3rd April 2014 ... Warm start to Spring brings early arrivals

Min overnight temperature, 11 deg C, cloudy. Wind change from East to Sou'west.
Many early arrivals, including Yellow-barred Brindle, V-pug and Varied Coronet which is exceptionally early.
28 species were recorded

0284 ... Caloptilia rufipennella, x 1
0483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella, x 2
0648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella, x 1, ... year first

Endrosis sarcitrella, White-shouldered House-moth

0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana, x 1
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 2
1047 ... Acleris schalleriana, x 1
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla, x 2
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 8
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 17
1858 ... V-pug, x 1, ... year first

Chloroclystis v-ata, V-pug

1883 ... Yellow-barred Brindle, x 1, ... year first

Acasis viretata, Yellow-barred Brindle

1917 ... Early Thorn, x 1
2063 ... Muslin Moth, x 1
2064 ... Ruby Tiger, x 1, ... year first

2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart, x 1, ... year first

Agrotis puta, Shuttle-shaped Dart

2139 ... Red Chestnut, x 1
2170 ... Varied Coronet, x 1, ... year first

Hadena compta, Varied Coronet

2182 ... Small Quaker, x 5
2185 ... Lead-coloured Drab, x 1, ... year first

Eupithecia plumbeolata, Lead-coloured Drab (male)

2186 ... Powdered Quaker, x 1, ... year first

Orthosia gracilis, Powdered Quaker

2187 ... Common Quaker, x 25
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 2
2189 ... Twin-spotted Quaker, x 1
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 6
2243 ... Early Grey, x 6
2256 ... Satellite, x 1
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow, x 2

16th July 2013 ... Flying high in July

July Highflyer was a nice surprise in the trap this morning .....YF

1777 ... July Highflyer ...Hydriomena furcata

Water Veneer usually come in hundreds, so it was odd that just one made an appearance.
Maybe 1000 will roll up tonight ...YF

1331 ... Water Veneer ... Acentria ephemerella

Both Yellow and Brown-tail made their year first arrival together ....

2029 ... Brown-tail

2030 ... Yellow-tail

Other Year firsts ...

2064 ... Ruby Tiger

1354 ... Cataclysta lemnata ... Small China-mark

161 ... Leopard Moth

30th April 2012 .. Garden Traps

Overnight min. temp. a heady 9.6 deg. breezy, constant rain late evening;
It could have been an absolute bumper night but along came the rain to put a damper on it...again.
Pinch, punch, first of the month, no returns, white rabbits, and hoping that Awful April doesn't become Miserable May.
Trap results :-
0229 Monopis obviella 1, year first (29th Apr)
0648 White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella 1 year first
0649 Esperia sulphurella 4
0974 Argyrotaenia ljungiana 2
1288 Twenty-plume Moth Alucita hexadactyla 1
1342 Eudonia angustea 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 1
1728 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata 2, year first
1781 Small Waved Umber Horisme vitalbata 1, year first
1862 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata 2
1906 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata 1, year first
2028 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda 1, year first
2064 Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa 1, year first
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta 1

2028 Pale Tussock, Calliteara pudibunda

1906 Brimstone Moth, Opisthograptis luteolata

1728 Garden Carpet, Xanthorhoe fluctuata

2064 Ruby Tiger, Phragmatobia fuliginosa
Ruby, Kaiser chiefs

648 White Shouldered House Moth, Endrosis sarcitrella

13th July 2011...Release The Dells 4

A chilly night for the time of year, but although the trap yield was lower than usual, there was still some quality moths around.
Pre 2010, only 8 Small Ranunculus were recorded in VC30, but in 2010 I recorded 17 of them.
This year, so far, I have recorded 15 and even posted some to Skev up in Leicestershire (^_"
So it looks as though this "come back" species is thriving and spreading further north at a nice rate....time will tell, keep your eyes peeled Stewart in Northumberland !
Last night I recorded 4 SMALL RANUNCULUS 2165 , a record high.
A first record of SCALLOPED HOOK-TIP was a welcome sight in the trap. It's been a while since one of these turned up, RED TWIN-SPOT CARPET My third SANDY CARPET this year. The small town of SANDY in Bedfordshire is 3 miles away as the moth flies. A fresh batch of RUBY TIGER are out in force right now.

This is one of SIX caught last night.

15th April 2011....Was Knot Was + Pug Quiz

This is the time for many "first" appearances after a long period of orthosia species, especially for me as I missed April last year having slummed it for a month on Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.

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

PALE PINION 2236

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

KNOT GRASS 2289 was a new entry for the year

First appearance (of hundreds) of SHUTTLE-SHAPED DART 2092

CABBAGE MOTH 2154 another year debutant

Shuttle-shaped Dart, again, by mistake...can't be bothered to edit !

