough on 11 March 2018.

A Common Quaker.  This shows in its simplest form the typical wing markings of the family Noctuidae, usually called the oval and the kidney-mark, though I often see the kidney-mark referred to as the reniform stigma, which means exactly the same but in language which says "I am an expert, so you have to believe what I say."

The Hebrew Character above has exactly the same markings, but they are disguised by the rest of its wing pattern.  You can also see them on the Grey Shoulder-knot, but again they are mixed in with the rest of the pattern.

Small Quaker, Orthosia cruda.  In my light trap in Crowborough on 11 March 2018.

On this Small Quaker, you can see the kidney-mark clearly, but the oval is almost completely invisible.

These last three moths are not only in the same family, Noctuidae, but belong to the same genus, Orthosia.

Wide Angle Moorland

Old Lodge Nature Reserve, Ashdown Forest.  22 February 2018

I walked around part of the Old Lodge nature reserve with an extra wide angle lens on my camera.  It's just a cheap add-on, and not very sharp, but it gives quite atmospheric results. 

This is a ridge and ditch which runs down the hill.  It looks like an old border marker.

Old Lodge Nature Reserve, Ashdown Forest.  22 February 2018

Near the entrance, some trees were being trimmed back.

Old Lodge Nature Reserve, Ashdown Forest.  22 February 2018

You can find some flowers on Gorse nearly all year, though they are not abundant all the time.  It puts on the best show early in the year.   Back in Hayes I used to see early bumble bees taking advantage of this.  It's too early yet for those, though.

Dwarf gorse is quite common on the Ashdown.  It is at its most showy later in the year.

Old Lodge Nature Reserve, Ashdown Forest.  22 February 2018

There are some ponds and marshy areas near the path that circles the reserve.  There are dragonflies in season ...

Old Lodge Nature Reserve, Ashdown Forest.  22 February 2018

This last shot was taken with an ordinary 24mm wide angle lens.  It's much sharper, and the resulting pictures are easier to crop.  I like the circular pics for an occasional change of mood, but it's not an everyday lens.