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.

Latest Moths from The Dells Garden

Currant Pug 21st April

Dark/Grey Dagger agg 22nd April

Cochylis dubitana 23rd April

Mompha epilobiella 23rd April

Scalloped Hazel x 2, 23rd April

Phyllonorychter sp. possibly "blancardella" to be confirmed
24th April.

Pyrausta aurata 24th April

25th April
The Northill 9th annual beer festival and hogroast
Ilkley Black 3.7 %
Robinson's Dizzy Blonde 3.8%
Lambo First Pint 4.0%
Lymestone's Flagstone 4.2%
William's April Thesis 4.2%
Wharfebank Golden Ticket 4.5%
Exe Valley, It's Phil's Ale 4.8%
Cairngorm Wild Cat 5.1%
Obviously no moth trapping on such an occasion ...

Common Pug, 27th April

Turnip Moth, 27th April

Common Marbled Carpet, 27th April

21st Oct 2013 ... Warm Southerly blow disapponts

Both traps were fired up on the strength of a stiff southerly wind and very mild temperatures.
Hoping the wind would blow a nice migrant up to Bedfordshire.
No such luck, but a large Turnip Moth had me going for a moment as Pearly Underwing is still missing from my garden list. A third record of Scarce Bordered Straw is also on the cards, with several being reported from the home counties.

0229 ... Monopis obviella
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana x 5
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla x 2
1937 ... Willow Beauty
2087 ... Turnip Moth

Turnip Moth

2107 ... Large Yellow Underwing
2109 ... Lesser Yellow Underwing x 4
2240 ... Blair's Shoulder-knot x 2
2273 ... Pink-barred Sallow
2306 ... Angle Shades x 3
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow
2477 ... Snout

10th June 2013 .... Year list additions

The Moth Fairy came and left me a Pale Prominent for my birthday ... :)
New for year ......

2011 ... Pale Prominent ... Pterostoma palpina

2 more for the year list ....

2087 ... Turnip Moth ... Agrotis segetum

2333 ... Large Nutmeg ... Apamea anceps

Some of the rest .........

1976 ... Privet Hawk-moth ... Sphinx ligustri

2286 ... Knot Grass ... Acronicta rumicis

AND A NICE CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE

from Mrs Trappings, Keely and Louie ..... 

13th/14th Oct ... I could Hardly believe my EYES !

Garden Traps, 14th October... similar to last night, 2.7 min. temp... calm, clear, chilly.
A late Eyed Hawk-moth clinging to the brick wall next to the trap was a surprise find on a chilly mid-October night.
It must have flown in at around midnight when the temperature was sitting on 4 deg and falling, I was actually checking the walls with the first November Moth in mind !
Having spoken to County Recorders Andy and Melissa Banthorpe, a check of the records found that the previous latest Eyed H-m in Bedfordshire was recorded on August 5th, not sure of the year, so this one is incredibly late in these parts. There is a partial 2nd generation Aug/Sept in the south.
I wonder what the latest record is nationally ?

17 moths of 14 species last night :-
1 .. 0998 .. Light Brown Apple Moth
1 .. 1524 .. Common Plume
1 .. 1760 .. Red-green Carpet

1 .. 1980 .. Eyed Hawk-moth, year first (and year last probably !)

1 .. 2087 .. Turnip Moth

1 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
1 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
2 .. 2232 .. Black Rustic
3 .. 2240 .. Blair's Shoulder-knot
1 .. 2252 .. Large Ranunculus
1 .. 2258 .. Chestnut

1 .. 2267 .. Beaded Chestnut
1 .. 2306 .. Angle Shades




13th Oct , 2.3 deg. min. temp... calm, clear, chilly

4 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla
2 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
1 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
2 .. 2232 .. Black Rustic
1 .. 2252 .. Large Ranunculus
1 .. 2259 .. Dark Chestnut

1 .. 2264 .. Yellow-line Quaker
1 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing

9th Sept 2012 .. At last, something different !

Very warm last night but windy.
I'm down to one trap now which will continue henceforth.
My garden is a tad too small to support two traps and it takes so much time to log it all.
Not only that, looking at past records has convinced me that there is no gain species-wise, but the numbers of common species goes up and it gives me no pleasure to record an extra 30 Large Yellow Underwings or Hebrew Characters.

This year has been poor with many expected species missing from the year list but last night produced a third record of Frosted Orange for the garden....

