11th May 2015 ... New moth for garden + a bumper night.

I'll start by thanking Mr Ian Woiwood.
After reading his post on Beds Moth group Facebook on 3rd May regarding the use of a pheromone lure to successfully attract a male Emperor Moth to his garden, I was prompted to get on to Anglia Leps and order one.
I made a net bag and hung it on the trellis fence at 10.00 am. where it sat all day until 16.45 pm. when a male Emperor turned up.
This is the first record for the garden and the lure has now gone into the freezer until next April.
I have tried a couple of times to "assemble" newly hatched female Emperors without success, mainly due to adverse weather conditions at the time of the hatching in 2013/14
By using a lure there's no waiting for a hatch and you can pick your weather, much easier.

Saturnia pavonia, Emperor Moth (male)

A sunny spot on the trellis fence, with the lure in a homemade net bag

A good day was followed by an equally good evening, warm, dry, maybe a tad too breezy at times for the micro moths, but 28 species were recorded with a possible 29 pending a Pug I.D.
The catch:-
11th May, warm, breezy, 9.9 degC min.
0648 Endrosis sarcitrella, 3
0697 Agonopterix arenella, 1
0892 Mompha subbistrigella, 3
0925 Phtheochroa rugosana, 1, year first

925, Phtheochroa rugosana

0964 Cochylis dubitana, 1, year first

964, Cochylis dubitana

0974 Argyrotaenia ljungiana, 1, year first

974, Argyrotaenia ljungiana

0998 Epiphyas postvittana, 3
1099 Endothenia marginana, 1, year first (to be confirmed)

1099, Endothenia marginana 

1342 Eudonia angustea, 1
1428 Aphomia sociella, 1
1643 Emperor Moth, 1, garden first
1654 Figure of Eighty, 1, year first

1654, Figure of Eighty

1781 Small Waved Umber, 2
1819 Mottled Pug, 2, year first

1819, Mottled Pug

1834 Common Pug, 2
1862 Double-striped Pug, 1
1883 Yellow-barred Brindle, 2
1906 Brimstone Moth, 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel, 1

1920, Scalloped Hazel

2028 Pale Tussock, 1, year first

2028, Pale Tussock

2087 Turnip Moth, 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart, 8
2160 Bright-line Brown-eye, 1, year first

2160, Bright-line Brown-eye

2166 Campion, 1, year first

2166, The Campion

2190 Hebrew Character, 2
2289 Knot Grass, 1
2306 Angle Shades, 3
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot, 2, year first

2334, Rustic Shoulder-knot

2389 Pale Mottled Willow, 2

3rd June 2013 ... Cold nights in Beds

Yes, Bedfordshire night temperatures have been around 5 or 6 degrees and moth numbers have dropped dramatically.
We are in what the weatherman calls "but out in the rural areas ...", right after he gives overnight lows for the London area.
The highlights for the last couple of days have been Toadflax Brocade number 4 and Small ranunculus number 3.
These two red data moths are regulars in my garden.
Only one to add to the year list, apart from a couple of micros that need to be ID'd.
Light Brocade ......

2157 ... Light Brocade ... Lacanobia w-latinum

BEST of the REST :-
  Small Ranunculus ......

2165 ... Small Ranunculus ... Hecatera dysodea

Swallow Prominent ......

2007 ... Swallow Prominent ... Pheosia tremula

Bright-line Brown-eye ........

2160 ... Bright-line Brown-eye ... Lacanobia oleracea

27th May 2013 ... Catch Report

I covered the traps over at 01.30 am as the rain approached, stayed, and looks like staying for the rest of today and through the night so I may give the traps a rest tonight.
Around 50 moths were caught and are as follows :-
0648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella ... White-shouldered House-moth ... 4
0893 ... Mompha epilobiella ... Common Cosmet ... 1 ... Year first
0986 ... Syndemis musculana ... Dark-barred Tortrix ... 1
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla ... Twenty-plume Moth ... 1
1342 ... Eudonia angustea ... Narrow-winged Grey ... 1
1428 ... Aphomia sociella ... Bee Moth ... 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla ... Common Plume ... 1
1728 ... Garden Carpet ... Xanthorhoe fluctuata ... 1
1781 ... Small Waved Umber ... Horisme vitalbata ... 1
1834 ... Common Pug ... Eupithecia vulgata ... 3
1883 ... Yellow-barred Brindle ... Acasis viretata ... 3
1906 ... Brimstone Moth ... Opisthograptis luteolata ... 4
1920 ... Scalloped Hazel ... Odontopera bidentata ... 4
1936 ... Waved Umber ... Menophra abruptaria ... 1
2028 ... Pale Tussock ... Calliteara pudibunda ... 1
2069 ... Cinnabar ... Tyria jacobaeae ... 1 ... Year first

