I have just returned from a fantastic weekend in Scotland with Jenna, during which we added numerous macro moths to our life lists. I met up with my good friend James Hunter from Kent, and together we spent the night at the traps. Among the species we recorded were:
Riband Wave
Angle-striped Sallow
Grey Mountain Carpet
Beautiful Golden Y
Plain Clay
Scare Silver Y
Juniper Pug
Twin-spot Carpet
Manchester-treble Bar
Haworth's Minor
Marsh Oblique-barred
July Highflyer
Oblique Carpet
Pretty Pinion
Barred Chestnut
July Belle
The following morning, we attended a Butterfly Conservation moth event focused on the Dark-Bordered Beauty (Epione vespertaria). This highly rare species survives in only two Scottish colonies and one in England. In Scotland, one colony occurs in Aberdeenshire, while the other is found at RSPB Scotland Insh Marshes, where the species was first discovered in 2010. The Dark-Bordered Beauty feeds exclusively on aspen, specifically on suckers—new shoots arising from the tree’s root system. Since aspen trees rarely produce seeds, these suckers are the primary means by which the species spreads.
Six traps were set up overnight, and we managed to trap over forty Dark-Bordered Beauty.