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

Wednesday 30 April 2014

29th April 2014 Garden Moths latest

Not a great deal in and around the traps with the last two nights being foggy, the only addition to the year list was this tiny micro ...
Argyresthia trifasciata

Noticed a few odds and ends in the sunny spell today including this smart beetle ...


Corizus hyoscyami




Monday 28 April 2014

Latest Moths from The Dells Garden

Currant Pug 21st April

Dark/Grey Dagger agg 22nd April


Cochylis dubitana 23rd April


Mompha epilobiella 23rd April


Scalloped Hazel x 2, 23rd April


Phyllonorychter sp. possibly "blancardella" to be confirmed
24th April.


Pyrausta aurata 24th April

25th April
The Northill 9th annual beer festival and hogroast
Ilkley Black 3.7 %
Robinson's Dizzy Blonde 3.8%
Lambo First Pint 4.0%
Lymestone's Flagstone 4.2%
William's April Thesis 4.2%
Wharfebank Golden Ticket 4.5%
Exe Valley, It's Phil's Ale 4.8%
Cairngorm Wild Cat 5.1%
Obviously no moth trapping on such an occasion ...



Common Pug, 27th April


Turnip Moth, 27th April


Common Marbled Carpet, 27th April

Friday 18 April 2014

17th April 2014 ... Garden moths latest, Least Black Arches

Cold, clear nights prevail but the bright moon didn't show until midnightish.
Down to 3.6 deg C , coldest at 6.00 am.
Highlight of the Night :-
LEAST BLACK ARCHES

The Catch :-
0648 ... Esperia sulphurella, x 1, + 2 during the daytime
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 1
1781 ... Small Waved Umber, x 1
1936 ... Waved Umber, x 1
2063 ... Muslin Moth, x 2
2078 ... Least Black Arches, x 1 ... year first
Nola confusalis, ... Least Black Arches

2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart, x 4
2154 ... Cabbage Moth, x 1 ... year first
Mamestra brassicae, ... Cabbage Moth

2182 ... Small Quaker, x 1
2186 ... Powdered Quaker, x 1
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 1
2243 ... Early Grey, x 2
2306 ... Angle Shades, x 2
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow, x 1

Thursday 17 April 2014

16th April 2014 ... Garden traps and garden taps

A bit of late afternoon netting in the garden produced a few micros
Anthophila fabriciana, the common Nettle-tap was found for the first time in 2013, with one individual turning up whilst sweep netting Ox-eye Daisies in the front garden for Dichrorampha species, so to net 3 of them flying around the back garden was pleasing.
In the same session, 2 x Argyrotaenia ljungiana, 3 x Esperia sulphurella, 1 rather worn Epermenia chaerophyllella, and a Light Brown Apple Moth were also caught along with 4 x Mompha subbistrigella on the inside of the garden shed window.

Below ... One of three Nettle-taps caught.and  Argyrotaenia ljungiana

Anthophila fabriciana, ... Nettle-tap

Argyrotaenia ljungiana

The evening and night saw temperatures up a little at 4.9deg C but with a bright 95% waning moon.
As well as 3 individuals being netted in the afternoon, a single Esperia sulphurella was attracted to the trap lights during the night ...
Esperia sulphurella
The Catch
0385 ... Anthophila fabriciana, x 3, ... year first
0483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella, x 1
0649 ... Esperia sulphurella, x 3 (+1)
0697 ... Agonopterix arenella, x 1, ... year first
Agonopterix arenella
0892 ... Mompha subbistrigella, x 4
0974 ... Argyrotaenia ljungiana, x 2, ... year first
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 1 (+3)
1342 ... Eudonia angustea, x 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 1
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 2
2063 ... Muslin Moth, x 1
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart, x 3
2139 ... Red Chestnut, x 1
Cerastis rubicosa, ... Red Chestnut

Red Chestnut, ... Cerastis rubicosa
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 3
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 1
2243 ... Early Grey, x 4

Wednesday 16 April 2014

15th April 2014 ... Garden Traps Latest ... Agonopterix purpurea ??

