Long haul (of lifers)

There is a secret society, an underworld some might say, within ecology. These people can look just like any nature lover you've met before; in fact, you have probably even passed them on the street...
 

There is an easy way to find them out though, as on a warm summer evening twitter feeds will light up with the phrases such as 'good haul!', and 'lifer!' or 'moth bonanza'! These are the moth recorders, and now and then, I join in to live life vicariously as a moth trapper.

Common Bird's-foot Trefoil and Meadow Vetchling, River Mole Grasslands

First off is some sweeping of the vegetation with nets, which turns up a few species which wont come to the light trap. I couldn't believe my luck with I spied this critter in the bottom of my net - an immaculate Six-belted Clearwing Moth (again something I have only ever seen before on other people's twitter feeds!)

Six-belted Clearwing (Bembecia ichneumoniformis) 

Nationally Scarce B. A good mimic of a parasitic wasp

We are lucky to have Jake Everitt leading us; he is the warden at Warnham Local Nature Reserve and has been running moth traps at Gatwick for around 4 years now. It sounds like this was a pretty exceptional summer night along the River Mole, as together he and Laurie Jackson counted 448 of 98 different species.

Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) - a common but lovely moth

This excellent field guide is the ultimate companion for any mother. (Jake has another guide like this which is devoted specifically to the micromoths!)

Macromoth identification is very visual and doesn't often require a entomological key 

(unlike the micromoths)

Blood-vein (Timandra comae) my personal favourite

Jake's highlights were the 13 Elephant Hawk-moths, 2 Southern Wainscott, the Dotted Fan-foot (a lifer for him) and Nephopterix angustella, which is a rare and distinctive little micro.

Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) Another common species, the caterpillar 

feeds on willowherbs, fuscias and Himalayan Balsam

Ecology student Connor with his new Elephant Hawk pal

A rather poor photo of a Dotted Fan-foot (Macrochilo cribrumalis)

(Nationally Scarce B)

I felt pretty guilty that I had to leave at midnight, as Laurie and Jake were still out emptying and packing up the traps after 1.30am! What an incredible time of year to be out though, often I don't even want to go home...

Moth-struck

People may question how I spend my Friday nights, but this is a perfectly healthy pursuit and I think you all just need to open your minds.

Genuine question moth-trappers get from passers-by... 'Is that for aliens?'

Ok, so maybe moths are not everyone's cup of tea, but you could change your mind after meeting Jacob Everitt; local countryside warden and fellow moth-appreciator. Last Friday Jake brought his large moth trap to Gatwick along with mercury vapour bulb, generator, collecting pots and bags of knowledge and enthusiasm. We picked our site carefully, setting up in the North West Zone on the path between the River Mole and Brockley Wood.

 All moths are encouraged to drink responsibly

Face-moth surveying (best to keep your mouth shut)

Common Toad which was passing by, possibly also wondering what was going on

It was a pretty successful night for trapping; warm with virtually no breeze. Many different moth species were drawn in from the bordering scrub, woodland and wetland habitats, along with every biting midge and mosquito within a 2 mile radius. No one actually knows for sure why the moths are attracted to the light; the theories range from them being attracted to the warmth, them believing it is the moon (which they might navigate by), or simply to make adult people scream in bathrooms. 

Trappings of success - Moths can be put in the fridge overnight to settle them down. I prefer taking amateur pics of wildlife in-situ but the light of day does these guys most justice.

Close-up of a Peppered moth - all were re-released close by to where they were collected

The next day was quite a job of photographing around 30 different moths! Some of the other species we saw were scarce or under-recorded, so of great interest to recorders like Jake. They can give clues about how our management is affecting their diversity and whether they are in good numbers; after all they are pollinators and an important food source for other wildlife. I have a put together a folder with all my shots and the species names here (NWZ Moth Trap) but you can see below for a selection of the best of Gatwick's moths!

Peppered moth

Drinker

Brimstone

Elephant Hawk-moth

Common Emerald

Peach Blossom

Angle Shades

Riband Wave (ab. remutata)

Buff Arches

 Swallow-tailed

 Coronet 

And finally, an adult male Glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca). These guys were mistaking the green light on Jake's generator for a glowing female. We recorded a total of 9 this way!

There will be more Gatwick moth-trapping to come later in the season...