Kent Moth News

Last updated on 1st March 2010

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2009

First steps in looking for the early stages and life history of Bohemannia auriciliella (Joannis, 1908).

On 7th July 1973, the late Eric Bradford found a male moth sitting on a tree trunk in Childs Forstal Wood, just outside Canterbury. At the time, the moth was believed to be new to science and the late Maitland Emmet named the moth Ectoedemia bradfordi in honour of its finder. Details were published in Ent. Gaz. 25: 269-276. At the time Eric found an unrecognised vacant mine on a leaf lying on the ground under a Wild Service Tree Sorbus torminalis.

Margaret Smith, niece of Eric Bradford, came to the Kent Branch AGM and Members day at Lenham this year and made herself known. Conversation turned to the moth, how little was known about it including if it was still there and it was decided to visit the site to do some homework. Eric purchased the wood to protect the moth and in his will left it as a reserve to the Kent Wildlife Trust. With the pub becoming a private home, its car park was lost to those visiting the wood before or after refreshment. Parking is now only available at one of the nurseries close by or in the lane to the north; not much help for moth trapping. All this means the reserve is rarely visited these days, however four of us, Margaret Smith, David Gardner, Ian and Rosemary Ferguson met up at 10.30 hours on 8th November to conduct a survey.

A goodly number of mines were identified, making the visit worthwhile for recording purposes alone. The full house of those expected on Hazel were soon located, including Parornix devoniella – always helpful as the genus is not determinable from the adult. The Wild Service Tree yielded the mine of the Firethorn Leaf Miner Phyllonorycter leucographella. This moth will regularly stray from its normal pabulum and has been found on Hawthorn (Crataegus sp.), and Apple (Malus sp.) as well as Wild Service-tree and Pyracantha. It can be recognised because it is the only species of it’s kind that forms a mine around a midrib which produces a plain shiny surface. Crab Apple, Rose, Bramble, Hornbeam Carpinus betulus, etc. yielded further mines. More importantly the Wild Service Trees have Phyllonorycter mespilella for which there were ten Kent records before this day The last East Kent record was of course Eric's at this wood. The Oak yielded a Phyllonorycter lautella mine which Eric had previously also found there, Francis Solly found an adult at this wood in 2002.

My abiding memories of Eric are his boyish enthusiasm, his creativity and his wealth of knowledge. As a child I remember him with pockets full of tubes and a little spy glass ( which I still have ) – his excitement at an unusual moth emerging from underneath our Aga – Meal Moth Pyralis farinalis.It seems impossible that it was nearly 40 years ago he thought he had found a moth new to science, to be named after him by the late, great Maitland Emmett. Many years later after he had suffered a stroke, I visited him in hospital, where despite having lost some mobility and speech he startled the nurses by asking them to empty the fluorescent light casing so he could examine it for the remains of any moths.

Now, with my family independent and being at the age he was when he made his discovery I find myself rather humbly ‘following in his footsteps’. I have no specialist knowledge, but I know a little about lots of things. I am interested in flora, birds, fungi, dragonflies, butterflies, moths – the more I find out the more I realise there is to learn. Hence joining the Butterfly Conservation earlier this year.

I must thank David, Ian and Rosemary for the trip to Child’s Forstal. I  only wish Eric had been there in person rather than in spirit. I feel compelled to resolve the question of the Ectoedemia bradfori.

Oh – and add leaf miners to my list!!

Childs Forstal Wood Moths Recorded on 08/11/2009
ID by David C Gardner
Leaves collected by DCG Ian and Rosemary Ferguson and Margaret Smith

David Gardner

2008

It is almost a year since Butterfly Conservation officially launched Moths Count. This partnership project aims to raise awareness of the importance of moths, stimulate and encourage moth recording in the wider community, and to establish an ongoing National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS) for macro-moths. The NMRS database will provide status, trend and distribution information which will, among many other things, help to identify conservation priorities for the 900+ species of macro-moth.

