18th May 2014 ... Busy Traps

The continued warm spell is bringing in a variety of moths to the garden traps and it is getting difficult to keep up with it all.
8 more additions to the year list were added last night including the first Hawk-moth.
In previous years the first Hawk-moth has been Lime but this year it is Small Elephant ...
Trap Catch
Endrosis sarcitrella, 1
Agonopterix arenella, 1
Platyedra subcinerea, 4
Epiphyas postvittana, 4
Epiblema cynosbatella, 5
Cydia pomonella, 1
Aphomia sociella, 2
Ephestia parasitella unicolorella, 1, year first
Emmelina monodactyla, 1

Small Dusty Wave, 1
Garden Carpet, 2
Small Waved Umber, 1
Mottled Pug, 3
Freyer's Pug, 2, year first (below)

Common Pug, 2
Scalloped Hazel, 2
Waved Umber, 1
Willow Beauty, 5
Small Elephant Hawk-moth, 1, year first (below)

Buff-tip, 1
Puss Moth, 1
White Ermine, 1, year first (below)

Turnip Moth, 1
Heart & Dart, 3
Shuttle-shaped Dart, 43
Flame Shoulder, 1
Cabbage Moth, 1
Light Brocade, 1, year first (below, lazy shot)

Bright-line Brown-eye, 1
Lychnis, 1, year first (below)

Angle Shades, 1
Rustic Shoulder-knot, 1
Treble Lines, 1
Vine's Rustic, 3
Pale Mottled Willow, 2
Silver Y, 1, year first (below)

Spectacle, 1, year first

4th June 2013 ... Privet Hawk-moth cleared for landing

The first Privet Hawk-moth of the year crash landed into the trap last night, they really are massive !
Rather windy and cool, the wind chill is due to the temperature of the North Sea, which is well below the seasonal average. This is because of the very cold March.
The wind is coming from the North and it is being chilled by the sea temperature, so a southerly biased wind will give us warmer nights if we ever get one !
A good selection of moths were recorded last night, adding 7 to my year list but the micro moths are still thin on the ground.....

0985 ... Cacoecimorpha pronubana ... Carnation Tortrix ... 1 ... YF

985 ... Cacoecimorpha pronubana ... Carnation Tortrix

0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana ... Light Brown Apple Moth ... 1
1356 ... Evergestis forficalis ... Garden Pebble ... 1 ... YF

1356 ... Evergestis forficalis ... Garden Pebble

1727 ... Silver-ground Carpet ... Xanthorhoe montanata ... 1 ... YF

1727 ... Silver-ground Carpet ... Xanthorhoe montanata

1728 ... Garden Carpet ... Xanthorhoe fluctuata ... 4
1776 ... Green Carpet ... Colostygia pectinataria ... 1
1834 ... Common Pug ... Eupithecia vulgata
1976 ... Privet Hawk-moth ... Sphinx ligustri ... 1 ... YF

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

1994 ... Buff-tip ... Phalera bucephala ... 1
2000 ... Iron Prominent ... Notodonta dromedarius ... 1
2007 ... Swallow Prominent ... Pheosia tremula ... 2
2060 ... White Ermine ... Spilosoma lubricapeda ... 1 ... YF

2060 ... White Ermine ... Spilosoma lubricapeda

2089 ... Heart and Dart ... Agrotis exclamationis ... 1 ... YF

2089 ... Heart and Dart ... Agrotis exclamationis

2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart ... Agrotis puta ... 5
2279 ... Sycamore ... Agrotis aceris ... 1
2283/4. Dark/Grey Dagger agg. ... Acronicta tridens/psi ... 1
2441 ... Silver Y ... Autographa gamma ... 1 ... YF

2441 ... Silver Y ... Autographa gamma

2450 ... Spectacle ... Abrostola tripartita ... 1

Bad news .....
I have declared war on these little varmints.
I am determined to see my Day Lilies intact, so removal and disposal* on a regular basis is the plan.
*  (disposal means my neighbour gets more than he should, if you know what I mean !)

Lily Beetle ... Lilioceris lilii

31st May 2012 ... Good end to month

Overnight low 13.3 deg. cloudy
The month ended on a high with 45 species in and around the garden traps, including 11 additions to the year list.

