29th April 2011...They're playing my song !

WE ARE THE CAMPIONS
A year first CAMPION 2166 defied the wind last night

VINE'S RUSTIC 2384 year first...can't wait for the Rustics and uncertains !!!

ARGYROTAENIA LJUNGIANA 0974... a commoner

It's been an excellent year for SCALLOPED HAZEL 1920 Last night:-

Shuttle-shaped Dart x 20

Common Pug x 4

Turnip Moth x 3

Garden Carpet x 2

Argyrotaenia ljungiana x 2

Red Twin-spot Carpet

Brown-line Bright-eye

Lime Hawkmoth

Epiphyas postvittana

Scalloped Hazel

Vine's Rustic *year first

Campion *year first

TOTAL

97 species to date (62 macro, 35 micro

One more night in April to get the "ton" ? ...3 more needed

28th April 2011...Royal Wedding

It would have been appropriate to blog a few Royal related moths today, I checked the traps this morning but nothing doing.
How about a Coronet with a few Emeralds, Some White Ermine with a Royal Mantle would have been nice.
The royal coach flanked by Common Footmen, and lots of Waves from the Many Lined streets.
In the evening a possible sighting of a Small Rivulet and a Maidens Blush.
That's enough of that......Last night was windy and wet but I still managed to trap 41 moths of 10 species, with 2 new ticks for The Dells garden.
ENARMONIA FORMOSANA 1216 Cherry-bark Moth

A regular visitor to the lights and a stunner !

GREY PINE CARPET 1768, a year first

POWDERED QUAKER 2186....regular, almost nightly at this time of year.

COMMON PUG 1834 Totals :-

28 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

4 x Pale Mottled Willow

2 x Turnip Moth

Small Waved Umber

Hebrew Character

Powdered Quaker

Grey Pine Carpet *year first

Common Pug

Flame Shoulder

Enarmonia formosana *year first

The garden total now stands at 95 species, with 60 macros and 35 micros. (see pages, top left of blog for macro/micro lists)

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

25th April 2011...OOPS !

I have had a look at some of my pics to put into a file for 2011 macros, and to my horror, I have to strike one off the list !
I recorded this as a WHITE ERMINE when in fact it is a female MUSLIN MOTH. This is the first female seen in my garden if that is an excuse !
Saying that, I now have to check my 2010 records and see if the same mistake has been made. SO, it's now 57 macros and 32 micros for a total to date of 89 species (with 2 more micros awaiting ID)
Last nights northerly wind put a damper on proceedings with 46 moths caught of 16 species. 26 of the 46 were Shuttle-shaped Darts

24th April 2011...DELLS latest

It wasn't as good as the previous evening but I still managed to add 1 macro and 2 more micros to the garden tally.
I noticed that "Stewart of the North" caught a Heart & Dart so I guess the traps will soon be infested with them for several weeks, it's nice to see the first one tho...and then it's the Rustic/uncertain/do your head in Moths to follow !
BRIMSTONE MOTH 1906...I have had 15 of these in the last three nights and although they are common they are still a cracking moth

The latest pug addition...MOTTLED PUG 1819

A new micro...EPHESTIA PARASITELLA ssp UNICOLORELLA 1474.....The nominate species is from Southern Europe and the sub species Unicolorella is the only one found in Britain (Thanks to our micro recorder for the ID and info)

First for the year...Garden Pebble... Evergestis forficalis 1356 Garden Totals:-

19 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

5 x Brimstone Moth

3 x Garden Carpet

2 x Evergestis forficalis *year first

2 x Scalloped Hazel (both very worn)

2 x Flame Shoulder

Incurvaria masculella

Esperia sulphurella

Early Grey

Grey Dagger agg

Waved Umber

Red Twin-spot Carpet

Hebrew Character

Common Quaker

Emmelina monodactyla

Muslin Moth

Powdered Quaker

Ephestia parasitella ssp unicolorella *Garden First

Mottled Pug *year first

5 x Unidentified Pugs

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88 species......58 macro, 30 micro

23rd April 2011.....Ticking along beautifully

The warm weather continues and already some people are moaning about being too hot....say no more...........The moths on the other hand relish the warmer weather and came out en masse last night... At 11pm it was still 15 deg and The Dells traps chalked up another garden "first" a cracking PALE OAK BEAUTY 1944 of the dark form humperti, wingspan...50mm

First of hundreds no doubt.....Pyrausta aurata

SCORCHED CARPET 1888 a nice addition to 2011

WAVED UMBER 1936 FFY

CYDIA POMONELLA 1261.....Codling Moth Last night:-

24 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

15 x Argyrotaenia ljungiana

3 x Epiphyas postvittana

3 x Endrosis sarcitrella

2 x Emmelina monodactyla

2 x Grey Dagger agg.

2 x Brimstone Moth

2 x Knot Grass

2 x Scalloped Hazel

Scorched Carpet *year first

Pyrausta aurata *year first

Flame Shoulder

Pale Tussock

Early Grey

Common Quaker

Powdered Quaker

Nut-tree Tussock

Ruby Tiger

Lime Hawkmoth

Tinea trinotella

Waved Umber *year first

Pale Oak Beauty *Garden first

Nutmeg

Cochylis dubitana

Incurvaria masculella

Plutella xylostella *year first

Hofmannophila pseudospretella

Cydia pomonella *year first

Muslin Moth

Esperia sulphurella

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GARDEN TOTAL:-

86 species......57 macro, 29 micro

22nd April 2011...What's that coming over the hill...