The Moths Count team has been very busy arranging public moth events to draw in new people to moth recording. In 2007, 33 of these free events were held, attracting over 700 people, many of whom had no previous mothing encounters! Several were held with primary schools. The project also developed Garden Moths Count, a simple 'citizen science' survey of distinctive, common moths aimed at the gardening public and their families. Attractive and informative leaflets and fact sheets were produced to help people find out more about moths and moth recording. We believe that engaging and enthusing new people, especially children, is important for the future of moth recording.

Our free training events, which aim to support and enhance the skills of the existing moth recording community, were highly successful in 2007. Over 300 people attended a range of training courses and feedback was very positive. The training was aimed at moth recorders with varying levels of experience from 'introduction to moths' events through to identifying difficult moths by their genitalia and surveys for UK Biodiversity Action Plan moths. At least 70 more public moth events and training workshops are planned for 2008. For further details of events near you please visit www.mothscount.org

Much behind the scenes work has been going on leading to the establishment of the NMRS. Database hardware and software have been installed, the NMRS data policy has been circulated and a national recording network has been developed. For the first time in a quarter of a century, we have a national recording scheme that covers all of the macro-moths! The national network continues to grow and 25 new County Moth Recorders have been recruited to fill gaps. The four national gatherings for moth recorders held in 2007 were a huge success. These meetings took place in England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man. In the autumn we will be holding a meeting in Northern Ireland and discussions are underway for a visit to the Channel Islands. Further national meetings are planned in 2009, and further details will follow once dates and locations have been finalised.

Progress with the National Moth Recording Scheme database is forging ahead and County Moth Recorders are being approached for copies of local datasets. At the time of writing, we have collated 23 vice-county datasets, equating to around 2.5 million moth records! These are currently being formatted for incorporation into the NMRS database. A further wave of dataset requests will go out shortly. Over the next few months, the NMRS database will continue to grow not only in the number of records, but also in geographical coverage. Later this year, we hope to produce the first provisional distribution maps through the Moths Count website - the first time national maps have been available for all of the macro-moths. How can you take part in the NMRS? It is easy, simply continue to send your moth records to your County Moth Recorder.

During 2008, we will also start to put together a critical species booklet. This will be an up-to-date resource about moths that are troublesome to identify. We will continue to support the existing moth recording community in various ways including the provision of an extended program of training events. Don't forget National Moth Night (and day) on 7 June 2008; as ever, many events have been planned by local moth groups, natural history societies and Butterfly Conservation branches for the annual celebration of moths and moth recording. With a daytime element and the first ever target habitat (orchards), there is every reason to organise a public event and introduce new people to the wonderful world of moths. Garden Moths Count will run again this year from 21 June to 6 July; this two week window will hopefully provide some great conditions for moths. There is also a year-long online survey of the Humming-bird Hawk-moth being carried out in association with BBC Radio 4. The beauty of these Garden Moths Count surveys is that participants do not need any specialist equipment or knowledge to get involved so they are ideal for friends and family who are not yet active moth-ers. For further details visit www.mothscount.org.

The recruitment and engagement of the public will also continue so we have another busy year ahead of us! The Moths Count team would like to thank all of the enthusiastic individuals and organisations who are continuing to support this exciting project.

For more information about the Moths Count project or National Moth Recording Scheme or to join the project mailing list please visit www.mothscount.org or contact us (Kent Branch) for more contact details.

Zoë Randle and Richard Fox - Moth Count - Butterfly Conservation

2007

January began wet and dull but there was promise of colder weather to come so I looked forward to some serious frosts and a more "normal" winter than of late. I had yet to begin my usual search for Purple Hairstreak eggs but my planned start was curtailed by a very severe back problem. I was loading a sheet of A4 into a shreader when, wallop, agony. This was to be the case for the whole of January and all thoughts of field work were forgotten in bouts of chiropractics and acupuncture that lasted well into February. I even missed out on a White Hill work party, a first for me in years but I simply could not walk let alone man a brush cutter. Things looked a little better on the 24th when we awoke to half-an-inch of snow, not much, but a start perhaps? Afraid not. The remainder of the month was mild and very unlike January in every respect.