Min. overnight temperature - 1.6deg C.
Much happier with my new Oregon weather-station, the one it replaced read 4.5 deg minimum which was far too high.
Calm and clear, full moon
An Agonopterix sp was netted in the late afternoon and given its tiny size it is a strong candidate for Agonopterix purpurea.
This moth was last recorded in Bedfordshire on the 1904 Victoria County records.
It has been retained for gen det.
A worn individual, remnants of the markings can just about be seen in this "shot in a pot" pic.

691 ... Agonopterix purpurea ?

Despite the full moon and cold conditions, a small variety of moths found their way in and around the traps.
3 x Angle Shade's had pupated and hatched in the garden shed and were drawn to the window by the trap lights outside, as were 3 x Mompha subbistrigella and a White-shouldered House-moth.
Highlight of the Night
KNOT GRASS ... which may equal the earliest VC30 record
The Catch:-
0648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella, x 1
0691 ... Agonopterix purpurea, x 1 .... To be confirmed (garden first, if confirmed and first VC30 record for 110 years)
0892 ... Mompha subbistrigella, x 3
1781 ... Small Waved Umber, x 1
Small Waved Umber
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 1
1927 ... Brindled Beauty, x 1
Brindled Beauty
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart, x 1
2182 ... Small Quaker, x 1
2243 ... Early Grey, x 3
Early Grey
2289 ... Knot Grass, x 1 ... year first
Knot Grass
2306 ... Angle Shades, x 3
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow, x 1

Tuesday 15 April 2014

15th April 2014 ... Weather or not

Unhappy with my replacement min/max temperature unit.
I'm sure last nights (14th April) temperature was lower than 4.6 deg C. and I'm also sure that the previous nights temps were lower than the 7/8 deg on the minimum temp display.
In fact I am getting a little OCD about it, SO, I bought another.
This one has a remote sensor that relays the info to the display unit via wireless signal.
It gives both indoor and outdoor temps and at the push of a button it tells you the min/max temps for the last 24 hour period of both indoors and outdoors.
It also forecasts the next 12 hours of weather in a 30 mile radius.
I may push the boat out and upgrade to a more sophisticated one later, one that also displays humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and the BBC.
At least I can now compare the two and get some sleep ...
BELOW ... The main unit showing both indoor and outdoor temps and forecasting sunshine with a little cloud .... so far so good.
 BELOW, The neat little sensor, fixed to the fence around my little fish pond

£20.00, which included p&p, for hopefully, peace of mind !
Speaking of OCD, last year I put a clump of day lilies in the garden to add a splash of colour but they suffered badly from Lily Beetle attack despite my efforts, ie picking off the little sods as they appeared.
This year I have escalated the war by spending more "picking off" time (chemicals are definitely NOT an option) and the half grown plants are looking quite healthy so I hope I caught them before they had a chance to lay their hundreds of eggs.
This time, instead of sneakily flicking them into a neighbours garden (the one that trims my Cotoneaster and Ivy on his side of the wall and then dumps them willy nilly back into my garden !)  where they may find their way back ...I have dispatched them.
The Enemy below .....
Lilioceris lillii, ... Lily Beetle
War dead .... 66 Lily Beetles
and none seen for 3 days, now to keep an eye open for the larva which are worse than the adults ...

14th April 2014 ... Garden traps latest

4 deg C and a full moon on a calm, clear night.
Very poor conditions for a decent catch which was reflected in the total.
Just 15 moths caught, one of which was a daytime micro and 5 others were Early Grey that seem oblivious to bright moons and cool temperatures,
The rest of the catch were recorded in the first hour of darkness before the full moon lit up the garden and the temperature fell.
A Parornix species was potted during the day from the patio door window which is probably "anglicella".
This has been retained for positive ID
Highlight of the Night :-
NUTMEG
2 days late to be an early VC30 record..
Discestra trifolii, ... Nutmeg
The Catch:-
0303 ... Parornix anglicella, x 1 ... To be determined ... year first
Not the best "shot in a pot"
Parornix sp

