Need a bigger trap ! Mothing, North Carolina style

Here are some of the larger moths caught on the Appalachians, Watauga County,
near Boone, North Carolina using the Twin 15 watt actinic  Ratface Traveller.
Tonights mothing in Biggleswade is going to be a tad tame !

110 mm wingspan, Callosamia anguilifera
Tulip-tree Silk Moth

115 mm wingspan, Eacles imperialis
Imperial Moth

150mm wingspan, Antheraea polyphemus.
Polyphemus Moth, Very worn but huge. ( with Grandson Oliver )

100+ mm wingspan, Actias luna
Luna Moth

7th July '15 Just another mother

Mother of Pearl that is.
My attempt at 300 species before my holidays looked an easy target last week, but there has been a gradual slowing down with the cooler spell of weather.
I'm currently sitting on 296 species and tonight is the last trap night before jetting off to Grand Cayman for a week and then to the mountains in North Carolina.
It's alright for some.
There is a portable "Ratface Traveller" trap waiting for me in Cayman which will also pack away comfortably in a suitcase for the USA too, so hopefully I'll be able to post something a little more exotic, if it is still working.
Anyway, back to the Mother of Pearl.
This was the only new moth for the year leaving me 4 species to trap tonight for the 300, and it's a little cool out there at the mo.
1405 Pleuroptya ruralis, Mother of Pearl

7/7/15
Min temp 13.4 deg C.
SW breeze with rain showers after midnight.
Fewer micro moths about.
0424 Yponomeuta evonymella 1
0647 Hofmannophila pseudospretella 2
0674 Depressaria badiella 1
870x Oegoconia sp. 1
0994 Clepsis consimilana 2
1020 Cnephasia stephensiana 1
1063 Celypha striana 3
1115 Ancylis achatana 1
1175 Epiblema uddmanniana 1
1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella 10+
1294 Crambus pascuella 2
1334 Scoparia ambigualis 2
1405 Pleuroptya ruralis 1
1424 Endotricha flammealis 2
1513 Pterophorus pentadactyla 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2

1669 Common Emerald 1
1699 Least Carpet
1705 Dwarf Cream Wave 2
1708 Single-dotted Wave 1
1713 Riband Wave 3
1728 Garden Carpet 1
1813 Haworth's Pug 1
1834 Common Pug 3
1860 Green Pug 2
1862 Double-striped Pug 1
1937 Willow Beauty 3
1941 Mottled Beauty 1
1976 Privet Hawk-moth 1
1991 Elephant Hawk-moth 1
2047 Scarce Footman 1
2050 Common Footman 10+
2061 Buff Ermine 1
2077 Short-cloaked Moth 1
2087 Turnip Moth 1
2088 Heart and Club 5
2089 Heart and Dart 10+
2098 Flame 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
2128 Double Square-spot 1
2154 Cabbage Moth 1
2160 Bright-line Brown-eye 1
2193 Clay 4
2198 Smoky Wainscot 1
2279 Sycamore 2
2321 Dark Arches 12
2341 Cloaked Minor 1
2381 X Uncertain/Rustic agg. 8
2387 Mottled Rustic 3
2389 Pale Mottled Willow 1
2441 Silver Y 5
2466 Blackneck 1

2469 Herald 1

2477 Snout 2

I will carry this post on in the morning after checking the traps ....
....
8th July
Quite a chilly night with temps dipping to 9.3 deg C.
Only two to add
0427 Yponomeuta cagnagella, 1,  Spindle Ermine

2349 Mere Wainscot. 1
But I may get a couple of hours trapping tonight before I grab some sleep for the early start to Heathrow in the morning.
The Mere Wainscot had escaped from the trap by this morning so no photo.
I don't have a problem ID'ing these however, and I got a good look at it last night..
This particular one was rufous-brown coloured with dark veins down the fore wing, some are much paler as the ground colour can vary quite a bit.
So, 298 with two to go and it's a bit warmer tonight.
I'll give it to 11.30 pm.

