30th Oct 2011

Overnight min temp. 13.1 deg...overcast...breezy
No sign of my next target....Feathered Thorn, unless my cat has beaten me to it on her many vigils near the snack trap !
Despite the cat, I managed to record 24 moths of 13 species:-
4 x Epiphyas postvittana
4 x Monopis obviella
2 x Emmelina monodactyla
2 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
2 x Angle Shades
2 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
2 x Large Wainscot
1 x Silver Y
1 x Turnip Moth
1 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 x Dark Chestnut
1 x Sallow....very worn
1 x Vine's Rustic

VINE'S RUSTIC

Four more macro moths needed for 250 in 2011

29th Oct 2011...Warm & windy

Overnight min temp 12 deg
Warm, windy
1 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 x Angle Shades
1 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 x Turnip Moth
1 x Dark Arches

DARK ARCHES

1 x Silver Y
1 x Large Wainscot
2 x Yellow-line Quaker
2 x Green-brindled Crescent

1 x Emmelina monodactyla
1 x Monopis obviella
2 x Epiphyas postvittana

LEAF DWELLER
Any ideas ??
Our micro recorder thinks maybe a tortrix, Clepsis consimilana, but is not happy with the abdomen colour of the larva.
It does not mine, but grazes between two leaves
PIC 1...shows two honeysuckle leaves stuck together with silk




Honeysuckle leaves


PIC 2.... shows the upper side of the smaller leaf after separation.
The larva (around 9mm in length) silk and frass is visible.

Larva, approx 9mm long

I have put it in a pot with some fresh leaves so maybe next spring the finished article will hopefully make an appearance.
I have never tried to rear larvae before...any tips ?

28th Oct 2011...Garden traps

Overnight min. temp. 8.7 deg. calm, overcast

LARGE WAINSCOT



BLAIR'S SHOULDER-KNOT



COMMON MARBLED CARPET



RED-GREEN CARPET

NOVEMBER MOTH agg.



MERVEILLE DU JOUR

 3 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
3 x Silver Y
2 x November Moth agg
1 x Common Marbled Carpet
1 x Red-green Carpet
1 x Merveille du Jour, (year first)

2 x Epiphyas postvittana
1 x Emmelina monodactyla
1 x Acleris sparsana

Garden Tally for 2011......
430 species.....246 macro, 184 micro

27th Oct 2011...Not so sparse

overnight min. 6.5 deg....calm, wam until early hours.
1 x November Moth agg.
1 x Silver Y
1 x Brick (That should read CHESTNUT )
1 x Emmelina monodactyla
3 x Epiphyas postvittana
1 x Acleris sparsana, ( garden first )

CHESTNUT

1041 ACLERIS SPARSANA

2011 Garden totals :-
245 macro, 184 micro

26th Oct 2011...More October "Novembers"

Overnight min. temp. 8.9 deg. Prolonged light rain, Light breeze
1 x Large Yellow Underwing
1 x Pale Mottled Willow
2 x Silver Y
2 x November Moth agg.

One of two NOVEMBER MOTH agg

Just 6 individuals of 4 species.

25th Oct 2011....Garden update

Mon 17th...6.9 deg min. strong wind, rain.
1 x Willow Beauty
1 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 x Beaded Chestnut
1 x Dark Sword-grass (2nd for year)

Tues 18th...4.2 deg min. Light breeze, cooler
2 x Large Wainscot
1 x Yellow-line Quaker
3 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 x Blairs Shoulder-knot
1 x Red-line Quaker
2 x Black Rustic
1 x Turnip Moth
1 x Emmelina monodactyla

Wed 19th...2.3 deg min. Calm, cold
2 x Black Rustic
1 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
1 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

Thurs 20th...3.5 deg min. calm.
Large Wainscot
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Black Rustic
Blair's Shoulder-knot
Silver Y
Yellow-line Quaker
Angle Shades
Emmelina monodactyla

Fri 21st...5.7 deg min. Breezy
2 x Large Wainscot
1 x Barred Sallow
2 x Silver Y
1 x Unidentified... gen det result imminent. Wingspan 36mm approx.

