As part of our ongoing work to monitor the species that live in Jubilee Wood, in mid-April 2025 we carried out another moth survey. This was the fourth survey we have carried out and now takes the species count to over 100, which is pretty impressive for such a small and relatively young wood.
Notable species included:
- Clouded Drab
- Common Quaker
- Chinese Character
- Hebrew Character
- Purple Thorn
- Lunar Marbled Brown
However, some great news is that we recorded a first for Staffordshire: a Spindle Moth. This moth has never been recorded in Staffordshire before and shows that the hard work we have done in the wood is paying off. This also demonstrates the vital importance of the green corridor of Moat Brook. Green corridors form a network which connect many other wildlife sites together and help animals and insects move around our countryside in relative safety.
We have been actively working to improve the Moat Brook corridor, not only in Jubilee Wood, but further downstream on Hubbard’s Field, Banks’ Field and beyond to connect up with Pendeford Mill Nature Reserve.
A huge thank you to Ian Lycett for his encyclopaedic knowledge of moths and other wildlife. Ian runs the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust shop on Birches Bridge and also volunteers at Northicote Farm, which is a wonderful wildlife haven and well worth a visit. Incidentally, Northicote Farm and Jubilee Wood are connected by green corridors so who knows, maybe ‘our’ Spindle Moth (or more likely its descendants) will be trapped there in the years to come.