Four RUBY TIGER 2064 . garden first for year

AND NOW WE HAVE LAST NIGHTS PUGS.................. any ID comments appreciated, I have Pug Dislexia, but I'll have a go.....Top, wingspan 18mm ish and rather worn. my guess is Double-striped

Wingspan in excess of 20mm so I'll try....COMMON

20 mm wingspan at most.if it's a Double-striped then it's a big 'un

I'll have a crack at OAK-TREE

wingspan around 20mm again ....not sure if some of these are a larger hatch of Double-striped.....The previous ones have been quite well marked but tiny, wingspan 15/16 mm....... Thanks in advance for your expertise and help, FORTUNA FORTES CORDE (:0)) Last nights haul:-

7 x Early Grey

5 x Hebrew Character

4 x Ruby Tiger *year first

3 x Emmelina monodactyla

2 x Double-striped Pug (definites,,,not pictured)

2 x Common Quaker

1 x Garden Carpet

1 x Knot Grass *year first

1 x Endrosis sarcitrella (White-shouldered House Moth)

1 x Brimstone Moth

1 x Pale Pinion (2nd record this year)

1 x Shuttle-shaped Dart *year first

1 x Cabbage Moth *year first

1 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House-moth)

1 x Depressaria heraclei (Parsnip Moth)

1 x Alucita hexadactyla (Twenty-plume Moth)

1 x Pale Mottled Willow

1 x Clouded Drab

PUG SPECIES

TOTALS:-

786 moths (625 macro, 161 micro)

49/50 species (35 macro, 14/15 micro) one ID pending

4th July ...... Telling Tails

RUBY TIGER made a reappearance after a long absence

Just the one trap going last night, 3 traps are too much to keep up with. After the Brown-tail two nights ago along came ........YELLOW-TAIL, the first for the year

Plenty of Willow Beauties around at the moment, so it made a change to see a garden first MOTTLED BEAUTY if anyone would like to confirm this....they are so variable.

The "dead stick" moth.....PALE PROMINENT

PTEROPHORUS PENTADACTYLA ......White Plume Moth

CLOAKED MINOR.......2nd for the year

SPECTACLE just the one Skinner trap being used now, but still a good haul.......40+ Macros :-

22 Mottled Rustic

16 Dark Arches

8 Flame

7 Common Footman

7 Riband Wave

6 Willow Beauty

6 Buff Ermine

4 Elephant Hawkmoth

4 Swallow-tailed Moth

3 Garden Carpet

3 Marbled Minor agg

3 Scarce Footman

3 Uncertain

3 Dot Moth

2 Small Blood-vein

2 Heart & Dart

2 Large Yellow Underwing

2 Setaceous Hebrew Character

2 Sycamore

2 Pale Mottled Willow

2 Light Arches

2 Dwarf Cream Wave

2 Double Square-spot

Mottled Beauty

Maple Prominent

Marbled Beauty

V-Pug (from the night before)

Flame Shoulder

Peppered Moth

Ruby Tiger

Grey/Dark Dagger

Yellow-tail

Snout

Bright-line Brown-eye

Lackey

Spectacle

Pale Prominent

Clay

Small Emerald

UNIDENTIFIED PUGS AND MICROS

I will put up a gallery of Pugs soon for a game of "Name that Pug" (:0))

28th April Another great night !

Missed this one. Found it on the wall near the trap, and it's another garden first....
YELLOW BARRED BRINDLE

Cabbage Moth

WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS ????

Another good night indeed with two more to add to my garden macro list and plenty of micros to sort out !

The two pics below are for Bennyboy to peruse, he has followed this blog and helped me out with ID probs as have many others and I thank you all. This is my old bedsheet, nailed to the shed, with a 25watt bayonet blacklight in a batten lampholder shining on it. This attracted the 2 Least Black Arches the night before, but is great for allsorts of moths and other strange insects. I like to check this at hourly intervals with camera poised....SO, this is the famous Tesco "value" bedsheet Ben !! Crude but affective (:0))

25 watts of bug pulling power !!

Always nice to see RUBY TIGER, two were in the Skinner this morning.

Nice littleish micro...Argycotaenia ljungiana

This was on the bedsheet with 2 others and I need help on this one !! But what a little stunner at around 5/6mm long.

Eriocrania subpurpurella ..........Thanks Paul, that fits the bill perfectly


SCALLOPED HAZEL a garden first, it liked the outside toilet light more than the traps !

A beautiful CINNABAR moth, another garden first. Trapped in the "Homebase Funnel Trap"

The first FLAME SHOULDER of the year

One of my "target" moths, an EARLY THORN, and my first 1st generation sighting

Total species and numbers found :-

6 x S.S.Dart
1 x Red Twin-spot Carpet (not verified)
3 x Common Quaker
2 x Small Quaker
2 x Bright-line Brown-eye
1 x Brimstone
2 x Ruby Tiger
4 x D.S. Pug
4 x Early Grey
1 x Grey Dagger (not verified)
1 x Small Waved Umber....prob one that escaped last night before release
1 x Nut-tree Tussock.....again, prob the same one as last night, have caught and released today.
3 x Hebrew Character
1 x Garden Carpet
1 x Early Thorn
1 x Scalloped Hazel (garden first)
1 x Flame Shoulder
1 x Cinnabar (garden first)
1 x Cabbage Moth

1 x Yellow Barred Brindle (garden first)

micros.........................

1 x Argyrotaenia ljungiana

1 x Light Brown Apple Moth

2 x White Shouldered House-moth

2 x E. monodactyla

2 x Tinea pellionella

3 x (that gold moth !!) Eriocrania purpurella ...Thanks Paul

plus 2 or three more.