1 x Willow Beauty
1 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 x Angle Shades
1 x Green-brindled Crescent
2 x Pale Mottled Willow
1 x Mallow


MALLOW

 2 x Large Yellow Underwing
1 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 x E. monodactyla
2 x Blastobasis lacticolella
1 x Eudonia angustea
1 x Endrosis sarcitrella

Sat 22nd...8.8 deg min. Breezy
3 x Red-line Quaker
1 x Large Wainscot
1 x S.S.Dart
1 x Yellow-line Quaker
1 x Emmelina monodactyla

Sun 23rd...
2 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 x Willow Beauty
1 x SS Dart
1 x Pale Mottled Willow
1 x E. monodactyla
1 x Monopis obviella
1 x Epiphyas postvittana

Mon 24th...8.5 deg min. Gusty southerly wind
1 x Pale Mottled Willow
1 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 x Willow Beauty
1 x Angle Shades
1 x Alucita hexadactyla
1 x Bedellia somnulendella... garden first

0264 Bedellia somnulendella

Tues 25th...6.2 deg min. light breeze, occasional light rain
1 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
1 x Angle Shades
1 x Dark Chestnut

DARK CHESTNUT

1 x Yellow-line Quaker
1 x Brick
1 x Emmelina monodactyla
2 x Blastobasis lacticolella

428 garden species for 2011
245 macro, 183 micro

16th Oct 2011

Overnight min temp...6.4 deg, calm
Not a great deal to record as temperatures remind us that winter really is approaching.

Two November Moth aggs will probably undergo gen det.
Last nights haul:-
3 x Willow Beauty
1 x Beaded Chestnut
2 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
1 x Pale Mottled Willow
2 x November Moth agg
1 x Large Wainscot
1 x Alucita hexadactyla, Twenty Plume Moth
1 x Emmelina monodactyla
1 x Endrosis sarcitrella, White-shouldered House Moth
The November aggs will add at least one more species to the 2011 garden list, so my macro count this year is now 245.
I think I will struggle to hit the 250 mark, December Moth  is  a rare sight in my garden, but without it 5 more species is a very tough call and time is running out.

12th Oct 2011,

Overnight min temp..13.1 deg, calm. overcast
A year first Green-brindled Crescent was expected.
Still no Merveille du Jour tho.......
4 x Large Yellow Underwing
5 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
3 x Black Rustic
1 x Brindled Green
1 x Green-brindled Crescent. year first



GREEN-BRINDLED CRESCENT

 3 x Pale Mottled Willow
5 x Angle Shades
15x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 x Beaded Chestnut
1 x Common ?? Pug...maybe Double-striped (Cheers Stewart)

COMMON PUG ??

1 x Lunar Underwing
2 x Turnip Moth
1 x Red-line Quaker
1 x Webb's Wainscot
1 x Large Wainscot

LARGE WAINSCOT

1 x Sallow
4 x Emmelina monodactyla
2 x Epiphyas postvittana
1 x Agonopterix heracliana
1 x Orthopygia glaucinalis


An unexpected micro at this time of year ORTHOPYGIA GLAUCINALIS

 426 species.....244 macro, 182 micro

11th Oct 2011....The Dark side

Min overnight temp, 13 deg, Breezy, Bright full moon.
The last few days have been too windy, although I have put the traps on.
The theory being that now we have strong westerlies, it may blow some of those immigrants from the west back to the eastern side of the country.
A flimsy theory maybe, but last night I was rewarded with a year first Dark Sword-grass, so who knows ? Maybe a Vestal or Flame Brocade would be nice!


