WINE RACE 2016 .. MATTc380 .. TRENT 353 .. BEN 347 ...... Garden species:- Macros 357, Micros 365, Total 722

Tuesday 30 April 2013

29th April 2013 ... Garden trap report

2.3 deg min. calm, clear
Just the one micro to add to the year list ....
974 ... Argyrotaenia ljungiana 
0974 Argyrotaenia ljungiana ... Heather Tortrix ... 1 ... YF
1523 Emmelina monodactyla ... Common Plume ... 1
1862 Gymnoscelis rufifasciata ... Double-striped Pug ... 4
2187 Orthosia cerasi ... Common Quaker ... 2
2188 Orthosia incerta ... Clouded Drab ... 2
2190 Orthosia gothica ... Hebrew Character ... 5
2243 Xylocampa areola ... Early Grey ... 2
2256 Eupsilia transversa ... Satellite ... 1

Monday 29 April 2013

28th April 2013 .. Yellow-barred Brindle

Wind and rain was the order of the night so no traps on.
Instead I placed a blacklight blue fluorescent in the patio door window which was the least windy part of the garden and driest.
Just 3 moths turned up, a forlorn looking Clouded Drab, a Common Quaker, and a surprise Yellow-barred Brindle for the garden year list ....
1883 .. Yellow-barred Brindle ... Acasis viretata
Common Hoverfly
on the sunny wall this morning ...

Syrphus ribesii

Saturday 27 April 2013

27th April 2013 ... Back to winter

Happy Birthday Mum, 88 today and going strong ...

Last night temperatures fell to below 3 deg and tonight could be below zero, so I'm hoping the Victoria Plum blossom survives, which is now in full bloom, or no plums this year.

Not much to report from the garden moth traps, the usual hardy Orthosia species, and just one addition to the year list which was in the shed, White-shouldered House Moth.
Best of the rest were the second Nut-tree Tussock and a second Spectacle.

648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella ... White-shouldered House Moth

Thursday 25 April 2013

24th April 2013 ... What's that coming over the hill ... Pt 2

.... is it a mompha ?

Yes it is this time.
Found during the daytime on the patio door window.

Mompha subbistrigella ...

892 ... Mompha subbistrigella ... Garden Cosmet

It was a calm, warm night last night, with low level cloud blocking out the full moon.
Minimum temperature was 10.6 deg C but light rain up until late evening was a nuisance.
A year first Spectacle was earlier than expected but the rest of the catch were the usual batch.

0483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella ... Golden Lance-wing ... 1
0892 ... Mompha subbistrigella ... Garden Cosmet ... 1, YF
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla ... Twenty-plume Moth ... 1
1497 ... Amblyptilia acanthadactyla ... Beautiful Plume ... 2
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla ... Common Plume ... 5
1862 ... Double-striped Pug ... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata ... 12
1917 ... Early Thorn ... Selenia dentaria ... 3
2182 ... Small Quaker ... Orthosia cruda ... 3
2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi ... 14
2188 ... Clouded Drab ... Orthosia incerta ... 3
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica ... 3
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola ... 8
2450 ... Spectacle ... Abrostala tripartita ... 1, YF

2450 ... The Spectacle ...  Abrostola tripartita


Wednesday 24 April 2013

23rd April 2013 .. New Moth for The Dells garden

A warm calm evening, almost perfect for the moth traps apart from a 95% bright waxing moon.
There was a nice surprise in the actinic trap this morning, a Brindled Beauty, new for the garden.

1927 .. Lycia hirtaria .. Brindled Beauty
Other year first visitors were :-
Brimstone Moth and Twenty-plume Moth, plus a tiny micro that defied the limits of my little Panasonic Lumix
That one will go to Mr Manning for ID.

1906 .. Opisthograptis luteolata .. Brimstone Moth

1288 .. Alucita hexadactyla .. Twenty-plume Moth

 Let's see if I can get THIS one right .....
483 .. Epermenia chaerophyllella .. Golden Lance-wing (to some)
The Haul :-
1 tiny micro .... ID results later
0483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella ... GOLDEN LANCE-WING ... 1
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla ... TWENTY-PLUME MOTH ... 1 YF
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla ... COMMON PLUME ... 6
1862 ... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata ... DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG ... 5
1906 ... Opisthograptis luteolata ... BRIMSTONE MOTH ...1 YF
1917 ... Selenia dentaria ... EARLY THORN ... 2
1927 ... Lycia hirtaria ... BRINDLED BEAUTY ... 1 NFG
2187 ... Orthosia cerasi ... COMMON QUAKER ... 7
2188 ... Orthosia incerta ... CLOUDED DRAB ... 2
2190 ... Orthosia gothica ... HEBREW CHARACTER ... 4
2243 ... Xylocampa areola ... EARLY GREY ... 7
2389 ... Padrina clavipalpis ... PALE MOTTLED WILLOW



