Garden Moths catch-up

It's been a very slow year with moth numbers well down on last year.
Here are a few since late Aug.

Treble-bar

Dusky THorn

Maiden's Blush

Dotted Rustic

Epinotia ramella f. costana

Lunar Underwing

Depressaria badiella

Clover Case-bearer - Coleophora alcyonipennella

Old Lady, sugaring

Large Ranunculus

5th Sep 2014 ... Garden Moths latest

On the previous evening, a Black Rustic turned up to (un)officially announce the beginning of Autumn and last night a Centre-barred Sallow arrived to confirm it ...

Centre-barred Sallow

Once again 150 - 200 Large Yellow Underwing's coated the traps and egg boxes and even though I rid the garden of 80 - 100 at a time they just keep coming.
The Catch:-
2 x Cameraria ohridella
1 x Plutella xylostella
2 x Endrosis sarcitrella
1 x Carcina quercana
1 x Endothenia marginana

Endothenia marginana

3 x Epiphyas postvittana
5 x Acleris variegana
1 x Eudonia angustea
20+ Agriphila geniculea
3 x Emmelina monodactyla
1 x Coleophora sp to be identified
1 x Chinese Character
1 x Small Dusty Wave
1 x Single-dotted Wave

Single-dotted Wave

3 x Light Emerald
2 x Lime-speck Pug
2 x Double-striped Pug
8 x Willow Beauty
2 x Brimstone
16 x Orange Swift
3 x Yellow Shell
9 x Garden Carpet
150+ Large Yellow Underwing
4 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
2 x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
1 x Lesser B-b Y U
7 x Setaceous Hebrew Character
18 x Square-spot Rustic
3 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
6 x Flounced Rustic
2 x Turnip Moth
2 x Copper Underwing agg.
1 x Straw Underwing
1 x Ruby Tiger
5 x Small Ranunculus

Small Ranunculus

2 x Rosy Rustic
1 x Cabbage Moth
1 x Old Lady

Old Lady

1 x Centre-barred Sallow, year first
4 x Marbled Beauty
14 x Vine's Rustic
12 x Pale Mottled Willow1 x Silver Y
1 x Burnished Brass f. juncta
1 x Snout
3 x Angle Shades

Angle Shades

Micros return

The garden traps yielded the usual mass of Large Yellow Underwing's with 150 at least. I didn't count them this morning.
Some decent micros were recorded for a change, they have been very thin on the ground of late especially throughout the cold August.
Monopis obviella
Cameraria ohridella
Bucculatrix nigricomella
Carcina quercana
Dichrorampha simpliciana (to be confirmed)
Cacoecimorpha pronubana
Coleophora trifolii
Acleris variegana
Eudonia angustea
Epiphyas postvittana
Emmelina monodactyla
plus several Diamond-back Moth's, Plutella xylostella which have been abundant this year.

Bucculatrix nigricomella

Cameraria ohridella

Dichrorampha simpliciana

Coleophora trifolii

Eudonia angustea

Cacoecimorpha pronubana

Of the macros, Yellow-barred Brindle, Old Lady and a Small Blood-vein were about the pick of the bunch.

Some fresh Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings (females) have been appearing over the last couple of nights and Common Wainscot numbers are increasing with 7 recorded in the traps this morning.

A fresh Small Blood-vein with wing damage

Yellow-barred Brindle

Light Emerald

Old Lady

21st Aug 2014 .. Some variety at last, plus a macro ID query

Something different to the usual brown stuff at last.

12 deg minimum and overcast with humidity and the overnight low of 12 deg was at sunrise.

Still plenty of brown stuff with a sharp increase of Large Yellow Underwing.

At their peak I average about 80 of these moth cockroaches a night with high counts topping the 100 mark.

Turnip Moth numbers are rising and there are still traps-ful of Straw Underwing and Vine's Rustic.

Shuttle-shaped Dart and Setaceous Hebrew Character have peaked and are in decline.

Common Rustics have all but finished.