2069 ... The Cinnabar ... Tyria jacobaeae

2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart ... Agrotis puta ... 11
2154 ... Cabbage Moth ... Marnestra brassicae ... 1
2160 ... Bright-line Brown-eye ... Lacanobia oleracea ... 1

2283/4. Dark/Grey Dagger agg. ... Acronicta tridens/psi
2334 ... Rustic Shoulder-knot ...Apamea sordens ... 1

2334 ... Rustic Shoulder-knot ... Apamea sordens

2480 ... Buttoned Snout ... Hypena rostralis ... 1

5th May 2013 ... Dotty about garden addition

New garden macro moths are thin on the ground at The Dells, and I wasn't expecting to find this Dotted Chestnut in the trap this morning .... nice surprise !

2260 .. Dotted Chestnut ... Conistra rubiginea

A Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner was added to the year list. They are possibly one of our commonest moths that have spread across the country in recent years.
How many ?
Count every Horse Chestnut tree in the land and multiply by one million for a wild guess !

366a .. Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner ... Cameraria ohridella

This Shuttle-shaped Dart took a full-on bite from a House Spider before being rescued for a year-first photo shoot, unfortunately by the morning it had expired ...

2092 .. Shuttle-shaped Dart ... Agrotis puta

House Spider on its raft-like web

A year first Bright-line Brown-eye that looks like it has also done a couple of rounds with that spider ...

2160 .. Bright-line Brown-eye ... Lacanobia oleracea

Two more micros to add ...
Agonpterix arenella and Platyedra subcinerea which is locally common in the garden ...

808 .. Platyedra subcinerea

697 .. Agonopterix arenella

Full list
Micro moths :-
366a ... Cameraria ohridella ... Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner ... 1, year first
0695 ... Agonopterix alstromeriana ... Brown-spot Flat-body ... 1
0697 ... Agonopterix arenella ... Brindled Flat-body ... 1, year first
0808 ... Platyedra subcinerea ... Mallow Groundling ... 3, year first
0892 ... Mompha subbistrigella ... Garden Cosmet ... 1
0974 ... Argyrotaenia ljungiana ... Heather Tortrix ... 2
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla ... Twenty-plume Moth ... 2
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla ... Common Plume ... 4
Macro moths :-
1728 ... Garden Carpet ... Xanthorhoe fluctuata ... 1
1862 ... Double-striped Pug ... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata ... 4
2063 ... Muslin Moth ... Diaphora mendica ... 3
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart ... Agrotis puta ... 1, year first
2160 ... Bright-line Brown-eye ... Lacanobia oleracea ... 1, year first
2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi ... 1
2188 ... Clouded Drab ... Orthosia incerta ... 4
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica ... 4
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola ... 1
2260 ... Dotted Chestnut ... Conistra rubiginea ... 1, First garden record
2449 ... The Spectacle ... Abrostola tripartita ... 1

(Below) Probably the most photographed moth face in the UK ....
The Spectacle, ( or should that be "spectacles"? )

22nd May 2012 ... Bumper evening

Overnight min. temp. 10.4 deg ... warm and calm.
Hands up anyone who didn't get a year first last night....
As expected, this was the best night of the year so far with around 40 species in and around the traps.
Trap results :-
1728 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata 5
1769 Spruce Carpet Thera britannica 1, year first (Below)

1781 Small Waved Umber Horisme vitalbata 1

1825 Lime-speck Pug Eupithecia centaureata 1, year first
1834 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata 3
1862 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata 2
1906 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata 2
1920 Scalloped Hazel Odontopera bidentata 4
1937 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria 1, year first (Below)

1997 Sallow Kitten Furcula furcula 1, year first (Below)

2063 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica 2

2078 Least Black Arches Nola confusalis 2, (Below)

2087 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum 3
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta 8
2145 The Nutmeg Discestra trifolii 1, year first (Below)

