Kent's Magnificent Moths

 

With the arrival of June and some warmer weather, the mothing season really gets under way. I had set myself a few targets for the year. The first two were the Orange Underwing and the Light Orange Underwing back in March and April. I missed them both. A combination of cold weather, lack of time to search and possibly the wrong locations, had seen me off to a bad start.

My next targets were three or four of the rarer moths in Kent at the beginning of June. It was all looking good but then a late change in the weather nearly wiped out my three day stay and the planned search. Day one it rained, day two it rained but I did get a few hours of sun in the morning and day three I found myself searching Samphire Hoe in what was  either low cloud or thick fog. It's not rain but you get just as wet.

On day two there were a few hours of sun in the morning so I started at Denge Wood. The target was the White-spotted Sable. It's a big wood and a small moth but I did eventually find a good spot with probably ten to twenty flying.

White-spotted Sable - Anania funebris

Finding the spot was good but getting a picture was near impossible. They are very active, difficult to follow and good at hiding under the leaves of various plants. Any attempt to approach them seemed to trigger them to flight. After about an hour of trying I decided to pot one and get a record shot. The clouds were approaching and I wanted to get to the next site. It's not the picture I wanted but at least I had found the moth.

I will be trying to improve on the picture later in the year, when second broods should be appearing on a couple of sites in Sussex

On my way back to the car I passed through a small clearing and was delighted to see Yellow-barred Longhorn dancing in the sunbeams. The one below taking a break from the action!

Yellow-barred Longhorn - Nemophora degeerella

My next target was the Black-veined Moth at Wye NNR. By the time I got there it had clouded over and was threatening rain. It looked like a lost cause. It was too cold and windy for them to be flying and the chances of  disturbing one from the long grass were slim. Still I was there so I might as well have a look.

Someone must have felt sorry for me that day. As I crested the hill and looked down into the valley there was a team of six or seven people systematically contouring the slope searching the grass and undergrowth. They were part of the "Kent's Magnificent Moths" team and were just finishing a survey of the site looking for evidence of the Black-veined moth.

Black-veined Moth - Siona lineata

I am not sure they really wanted me around but I had spotted a couple of them taking pictures so my task was easy. I took a few quick shots and headed back to the car, just making it before the rain started.

Black-veined Moth - Siona lineata

Black-veined Moth - Siona lineata

Black-veined Moth - Siona lineata

Only two moths out of the four I was targeting but given the weather it was a good result. I also checked out a couple of the other sites and will return next year to continue the search.