2nd May 2015 ... Latest moths from the garden

The warmer weather is welcome but there is always a price to pay at this time of year, rain covers are the order of the day.
The garden species list has reached 56 and here are the latest ...
29th April
Spectacle ...

 

30th April
Small Waved Umber ...

2nd May
Chinese Character ...

Turnip Moth ...

Toadflax Brocade ...

Toadflax Brocade is a Red Data Book species, commonly found in my garden both in Spring and Autumn.
Locally it is on the increase and I am lucky to record this neat little moth into double figures annually.
The foodplant is a mystery as there are no toadflax patches nearby.
The larva will happily munch Antirrhinums but there is none growing in the surrounding gardens, apart from the odd one or two, seemingly not enough to sustain the kind of population numbers found in my garden, so there may be a food source that is overlooked.
Any ideas ?
Another RDB moth that is regular in the garden is Small Ranunculus, which is also on the increase locally,30 plus were recorded in the garden last year.
The flight season is late April to October according to the literature, but at the Dells it is June/July and again in Sept/Oct when they overlap with Large Ranunculus.

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"? )

24th April 2013 ... What's that coming over the hill ... Pt 2

.... is it a mompha ?

Yes it is this time.
Found during the daytime on the patio door window.

Mompha subbistrigella ...

892 ... Mompha subbistrigella ... Garden Cosmet

It was a calm, warm night last night, with low level cloud blocking out the full moon.
Minimum temperature was 10.6 deg C but light rain up until late evening was a nuisance.
A year first Spectacle was earlier than expected but the rest of the catch were the usual batch.

0483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella ... Golden Lance-wing ... 1
0892 ... Mompha subbistrigella ... Garden Cosmet ... 1, YF
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla ... Twenty-plume Moth ... 1
1497 ... Amblyptilia acanthadactyla ... Beautiful Plume ... 2
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla ... Common Plume ... 5
1862 ... Double-striped Pug ... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata ... 12
1917 ... Early Thorn ... Selenia dentaria ... 3
2182 ... Small Quaker ... Orthosia cruda ... 3
2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi ... 14
2188 ... Clouded Drab ... Orthosia incerta ... 3
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica ... 3
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola ... 8
2450 ... Spectacle ... Abrostala tripartita ... 1, YF

2450 ... The Spectacle ...  Abrostola tripartita

17th May 2012 ... Going green, carpet that is...

Overnight min. temp. 7.6 deg. breezy, overcast.
Gradually improving,
I was pleased to see Toadflax Brocade turn up again....none recorded up until last year when half a dozen or so appeared in the garden, but no sign of the food plant, which is probably in one of the adjacent gardens.

0648 White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella 1
0649 Esperia sulphurella 2
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana 2
1342 Eudonia angustea 1
1356 Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis 1, year first
1776 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria 1, year first
1781 Small Waved Umber Horisme vitalbata 1
1834 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata 2
1862 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata 2
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta 6
2223 Toadflax Brocade Calophasia lunula 1, year first
2389 Pale Mottled Willow Paradrina clavipalpis 2
2450 The Spectacle Abrostola tripartita 1, year first

Toadflax Brocade, Calophasia lunula

Spectacle, Abrostola tripartita

Green Carpet, Colostygia pectinataria

Garden Pebble, Evergestis forficalis

7th July 2011...Global cooling

Hope you all enjoyed our Summer this april !
The garden species are trickling in but it's too fresh and cold for a bumper night at the moment and not much improvement expected for the next few days at least...........................
FIGURE of EIGHTY 1654 attracted to my patio door blacklight

SWALLOW-TAILED MOTH 1922

THE SPECTACLE 2450 The most photographed front end in the mothing world.

UNCERTAIN 2381

THE RUSTIC 2382 7th June :-

4 x Willow Beauty

2 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

15 x Heart & Dart

1 x Buff Ermine

1 x Brimstone Moth

3 x Common Footman

8 x Dark Arches

2 x Large Nutmeg

1 x Flame Shoulder

1 x Swallow-tailed Moth * year first

1 x Figure of Eighty * year first

1 x Setaceous Hebrew Character

1 x The Spectacle * year first

1 x The Rustic * year first

4 x Uncertain

1 x Vine's Rustic

2 x Turnip Moth

1 x Marbled Minor agg.

1 x Small Dusty Wave

6 x Large Pugs Common/Grey ?

2 x Aphomia sociella

3 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella

1 x Pempeliella dilutella

3 x Emmelina monodactyla

2 x Ephestia parasitella

1 x Ditula angustiorana

1 x Eurrhypara hortulata

2 x Celypha striana

1 x Eudonia angustea

1 x Eudonia mercurella

1 x Cnephasia agg.

Garden running total :-

226 species.....135 macro, 91 micro

8th July.....Magpie

After a very enjoyable evening at Chicksands Wood, hosted by Andy & Melissa, it was home to check the garden traps. Best weather for a while, warmer with just a hint of a breeze. Waiting for me on the back door, attracted by the kitchen lights, was a very welcome garden first, a spectacular.....................
..................MAGPIE MOTH

on the brick wall near the funnel trap a PALE PROMINENT

SPECTACLE in the skinner, near the house

Two TURNIP MOTHS ensuring I get another trapful next August

A very well marked BUFF ERMINE

COMMON WAINSCOT 35 species of macro and 12 micro including 3 x COPPER UNDERWING and a SVENSSONS COPPER UNDERWING which is the first time I have identified one, having taken the trouble to check the hindwing details.

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))

16th May...Two new garden moths

Temperatures dropped to 4degC last night and NOT the 8degC min as per the Weather man forecast. Even so, two new garden moths were trapped
............................................
PALE TUSSOCK
garden first

SPECTACLE

garden first

MUSLIN MOTH 24 moths of 14 species in and around traps :-

9 x S.S. Dart

2 x Falme Shoulder

2 x Emmelina monodactyla

1 x Pale Tussock

1 x Spectacle

1 x Common Pug

1 x Garden Carpet

1 x Brimstone

1 x Hebrew Character

1 x White-shouldered House-moth

1 x Brown House-moth

1 x Light-brown Apple-moth

1 x Pale Mottled Willow

1 x Muslin Moth