The first frost of February appeared on the 7th but was not at all severe but was followed by 2" of snow that gridlocked Kent the following day. This was short-lived and rain soon cleared it to leave some unseasonably mild days once again. Despite this weather, I failed to see a single butterfly when I felt sure a Peacock or Brimstone would show. One or two records were coming in but nothing to excite me too much and wet, foul weather followed for much of the month.

A hint of what was to follow began in March as the daytime temperatures were exceptionally mild and I saw my first Commas on the 12th. In fact, Commas outnumbered most spring butterflies and appear to have done very well indeed but the moth count was way down. A short session in a nearby wood only produced eleven species with only the Small Quaker in any numbers, far removed from a normal year where fifty plus would have been expected. A lamping session at White Hill was carried out in foul weather on the 23rd and no moths were recorded despite a concerted effort.

If March was matter-of-fact, April was a real belter. I took some time off work and enjoyed a week of beautiful weather, catching up on my walking in Sussex. The 2nd rewarded me with my first of many Orange Tips and various whites, not in Kent but welcome after such a poor start. A mothing session in a normally very productive wood at Kilndown rewarded me with twenty species but, once again, the number of individuals was pitifully low. A visit to High Halden gave me several Brimstones and Peacocks and dozens of Commas but no sign of the Small Tortoiseshell yet again. This butterfly is in all sorts of trouble in Kent and we still do not understand why. A flash of orange had me racing along a track and thrashing in all direction to finally secure a Light Orange Underwing, a first for me and most inspiring. In my mad dash, had wandered into a private woodland and stumbled upon some very good habitat and, after a little investigation, secured permission to run a trap later in the week.

Contrary to the weather of the previous week, the night of the 10th was quite cold but I was able to place my traps under trees and settled down for a session in anticipation of a good night. Just twelve species were recorded from two traps, not only disappointing but also very worrying as this was becoming a trend. A catch of just ten species from my local wood on the 13th only confirmed my fears. Something was wrong. Orange Tips continued to do reasonably well but a search of the foodplants later in the month revealed very few larvae and this could not be the result of poor weather during the flight period as it was now ridiculously hot. The same applied to Peacocks and Commas, a good showing of adults post-hibernation and then no larvae.

A session on the 14th in a woodland at Staplehurst, where I have regularly trapped shed loads of moths in the past, produced 23 species for very few individuals once again. The daytime temperatures were crazy and more akin to August than April but still the moths did not show. Another bash in a local wood saw me packing up at 10 o'clock with just eight species from two traps and nothing more coming in. Most of the eight species could be counted as individuals with only Lunar Marbled Brown making the magic four. A friend had asked David and I to trap his local nature reserve at Paddock Wood, a good looking wood under sympathetic management and one that ought to have produced some good moths, but the 28th produced just 18 species and, you've guessed, a handful of individuals.

Hot weather continued with no rain until the 7th of May, by which time, my allotment resembled the Sahara and my lawn would qualify for set-aside. Butterflies were about but not in the expected numbers and this came as a surprise as the weather should have ensured exceptional numbers. Nothing was particularly prolific apart from Small Whites and these were doing very well on my struggling allotment! The weather turned just in time for our field trip to Denge and we enjoyed hours of foul weather, just the job for the Duke of Burgundy I'm sure. Only two eggs were found at the site where there ought to have been dozens and I fear for the forthcoming season.

Thinking that the chalk downland may produce the goods, I ran two traps at Trosley on the 19th and had a fantastic evening with just 19 species, mostly singular. Another session at Detling on the 24th produced much the same result with just twenty-five species and very few individuals. It should be pointed out that these venues normally produce huge numbers of moths, so many that packing the gear away at the end of a session often takes ages with moths in my hair, ears and eyes and everywhere else.

