248 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 13: 2001 



generally unprofitable because of the strong breeze. Thankfully, the wind had 

 dropped by evening but under clearing skies, the temperature fell to below the 

 seasonal norm for the night's moth trapping. Three light traps were operated in the 

 central part of the reserve. 



Notwithstanding the far from ideal weather conditions, a healthy total of 105 

 species of Lepidoptera were recorded, either as adults or larvae, over the meeting as a 

 whole and some 24 of these — mostly microlepidoptera — were new to the Reserve. 

 Although largely unexceptional, they included the following locally scarce species: 

 Evergestis pallidata (Hufn.), blue-bordered carpet Plemyria rubiganata rubiginata 

 (D.&S.), haworth's pug Eupithecia haworthiata Doubl. and dingy footman Eilema 

 griseola (Hb.). Phllonorycter heegeriella (Zell.), Blastobasis decolor ella (Woll.), large 

 twin-spot carpet Xanthorhoe quadrifasiata (CI.), purple thorn Selenia tetralunaria 

 (Hufn.) and silky wainscot Chilodes maritimus (Tausch.) were perhaps the more 

 noteworthy of the remainder. 



New Forest, Hampshire, 10 October 1998 



Leader: Tony Pickles. — This field meeting was held to follow up last year's meeting 

 which attempted to establish the range of Agrochola haematidea (Dup.), the southern 

 chestnut, in the New Forest. Because this noctuid moth flies for a limited period, 

 around dusk only, the meeting was convened for 17.00 hours and members were 

 allocated sites which seemed likely to support the moth in the east of the Forest. In 

 1997 haematidea had been found to be present over the west of the Forest more or 

 less wherever suitable conditions prevailed. The moth seemed to favour tall mature 

 bell heather Erica cinerea L. growing in drier areas. 



The weather was much better than in the previous year and nine members and 

 friends met at Lyndhurst where a most persistent New Forest donkey tried to join the 

 group. The bipeds later split into three parties, but only the members trapping on the 

 higher ground just before Matley Passage were successful. One female haematidea 

 came to their lights before 19.30 hours thus confirming its presence in the East of the 

 Forest. Three unidentified, medium sized noctuids which could also have been of this 

 species were observed making short low flights over the heather just before the onset 

 of darkness at between 19.10 and 19.25. 



Little can be deduced from one month, but it is notable that there is still no 

 occasion on which the moth has been seen in numbers in the New Forest, although 

 this seems to be frequently the case in Sussex. The bell heather in the east is 

 predominantly not tall and mature, but is mostly present on edges of larger tracts of 

 Calluna and as no more than ten per cent of the whole. It would seem encouraging 

 that the moth can survive in areas that do not comply very closely with its preferred 

 habitat. I would like to thank those members who attended the meeting and the 

 Forestry Commission for their assistance. 



Homefield Wood, Medmenham, Buckinghamshire, 11 October 1998 



Leader: Ian Sims. — Despite a rainy start to the day, by the time of the meeting the 

 weather had cleared and the day was sunny, warm and calm: ideal conditions for 

 searching for leaf-mining Microlepidoptera, the main quarry for this meeting so late 

 in the season. Unfortunately, perhaps due to the inclement weather earlier in the day, 

 no one apart from the leader attended this meeting. Not perturbed, I spent an hour 

 or two recording before returning home. Homefield Wood is a nature reserve on the 

 Chilterns managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Naturalists 



