30th March 2014 ... Ash and Lance drop by

Min overnight temperature ... 10 deg C, Cloudy, dry
Ideal conditions for the garden traps.
2 micro moths were added to the year list ...
0435 ... Zelleria hepariella ... Brown Ash Ermel . 1
0483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella ... Golden Lance-wing . 3

435 ... Zelleria hepariella

483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella

The rest :-
0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana x 1
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla x 3
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla x 12
1862 ... Double-striped Pug x 13
2182 ... Small Quaker x 2
2187 ... Common Quaker x 4
2188 ... Clouded Drab x 3
2190 ... Hebrew Character x 6
2243 ... Early Grey x 2
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow x 1

Small White butterfly added to the garden lep list

30th March 2014 ... The greater of two weevils

Found this large weevil on my yard brush handle today.
It's a new species for the garden, a Scarce Fungus Weevil, an odd looking creature indeed !
Vine Weevil is common large weevil in the garden, but in comparison, this critter is a Sherman tank.
About 13mm in length, and unmistakable.......

Scarce Fungus Weevil ... Platyrhinus resinosus

29/ March 2014 ... Garden Traps

Min overnight Temp .. 8 deg C
The cloud cover gave way to a fresh, clear sky, not ideal, but tonight looks promising if the rain is kind.
Caloptilia rufipennella was added to the year tally, the rest were as expected ...

284 ... Caloptilia rufipennella x 1 ... year first
688 ... Agonopterix heracliana x 1
695 ... Agonopterix alstromeriana x 1
1524 . Emmelina monodactyla x 4
1862 . Double-striped Pug x 4
2182 . Small Quaker x 1
2187 . Common Quaker x 5
2188 . Clouded Drab x 3
2190 . Hebrew Character x 6
2243 . Early Grey x 1

Below : Caloptilia rufipennella, Garden status ... Common
A "shot in a pot" unfortunately I didn't get a better pic as the creature was crushed between the pot and pot lid..

284, Caloptilia rufipennella

28th March 2014 ... Garden Moths at last

After a week of cold weather it was back to the garden moth traps.
Minimum overnight temperature was 6+ degrees and the next few nights look very good as it gets warmer.
14 moths of 6 species were recorded
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla x 1
1862 ... Double-striped Pug x 3
1917 ... Early Thorn x 2
2187 ... Common Quaker x 2
2190 ... Hebrew Character x 1
2243 ... Early Grey x 5

Hebrew Character on Bird-cherry 

Early Thorn

29th March
Todays sunshine has seen the garden explode with insect activity.
Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies, Bee Flies, Shield Bugs, Lily Beetles (unfortunately) and Ladybirds including Two-spot, Seven-spot and the uncommon 4-spot Pine Ladybird.
At 4mm in length the tiny Pine Ladybird is easily identified with a close inspection.
There are some ladybird forms that can resemble Pine,but the ID clinchers are as follows ....The two spots at the rear are "Full stops" and the two spots at the front are "Commas".
It also has a rim at the edge of the wing case which likens it to a small brimmed bowler hat when viewed from above.

Above
Pine Ladybirds
Below
Small Tortoiseshell catching some rays on my garden wall ...

18th March 2014 ... Seeing Red

Red Chestnut

 Nice to find a Red Chestnut amongst the Orthosia species and Early Greys in the trap, a good addition to the year list.
Last nights trap haul ....
1524 Emmelina monodactyla x 8
1862 Double-striped Pug x 1
1917 Early Thorn x 1
2139 Red Chestnut x 1,  year first
2187 Common Quaker x 19
2188 Clouded Drab x 7
2190 Hebrew Character x 4
2243 Early Grey x 6
2256 Satellite x 1

17th March ... Grey areas

10 Early Grey and a Grey Shoulder-knot were amongst a decent tally last night.
2 x Early Thorn made a nice change from Orthosia species
Common Wasp has been recorded in the trap on 16th and 17th so I'm turning over the egg boxes with a little more caution as I check contents.
A Comma was added to the butterfly year on Sunday.