Butterflies seemed to be fairing just as badly with all species way down on the head count with few exceptions. A mothing session at Benacre Wood finally gave some reasonable results on the 2nd June 27 species coming to the traps but numbers were still way down for this highly productive venue. Several more sessions at various venues throughout June faired little better and results remained abysmal and it became more and more difficult to stay focussed on the recording. Some nights, it would be an hour before anything arrived at all and micros in particular were very few and far between. I have been on sessions with David where, when it came to clearing away, I began to think we would watch the sunrise before all the little blighters were rounded up but not this year.

As we all now know, the weather turned foul for much of June and July and there were few opportunities to run a trap anywhere for weeks on end. Many butterflies had very few days to find a mate and lay eggs and the same must be said for the moths and the only saving grace was that the south-east missed most of the horrendous floods experienced further north. August provided a perfect weather window for the rather late harvest and the farmers were very busy for a few weeks but we still saw no improvement in lepidoptera by day or by night. Sure, there were good days and bad, Temple Ewell produced some good shows of Chalk-hill Blues and I gather Adonis did fairly well but the season was now all over the place. Gatekeeper came and went in no time at all but Meadow Browns hung on for ages and second brood whites enjoyed my cabbages.

Some of our public events were a complete failure with very few butterflies being recorded and even fewer moths. The obvious disappointment on the faces of our guests was sometimes embarrassing when the most exciting thing to show them was a Green Carpet or Brindled Pug. Talking of pugs, this difficult group normally drive me mad as I just cannot seem to identify them with any authority and usually end up bringing them home in pots to sort out in daylight. Not so this year, there were so few pugs, and those that did come in were mostly Bridled and Mottled and the need for closer ID seldom showed. Wainscots and Footmans were another disappointment with just singles arriving at the traps when I would expect dozens.

So, what conclusions can we draw from this worrying situation? Hibernators, by and large, did reasonably well with Comma doing particularly well. Species that over-wintered as a pupa also faired well but the most noticeable species to exhibit a downturn were those that over-wintered as larvae. This comes as no real surprise as this is the most vulnerable stage in the metamorphosis and therefore the most easily affected by adverse conditions. But what are adverse conditions?

One thing you learn when breeding butterflies, as I did as a young lad, was how important it was to maintain an even temperature and, above all, avoid damp and humid conditions. Well, 2007 certainly broke all the rules and I wonder what impact this had on the moths and butterflies? The exceptionally hot weather during the early months played havoc with emergence times with most species up to three weeks early. The mind soon forgets such events but I remind you that the roadside verges were brown and dead, along with my lawn, by the end of June and one week in particular had me retiring to the house as it was simply too hot to go out. Garden and wild flowers were all over the place with Primroses blooming three times and many trees flowering early. We can assume that species like Common Blue, Brown Argus, Adonis Blue suffered during this exceptional weather as numbers were well down on most sites with only the more sheltered sites showing any sign of normality. The vastly reduced numbers of Browns told a sorry tale and I feel that this group suffered most, with the possible exception of the Marble Whites who seemed to be on the wing for months. Their tendency to over-winter and feed in dense grasses may well have kept them away from the impact of the weather. Sure, there were some really strong colonies of Meadow Browns in some areas but the overall picture was grim.

Another interesting aspect of this season was the extraordinarily draw out emergence times of some species leading to a thinly spread distribution, Common Blue being a good example, never common but always there. The situation for Moths is more difficult to explain. I well remember, in 2006, going into a local wood to trap at dusk and hearing what I took to be rain striking the canopy. Only when I laid out my cloth did I realise that what I was hearing was in fact frass from the thousands of larvae in the trees above and the cloth was soon covered in tiny black dots. The leaves were peppered from ground level up, something I did not see this year, and I have to wonder if this answers some of the questions regarding the reduced number of adults later in the season. Of course, not all larvae complete their cycle in the summer season and we will not know the results until next year but I suspect it will not be good news. If the caterpillars were not prolific, what impact will this have on the bird population? We are all well aware of the close relationship between moth larvae and Blue Tit broods and many other species besides. Are we to see reduced bird numbers next year, I suspect so.

