This evening I visited Ashton Updown Downs hoping to trap one particular species that I still needed for my list – the Juniper Pug.
Ashton Updown Downs is one of the few remaining large areas of chalk grassland in the Berkshire Downs and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The downland grassland that once covered much of the Downs is now largely confined to the steeper slopes, making sites like this nationally important for nature conservation.
Ashton Updown Downs
The reserve is also home to the largest stand of juniper scrub in the Berkshire Downs and Chilterns. Juniper, our only native conifer, has become increasingly scarce, and this population is now the only significant one remaining across the Berkshire Downs and the Chilterns.
Juniper
I set the trap up just before dusk and settled in for what turned into a three-hour moth session.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for the trap to produce exactly what I had come for. Sitting amongst the first arrivals was a Juniper Pug, my target species and another welcome addition to my list.
The Juniper Pug is a fairly distinctive moth, usually a dark brownish-grey species that is closely associated with chalk and limestone districts. However, it can also be found in parks, gardens and suburban habitats where ornamental conifers are planted. It flies in a single generation between July and September, with the caterpillars feeding on juniper (Juniperus), including garden varieties, as well as other cultivated conifers.
Finding it so early in the session was a real bonus and made the evening worthwhile almost immediately.