DARK SWORD-GRASS

For the past 3 nights, the low catch has seen mainly, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Pale Mottled Willow, Blair's Shoulder-knot and Black Rustic.
Large and Lesser Yellow Underwings are still around, but gradually getting fewer and Angle Shades have appeared regularly.
Micros are few and far between, Light Brown Apple Moth and Emmelina monodactyla with the occasional Wax Moth and Gold Triangle.
Garden Tally for 2011 :-
425 species...243 macro, 182 micro

8th Oct 2011

Min overnight temp...11.7de4g,  Rain
No traps were set due to constant rain, but an actinic 15watt was switched on to illuminate the shed wall.
Checked the shed at first light and found 5 moths of 5 species.
Also found another mine on the raspberry leaves complete with larva which is the 200th micro recorded in the Dells garden since 2010. Emmetia marginea, BF 0125.
1 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 x Black Rustic
1 x Angle Shades
1 x Grey Pine Carpet, unconfirmed
1 x Hypsopygia costalis, Gold Triangle
1 x Emmetia marginea,,, raspberry leaf mine *garden first




Grey Pine Carpet ?




Gold Triangle, Hypsopygia costalis

2011 Garden totals:-
242 macro
182 micro

7th Oct 2011...

Min overnight temp...7.6 deg. cold breeze, bright 3/4 waxing moon
A poor catch as everything, including us, adjusts to the sudden temperature change. It's almost like August again !

5 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
3 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
3 x Angle Shades
3 x Pale Mottled Willow
2 x Lesser Yellow Underwing (No Large !)
1 x Willow Beauty
1 x Black Rustic
1 x Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 x Acleris variegana, Garden Rose Tortrix

ACLERIS VARIEGANA

6th Oct 2011

overnight min temp...6.8 deg, strong wind, showers, heavy at times.
Had to cover the traps as the rain was coming in at 45 degrees on the strong wind.
Put them back on at midnight, with clearing skies and temperatures plummeting so the count was well down.
No immigrant moths as yet following the week of warm southerlies.

5 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
4 x Pale Mottled Willow
3 x Blair's Shoulder-knot



BLAIR'S SHOULDER-KNOT

 2 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 x Large Yellow Underwing
1 x Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 x Rosy Rustic



ROSY RUSTIC

 1 x Emmelina monodactyla
plus the resident White-shouldered House moths in the shed

I found 3 leaf mines in the garden during the day and two of the three were ID'd

                                 ROSE LEAF (cultivated)

0092 Stigmella anomalella, Rose Leaf Miner

                                     APPLE LEAF (Lord Lambourne)

0310 Callisto denticulella

                                          RASPBERRY LEAF



Unidentified...Possibly a sawfly mine



5th Oct 2011

overnight min temp...10.1 deg, blowing a gale ! light rain at times.
I put the traps on, not expecting to catch anything with near gale-force gusts and intermittent rain.
It turned out to be a surprisingly good night, 60 moths of 18 species were recorded, among them a Dark Arches 2nd generation.
16 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 x Willow Beauty
4 x Large Yellow Underwing
9 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
8 x Pale Mottled Willow
2 x Angle Shades

ANGLE SHADES

2 x Large Ranunculus
4 x Black Rustic
1 x Red-green Carpet
1 x Mallow
2 x Lunar Underwing
1 x Sallow
2 x Dusky-lemon Sallow



SALLOW and 2 x DUSKY-LEMON SALLOW

1 x Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
1 x Dark Arches

DARK ARCHES

1 x Eudonia angustea
2 x Emmelina monodactyla.