It's not all doom and gloom (I hope) and Nature has a remarkable ability to recover form adversity but I will make a prediction now. Next spring will see some surprises. I expect the Blues to recover fairly well as their second broods had more favourable conditions in which to breed and the vegetation has remained lush this year so desiccation should not be an issue. The Browns will probably recover well but expect another drawn out emergence. As always, the hibernators are in the lap of the Gods and it is difficult to say what will happen but Peacocks were absent from our summer gardens as they went into hibernation very early indeed. Whites will be OK, they fed up well on my cabbages and that should support most of the Kent colonies! The one that worries me is the Orange Tip. Where were those eggs and larvae? I hardly found any, even where I had seen good numbers of adults, and this is certainly cause for concern. The weather was favourable during the flight season but did the early stages fall foul of the terrible weather that followed? Viruses and mould would certainly have been prevalent at the crucial time and may explain the apparent failure to mature, only time will tell.

And finally, the moths. I just do not know. All the signs are for a steady decline in numbers, something we have witnessed over the past few years but obviously more so this year, and I have no answers. Loss of habitat can explain some losses but not in established woodlands so something else is amiss. Climate change probably explains some of the observations but we should see, if anything, an increase in numbers, not the drastic fall in numbers of this year. My money is on the failure during the early stages due to wildly fluctuating conditions. You have only to rear a few larvae to see what I mean, fail to keep your stock under the right conditions and you will lose the lot and, apply this on a global scale and, bingo, you have found the answer. With some species appearing in the wrong month, let alone week, and you soon have a breakdown in continuity that will impact the whole eco-system from the humble parasite to the hungry bird.

On that happy note, I leave you to think about your year and see how it compares to mine and I am sure you will draw similar conclusions. By the time you read this, all thoughts of 2007 will be behind you and you will struggle to remember just what did happen, unless you were one of the unfortunate souls who endured flooded houses and ruined homes. Yes, it did happen but it is all too easy to cast it to the back of our minds and move on but we must remember why. Something is amiss in the countryside.

Peter Kirby - September 2007

2006

A few of years back a small group of enthusiasts decided to write a book on the lepidoptera of Kent covering the years 1980 to 2005. The first date was chosen as the previous work on the larger moths went up to then. The latter date made a convenient 25-year period. Also the previous attempt to cover all the lepidoptera of our County was the VCH, published in 1908 - and we did not want that anniversary to pass unmarked. What is the progress to date?

Who is the team? There are four main players involved from the outset. Dr David Agassiz is an international lepidopterist who spends a lot of time in Africa and has been involved in several county moth lists. His main interest is in the micro-lepidoptera. Sean Clancy is well known nationally, especially as the deputy editor of Atropos magazine. Keith Palmer is and enthusiastic and knowledgeable moth-hunter around Kent. Finally Ian Ferguson has spent many years tied to a keyboard entering data and producing an annual Kent Moth Report. It would be foolish to pretend that just four individuals could tackle such a vast subject alone and there are many team players all contributing their own particular bit to the process. Not least among these are the individual regular moth recorders, currently around 200 of whom about half contribute records in any given year. Sean will cover the Pyrals and Plumes, David the remaining micros while Keith and Ian will tackle the macros.

The main ongoing effort is to assemble and computerise the relevant records. At present, we have some 250,000 moth records computerised and a like number of butterfly records. In the early days there were very limited options for data recording programs and those options had their shortfalls. Since then there have been some developments on software and at least three modern programs have become available. Thus for historical reasons the data is held on at least three different (and incompatible!) programs. Currently, steps are well in hand to merge all the data onto a single program (AditSite).

