Titchwell’s Moth Mornings sightings May 2024 by Sue Bryan
Despite the weather often being wet, after an interlude at the beginning of the month of good weather, moth mornings in May have been a great improvement on late April, with a total of 111 species trapped on the reserve.
Wednesday 29th May produced 143 moths of 59 species. Highlights have included the reedbed and wetland specialists Reed Dagger, Flame Wainscot and the evocatively-named, Cream-bordered Green Pea. We’ve also reached the time of year when hawk-moths can reasonably be expected, and the Titchwell traps have produced Eyed Hawk-moth, one of the common hawk-moths in most of England, flying between May-July and found in gardens, parks and woodlands where the larval food plants of willows, poplars, apples occur. The adults have a spectacular “threat display” when opening their forewings to reveal large blue eye spots on the pink hindwings. The traps also attracted Poplar Hawk-moths and Small Elephant Hawk-moths during May.
Small Elephant Hawk-moth Photo Credit: Phill Gwilliam
Other species trapped have included Coxcomb Prominent Moth, Eyed Hawk-moth, Light Emerald Moth, a common Geometer moth throughout most of Britain in woods and hedgerows, etc, feeding on a range of tree species. This moth is on the wing from May throughout the summer, with a second generation (of smaller individuals) appearing in August and September. Buff Tip, Puss Moth and Pale Prominent Moth were also trapped.
Puss Moth Photo Credit: Sue Bryan
In addition to moths trapped at Titchwell, some of our regular visitors have brought in a selection of interesting moths trapped elsewhere in Norfolk, resulting in a wide range of species available for visitors to see. For example, on 21 May we had five species of hawk-moths on show, with Lime Hawk-moth and Pine Hawk-moth in addition to the three species mentioned earlier.
Eyed Hawk-moth Photo Credit: Phill Gwilliam
With over 800 species of moth recorded at Titchwell, it’s always a red-letter day when we find a new species for the reserve, and 28 May produced two of the attractive little Treble-spot – a new moth for most of the people present, as well as the reserve. There are only 47 previous records of this moth in Norfolk. Treble Spot is a micro moth seen in southern England. It is single brooded and is seen from late May until early July. It flies at dawn and dusk but occasionally comes to light. It is usually seen in small numbers in woodland and hedgerows, usually at low altitudes.
Coxcomb Prominent Photo Credit: Paul Hooper