Moths and butterflies – Holme NOA and NWTField Trip Report
On Wednesday 26th July some twenty people gathered at Holme Norfolk Ornithological Association (NOA) where Sophie Barker opened 5 traps she had put out the night before. Unfortunately the blustery conditions overnight kept species numbers low but we were still able to enjoy local speciality species such as Shore Wainscot, Small Waved Umber, Kent Black Arches and the coastal grass moth Platytes alpinella. Some of the small, plain micro-moths in this habitat are more difficult to identify without closer examination and several have yet to be confirmed.
Afterwards Rob Smith from Norfolk Wildlife Trust led a short butterfly walk around the reserve but the generally windy and overcast conditions made this difficult. They didn’t deter a Hummingbird Hawk Moth though which performed beautifully outside the café!
All in all a slightly frustrating morning because of the weather but an encouraging example of Butterfly Conservation Norfolk, Norfolk Ornithological Association and NWT working together to put on an event of this nature.