At long last, we are now in a position to start work on the early stages of a book! Over the past year or so, we have met up from time to time and discussed draft specimen texts on a few species. At each stage frank criticism has gradually moulded a format that looks quite good. There will be a distribution map, phenology graph and text covering, as appropriate, historical perspective, general comments and any trends. The difficult Part is trying to get everything in while remaining succinct. With over 2000 species to cover and unnecessary waffle would produce a very bloated book. The current plan is to produce some draft text with provisional maps by the end of the year. Clearly the bulk of 2005 records will not be available (let alone input) until 2006, so the maps will inevitably need updating. However, it is easier to update an existing text than to start one from scratch. The plan is that everyone involved will get to comment on the drafts so as to get the benefit of the pooled experience.

If all goes to plan, the 2005 data will be entered in 2006; the draft texts will be pulished and updated and the draft book ready for publication 2007. All large projects are subject to slippage and there is scope for this and still to meet 2008 anniversary of the VCH. If so, then it may be that 2006 data will be used as well (since updating maps is relatively straightforward). The plan is to involve a professional layout artist at the final draft stage to advise on such matters as presentation, use of colour photographs, etc. Informal soundings with the Kent Field Club have given rise to hopes they may be the sole publisher.

How can you help? The main assistance from lepidoptera enthusiasts is to provide records of butterflies and moths, especially any older ones (from 1980 onwards) that have remained in your notebooks and not otherwise seen the light of day. Contact details are given elsewhere on the web-site. Finally of course we hope you will find the eventual book of so much interest that you could not possibly live without buying a copy!

Ian Ferguson

2005

		1225 - Pammene obscurana Back on the Kent active list after an absence of 107 years! This little Tortrix moth is black with a white smudge.  The larvae feed on the catkins of Birch.  It was last seen in 1897 with a cluster of reports up to that date but none since.  The Regional Action Plan shows a record for 1996 but this cannot be found on any Kent database so, if this record is accurate, the Kent team need to be updated.  As yet, the location of the latest record cannot be disclosed but I anticipate the Kent micro specialist will join me on a re-find exercise in 2005.  If you think that you have seen this species, please inform the Kent team by email and, if possible, photograph or retain the specimen for confirmation. .
		134 - Lampronia flavimitrella pRDB 1 in interesting habitat. This lovely chocolate coloured moth has two cream stripes across its back and a yellow head. It is not in MOGBI so it is very difficult to identify. It does not appear in Book One as it was too late for inclusion but was on-time to go onto the Bradley & Fletcher list. First seen in the UK in 1974 in Hampshire, it reached Surrey in 2001 but seen in Kent from 1980. It feeds on bramble and may prefer wet woods and similar areas as this reflects the habitat in which it was found. It has been seen elsewhere in Kent so discussion on habitat would be worthwhile. The quality of the photograph is somewhat compromised by the fact that the moth is very active and incurred some damage.
		700 - Agonopterix pallorella Coastal grassland moth re-found after 21 years. This moth resembles a Footman but is smaller and is pale yellow rather than the darker straw typical of the genus. Its dark bar is normally much more obvious but the speciman in the photograph is either worn or a pale example. It feeds on Knapweed and favours the chalk downs near the coast and the location near Folkestone is spot on. Its preference for tall plants like Knapweed, place its habitat under threat from over-management as the trend towards shorter swards and public naivety continues. This particular piece of habitat also supports a strong population of Chalk Carpets too.
Do have a look through the 2003 Moth Report and see how well the micro searchers have done and remember to make a special effort to find new moth locations in 2005 which is the last data year for inclusion in the forthcoming book. David Gardner

Mrs Pallis reports seeing a Humming-bird Hawk Moth feeding on flowers in the garden of the Friend's Meeting House, Northgate, Rochester on 22 March.

