Six people attended a short-notice moth-trapping event in Lesnes woods last night (21st August) that, it is hoped, will lead to further work next year to help plug an important gap in modern records available for the site. This will be important in informing habitat management work here.
Ron Waters who lives nearby at Bostall provided a mercury vapour and two actinic light traps, all of which were battery-powered. The former was set out in the Ransom glade, to the west of New Road, where it appeared to be attracting more moths than the actinics which had been placed some distance away. Unfortunately it also excited the interest of a potentially dangerous number of Hornets and had to be turned off early in the proceedings, as they were crashing into the participants, who besides Ron were Lesnes Estate Manager Ian Holt, trainee Fay, volunteer John, Alan from Meopham who is a recent convert to moth-ing and was looking for more experience, and Chris.
Alan, Ron, John, Ian and Fay surround one of the actinic traps.
Whilst conditions were good, only 14 species of moth made an appearance, including a Micro the identity of which still has to be determined. It was thought that this was due to the peak moth season having ended. The number of other insects caught was also low, and included a few adult Caddis flies, a handful of true flies, some Shieldbugs (several juveniles plus an adult of the Forest Bug, primarily a denizen of Oak woodland), a few Oak Bush Crickets and an Ichneumon type species. The recent cooler weather with downpours may have brought general invertebrate numbers down.
The broad-leaved woodland specialists trapped were two Black Arches and four Maiden’s Blush.
A Black Arches (Lymantria monacha) at the Lesnes moth-trapping session, one of two woodland specialist species found.
The other species recorded were Centre-barred Sallow (1), Light Emerald (4), Brimstone (1), Copper Underwing (1), Beautiful Carpet (1), Common Carpet (2), Peach Blossom (1), Wax (2), Meal (1), Vine’s Rustic (1) and, somewhat disconcertingly under a closed tree canopy, the non-native Box moth (2 – one of each colour form), although we were not a huge distance from housing.
Beautiful Carpet (Mesoleuca albicillata) was one of the species that turned up.
The Peach Blossom (Thyatira batis) tends to inhabit woodland, and has larvae that feed on Bramble.
Centre-Barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago), moderately common in the south of England, trapped at Lesnes (Photo: Alan Roman)
Ron has agreed to run more moth-trapping sessions here next year, and Ian is keen for more wildlife recorders across all taxa, including birds, to help him improve our knowledge of the current inhabitants of the woodland and parkland at Lesnes. Contact: <Ian.Holt@bexley.gov.uk>
Report and (unless otherwise stated) photos by Chris Rose