0015 Orange Swift
0647 Hofmannophila pseudospretella
0658 Carcina quercana (Below)

0658 Carcina quercana, sprucing up an antenna with its foreleg

0874 Blastobasis lacticolella
0998 Epiphyas postvittana x 2
1048 Acleris variegana
1309 Agriphila geniculea
1348 Parapoynx stratiotata (Below)

1524 Emmelina monodactyla
1728 Garden Carpet x 2
1776 Green Carpet
1906 Brimstone Moth
1937 Willow Beauty x 3
2087 Turnip Moth x 2, (Below)

2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart x 3
2107 Large Yellow Underwing x 27
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing x 3
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character x 18
2134 Square-spot Rustic x 16
2306 Angle Shades
2353 Flounced Rustic x 11
2364 Frosted Orange *year first
2384 Vine's Rustic x 12
2389 Pale Mottled Willow x 6
2441 Silver Y

3rd May 2012 ... Garden Traps

Min. temp. 6.3 deg. Intermittent fine drizzle
A low catch as expected with the mizzle falling.
It's strange, but I catch more when it's raining than I do with a fine mist or drizzle.
Trap results :-
1342 Eudonia angustea 2
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 1
1728 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata 1
2087 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum 1, year first
2186 Powdered Quaker Orthosia gracilis 1
2306 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa 1

Turnip Moth, Agrotis segetum

Snoop and the Turnip grower

18th Aug 2011...Wet, then cold

Overnight min temp:- 8.1 deg. One trap only
Light rain, clearing to clear skies, bright 3/4 moon, bloody cold !
73 moths of 17 species.
21 x Turnip Moth
10 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
10 x Setaceous Hebrew Character
  8 x Vine's Rustic
  7 x Straw Underwing
  5 x Pale Mottled Willow
  3 x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
  2 x Orange Swift
  1 x Brimstone Moth
  1 x Yellow Shell
  1 x Double-striped Pug
  1 x Garden Carpet
  1 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
  1 x Willow Beauty
  1 x Mouse Moth
  1 x Cabbage Moth
  1 x Agriphila straminella



TURNIP MOTH

  

27th April 2011...Cold weather returns

First things first...Happy Birthday Mum, 86 not out and going strong.....Mothwise, a little slow since the weather changed with temps at a kick above 3 degrees last night. On the night of the 26th I went to Home Wood with Captain Trappings for our monthly trap session and although some interseting species were caught (mostly carpets), the wind was blowing down the rides and it was much colder than the previous few nights, undoubtedly affecting numbers. The report will appear on Matts blog thetrappingsofsuccess.
A few new species have been added to the garden list after sorting out a few ID's.....ELACHISTA RUFOCINEREA 608, from 21st April

ADELA REAUMURELLA 150, 23rd April, the white patch is flash glare

Year first appearance for TURNIP MOTH 2087, 26th April

SWALLOW PROMINENT 2007, my 4th this year

Get used to it ! HEART & DART 2089, 27th April

5th 2011 record for SCALLOPED HAZEL 1920
93 garden species to date, 59 macro, 34 micro

18th Sept....Black night

Not the best of conditions with rain for most of the night and the wind getting up, but much warmer than the previous evening. Still a lot of Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwings and Square-spot Rustics about but they are looking very worn. A garden year first in the shape of this BLACK RUSTIC appeared, with many more to come weather permitting.

One of Two LIGHT EMERALDs

Still a few TURNIP MOTHs around Also :-

5, Willow Beaty

5, Pale Mottled Willow

5, Turnip Moth

3, Orange Swift

2, Flounced Rustic

2, Small Dusty Wave

2, Snout

2, Vine's Rustic

2, Setaceous Heb. Ch.

2, Light Emerald

2, Garden Carpet

1, Brimstone

1, Shuttle-shaped Dart

1, Black Rustic

6, Square-spot Rustic

6, Lesser Yellow U'wing

14, Large Yellow U'wing

2nd Sept.....Nice !

Great selection in and around traps. Very still weather but very damp with a heavy dew.
Star of the show has to be ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
FEATHERED GOTHIC...a new addition to The Dells garden list

Another newcomer to the garden is this BROWN-SPOT PINION

There must be a 2nd generation hatching as I havent had one of these for quite a while....

....SMALL RANUNCULUS

THE SNOUT....first appearance for the year Correction....this is the 5th this year

YELLOW SHELL

The 4th OLD LADY to pay me a visit this year

WILLOW BEAUTY....very common

MOTHER of PEARL

MARBLED BEAUTY

NUTMEG

TURNIP MOTH

LIME-SPECK PUG

DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG

BORDERED PUG

WORMWOOD PUG