2004

No news issued in 2004

2003

2003 looks like going down as a vintage year for migrants on the information available so far. Striped Hawk-moths were noted in June and several Death's-head Hawk-moths have been reported in October, quite probably having bred here from the original migrants. However, the most notable feature was the numbers of Humming-bird Hawk-moth and Convolvulus Hawk-moth.

The Humming-bird Hawk-moth is seen every year in Kent and may even over-winter here in small numbers. The distinctive feature this year was that they turned up almost anywhere and not just at a few favoured regular sites. There seems to be a long gap between the first sighting of the year (27th January, near Hythe) and the second on 24th June when some 50 were counted flying past Otford Mannor (near Orpington) in the space of an hour and a half. They were then seen more or less continuously from then until early September. They were noted flying too and fro along the sea wall at St Margaret's at Cliffe until they eventually worked out that, by flying a few inches higher, they could continue there journey inland! Distribution map for the year so far as follows:

More records, especially from coastal locations, are expected to be received at the end of the year. Humming-bird Hawk-moths have shown a wide appreciation this year of plants for nectar including Agapanthus, Bougainvillea, Buzy Lizzie, Pelargonium, Phlox, Peppermint, Soapwort and Verbena.

The Convolvulus Hawk-moth has also been seen in gardens across the County. The first arrivals were noted on 13th August from Halstead (near Orpington), Lower Halstow and Tonbridge, i.e. all in the West. This indicates a large scale influx across the County. It was only a matter of a few days before reports arrived from Broadstairs and a couple of days later Kingsdown beach, i.e. on the East coast where migrants are normally first seen. The moths at Lower Halstow were seen more or less daily until 27th August, usually nectaring at Nicotiana affinis, which seems to be the usual plant for this species. The records so far this year look like this:

I am certain there will be more coastal records when the relevant observers send in their records at the end of the year. At that stage it is likely that 2003 will rival, or even exceed, the previous best year 2000. Incidentally, the Sheppy record was of a caterpillar and appears to be the first Kent record of the larva being found in the wild (in recent years at any rate). This is surprising, given its size and that it feeds on a common garden weed.

My thanks are due to all the people who took the trouble to supply records of their sightings. Without their efforts this note could not be put together. Fuller detail on the above (including any records subsequently received) will be included in the 2003 Kent Moth Report in due course.

Ian Ferguson

Matt Oseman recorded two sightings of the Humming-bird Hawk-moth in his garden in High Halstow, on Hoo Peninsula.

A 1356a Evergestis limbata was recorded on 22nd June in Lydd. Thanks to Gadget of www.Planetthanet.org for the record & photo.

1356a - Evergestis limbata

Photo © Gadget of Planet Thanet

A early sighting of the Humming-bird Hawk-moth was reported on 27th January 2003. It was seen by Mrs Sue Scrivens at Pedlinge, near Hythe. This day flying moth was seen hovering in characteristic fashion on a particularly warm day where the temperature reached 18.5 degrees C. It is a regular migrant to our shores but, while migration can not be ruled out in this instance, the early date hints that the moth overwintered within our shores.

2002

A Dusky Marbled Brown was recorded in 2002. This is the first Kent record and the first British record for over 150 years.

The first trapping session of 2002 was held at Dene Park Wood near Tonbridge, on 4th May. With the weather conditions far from perfect, that is being clear and cool, only 4 moths of four species were recorded. The next trip, to Hemsted Forest on 11th May, fared much better. This large woodland complex, which is owned by Forest Enterprise, covers four recording tetrads. With a cloudy sky and a mild temperature the moths soon started arriving, with a total of 28 species, which included such "goodies" as Birch Mocha, Broom-tip, Grey Birch and Iron Prominent. Other species noted were Scalloped Hook-tip, Foxglove Pug, Waved Umber and Coxcomb Prominent.

