A poplar moth night at Wappenshall Wharf

Wappenshall Wharf - Friday 29th July

The Shropshire Moth Group (SMoG) arrived promptly at 8 pm to find the entrance locked, but this was soon resolved when a neighbour fortuitously arrived home with his takeaway and let us in.  After much discussion about where to locate the five traps we set them up and then took time to discuss the intricacies of trapping with the members of the Shrewsbury and Newport Canal Trust who had joined us for the evening.  They in turn took us on a tour of the site and we were surprised to see the wharf so densely overgrown during the summer.

            Conditions were ideal, warm and cloudy with only a light breeze.  As dusk descended, bat detectors came out and the slap, slap, slap rhythm revealed Pipistrelles flying low overhead.  Then the unmistakeable screech of an owl was heard, followed moments later by the cream shadow of a barn owl swooping silently over our heads.  It is thought that it may have nested in one of the old buildings, as they did last year.  What a treat!  It boded well for the rest of the night and so it proved.

             The first moth to arrive was a female Ghost moth (Hepialus humuli humuli) that nestled in the grass adjacent to the trap.  The female is larger than the male and is a honey yellow, whilst the smaller male is white.  They used to be quite common but like many moths and butterflies are becoming less so.  The Telford area seems to be quite a hot spot for them and this was a great start to the evening.  The males usually gather in leks, hovering over grasses looking for females.  We did not see this spectacle, nor did the female lay any eggs in the pot.  When she does, they shoot out as if from a small cannon and are quite dry, rolling around like mini ball bearings.

            Another amazing moth to arrive was the spectacular Poplar Hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) that made an appearance next to the wharf.  This is one of the largest British moths and, depending on season, may have two generations, the second being in early August.  It comes easily to light and will sometimes sit happily on your hand.

Caught in several traps was the beautiful Blood-vein moth (Timandra comae), easily recognisable by the diagonal pink/red line running from forewing tip to the trailing edge.  It was fresh in colour and must have just emerged as the pink fringing on the wings fades to a dull brown with age.

            An interesting moth to find was the Olive moth (Ipimorpha subtusa).  This moth is described as local, which means it is unusual to find but not rare.  Like the Poplar Hawkmoth it likes marshy, wetland areas.  It overwinters as an egg and has only one generation, the adults being on the wing between July and September.  The larva feeds in leaves spun together high up in the trees.  Presumably this gives them some protection from predators like birds and bats. The female moth was taken home and laid eggs before her release the following day.  Her eggs are particularly beautiful, being pink with white fringes.

It is the first time they have ever been photographed.  The eggs will be nurtured and photographed at each stage of their development.

            The Trust members were surprised to see how colourful and intricate some of the moths are, just as beautiful as many butterflies.  Moths such as the Brimstone, Mother of Pearl, Phoenix, Small Rivulet, Small Magpie, Yellow-tail, Riband Wave and many more.  To see any of these go to http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/

           

Our evening concluded when John found a large toad, which sat quite calmly in his hand for us to view and, happily, did not seem interested in our collection of moths!  With that we switched off the traps, recorded the last few moths and potted up those that we needed to take home to identify in daylight.  Thus came to an end another SMoG moth night.

Thanks are extended to the Shrewsbury and Newport Canal Trust who allowed us to trap on their site and to whom we wish every success in their endeavours to restore the Wharf and associated canal.

Margaret Mitchell

Shropshire Moth Group

Photographs courtesy of David Williams and Tony Jacques