0648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella, x 1
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 1
1781 ... Small Waved Umber, x 1
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 2
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart, x 1
2145 ... Nutmeg, x 1, ... year first
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 1
2243 ... Early Grey, x 5

Sunday 13 April 2014

12th April 2014 ... Garden moth traps latest

overnight min. temp. 7deg c. Clear early evening, clouding over later.
The almost full bright moon in the early evening hours meant little activity around the traps, plus a chilly feel in the air.
I think my replacement min/max temperature unit is reading a degree or two high as it seemed much cooler than the 7 degrees it was displaying.
It did cloud over later in the night with a little misty rain and a few moths were in the traps on the morning inspection.
Shuttle-shaped Dart numbers are about to take off which means my local Sparrows will soon be hanging around the traps each morning, fluttering their wings in the hope that I will provide them with a tasty Shuttle  or Heart and Dart to feed their growing broods.
This is quite an unusual sight to see, especially the males,  it's like they are newly fledged juveniles begging  food from the parents and I have to admit that the occasional worn common moth misses the release pot.
Highlight of the Night ...
EUDONIA ANGUSTEA.
A common micro moth making its first appearance for the year.
1342, Eudonia angustea

The catch:-
0892 ... Mompha subbistrigella, x 1
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 1
1342 ... Eudonia angustea, x 1, ... year first
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 2
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 2
1728 ... Garden Carpet, x 1
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart, x 3
2187 ... Common Quaker, x 2
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 3
2243 ... Early Grey, x 6
2306 ... Angle Shades, x 1

Saturday 12 April 2014

11th April 2014 ... Waved Umber

8deg C but feeling chilly with a bright 85% waxing moon.
Moth numbers well down on the previous couple of nights, the clear skies and bright moon not helping.
Highlight of the Night ...
WAVED UMBER
Menophra abruptaria ... Waved Umber
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 6
1862 ... Double-striped Pug x 5
1936 ... Waved Umber, x 1, ... year first
2182 ... Small Quaker x 2
2187 ... Common Quaker x 4
2188 ... Clouded Drab x 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character x 1
2243 ... Early Grey x 2
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow x 3

Friday 11 April 2014

10th April 2014 ... Garden Moth Traps latest

Overnight min. temp. 11deg C, Cloudy, calm.
Quite a nice variety in and around the traps last night.
Small Waved Umber could possibly be the earliest VC30 record in a year where early records are commonplace.
Highlight of the Night ...
SPRUCE CARPET
The catch ..
0648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella, x 1
0649 ... Esperia sulphurella, x 2, (1 daytime)
0695 ... Agonopterix alstromeriana, x 1
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 6
1728 ... Garden Carpet, x 2, ... year first

Garden Carpet

1769 ... Spruce Carpet, x 1, ... year first
Spruce Carpet

1781 ... Small Waved Umber, x 1, ... year first
Small Waved Umber

1858 ... V-pug, x 1
V-pug

1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 12
1883 ... Yellow-barred Brindle, x 1
Yellow-barred Brindle

1906 ... Brimstone Moth, x 2
Brimstone Moth

2182 ... Small Quaker, x 1
2186 ... Powdered Quaker, x 1
2187 ... Common Quaker, x 10
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 3
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 3
2243 ... Early Grey, x 7
2306 ... Angle Shades, x 1

Thursday 10 April 2014

9th April 2014 .... Garden Moth traps latest

Two Esperia sulphurella were seen flying around the Bird-cherry logs in the afternoon sun, adding one more to the garden species tally ....

649 ... Esperia sulphurella

A warm evening. with cloud cover. 13 deg C until 22.30 hrs. dropping to  7 deg as the skies cleared with a bright waxing moon on view.
Highlight of the night.
PALE PINION
Lithophane hepatica, ... Pale Pinion

The catch:-
0483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella, x 1
0649 ... Esperia sulphurella, x 2, ... year first
0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana ???, x 1, (retained for gen det)
Very difficult species, this one will be sent for ID as I suspect A. scopariella, which has been recorded previously at The Dells on a similar hunch. A. heracliana is still the bookies favourite tho ...