A day time trip was made to Beechen Wood near Shoreham to find a suitable trapping site, and when it was visited the following night on 1st June, 26 species were noted which included Cream Wave, Pretty Chalk Carpet, Brindled White Spot, Pale Tussock and Setaceous Hebrew Character. The next outing was on 8th June to Dene Park Wood. Although it was mild the skies were clear and only 22 species were recorded many just singletons. The surprise of the night was when the care Rosy Marbled arrived which turned out to be a new tetrad record. Also seen were Satin Wave, July Highflyer, Elephant Hawk and Green Silver-lines.

The next outing was 15th June, National Moth Night. This was held at Bedgebury in an area just behind Forest Enterprise offices. Although the event was advertised in the National and Branch newsletters and on the internet only five people arrived for the event. Trapping started at 9.45pm and the first m0th of many was the delicate green coloured Little Emerald. Moth wise the night was a great success with 54 species being recorded. Many gems were noted including Satin Lutestring, Oak-tree Pug, the impressive Pine Hawk, Alder Kitten and Shoulder-striped Wainscot. Many Glow-worms were also seen. During the event we was entertained by Jools Holland, who was holding a concert in the nearby Pinetum!

A return visit was made on 22nd June to Beechen Wood. Owned by Sevenoaks Council, his wood is part of Lullingstone Country Park and will now be trapped on a regular basis. three hours trapping yielded 33 species, which included Gold Swift, Buff Arches, Clouded Border Beautiful Golden Y and Straw Dot. A Moth Evening with fish & chip supper was held on 9th August at Lullingstone Country Pack visitor centre. This was well attended by 27 eager ''moth-ers". After a short talk in the centres classroom trapping got underway. With clears skies only 19 species were recorded, with the best being a ''local'' micro species, Yponomeuta plumbella which is only found on Spindle. Other species included Water Veneer, Scorched Carpet, Flams Shoulder and Straw Underwind.

On August 17th another visit to Hemsted Forest was undertaken. I was hoping to trap in the north west part of the complex but discovered that a gate lock had been changed, so found another location in the forest which proved rather fortunate. Conditions were perfect, light cloud and warm & humid. Trapping commenced at 8.50pm and stopped at 1pm. In just over two hours, some 42 species were recorded with 2 ''local'' Dioryctcia mutatelqa and Peacock M0th, and 1 Notable, Webb's Wainscot. The next outing was on 31st August to Bedgebury. Once again I found that a lock had been changed so had to trap elsewhere in the forest. The night saw 23 species coming to the light, including The Chevron, Common White Wave, Black Arches, Feathered Gothic and Angle Shades.

The last trapping session of the year was on 14th September, at Dene Park Wood, which is becoming a favourite location for me. Twenty species were recorded including Oak Lutestring, Black Rustic, Orange Sallow and Copper Underwind. A torchlight search yielded larvae of the Buff Arches and Pale Tussock. Unfortunately, due to access problems, 1 have been unable to do any trapping on our reserve at White Hill during 2002. I am hoping that the problem will be resolved for the 2003 season, as there are BXP species present that need monitoring.

Tony Steele

Dylan Wrathall had the Annulet (1964: Charissa obscurata) from the St Margaret's Bay area on 13th September. Previous records were 3 in 2000, and one each in 1994, 1991 and 1983. The species is "Common" nationally, but not that often encountered in Kent.

Martin Jordan had the Ni moth (2432: Trichoplusia ni) in Orpington on 29th August. This has also been seen at Dungeness (fresh specimens - possibly implying locally breed) and Dymchurch.

Ian Ferguson

There is an influx of Tree Lichen Beautyyears there have been some 23 in the UK of which 4 . In the past 100 were found in Kent. In August, Tony Steele has had four from his Barnhurst garden. Additionally, another one was seen by Keith Redshaw on 14th August at Littlestone. Rumours have reached me of another at Rye Harbour but that is outside Kent and so does not count!

Several ni moths have been seen in the Dungeness area, all fresh and could have breed locally.

Ian Ferguson