Tuesday 23 April 2013

22nd April 2013 ... Garden Traps report

A chilly gusty wind for most of the evening kept the numbers down, especially the micros, but it was still warm enough at 7.5 deg minimum.
The usual moths were present with only a Satellite to add to the year list.
The Clouded Drabs are looking a bit worn now and the Satellite looked older than Telstar .
My actinic 11 watt PL trap has been downgraded from 4 lamps to two lamps as it was lighting up the neighbours upstairs windows. This will also save me around £80 per year and it doesn't appear to have affected the catch ... everyone's a winner.

Satellite ... Eupsilia transversa
1524 ... Common Plume ... Emmelina monodactyla ... 5
1862 ... Double-striped Pug ... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata ... 8
2182 ... Small Quaker ... Orthosia munda ... 1
2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi ... 2
2188 ... Clouded Drab ... Orthosia incerta ... 2
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola
2256 ... Satellite ... Eupsilia transversa ... 1 YF
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow ... Padrina clavipalpis ... 1

Monday 22 April 2013

21st April 2013 ... What's that coming over the hill .....

... Is it a Mompha, is it a Mompha

Lots of moths about last night until midnight when the skies cleared and a bright waxing moon slowed things down.
Two Mompha, one 6mm ish long, possibly propinquella, and the other much smaller at around 4mm, which I cannot identify but I know a man who can !

Mompha 1 ... 6mm nose to tail


Mompha 2 ... about 4mm long

Thanks Matt and Skev ... NOT Mompha  ... 483 Epermenia chaerophyllella
The same moth I called a Mompha last year ... some people never learn

A year first Pale Mottled Willow and a first appearance for Small Quaker in the garden and 10 Early Grey was a high count.

Traps totals:-
2 Mompha to be ID'd and added later
0663 ... Diurnea fagella ... 1
0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana ... 1
0695 ... Agonopterix alstromeriana ... 1
1047 ... Acleris schalleriana ... 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla ... 6
1862 ... Double-striped Pug ... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata ... 10 (below)


1917 ... Early Thorn ... Selenia dentaria ... 2
2182 ... Small Quaker ... Orthosia cruda ... 1 (below) Year First


2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi ... 6
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica ... 1
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola ... 10
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow ... Paradrina clavipalpis ... 1 (below) Year First


2469 ... Herald ... Scoliopteryx libatrix ... 1 (below)





Sunday 21 April 2013

20th April 2013 ... Garden Traps report

No new moths to add from the garden traps, zero degrees for Friday and last night didn't help but the daytime sunshine has been quite warm and lots of activity was noted.
Yesterday and this morning saw 4 species of butterfly, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White and Peacock.
Lots of large and small Bumblebees and a healthy population of Bee Flies.
Only one moth to add to the year list which was nowhere near the traps, instead it was buzzing around my guests in the lounge room and narrowly avoiding attempts to swat it ... Tinea pellionella, Case-bearing Clothes Moth.

No flowers yet on the Hebe for this large Bumble Bee (above) which I think is Bombus lapidarius.

Last nights trapping included this Early Thorn, my second this year .......

Moths :-
Last nght.
0240 ...  Tinea pellionella ... Case-bearing Clothes Moth ... 1
1917 ... Early Thorn ... Selenia dentaria ... 1
2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi ... 1
2188 ... Clouded Drab ... Orthosia incerta ... 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica ... 2
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola ... 4
19th April ....
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica ... 3
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola ... 4

Friday 19 April 2013

18th April 2013 ... I had a little nut tree ....

... Tussock that is.

About to take off ... Nut-tree Tussock

A little cooler than the last few nights but the wind had died down.
17 moths of six species were in the traps, the bulk of which were Early Greys'

1524 ... Common Plume ... Emmelina monodactyla .. (2)
2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi .. (3)
2188 ... Clouded Drab ... Orthosia incerta .. (3)
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica .. (2)
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola .. (6)
2425 ... Nut-tree Tussock ... Colocasia coryli .. (1) .........YF

Thursday 18 April 2013

17th April 2013 .. Getting the wind up

I put the traps on last night even though the wind was gusting at 40 plus mph.
That's number 8 on the Beauforte Scale, which is gale force !
As the wind showed no sign of abating, I went out at 21.00 to switch off the traps but decided to leave them on after finding a few moths clinging on the traps for dear life.
It's incredible how anything managed to fly in those conditions but 14 moths of 8 species were recorded ..

