Saltmarsh stroll

The current spell of very blustery NW winds is not the best weather for mothing, whether by day or dusk, or using a trap. Yesterday evening (c 8.30pm, Tuesday 8/8), I stopped off after a `food-shop` at the North Dock dunes and saltmarsh, a location that - as I`ve said before - is very convenient for quick visits.
As soon as I started walking along the rough path on the inner (E) side of the narrow dune spit, I realised that moths would be hard to find, with strong gusts of wind keeping them down in the vegetation. Indeed nothing was in flight and all I spotted were some 6-spot burnets clinging to grass stems. The tide was almost `in` which meant possible difficulty in searching areas of high tide vegetation as I was not wearing wellington boots.

Searching a clump of mugwort, I spotted a single `tort` which may be Dichrorampha simpliciana (the size etc seems to fit that species).

                                         Above: Dichrorampha simpliciana (provisional det.).

As I returned to the car after about 20 minutes otherwise fruitless searching, I could see that the tide had receded to expose about 25 feet`s-worth width of saltings and I was pleasantly surprised that I could walk over it with care, allowing a saltmarsh (edge) stroll. In areas of sea aster and other saline vegetation, I flushed numerous torts, of which I caught four. These perhaps are Eucosma tripoliana.

                                             Above: Eucosma tripoliana (again a prov. det.).