A greenhorn lepidopterist at large in suburban London

Berrylands Station is on the London Waterloo to Hampton Court line between New Malden and Surbiton, a 25 minute train journey from central London. I became aware of its potential for attracting moths in late August 2008. The station is situated on an embankment with the Hogsmill Sewage Farm directly to the north and a typical mix of suburban houses and gardens to the south. The elevated aspect of the station and the comparative lack of domestic and street lighting in the immediate area mean that it acts like a huge moth trap, there are white-painted covered waiting areas and staircases on both platforms, these are illuminated at night and most of the moths are found in these areas. What follows is my attempt as a novice lepidopterist to record and catalogue all the macro moths I encounter on my daily commute to work along with the occasional "awayday" in search of other British lepidoptera .

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Awayday: Dungeness, July 21st 2012

Goat Moth
Striped Hawkmoth
Purple Thorn
Sussex Emerald
Waved Black
Clancy's Rustic
Blackneck
Privet Hawkmoth
obsoleta Pale Grass Eggar
Jersey Tiger (Brockley)
Cynaeda dentalis
A somewhat belated post about another enjoyable awayday to Dungeness with Steve Spooner. Last Saturday was warm and sunny and like most other moth people I was in sore need of some good leps to make up for the washed out spring offerings, as usual Dungeness did not disappoint. First up was a slightly tatty Striped Hawkmoth, a new one for Steve but one I've seen before on Portland; it was the first of four hawks the others being Privet, my first in over 30 years, Elephant and Poplar. New macros for me included Goat Moth,  Blackneck, Clancy's Rustic, Festoon, Purple Thorn and Small Waved Umber with a supporting cast of Dunge regulars, chief amongst them Sussex Emerald, Waved Black, Pygmy and Rosy Footmen and the obsoleta form of Pale Grass Eggar. A few good micros were also had including Synaphe punctalis and the sublimely beautiful Cynaeda dentalis. On the way home I dropped into Brockley, London headquarters of the Jersey Tiger and I found a single moth in the fading light, there should be dozens out by next week
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