0688 .. Agonopterix heracliana ... Common Flat-body ... 3
0688 .. Agonopterix heracliana
0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana ... Light Brown Apple Moth ... 1
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana

1047 .. Acleris sparsana ... Ashy Button ... 1
1047 ... Acleris schalleriana
1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla ... Common Plume ... 4
1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla

2139 ... Cerastis rubricosa ... Red Chestnut ... 1
2139 ... Cerastis rubricosa 
2187 ... Orthosia cerasi ... Common Quaker ... 1
2190 ... Orthosia gothica ... Hebrew Character ... 2
2243 ... Xylocampa areola ... Early Grey ... 1

Back to the vernacular names ....
The above pics show  some examples of micro vernaculars, one well established, one coming into acceptance and two that are liked, ignored or even rediculed.
Personally, I like the idea of these micro vernacular names coming into common usage as long as the Latin name is used alongside.
There is something quaint about using the vernacular.
If these odd names for the micro moths eg Bells, Groundlings, Smudges, Buttons etc were standard, as they appear to be in certain publications, then why not use them ? Some county moth sites do, and for future generations the names would just trip off the tongue.
But as Mark Skevington points out in his blog, use it or not, it is imperative that the Latin generic/specific names are always used first and foremost, and I whole heartedly agree with that, vernacular names are flights of fancy, think about some of the macro moth names.... but we all use and like them.
There is a certain permanence in these vernacular names when accepted as common usage, for example, the taxonomic Latin names could possibly change several times over a period of time but an Epiphyas postvittana with a few taxonomic name changes would still  remain a Light Brown Apple Moth  and there would be no pronunciation difficulties.
Epiblema uddmanniana is now Notocelia uddmanniana, on the UK Moths site it is still Epiblema but Bramble Shoot Moth is a reassuring constant.
I would also like to see our European neighbours doing the same...using the Latin but adding their own vernacular as a point of international interest and amusement...  for Light Brown Apple Moth ?
Hellbraun Apfel Motte has a certain Teutonic ring to it
Lichtbruin appelmot for the cloggers
Not sure what the French would call theirs ... Brun Clair Pomme Papillon de Nuit... (shrug) .
any cunning linguists out there ?

Wednesday 17 April 2013

16th April 2013 ... Early Thorn, Red Slender (Small)

Minimum overnight low ... 6.9 deg C
Still warm albeit windy, which possibly helps my garden tally with a few blow-ins.
Another good night in and around the traps with 33 moths of 13 species.
Caloptilia rufipennella was a good spot on the trap.
I'm wondering about the vernacular I've seen used for this moth ... Small Red Slender.
I'm all for a simple common vernacular, at least you wouldn't hear numerous pronunciations of Latin  for the majority of micro moths. (and wonder who is right).
Ideally there should be both Latin and vernacular in common usage, as in the macro moths. You can't go wrong with Small Red Slender, although it does imply that there is a bigger Red Slender on the loose, so why not just Red Slender ? Or is there a Red Slender that I haven't noticed ?
I'm sure I've said nothing here that hasn't been discussed several times in the past so here is last nights catch....

0284 .. Small Red Slender, Caloptilia rufipennella. (1) YF (pictured below)
284 ...  Caloptilia rufipennella
0663 .. March Tubic, Diurnea fagella. (2)
0688 .. Common Flat-body, Agonopterix heracliana. (1)
0695 .. Brown-spot Flat-body, Agonopterix alstromeriana. (1) YF (below)
695 .. Agonopterix alstromeriana
1497 .. Beautiful Plume, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla (1) YF (below)
1497 .. Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

1524 .. Common Plume, Emmelina monodactyla. (11)
1862 .. Double-striped Pug, Gymnoscelis rufifasciata (5)
1917 .. Early Thorn, Selenia dentaria. (1) YF (below)
1917 .. Early Thorn ... Selenia dentaria

2139 .. Red Chestnut, Cerastis rubricosa, (1)
2187 .. Common Quaker, Orthosia cerasi. (5)
2188 .. Clouded Drab, Orthosia incerta. (1)
2190 .. Hebrew Character, Orthosia gothica. (2)
2243 .. Early Grey, Xylocampa areola. (1)







Tuesday 16 April 2013

15th April ... Red Chestnut

Not as humid as last night but still warm at 8.4 deg C min. but with a gusting wind.
16 moths were counted, 7 of which were Common Plume.
Red Chestnut was a good find as I usually only get singles each year, rarely two.

