Week 20: Old Crone & Woodland Fairies

I have about as much mental acuity as a feather duster this week. Penning prose is hard going, so, you’ll have to bare with me. Thursday, the sunshine battled its way through the clouds and it was a warm and sunny day, albeit very blustery. I spent a couple of hours around Dellfield where a dozen Swallows, House Martins and Swifts were hunting for insects low over the meadow. I love hearing their chirpy little contact calls and seeing them swooping this way and that over the rippling grasses. This one (below) was taking a break from the hunting, but not the calling, perched on the roof of the Old Barn.

One of the first insects to catch my eye was a huge, green dragonfly. Unfortunately, it apparently came with its own cloaking device because every time I arrived at the spot where it had landed, it was nowhere to be found. I spent a good hour trying to relocate it without any luck. Not time wasted though, I rustled up a couple of new moths instead. First, the wonderfully named Mother Shipton moth (Callistege mi) with the mirror images, one on each wing, of the old 16th century Yorkshire crone (or witch!). It’s a day-flying moth, fairly common in England and Wales, favouring open grassy sites, such as wild flower meadows like Dellfield. This fella fed on the nectar of a Dandelion whilst I was watching it (notice the yellow pollen still on/around its proboscis (below)) but it also likes Creeping Buttercup and White Clover (of which, there is an abundance!).

Mother Shipton

Mother Shipton (head on)

The second moth to flutter up into my path was a beautiful Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata). I think I found one of these earlier in the week up at College Lake, Buckinghamshire, but it disappeared before I could get a good look or a photograph. It made Thursday's find especially satisfying. This is another common moth that likes wild flower meadows. It isn’t a day-flier as such but is “easily disturbed” and then “flies from dusk onwards”.


I returned to the area on Friday, mostly just for a wander and to take this week’s Oak photograph. I also wanted to walk up through Ramacre Wood with my eyes peeled for Spotted Flycatchers. This is a migrant bird species, forging its way from Africa and arriving in the UK during May. Unfortunately it is becoming increasingly scarce and it would make my summer to find one on Box Moor Trust land. No luck today but I did come across this brilliant Black-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea) (below). It’s obvious black head and deep, blood red tones distinguish it from the more common Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis). It’s 2cm long and a predator, feeding on smaller insects that happen to land where it’s perched. According to one website, it “is an uncommon and specialised ancient woodland indicator species”. That’s good news for the Box Moor Trust land management team.

In this same area was a cloud of fluttering fairies, dancing in the air. Oh ok, not actual fairies. They, of course, keep their tiny wings, their powers and their existence carefully hidden from humans. No, this was a wonderful swirling haze of perhaps 50 Yellow-barred Longhorn moths (Nemophora degeerella). A species which is part of the Adelidae or “fairy longhorn” family of moths (and featured in last week's post). It was the second time I’d experienced this sight this week (the first being in my garden). I’m not entirely sure what's going on but I’d guess it’s some kind of courtship behaviour. I could only find one female in the group (with very obvious, short antennae). The males seemed to take it in turns to go up into the displaying cloud before coming back down to land on a leaf. There didn’t appear to be any obvious hostility. It seemed to simply be a mass flying event. As an afterthought, I grabbed some video footage but really didn’t think it through (mental acuity of a feather duster, remember). The dimly light woodland made focusing tricky but hopefully you'll get the idea!



This week's Oak photograph

Whilst walking through Bovingdon Reach

• Moths of note: 7 Yellow Shells, 1 Silver Y, 1 Straw Dot. 
• Butterflies: 2 Small tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, 2 Peacock, 4 Common Blue. 

Dellfield is bustling with Burnet Companion moths. There’s got to be at least 30, probably more.

Finally, in other mothing news, Ben and the team had an excellent evening trapping on Monday at Roughdown Common. Amongst the catch was a rare Pammene albuginana. For more details, take a peek at Ben’s Blog.

Week 19, Extra: Carpet, Muslin & a little Gem

Not the contents of my living room but a few of the captivating critters around Box Moor. After the rain at the start of the week, I managed a couple of outings, targeting moths in particular. With some 2400 possible UK species, and less than 30 on my found list, the odds are in my favour to experience the thrill of a new discovery.....every time I go out! It is strangely addictive.

However, before I get to the moths, it is a bug to rival any jewel that Mr Fabergé could create. The tiny but beautiful Woundwort shieldbug. It is, of course, a member of the True Bug (Hemiptera) order (no Fake Bugs peddled on this blog thank you). It is a bona fide gem of nature, which was once rare in the UK but numbers have since grown. This one was at the Bovingdon Brickworks site. However, Martin Parr has also found them at the Gadespring cressbeds, a site which is not yet open to the public but which has an “Open Day” tomorrow 11am - 2pm. See the Box Moor Trust website for details.

Martin is one of two Conservation Managers at the Maple Lodge nature reserve near Rickmansworth, but he is also very kindly carrying out some informal survey work for the Box Moor Trust. He introduced me to the shieldbug species earlier this month and, so, it was all the more rewarding to finally find one. The only downside was that it was deep in dark undergrowth, so, in order to photograph it, I had to lift it out. I would have preferred a natural setting but my finger had to suffice. Anyway, back to the sheildbug: “There is one generation per year; the nymphs feed on hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) and sometimes other plants...such as white dead-nettle. New adults may be found from August onwards.” Keep your eyes peeled!

Next up, who could resist an ivory cloak with black spots, accessorised with an extravagant, white feather ruffle!? Not me, that's for sure. Another Brickworks find, an elegant female Muslin moth (Diaphora mendica) that looked positively strokable (is that even a word?!). The male is a grey-brown colour and is nocturnal. The female gets out and about during the day, soaking up the sunshine (sensible lady). The larval food plants are “dock, dandelion, heathers, chickweed, plantains, Purple-moor grass and Eared Sallow”. It isn’t rare but was a joy to find, and, it actually sat still for photographs, which made it all the more satisfying. [Better reproductions can be found in a set on Flickr here]

Now, to the Common Carpet moth (Epirrhoe alternata). It’s not difficult to see how it acquired its name. It’s widespread i.e. “common”, and it looks like, well, a 1970’s carpet (what? It does!). I think it is mostly nocturnal but “is easily flushed in the daytime”. This one was at Roughdown Common.

A couple of other moths, photographed in the drizzle at Dellfield. The Yellow-barred Long-horn (Nemophora degeerella) (look at those antennae!) and the tiny (6mm long) Diamond-back moth (Plutella xylostella).

• Longhorn fact: This is probably a male, judging by the length of the antenna (i.e. long! (and I am resisting all smutty jokes)). 
• Diamond-back fact: it only lives 14 days.

Long-horn (Nemophora degeerella)

Long-horn (Nemophora degeerella)

Diamond-back (Plutella xylostella)

Finally, the prize for the most curious find of the week goes to this

Side 1

Side 2

It was approx 1cm long, “hairy” and obviously “plugged into” the willow (Salix fragilis) leaf. In fact, it’s probably the larval casing of a Coleophora lusciniaepennella moth. Basically, inside that tightly compressed casing, created from the leaf, is a developing larva. As it grows, it constructs new cases in which to live. It feeds by attaching to the leaf and “mining” for nutrients. At this stage it’s still feeding but will soon enter the pupation phase, when feeding stops and metamorphosis occurs. The adult moth emerges June or July. It’s an incredible process these little creatures go through!

Birding moments of note this week at the Brickworks: I not only heard but saw the male Cuckoo singing; a stunning male Bullfinch perched in the open but not long enough to photograph unfortunately, and I heard my first Brickworks Willow Warbler.