2154 Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae 2

2160 Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea 1, year first (Below)

2190 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica 1
2283/4 Dark/Grey Dagger Acronicta tridens/psi 1
2306 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa 3

2333 Large Nutmeg Apamea anceps 1, year first (Below)

2389 Pale Mottled Willow Paradrina clavipalpis 5

2480 Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis 1, year first (Below)

Micro moths :-
229 Monopis obviella 2
247 Tinea trinotella 3, year first (Below)

409a Argyresthia trifasciata 2, year first
647 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella 1
648 White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella 3
672 Parsnip Moth Depressaria heraclei 2, year first (Below)
NB ... Wrong pic. this one is Hofmannophila pseudospretella
the Brown House Moth

779 Bryotropha affinis 3
808 Platyedra subcinerea 4
947 Aethes smeathmanniana 1, year first (Below)

974 Argyrotaenia ljungiana 2
998 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana 5
1342 Eudonia angustea 2
1428 Bee Moth Aphomia sociella 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 6
plus 2 for the recorder to determine

9th April 2011...Garden Trap,.. 2 more year "firsts".

Two more for the year list, but fewer moths recorded last night. Two reasons, 1) Temperatures plummeted to 3deg... 2) Yours truly was getting stuck into some Australian Cab-Shaz and didn't do the regular patrol of the lights/traps. ....................................................................................................

PALE TUSSOCK 2028....year first

BRIGHT-LINE BROWN-EYE 2160...year first

EARLY THORN 1917

DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG 1862

This is my commonest moth at present. The first 2011 record was on the 25th February, when the overnight temperature was 7.7 deg, more than double last nights temp !

The next record was on the 15th March and to date I have recorded 88 in the garden. Last nights totals:-

4 x Common Quaker

3 x Double-striped Pug

1 x Hebrew Character

1 x Early Thorn

1 x Early Grey

1 x Emmelina monodactyla

1 x Bright-line Brown-eye (year first)

1 x Pale Tussock (year first)

687 moths caught of 35/36 species (one ID pending)

543 macro, 24 species

144 micro, 11/12 species (ID pending)

July 3rd.......V-Day

Another great night for "mothing". Three more garden firsts and a good selection found in and around the 3 traps. 60+ species found. Here are a few of the macro moths from last night, I haven't started sorting out the PUGS and the micros yet.
..........................................................................................................................................................................
V-PUG.....garden first

Three Lackeys in the traps including a worn, plain "rosy" coloured example.

..............................

LACKEY

CLOAKED MINOR ....1st garden record

ELEPHANT HAWKMOTH....a regular capture

SMALL RANUNCULUS......3 found on the walls around the traps

The beautiful CINNABAR MOTH

BRIGHT-LINE BROWN-EYE

FAN-FOOT

BUFF ARCHES....4th record

SMOKY WAINSCOT.....garden first.

YELLOW-BAR

PEPPERED MOTH

FIGURE of 80

EARLY THORN

BROWN-TAIL JUST A FEW OF THE 60 OR SO SPECIES FROM LAST NIGHT. Hope you are enjoying the photos, thanks for looking.

Last nights list:-

20+ Common Footman

20+ Dark Arches

10+ Flame

10 Buff Ermine

8 Willow Beauty

8 Uncertain

8 Riband Wave

7 Marbled Minor agg.

6 Light Arches

6 Grey/Dark Dagger

4 Scarce Footman

3 Least Carpet

3 Miller

3 Dot Moth

3 Toadflax Pug

3 Peppered Moth

3 Lackey

3 Small Emerald

3 Small Ranunculus

2 Marbled Beauty

2 Garden Carpet

2 Dwarf Cream Wave

2 Swallow-tailed Moth

2 Large Yellow Underwing

2 Cinnabar Moth

2 Pale Prominent

2 Elephant Hawkmoth

V-Pug

Snout

Treble Brown-spot

Sycamore

Clouded Border

Bright-line Brown-eye

Early Thorn

Barred Yellow

Varied Coronet

Common Wainscot

Smoky Wainscot

Fan-foot

Brown-tail

Figure of 80

Double Square-spot

Broad-barred White

Maple Prominent

Clouded Silver

Single-dotted Wave

Privet Hawkmoth

Cloaked Minor

Mottled Rustic