2139 Red Chestnut, Cerastis rubricosa

Grey Shoulder-knot was also a welcome addition to the year list ...

2237 Grey Shoulder-knot, Lithophane ornitopus
0688 . Agonpterix heracliana (1)
1524 . Common Plume, Emmelina monodactyla (7)
2139 . Red Chestnut, Cerastis rubricosa (1) Year First
2187 . Common Quaker, Orthosia cerasi (3)
2188 . Clouded Drab, Orthosia incerta (2)
2237 . Grey Shoulder-knot, Lithophane ornitopus (1) Year First
2258 . Chestnut, Conistra vaccinii (1)

Monday 15 April 2013

Herald Triumph

Moths at last !
Warm and windy, minimum low ... 8.3 deg C
An excellent evenings garden mothing with 26 moths of 13 species ...
Nice to see the Herald, one of my favourite moths

1 .. 0263 Apple Leaf Miner ..... Lyonetia clerkella .. YF
1 .. 0663  Diurnea fagella ..... YF
2 .. 0688 Agonopterix heracliana
3 .. 1524 Common Plume ..... Emmelina monodactyla
1 .. 1862 Double-striped Pug ..... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata
7 .. 2187 Common Quaker ..... Orthosia cerasi
2 .. 2188 Clouded Drab ..... Orthosia incerta
1 .. 2189 Twin-spotted Quaker ..... Orthosia munda .. YF
2 .. 2190 Hebrew Character ..... Orthosia gothica
1 .. 2236 Pale Pinion ..... Lithophane hepatica .. YF
3 .. 2243 Early Grey ..... Xylocampa areola
1 .. 2258 Chestnut ..... Cinistra vaccinii .. YF
1 .. 2469 Herald ..... Scoliopterix libatrix .. YF

263 Apple Leaf Miner,  Lyonetia clerkella

2469  The Herald,  Scoliopterix libatrix

2189 Twin-spotted Quaker, Orthosia munda

2236 Pale Pinion, Lithophane hepatica

2258 The Chestnut, Conistra vaccinii

663 Diurnea fagella



Sunday 14 April 2013

First Pug of the year

The warmest night of the year to date produced just 3 moths, the rain showers and wind hampering proceedings.
I nearly missed this Double-striped Pug on the brick wall ....



1 ... 1862 ... Double-striped Pug ... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata YF
1 ... 2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi
1 ... 2188 ... Clouded Drab ... Orthosia incerta



Friday 12 April 2013

Garden catch and prototype portable moth trap

Rain has been the price to pay for the warmer weather.
Very few moths in the garden traps
10th April ... 2 x Common Quaker
11th April ... 1 x Clouded Drab
Last nights lone Clouded Drab

TRAP TRIAL
A portable lightweight trap is about to make its debut this weekend in Home Wood.
Trap, lights, control box and battery weigh a little over 6.5 kg. and the trap folds flat to fit in a rucksack making it easy to lug it abroad, or to those places where there is no vehicle access and a generator or even a heavy 24Ah battery set-up would be a little tough on legs and back.
A dusk to dawn photocell means it can be dumped in situ during the day and will switch on and off automatically and although the skinner type trap would get a bit wet during a rain shower, the lights are waterproof so no harm done except for wet egg boxes.
The 2.4 watt lights have been tested with a fully charged battery ( 7 Amp hour, 12 volt ) and were switched off after 14 hours, still as bright as ever.
If successful, it will go in to production ... Watch this space


Prototype Ratface Battface undergoing battery test.
The Wine Race
That jammy sod Matt (Capt. Trappings) has just returned from a 3 week break in the sunny Cayman Islands. Did he slip behind in the wine race ?
Not a chance.
The milder weather started on the day he returned (10th April) after the coldest March/early April since Black Beauty was a foal !
Speaking of dark horses... that Ben Sale has snuck into the lead ..........................


Monday 8 April 2013

6th & 7th April ... Garden Trap

6 deg C at dusk last night so I fired up the trap/shed lights. I gave the traps a short 2 hour run on Saturday as it was 4 deg at early dusk and bagged a Common Quaker and Agonopterix heracliana before the temperature plummeted to minus 3.
Last night was a little better with two additions to the garden year list ...

7th April
1 Clouded Drab YF
1 Hebrew Character YF
3 Early Grey

Hebrew Character

Clouded Drab

Early Grey