Grey Shoulder-knot

Early Thorn

Agonopterix alstromeriana

Agonopterix alstromeriana x 1
Epiphyas postvittana x 1
Emmelina monodactyla x 4
Double-striped Pug x 1
Early Thorn x 2
Common Quaker x 16
Clouded Drab x 3
Hebrew Character x 1
Grey Shoulder-knot x 1
Early Grey x 10

16th March 2014 ... Bee Early

Confirmation from recorder that the Bee Moth caught last night is the earliest record for VC30, the previous early record was 7th April. ( D.V. Manning, Beds & Northants micro moth recorder)

Aphomia sociella, ... Bee Moth

I think this one may be Caloptilia syringella ?
But I'll wait for confirmation ....
CONFIRMED as 281 Caloptilia populetorum, new for garden and only the second for VC30 (D. Manning gen det)

Caloptilia populetorum

Twin-spotted Quaker No. 2 for the year ...

Last nights catch:-
01 x 0263 ? ... C syringella ? ....Caloptilia species to be confirmed ... Year first
01 x 0663 ... Diurnea fagella
02 x 0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana
01 x 1047 ... Acleris schalleriana, Year first

Acleris schalleriana

02 x 1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla, Twenty-plume Moth, Year first

Alucita hexadactyla

01 x 1428 ... Aphomia sociella, Bee Moth, Year first
08 x 1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla
06 x 1862 ... Double-striped Pug
10 x 2187 ... Common Quaker
08 x 2188 ... Clouded Drab
01 x 2189 ... Twin-spotted Quaker
01 x 2190 ... Hebrew Character
06 x 2243 ... Early Grey
Plus 3 Depressaria types for pos ID... Results later

The Ides of March ...

Very fitting.....
March Moth is uncommon in my town garden. Just one record last year and zero the year before, so I was glad to get one on the 14th.
Better still, another turned up in the trap last night which was the 15th ... The Ides of March

12th March 2014 ... Garden Moth Traps latest

Not the best of conditions for moth trapping, the temperature was ok but clear skies and a bright waxing moon didn't help ... and then the fog arrived.
The early evening produced the first Small Quaker of the year and two Diurnea fagella appeared on the patio door window.
Agonopterix alstromeriana was found on the inside of the patio door window on the previous evening.
The county recorders, Andy and Melissa Banthorpe, inform me that the Pale Mottled Willow caught on the 9th March was the earliest record from VC30 and there are only 3 March records.

!!th March
1 x 0688 Agonopterix heracliana
1 x 0695 Agonopterix alstromeriana ... year first
1 x 1524 Emmelina monodactyla
1 x 1862 Double-striped Pug
6 x 2187 Common Quaker
1 x 2188 Clouded Drab
1 x 2243 Early Grey

12th March
2 x 0663 Diurnea fagella ... year first
4 x 1524 Emmelina monodactyla
1 x 2182 Small Quaker ... year first
1 x 2197 Common Quaker
2 x 2243 Early Grey
1 x 2259 Dark Chestnut

Agonopterix alstromeriana.. 11th March 2014

Diurnea fagella .. 12th March 2014

Small Quaker .. 12th March 2014

10th Mar 2014 .. Twin -spotted Quaker

Temperature stayed above 5deg C last night but felt more like 2 or 3 in the nippy north-east breeze.
Not so many moths about but a Twin-spotted Quaker was a good catch ....

Twin-spotted Quaker

The catch ...
1 x 0263 Lyonetia clerkella, melanic form (daytime)
1 x 0688 Agonopterix heracliana
6 x 1524 Emmelina monodactyla
1 x 1862 Double-striped Pug
4 x 2187 Common Quaker
1 x 2188 Clouded Drab
1 x 2189 Twin-spotted Quaker, year first
1 x 2243 Early Grey

9th March 2014 ... Warm spell brings out the moths ...

... and Butterflies, with more Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells and a year first Peacock.
An early Red-green Carpet and a Pale Mottled Willow were added to the year list as was the melanic form of Lyonetia clerkella, found on the patio door window this morning ( 10th ).
L. clerkella is extremely common in my garden and it won't be long before a multitude of mines appear on the 3 apple trees, Birch, Bird Cherry, Hawthorn and Cotoneaster, tho not so many on the latter.

Red-green Carpet

Red-green Carpet

Pale Mottled Willow

Melanic form of Lyonetia clerkella

8th March 2014 ... Garden latest

The first butterflies were seen in the garden on the 7th Mar, 2 Brimstones and a Small Tortoiseshell.
More were seen  on the 8th along with Bee Flies.
On the mothing front, Common Quaker numbers are increasing and Clouded Drab was added to the garden year list last night (8th)
15 moths of 6 species were recorded last night ...
2 x Agonopterix heracliana
4 x Emmelina monodactyla
4 x Common Quaker
2 x Clouded Drab
1 x Hebrew Character
2 x Early Grey

Common Quaker

Clouded Drab