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Two surveys of invertebrates were carried out in the summer of 2005
and a further moth survey in 2006.
Brief summaries and links to the reports appear below, there are also photographs showing some of the moths (note these were taken on other sites).
Bristol & District Moth Group Field Meeting - 26th May 2006
Nothing unusual was found this year, but each survey adds to our knowledge of the reserve. Again this event was open to the public and some photographs can be seen on our events page.
Click here for the Moth Group's full report and species list.
Bristol Naturalists’ Society Invertebrate Section Field Meeting - 2nd July 2005
This was one of Bristol Naturalists' regular field meetings and we are pleased they chose to visit Troopers Hill this year.
The Full Report includes lists of species found.
Report Summary:
Examples of the bristletail Dilta sp. were common, swept from low growing dense vegetation. Specimens were not taken for identification but many were light orange in colouration. The bug Myrmus miriformis, although not uncommon, is restricted to quality grassland sites. Sitochroa verticalis is a local moth of “waste land” although sometimes reinforced by immigration. The click beetle P. tesselatum is very local in the region, only known from a few other sites in “Avon” eg Gordano Valley. The Kidney-spot Ladybird is widespread but local although probably under-recorded as it is found mainly on trees. The Leaf Beetle Cryptocephalus aureolus is Nationally Notable (Nb) and very local in the region (also recorded by Dave Gibbs in 2000).
Bristol & District Moth Group Field Meeting - 18th June 2005
This event was part of our Evening Moth Hunt (see our Events page for photos). As well as entertaining local people of all ages late into the night the main aim was to record the different species of moth present on the hill. Three moth traps were set, their bright lights attracted the moths which were then identified. Some were caught in sample tubes for closer examination but all were then released unharmed. We believe that this was the first time moth traps had been set on the hill and we hope that it will not be the last. Regular monitoring of different species over time will tell us whether our management of the hill is succeeding in maintaining (or increasing) the range of species present.
The full report on the evening includes a list of all 92 moths found. Six photographs of these moths are shown below and these are highlighted in blue on the list. The most interesting macro-moth of the night was probably the Red-necked Footman which occurs locally across the region in woodland and occasionally appears as a migrant. The larvae feed on lichens growing on deciduous trees.
