Comma-WestMidBC-autumn-2014

All members of the group had excellent
sightings of our target species, Chequered Skipper
Midge-feast 2014
Haggis or porridge, salmon or the full Scottish were the
choices for breakfast, but the highlight of each morning were
the many moths displayed amongst the slices of toast and
copious pots of tea – Elephant Hawk, Light Emerald, Pale
Prominent, Pebble Hook-tip, Scalloped Hazel, Map-winged
Swift, Shears, Buff-tip and Drinker to name but a few.
White-spotted Sable moth
(Anania funebris)
But the moths were overwhelmed
and outnumbered by thousands
of Culicoides impunctatus – the
notorious Highland Midge –
which formed a black layer on the
inside of the moth trap each morning.
After several days, Chris, our
sleep-deprived moth trapper, developed
a measle-like appearance
from the many bites endured during
each nightly inspection.
But our main mission was to
locate different sites for the uniquely
Scottish Chequered Skipper – as
charming as its Silver Spotted
cousin in the south but with a far
more complex and colourful
pattern of cream spots and subtle
brown shading.
Great expectations
The first day’s forecast was mixed,
so we postponed the sightseeing
plan and drove quickly to Allt-
Mhuic, about one hour north of Fort
William, which proclaimed itself at
the entrance as the best location to
see our target species. I set off in
great expectation of finding our
skipper around the steeply sloping
site, blessed with an abundance of
purple-moor grass for the larvae. A
20
the Comma