by Ian Bushell
Last Sunday we were invited by Simon and Carey, the owners of Southwick Court, to carry out a moth trapping in their garden. In the evening Hugo and I set up the moth trap in the old orchard and we returned on Monday morning to see what had flown into the trap and to identify them. Carey brought us hot tea and took many photographs.
Moths, unlike butterflies which only really fly in the spring and summer, are seasonal, thus we were hoping to see the autumn moths as opposed to the other seasons.
Altogether 40 moths flew into the trap: nine species including one that Hugo took away to identify. Seven of the nine species identified are first records in the reserve.
Click on the pictures to identify the moths; the Feathered Ranunculus is the header picture.
- Merveille du Jour 2
- Beaded Chestnut 12
- Chestnut 8
- Lunar Underwing 10
- Barred Sallow 4
- Willow Beauty 1
- Common Marbled Carpet 1
- Brown-spot Pinion 1
- Feathered Ranunculus 1 (See below)
The last one, the Feathered Ranunculus, is the one that Hugo took away to identify. It is a coastal species, not usually found so far inland.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 
You do let them go again don’t you? 😳
Absolutely!