20th Aug

Toadflax Brocade ...

 ... is one of my garden "stock" moths.

I have recorded this RDB species since 2009 and there has been a steady increase in numbers for both the May/June and July/August generations.

Not just in my garden as in 2009, but in other areas of the county and beyond which is good news for this attractive species. 

The food plant remains a mystery as I have only seen one Common Toadflax plant (Linaria vulgaris)in the area and that is a half a mile from my garden and no Pale Toadflax (Linaria repens).

After looking in the surrounding gardens, only a couple have a small patch of Snapdragons (  Antirrhinum ) which I know the larva will feed on after observing two larva that emerged from eggs that were laid in a pot.

So for 2 years I have planted  Snapdragon patches but to date have found no larva.

The family of plants which includes Linaria and antirrhinum is huge, so perhaps another foodplant will come to light, excuse the unintended pun.

From the 5th May ( everything was early this spring) I have recorded 14 in May and 5  to mid June.

The second generation appeared on 16th July with 6 in July and 3 to date in August.

Another of my "stock" moths is Small Ranunculus.

Again I had the monopoly on this species 5 years ago in these parts but I'm happy to say, not any more...

21st Aug

Small Ranunculus

Some more of last nights catch :-

Nephopterix angustella

Old Lady

Orange Sallow

Bulrush Wainscot, female

Cochylis hybridella

Unidentified ... ? a worn Dingy Shears ??

And a welcome night visitor ...

Oh dear what can a matter be ....

... three old ladies etc ...
Well 5 Old Lady's actually, the most ever recorded in a single night in the garden.
The night of the 12th was calm, warm, humid and overcast, perfect conditions for moth trapping.
Around 120 species with half a dozen to be ID'd, but very few new ones for the year list.
In contrast, last night was much cooler with a fresh feel and a big near full moon poking through the sparse cloud cover.
A much lower species total but Barred Straw and Small Rivulet were added.
below ... 3 of the 5 Old Lady's

below
Cydia splendana

below, Pammene regiana
A site first and one I forgot to photograph, except for a poor "potshot"

Newbies on the 13th ...
Small Rivulet

Barred Straw

Chrysoesthia drurella
netted by grandson Louie.
Good catch, not many adults seen in the garden.

7th July 2014 .. Catch up time

It's all been a bit manic lately.
The evening of 2nd July, Matt and myself were joined by Ben Sale to give Home Wood a trap session.
Well over 200 species were recorded on a warm, humid night with the gen dets still to come.
Ben set a line of 3 traps, while Matt and I set one trap and a sheet.
Micros turned up first and by the time the macros got going you could hardly see the sheet for moths.
An interesting find along the ride track were two Glow Worms which we haven't encountered before, the light they emit is truly amazing.

above .. Glow Worms on the ride track in Home Wood.

Meanwhile, back to the garden traps ...
Quite a few species have been added to the garden year list, but a new macro is always a buzz so I was very pleased this morning when I turned over the egg boxes to discover this Bird's Wing ...

Other "newbies"
2nd July
0441 ... Paraswammerdamia nebulella
1813 ... Haworth's Pug
3rd July
0427 ... Yponomeuta cagnagella
0455 ... Ypsolopha scabrella
801a ... Gelechia senticetella
1036 ... Acleris forsskaleana
1048 ... Acleris variegana
1436 ... Conobathra rependana
2111 ... Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
2300 ... Old Lady
Plus another new macro for The Dells garden ...
2305 ... Small Angle Shades

2466 ... Blackneck

4th July
A very battered Lackey, how this actually flew into the trap I'll never know ..

5th July
0516 ... Coleophora trifolii

Anyone want a stab at this one ?

2044 ... Dingy Footman f. stramineola

2349 ... Mere Wainscot

2300 ... Old Lady 3/7/14

1640 ... Drinker
7/7/14

Diorytria abietella .... or is it the other one ? tbc

Another one here which is either Eana incanana or a very worn Cnephasis sp

tbc.