13th Mar. '16 ... First Angle Shades of the year ........

....... and many more to come.
Angle Shades is a common species in my garden and there are plenty of larvae still active at night that have yet to pupate.
Numbers peak in June with the second generation peaking in September, according to the current literature but can be found all year round in favourable conditions and the Autumn generation numbers are  boosted by migrants.
My garden records more or less follow this pattern, apart from an exceptionally cold June in 2015

2015 records ... Angle Shades .... TL14 Bedfordshire
 Jan Feb Mar. = 0 .... Cold start to the year
 9 - April
15 - May
  2 - June ... (temperatures well below average)
  0 - July ... (limited trapping due to holidays)
 11 - August
 20 - September
 17 - October
   8 - November
   1 - December

Angle Shades - Phlogophora meticulosa

Garden trap latest - 1st March

At last a warmer night and a chance to put the traps on throughout the night.
4 moths caught :-
Emmelina monodactyla
Double-striped Pug
Common Quaker
and a year first Grey Shoulder-knot ...

Grey Shoulder-knot

Hebrew Character

Only one moth caught last night ... a Hebrew Character, Orthosia gothica.
Some literature says that it is named because the black markings resemble the Hebrew "nun" character.
Nun is the 14th letter in the Hebrew alphabet but the markings more resemble the Hebrew Kaf or Khaf, the 11th letter. Whatever, it's the latest on the garden year list ...

Orthosia gothica - Hebrew Character

Shed rummage produces a Herald

A Herald was added to the year list but with no trapping involved.
This one was found in the garden shed whilst rummaging around for something so unimportant that the sight of this moth made me forget what I was rummaging for.
After a couple of quick camera snaps I returned it to its dormancy in the shed to wait for warmer nights.

Herald - Scoliopterix libatrix

4th Feb 2016 ... Garden Moths

A warmer, calmer night saw the garden traps on for the first time since storms Gertrude and Henry raged through. (no immediate signs of Imogen yet)
8.7 deg. C was the minimum temperature with light SW winds.
Three species were added to the year list including the unusual shaped tortrix Tortricodes alternella, which is long and narrow compared to other tortrix's and easily recognised.
3 x 0688 Agonopterix heracliana, year first
3 x 0998 Epiphyas postvittana
1 x 1025 Tortricodes alternella, year first
1 x 1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, year first
2 x 1524 Emmelina monodactyla
3 x 1862 Double-striped Pug

688 Agonopterix heracliana

 

1025 Tortricodes alternella