Last nights moth trap results ... 6/7/15

Nice and warm @ 15 deg C minimum and little wind.
Two skinner traps in garden.
The catch:-
Micro moths
0424 Yponomeuta evonymella 1
0426 Yponomueta malinellus 1
0462 Ypsolopha sequella 1

0647 Hofmannophila pseudospretella 3
0674 Depressaria badiella 2
0787 Bryotropha terrella 2
0870 X Oegoconia sp 1
0937 Agapeta hamana 1
0994 Clepsis consimilana 5
0998 Epiphyas postvittana 2
1010 Ditula angustiorana 2
1011 Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 1
1020 Cnephasia stephensiana 1
1063 Celypha striana 2
1175 Epiblema uddmanniana 1
1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella >10
1294 Crambus pascuella 4
1302 Crambus perlella 1
1331 Acentria ephemerella 2

1334 Scoparia ambigualis 3
1338 Dipleurina lacustrata 1
1344 Eudonia mercurella 1
1376 Eurrhypara hortulata 1
1390 Udea prunalis 1
1424 Endotricha flammealis 2
1428 Aphomia sociella 3
1474 Ephestia unicolorella 2
1481 Homoeosoma sinuella 1
1513 Pterophorus pentadactyla 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2

Macro moths
0161 Leopard Moth 2

1653 Buff Arches 1

1690 Small Blood-vein 1
1699 Least Carpet 6
1705 Dwarf Cream Wave 5
1713 Riband Wave 8
1728 Garden Carpet 2
1742 Yellow Shell 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1
1777 July Highflyer 1

1813 Haworth's Pug 1

1834 Common Pug 5 (probably)
1837 Grey Pug 2
1862 Double-striped Pug 3
1887 Clouded Border 1
1906 Brimstone 1
1922 Swallow-tailed Moth 2
1931 Peppered Moth 1
1937 Willow Beauty 4
1976 Privet Hawk-moth 3
1994 Buff-tip 1
2047 Scarce Footman 2
2050 Common Footman >10
2061 Buff Ermine 3
2069 Cinnabar 1
2087 Turnip Moth 1
2088 Heart and Club > 10
2089 Heart and Dart > 20
2098 Flame 3
2107 Large Y. U. 1
2109 Lesser Y. U. 1
2145 Nutmeg 2

2160 Bright-line Brown-eye 1
2170 Varied Coronet 2
2192 Brown-line Bright-eye 1

2193 Clay 1
2198 Smoky Wainscot 1
2199 Common Wainscot 1
2279 Sycamore 1
2280 Miller 1
2284 X Dark/Grey Dagger agg. 1
2293 Marbled Beauty 1
2321 Dark Arches 8
2322 Light Arches 4
2337 X Marbled Minor agg.
2341 Cloaked Minor 3
2381 X Uncertain/Rustic 7
2387 Mottled Rustic 3
2389 Pale Mottled Willow 1
2421 Scarce Silver-lines 1
2422 Green Silver-lines 2

Scarce and Green Silver-lines

2434 Burnished Brass 1
2441 Silver Y 1
2466 Blackneck 1 ... probable re-visit from previous night.
2489 Fan-foot 2
Plus a few micros for ID

Garden moth traps, latest site additions

Phew ! Scorchio ! Record temperatures for 1st July.
I would feel sorry for the players at Wimbledon if they were playing for nothing.
People always get caught out on the few times we get this sort of weather, sunburnt backs and arms, red necks.
Speaking of red necks reminds me this is a moth blog, so here's some of my new moths for the garden species list ...
29th June '15

BF 2039 ... Red-necked Footman

The first view I had of this moth was the underside as it rested on the trap perspex ...

Underside view ... Red-necked Footman

Tinea semifulvella isn't quite as exciting but it is another one for The Dells garden site list.
This one expired during the photo shoot and was somehow hanging from a piece of cardboard by its antenna.
28th June '15

BF 246 ... Tinea semifulvella

Morophaga choragella, Large Clothes Moth, another of the "garden firsts".
The vernacular name implies that it likes to munch on out-sized attire but it probably refers to the physical size of the moth.
30th June '15

BF 196 ... Morophaga choragella

July 1st saw a reading of 34 deg in the shade locally and it was followed by a hot and sultry evening, the wind eventually turning from S to W at around 02.30 a.m. and cooling things down a little.
The large Scots Pine in one of the neighbours garden is probably the reason I added Epinotia rubiginosana to the year list, the second record for the garden.

BF 1146 ... Epinotia rubiginosana

... and just as I was thinking my ID skills were approaching an acceptable level, along comes a moth that threw me completely.
Thanks to Matt Burgess for recognising it, although, like myself, he also thought it was a large micro when he first saw one in his trap a while back.
A very flat posture, variable wing patterns and a wingspan of about 30mm.
Silky Wainscot
1st July '15

BF 2391 ... Silky Wainscot