Masters student Stuart Brooker is moth trapping in the woodlands around Durham University. We are in week 3 of this moth 'extravaganza'. This week Stuart reports that he 'got a few corkers'.
Although the Beautiful Golden Y is possibly the most handsome of this week's moths, the Clay Triple-lines is particularly interesting. Historically the Clay Triple-line has largely been confined to the southern half of Britain, but appears to be expanding northwards, and is now pretty much at its northern limit here in Durham with just a handful of records from a little further north (the southern half of Northumberland). What's more, it's larval food plant is beech, which is 'arguably' non-native to northern Britain, and may only exist here due to plantations. So is it climate change that has brought Clay Triple-lines up north? human interference? or, more likely, both?
Although the Beautiful Golden Y is possibly the most handsome of this week's moths, the Clay Triple-lines is particularly interesting. Historically the Clay Triple-line has largely been confined to the southern half of Britain, but appears to be expanding northwards, and is now pretty much at its northern limit here in Durham with just a handful of records from a little further north (the southern half of Northumberland). What's more, it's larval food plant is beech, which is 'arguably' non-native to northern Britain, and may only exist here due to plantations. So is it climate change that has brought Clay Triple-lines up north? human interference? or, more likely, both?
 Clay Triple-lines (Cyclophora linearia) |  Beautiful Golden Y (Autographa pulchrina) |
 Green Silver-lines (Pseudoips prasinana britannica) |  White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) |
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