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

26th March 2011 ... garden lull

Overnight min. temp. 1.6 deg. calm, clear. waxing 1/4 moon.
These crystal clear nights with no breeze are unproductive for my garden traps.
I get much better results with a W or SW breeze/light wind blowing this time of year, at least until late summer/autumn when a SE or Easterly can produce the odd surprise.
Venus is still glowing in the sky like an aircraft landing light and is very close to the moon at present, but sets mid evening. It will attain its maximum magnitude at the start of May. Quite a remarkable sight in the clear skies at present, I can't remember seeing it so bright before, but it will disappear at the end of May.
19 moths of 10 species....
Trap results :-
0633... Diurnea fagella 1 male
0998... Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana 3
1524... Emmelina monodactyla 1
2182... Small Quaker Orthosia cruda 2
1862... Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata 4
2187... Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi 3
2188... Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta 1
2190... Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica 2
2243...Early Grey Xylocampa areola 1
Plus an Agonopterix species to be identified...
I think it may be 692 Agonopterix subpropinquella, it's certainly not Agonopterix heracliana .
Not the best of pics but it was a bit lively and I wanted a shot of it in its natural position.
The pics of the frozen creature just don't look right shape-wise.




Agonopterix spp