0695 ... Agonopterix alstromeriana, x 3
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 3
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla, x 3
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 7
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 14
1906 ... Brimstone Moth, x 2
1917 ... Early Thorn, x 1
2182 ... Small Quaker, x 2
2187 ... Common Quaker, x 6
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 3
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 3
2236 ... Pale Pinion, x 1, ... year first
2243 ... Early Grey, x 7
2306 ... Angle Shades, x 1
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow, x 1

Wednesday 9 April 2014

8th April 2014 Garden Traps latest

Min overnight temp. 6deg C, Clear sky, chilly
Not a great deal in the traps. The only addition to the 2014 list was an Angle Shades which is very common in the garden.
The first wave of Double-striped Pugs seems to have passed their peak, but as yet,  no Brindled or Oak-tree Pug have been recorded
0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana, x 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 1
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 3
1917 ... Early Thorn, x 2
2187 ... Common Quaker, x 3
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 4
2243 ... Early Grey, x 4
2306 ... Angle Shades, x 1, ... Year first
2306, Euplexia lucipara, ...  Angle Shades


Tuesday 8 April 2014

7th April 2014 ... Garden trap results

Min overnight temp. 6 deg C. Wind, rain until 11.00 pm. then clear and cool
Highlight of the night was no Common Quakers.
Yet another V-pug and an in-house Brown House-moth was added to The Dells year list.

0647 ... Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Brown House-moth, x 1, ... year first.
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, Light Brown Apple Moth, x 1
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla, Twenty-plume Moth, x 1
1858 ... V-pug, x 1
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 2
1927 ... Early Thorn, x 2
2063 ... Muslin Moth, x 1
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 1
2189 ... Twin-spotted Quaker, x 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 2
2243 ... Early Grey, x 1

Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Brown House-moth

Monday 7 April 2014

6th April 20114 ... Another early V-pug

Min. overnight temp .. 13 deg C, gusting wind, light rain becoming heavier
Nothing to add to the garden year list but another early V-pug showed up ...
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 1
1858 ... V-pug, x 1
V-pug

1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 13
1917 ... Early Thorn, x 1
2063 ... Muslin Moth, x 1
2182 ... Small Quaker, x 1
2187 ... Common Quaker, x 8
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 2
2243 ... Early Grey, x 3
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow, x 1
2469 ... Herald, x 1
Herald

Sunday 6 April 2014

5th April 2014 ... Purrfect !

min overnight temp .. 13 deg C, cloudy with light rain early a.m.
Surprisingly few moths in the traps but the early flight trend continues with another Varied Coronet (probable revisit) and a magnificent Puss Moth ...
Cerura vinula, Puss Moth, 5th April 2014

1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 5
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 5
1917 ... Early Thorn, x 1
1995 ... Puss Moth, x 1, ... Year first
2063 ... Muslin Moth, x 1
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart, x 1
2170 ... Varied Coronet, x 1
2082 ... Small Quaker, x 2
2187 ... Common Quaker, x 7
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 3
2243 ... Early Grey, x 7
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow, x 2

The Varied Coronet looks like the one caught on 3rd April which has found its way back to the garden as the markings appear identical, added to the fact that it is well outside of its normal flight time range ...

Varied Coronet, 5th April 2014
Varied Coronet, 3rd April 2014
 The same moth ?
I think so .... it has been released with an extra black indelible ink spot on the forewing

MARCH
Top counts ... garden moths with 5 or more records ....
1 ... 106 ... Common Quaker
2 ... 92 ..... Emmelina monodactyla
3 ... 59 ..... Early Grey
4 ... 57 ..... Double-striped Pug
5 ... 38 ..... Clouded Drab
6 ... 27 ..... Agonopterix heracliana
7 ... 26 ..... Hebrew Character
8 ... 8 ....... Small Quaker
9 ... 7 ....... Early Thorn
10 . 5 ....... Agonopterix alstromeriana

Double-striped Pug, very common at The Dells garden traps ...
The earlier ones were tiny but now they are a lot bigger, this one in particular has a wingspan of 23mm