17 Common Swift Hepialus lupulinus 1
229 Monopis obviella 1
647 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella 3
648 White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella 3
779 Bryotropha affinis 1
808 Platyedra subcinerea 2
974 Argyrotaenia ljungiana 1
998 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana 3
1063 Celypha striana 1, year first
1133 Epinotia bilunana 1 year first (Below)

1174 Epiblema cynosbatella 2
1428 Bee Moth Aphomia sociella 3
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 1
1728 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata 5
1768 Grey Pine Carpet Thera obeliscata 1 year first (Below)

1776 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria 4
1819 Mottled Pug Eupithecia exiguata 1
1825 Lime-speck Pug Eupithecia centaureata 1
1834 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata 7
1860 Green Pug Pasiphila rectangulata 2, year first (Below)

1906 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata 3
1920 Scalloped Hazel Odontopera bidentata 1
1937 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria 4
1958 Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata 1, year first (Below)

1961 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata 1, year first (Below)

2000 Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarius 1
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent Pheosia gnoma 1, year first (Below)

2011 Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina 1, year first (Below)

2028 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda 1
2060 White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda 1, year first (Below)

2087 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum 8
2089 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis 4, (Below)

2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta 15
2102 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum 1
2154 Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae 2
2173 The Lychnis Hadena bicruris 1
2223 Toadflax Brocade Calophasia lunula 1
2333 Large Nutmeg Apamea anceps 2
2380 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica 4
2381 The Uncertain Hoplodrina alsines 7
2283/4 Dark/Grey Dagger Acronicta tridens/psi agg.1
 2387 Mottled Rustic Caradrina morpheus 1, year first (Below)

2389 Pale Mottled Willow Paradrina clavipalpis 8
2418 Cream-bordered Green Pea Earias clorana 1, year first (Below)

2441 Silver Y Autographa gamma 4

1st May 2011....Lime Dancing

Two members of the LIME HAWKMOTH formation dance team.

The garden species list hit the "ton" last night with this superb GREEN SILVER-LINES 2422

The Dells garden was firing on all two cylinders last night as WHITE ERMINE 2060 was added to the 2011 list

Apart from Esperia sulphurella seen flying during the day, the micros have been in short supply, Maybe they dislike the strong easterly breeze that's been blowing through the garden for the last 4 days. I am still finding the little White Shouldered House-moths in the garden shed and the once frequent Agonopterix heracliana have all disappeared to be replaced by......

AGONOPTERIX ARENELLA 697

1st May :-

18 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

2 x Turnip Moth

2 x Lime Hawkmoth

2 x Hebrew Character (soon to be replaced by Setaceous H C )

2 x Endrosis sarcitrella...White Shouldered House-moth

2 x Very worn Pugs... U.F.O's

Esperia sulphurella (daytime)

Brimstone Moth

Knot Grass

Garden Carpet

Flame Shoulder

Waved Umber

Muslin Moth

Green Silver-lines *year first

White Ermine *year first

101 species....66 macro, 35 micro

5th June.....Shear Luck ?

Another 30 plus species night despite the rain,
...................................................
MOTTLED PUG

PALE TUSSOCK

originally had this as a Marbled Minor agg but keen-eyed Matt Burgess correctly pointed out that it is a MOTTLED RUSTIC .

PEPPERED MOTH

SMALL SQUARE-SPOT

WHITE ERMINE

TAWNY SHEARS

SILVER Y

MILLER

ELEPHANT HAWKMOTH 30 plus more species with a couple to be confirmed:-

19 x Heart & Dart

7 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

3 x Willow Beauty

3 x Marbled Minor agg.

2 x Miller

2 x White Ermine Garden first
2 x Common Marbled Carpet

2 x Setaceous Hebrew Character

2 x Pale Mottled Willow

2 x Treble Lines

2 x Turnip Moth

2 x Large Nutmeg

Mottled Rustic Garden first

Lime Hawkmoth

Elephant Hawkmoth Garden first

Chinese Character

Silver Y first for year

Mottled Pug

Common Pug

Flame Shoulder

Bright-line Brown-eye

Small square-spot Garden first

Tawny Shears Garden first

Vine's Rustic

some more micros to be identified