6.15 a.m. is a little early for a Saturday rise but we had to be at Abbey Farm for 9.00, filling up with fuel on the way. Pam needs an hour to get the chores done before we leave.
Just as well that we'd left enough time. A queue of us trundled along behind a very sedately driven white car from North Walsham to Holt, with no opportunity to pass.
This meet was a privately arranged one by Butterfly Conservation for our group only. The aim was to find out how things are doing on the chalk uplands here. Mike Gasson had put six traps out last night, all but one of them on the chalk.
We sat in the dark entry to a barn where tractors etc were stored, benches having been set up for us plus a light on a stand.It was a very dingy day and we all found it difficult to see the moths in the egg boxes as they were passed round. Greg, who was opening the traps with David scribing, had his back to the light so had better conditions, thank goodness.
The traps were all chokka. Nothing really outstanding and not many large nor colourful ones for the farmer and members of his family to see.
There were seven of us, Ian and Sue, Kath and Mick, Tony, Pam and I, a woman from Norwich and the family plus a man who spent all his time = and ours - taking photographs. I'm amazed that Greg didn't remind him of the 'wait at the end' rule.
Scrutinising some of the potted Micros at the end, a small dark Plume moth was of interest. It may be a scarce Wood Sage Plume, its caterpillar's food plant is present here.
Many micros were taken away to be worked on by either Steve or Andrew.
Best moth was one David brought along, trapped by Dave Appleton in Norwich. A Rush Wainscot, a Red Data Book (RDB) moth. Excellent. By now, the pot was dirty, full of scales etc so it's a pretty poor photograph.
When we got home, we had our own trap to empty. Best was this Kent Black Arches, in fresher condition than any we've previously seen.
We also worked on a few of the micros. This is a Catoptria pinella
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