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2 March 2010
A March Moth and a Chestnut at
Beaminster (M Raper).
March Moth, Beaminster, 2 March 2010 © M Raper
27 February 2010
An Oak Beauty at Broadwey (P Harris).
Two Tortricodes alternella, a very late Winter
Moth, two Hebrew Character, and a Chestnut in
Warre Wood near Abbotsbury (P Sterling). A Pale
Brindled Beauty and two Dark Chestnut at Puncknowle (M
Hetherington).
Late news of a micro caught at Marshwood 4 July 2009, now identified from photo as a
Phlycaetaenia perlucidalis (J Baker).
Phlycaetaenia perlucidalis, 4 July 2009 ©
J Baker
25 February 2010
An Agonopterix
alstromeriana brought in with the logs at Gillingham (G
Hopkins).
24 February 2010
A touch of Spring by day, with one, possibly three
Dotted Border put up from dead bracken at Woodlands Copse, near
Horton (G Hopkins).
23 February 2010
A single Chestnut at Broadwey (P Harris).
16 February 2010
At Broadmayne, a couple of moths not yet reported this year on this site were
Pale Brindled Beauty and an early Pale
Pinion (P Bruce-Jones).
14 February 2010
An Early Moth at a lit kitchen window,
Chickerell (C Pinder). A Spring Usher at Durlston,
Swanage, was a first for the garden (P England).
7 February 2010
An Early Moth and a Chestnut at Okeford
Fitzpaine museum, presumably attracted over night to lit windows (M
Forster).
5 February 2010
A different Chestnut at Broadwey (P Harris).
3 February 2010
A single Chestnut at Broadwey is the first
moth record for some days (P Harris).
23 January 2010
A Mottled Grey to lighted window at the
Observatory, Portland (per PBO website).
22 January 2010
At Broadwey, the only two moths were Acleris hastiana
and Chestnut (P Harris). Three Winter
Moth and a Satellite near Durlston, Swanage (P England).
18 January 2010
A December Moth at Broadwey (P Harris).
Three December Moth and two Winter Moth at Beaminster
(M Raper).
17 January 2010
At Chickerell, two Winter Moth and a
December Moth trapped, and another December Moth at rest
on adjacent fence (C Pinder). A Herald hibernating in a
garage at Gillingham (G Hopkins).
16 January 2010
A smart Chestnut, by day, on a garage door at
Burton (J Southworth).
15 January 2010
A Satellite flew into the Obs at Portland in
the early hours (PBO website). Two December Moth
trapped at Chickerell (C Pinder).
14 January 2010
A Winter Moth at a lighted living room window
at Puncknowle (M Hetherington).
13 January 2010
The first moth of the year at Portland
was a Winter Moth found by day on the door of the Observatory
(PBO website).
1 January 2010
The first record of a moth in 2010 goes
to a Leek Moth Acrolepiopsis assectella flying around
the living room, in Wimborne St Giles on New Years day afternoon (J
Winterbottom).
Please note earlier sightings have been moved to
archive sightings 2010 - see archive tabs at top of
page.
A selection of highlights of 2009.
A micro
identified as
Syncopacma
polychromella which until this 2009 had only been identified
three times before in the UK, and is the second record for Dorset (J Southworth conf. J Langmaid).
In late May, Dorset's first record of Rannoch Looper at
Highcliffe, was followed by others in June at Portland, East Lulworth,
Shapwick and Tolpuddle Manor.
Syncopacma
polychromella, 24 May 2009, Burton ©
J Southworth
Rannoch Looper, East Lulworth,
3 June 2009 © M S Parsons / Butterfly Conservation
There was Dorset's
fifth record of
Toadflax Brocade near Durlston (P England), and the sixth at
Portland on 8 August. An interesting record of Shoulder-striped Clover, and subsequent larval sightings later in
the year at the same site (P Davey and M Parsons).
On 21 June, two Olethreutes aurofasciana
at Chase woods, were the second and third examples from the past century
in Dorset,
Toadflax Brocade, Durlston , 20 June
2009 © P England
Shoulder-striped Clover,
Dorset, 9th July 2009 © M S Parsons / Butterfly Conservation
On 17 July
an Orache made it to Tolpuddle (H Wood Homer per P Harris).
An Evergestis limbata at Shaggs, a
rare migrant to the UK, although the third site record (L Hill).
In addition, Channel Island's Pug was found to have been present
for a number of years in coastal tamarisk in Dorset.
.JPG)
Evergestis limbata, Shaggs, 22 July 2009 © L Hill
Channel Island Pug, 20
August 2009
© M Cade
On 22 August, the second mainland record of Dusky Scalloped Oak at West Bexington,
following one at Exmouth, Devon on 21 September 2006. First
recorded in the Channel Islands in 1990, and now established on
Guernsey, it feeds on broom and possibly gorse (D Foot and P Sterling).
Dusky Scalloped Oak, West Bexington, 22 August 2009 © D
Foot Shoulder-striped Clover larvae,
east Dorset, 19 August 2009 © M Parsons / Butterfly Conservation
On the 11th August 2009, David Evans and Mike Jeffes ran moth
traps and a light above a sheet on Merritown Heath NR, west
of Bournemouth Airport, catching an unusual micro.and were unable to put a name to it.
Eventually Martin Honey at the British Museum
identified the moth as a pyralid, Musotima
nitidalis which is found is Australasia, and in its
natural habitat feeds on maidenhair ferns and related
species. It is the first British record.
Musotima
nitidalis
In late August and through September to late
October there were a series of records of Clifden Nonpareil:
two at Studland, one at Merley, two or three at Affpuddle, and
singles at Shaggs and East Lulworth, which surely suggest local
origin. On 7 September was Portland's third ever Silver-striped Hawkmoth,
followed by another in October
Clifden Nonpareil and Red Underwing, Affpuddle, 29
September 2009 © A Middleton
Convolvulus and Silver-striped Hawkmoth, Portland Bill, 8
September 2009 © Martin Cade
Oak Rustic consolidated their presence with up to 45 trapped
at Durlston in a night, and a small number of records on the coast
in the area, and three that were trapped at Broadwey, Weymouth.
A couple of Sombre Brocade were trapped, again almost
certainly confirming the species as a resident following the first
record in 2008. At West Bexington,
on 30 October, a plusia was indentified as Dorset's
seventh Tunbridge Wells Gem (D Foot per P Harris).
Oak Rustic, Broadwey, 26 October 2009 © P
Harris
Tunbridge Wells Gem, West Bexington, 30 October 2009 © P
Harris
Sombre Brocade, Durlston CP, October 2008 ©
P Davey