....no, it's not a monster, but a head-on view of a PUSS MOTH and a brand new tick for the garden

PUSS MOTH 1995

another new addition to the garden list last night was this MULLEIN 2221

PEBBLE HOOK-TIP 1648

RED TWIN-SPOT CARPET 1724 .... year first x 2

V-PUG 1858..another year first ALSO:-

16 x S.S.Dart

8 x Brimstone Moth

1 x Clouded Drab

1 x Ruby Tiger

1 x Garden Carpet

Brindled (3), Common (2), Double-striped (2), Currant (2), V-pug, and twelve other pugs unidentified.

1 x Hebrew Character

2 x Dark/Grey Dagger

2 x Common Quaker

3 x Nut-tree Tussock

1 x Least Black Arches

2 x Powdered Quaker

1 x Sallow Kitten

1 x Knot Grass

8 x Argyrotaenia ljungiana

3 x Tinea trinotella

3 x Endrosis sarcitrella

2 x Alucita hexadactyla

2 x Epiphyas postvittana

1 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella

1 x Agonopterix arenella

Plus 2 micros' sent to recorder for ID

GARDEN SPECIES now stands at 79 spp,

54 macro, 25 micro

21st April 2011 ...2 new micros

Two small micros caught last night were new to The Dells garden. Both about 4mm long ... The top pic shows the HORSE CHESTNUT LEAF-MINER, Cameraria ohridella 366a

ARGYRESTHIA TRIFASCIATA 409a.....both of these moths have colonised in recent years My second SALLOW KITTEN 1997 GREY/DARK DAGGER 2284/2283

MUSLIN MOTH 2063....3rd record to date

WORMWOOD PUG 1830 ......First record this year

FEMALE MUSLIN MOTH

My second stunning LIME HAWKMOTH 1979 for the year, with many more to come.

Another year first...COXCOMB PROMINENT 2008

The 4th SWALLOW PROMINENT 2007 of the year That's 73 species for the year so far, it wasn't until the first week in June that 73 were recorded in 2010.

What a difference the sun makes....last year was very cold in April.

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48 macros and 25 micros for 73 species to date

19th & 20th April 2011 The Dells update

My Agonopterix species was Gen inspected by the county recorder and he confirms that it is indeed AGONOPTERIX SCOPARIELLA. from 28/03/11....that's 3 new Agonopterix species added this week to the garden records. The GLORIOUS weather continues and moths are turning up unseasonably early across the land, so would I if I was a moth. The traps are slowly getting busier and the Shuttle-shaped Darts numbers are steadily growing. Traps will be chock full of Large Yellow Underwings before we know it !

SALLOW KITTEN...20/04/11.....first for year FOXGLOVE PUG 1817......20/04/11.... first for 2011 SWALLOW PROMINENT 2007...third one so far SMALL WAVED UMBER 1781..20/04/11...2 of these last night 20/04/11...1st appearance for FLAME SHOULDER x2 19/04/11 ...A very dark example of GREY/DARK DAGGER agg. County recorder is interested in this and will examine it. Bets are on GREY DAGGER 2284, either way it's the earliest record for the county which seems to be the trend around GB this year ESPERIA SULPHURELLA 649.....seen on 19th & 20th by day and also attracted to the traps at night.Thanks Ben for pointing out that I have labelled this incorrectly...it is indeed INCURVIA MASCULELLA....my garden is full of E. sulphurella at the moment 19/04/11....AGONOPTERIX PROPINQUELLA 696....a new addition 19/04/11...AGONOPTERIX ARENELLA 697.....another new micro for the Dells 19/04/11 TINEA TRINOTELLA 247...FFY Waiting for the micro recorder to confirm ID but I think this could be EPINOTIA IMMUNDANA 1136 ID now confirmed by recorder and also by "Eagle-eyed" Ben Sale, thanks Ben The next 3 individual moths are unidentified, but I caught some of these last year and it caused a bit of a stir...The word was, if I catch some again this year, and the suspected ID is correct...it could be BIG news. Well here they are again...the micro recorder has some live examples and the result is expected over the next two weeks.....stay tuned. (or it could be a big anticlimax !) In the meantime I thought I would post some pics.

19/04/11 ..................? 20/04/11.............?? 20/04/11...........??? TOTALS for 19th

6 x Esperia sulphurella (Daytime)
6 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

4 x Double-striped Pug
3 x Hebrew Character
3 x Pale Mottled Willow
2 x Agonopterix arenella *Garden first
2 x Tinea trinotella *Year first
2 x Early Grey
Brimstone Moth
Clouded Drab
Common Quaker
Argyrotaenia ljungiana
Emmelina monodactyla
Nut-tree Tussock
Grey/Dark Dagger agg
Agonopterix propinquella *garden first
Swallow Prominant
Small Quaker
Powdered Quaker
Oak-tree Pug
Epinotia immundana (to be confirmed) ID confirmed
1 x micro (probably a very small Brown House-moth) to be ID'd ID confirmed as Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House-moth)
Incurvia masculella * garden first...during the day

TOTALS for 20/04/11:-
Esperia sulphurella (any amount by day)
8 x Shuttle-shaped Dart (here we go again !)
6 x Early Grey
2 x Hebrew Character
2 x Common Quaker
2 x Brimstone Moth
2 x Flame Shoulder *year first
2 x Grey/Dark Dagger
2 x Emmelina monodactyla
2 x Small Waved Umber
Ruby Tiger
Sallow Kitten *year first
Swallow Prominent
Garden Carpet
Powdered Quaker
Tinea trinotella
Small Quaker
Epiphyas postvittana
5 x Double-striped Pug
1 x Common Pug
1 x Foxglove Pug *year first

plus the 3 no. mystery moths

The Dells garden year tally now stands at 45 macro and 22/23 micro (mystery moth ID pending)
I have decided not to continue adding up the total moth numbers, just the species.