Mother Shipton

A very long day, visiting Tolworth Court Farm Field LNR to carry out botanical and invertebrate baseline surveys prior to the introduction of extensive grazing on the site.

The train journey down went remarkably smoothly  - we arrived early and had time for coffee and chocolate brownie in a nearby garden centre before meeting with the Biodiversity Officer of Kingston-upon-Thames and then starting work. Sadly, the journey home took about four hours thanks to three cancelled trains. However, the last train was full of very cheerful and good-natured Sunderland supporters who treated us to a range of popular songs on the journey - by Peterborough nearly everyone was singing along!

The site was very large with enormous numbers of Meadow Buttercup - these were attracting a variety of insects including the largest number of Mother Shipton moths that I've ever seen in one place. This is a characteristic grassland species with each forewing having creamy-coloured markings, the outlines of which resemble a witch’s face. 
The moth is named after Old Mother Shipton, a 16th century Yorkshire witch.