Our micro recorder sent me the results of a batch for gen det and 6 new garden species were added:-
12th Aug...1281...Dichrorampha simpliciana
13th Aug...0757...Recurvaria nanella
30th Aug...1138...Epinotia nisella
30th Aug...0303...Parornix anglicella
  2nd Sep...0789...Bryotropha domestica
23rd Sep...1051...Acleris logiana

2011 Garden Total: 421 species...242 macro, 179 micro.

4th Oct 2011...Garden traps

Min overnight temp..14.4 deg, strong gusting wind.
Nothing new to add to year list, surprise find was Pyralis farinalis (Meal Moth) which is the latest by a mile in the garden...
26 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
20 x Pale Mottled Willow
14 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
10 x Large Yellow Underwing
  7 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
  5 x Lunar Underwing
  4 x Large Ranunculus
  3 x Black Rustic
  2 x Setaceous Hebrew Character
  2 x Willow Beauty
  1 x Brindled Green
  1 x Angle Shades
  1 x Mallow
  1 x Red-green Carpet

BRINDLED GREEN

LARGE RANUNCULUS

MALLOW

  3 x Endrosis sarcitrella
  2 x Epiphyas postvittana
  3 x Emmelina monodactyla
  1 x Monopis obviella
  1 x Pyralis farinalis

3rd Oct 2011...Red line, Yellow line

Minimum overnight temp...12.9 deg, Breezy
A good night for the garden year ticks with 3 additional macros.
18 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
12 x Pale Mottled Willow
8 x Large Yellow Underwing
7 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
5 x Lunar Underwing
2 x Sallow
1 x Brick... year first

THE BRICK

3 x Willow Beauty
2 x Turnip Moth
1 x Brimstone Moth
2 x Black Rustic
2 x Yellow-line Quaker... Year first

YELLOW-LINE QUAKER

1 x Garden Carpet
1 x Mallow
2 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
1 x Red-line Quaker... Year first

RED-LINE QUAKER

2 x Angle Shades
1 x Square-spot Rustic
1 x Large Ranunculus
1 x Red-green Carpet

RED-GREEN CARPET

4 x Epiphyas postvittana
2 x Emmelina monodactyla
1 x Eudonia angustea
1 x Phyllonorycter leucographella


PHYLLONORYCTER LEUCOGRAPHELLA 

1 x Endrosis sarcitrella
1 x Cacoecimorpha pronubana
1 x Red-barred Tortrix or similar
3 x Depressaria species... TBC

The Dells garden year total is now 415 with a few pending ID's
242 macro and 173 micro
The wine bet is now a run race with Captain Trappings sitting on an unassailable lead, unless a miracle occurs. Three loaves, 5 fishes and about 30 moths would do !


1st Oct 2011...Unbelievable weather !

Min overnight temp...11.7 deg, calm
I know it can't last but 29/30 degrees in October ! The autumn moths must be a little confused at the mo, as indeed we are.
Last nights trap results were good, until I received a text from Captain Trappings announcing a Merveille du Jour was in his garden...... he has hi-jacked my wish list !

1/10/11
18 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
5 x Willow Beauty
8 x Lunar Underwing
6 x Pale Mottled Willow
6 x Large Yellow Underwing
8 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
3 x Blair's Shoulder-knot
3 x Black Rustic
1 x Dusky-lemon Sallow, year first

DUSKY-LEMON SALLOW

2 x Turnip Moth
8 x Beaded Chestnut
2 x Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 x Barred Sallow
1 x Brown-spot Pinion, year first

BROWN-SPOT PINION

2 x Clepsis consimilana
2 x Eudonia angustea
2 x Emmelina monodactyla

Garden total for 2011:-
412 species...239 macro, 173 micro

Garden Update

August in October...can't be bad.
Overnight temps around 12 deg min for the last few nights.
Highlights were... 28th, Buttoned Snout and a garden first Deep-brown Dart.


DEEP-BROWN DART



BUTTONED SNOUT

29th, Sallow and Mallow, 30th Angle Shades, Large Ranunculus and Lesser Yellow Underwing feeding on the Ivy flowers, Dark Chestnut, Spruce Carpet and Satellite.

DARK CHESTNUT

SPRUCE CARPET

SATELLITE

Also an interesting micro from last night which I think is Agonopterix nervosa

AGONOPTERIX NERVOSA

Thanks Matt & Ben for backing up the ID.