Goldilocks repris

 Piles of poo and some chewed plants led me to camera trap in the garden.

We're either going to have to wire the gate, or move the trees, one or the other. She has two fawns which don't come in as they won't be able to easily jump the gate.

More light trapping at the CCW was successful, except that I need to be much more careful with some Acleris species. I'd not quite tuned in to all the possibilities and how tricky they are. Unfortunately I didn't photograph every moth.

Acleris aspersana

Pictures are a bit rubbish as the light was poor, A number of things needed to be dissected as they were potentially new for the site. A good job I did as the Agonopterix I caught was then correctly identified, the white spots on the forewing being so tiny I'd initially overlooked them, and there was an Epirrita sp and another ear moth.

 

Agonopterix scopariella

Ear moths are a bit of an issue. I really don't want to dissect every single one, but so far I've only proven Amphipoea lucens Large Ear for the site. Two species are probably likely. I don't catch many either. Anyway, the single one this time proved to be A. lucens again.

 

Epirrita autumnata

There are three Epirrita species that are likely, they can be identified by looking at the octavals on the underside of the abdomen, very difficult to see unless you dissect. Some claim they are doable from the forewing, but that requires very well-marked individuals, and to add species to the site list I need certainty. The images above are of a full dissection proving Epirrita autumnata, I seem to have temporarily misplaced the images of the octavals which I'll add later. 

 

There were a number of other beasts in the traps which require further investigation.

 

I think this is Netelia inedita, but I need to key it out, I've caught it a few times now both in the garden and at the woodland.

The current species list for the community woodland is 808 species, but I have most of the captures from the vane traps to go through and a few things that were not identified from light trapping. Given the right conditions further light trapping should be worthwhile this year. I'm wondering if a thousand species by the end of the year might be possible, it will take quite an effort both in the lab and in the field. Using the "Target Icon" on the P-SL website may help to pick-off some of the easier ones. Other folk are currently adding fungi, which is very handy as my knowledge of toadstools is embarrassingly little. 

 

I did manage this though Lycoperdon excipuliforme