Flowerdale Moths and Butterflies: As part of the Wild About Gairloch week, a moth and butterfly event was organised for Thursday 23rd June at Flowerdale. There were a variety of possibilities for moth trapping in the vicinity and three battery operated traps were put out overnight within easy reach of the start point for the butterfly walk.
It was cloudy when we started so the moth traps provided a useful start to the day and allowed a pause to wait for the hoped for sunny intervals. Many of the group of thirteen people who attended had not seen moths close up before and although the catch was not large the eleven species involved provide plenty of interest and discussion. The range of markings on the Mottled Beauties, the colours on the Green Carpets and the attractiveness of the White Ermine were all admired though the Coronet was probably the star species from a recording point of view. The supporting cast were Silver-ground Carpet, Small Phoenix, Foxglove Pug, Tawny-barred Angle, Light Emerald, Flame Shoulder and Brown Rustic.
We set off to look for butterflies in a very light drizzle which got steadily heavier as we went up the glen till Norman Thomas, one of the local BC members, suggested that it would only get worse the further we went inland and we would probably be better off nearer the coast. Even when we returned to the shore it was still drizzling and the rest of the trip was abandoned. However, on the return walk one of the visitors on the trip had spotted a Poplar Lutestring on a tree, taking the moth tally to twelve species.
Not a butterfly was seen but hopefully a few eyes were opened to the attractive diversity of moths and a number of butterfly and moth leaflets were taken away for further study. |
