Catherton Common, Shropshire

Took an out of county trip last night to some heathland in south Shropshire. I was joining a group of trappers including Dave Grundy and Chris Williams. Despite clear skies, the temperature didn't drop below 7c, even at 4am when I left the site. Between 27 traps, we recorded around 30 species. The best being Northern Drab, Lead-coloured Drab, Red Sword-grass, White-marked, Brindled Beauty, Yellow-horned, Pine Beauty and Acleris hyemana.

The main reason for the trip was to catch Northern Drab (a species that's not been confirmed in Montgomeryshire). Northern Drab may be quite easy to overlook amongst the variation of Clouded Drab but is quite distinct when one's looking out for it. Unlike the Lead-coloured Drab which is limited by foodplant, the Northern Drab is limited by habitat. It is probably unlikely to turn up away from specialist sites. I think it's quite possible the Northern Drab is present somewhere in VC47. The other thing to note about the species is it's a late flyer; it only started coming to traps after about 12:30.

Some photos from the trip below:

Catherton Common