Another larva to I.D.

This one was happily munching my Black Currant bush.
c20mm long :-

There were half a dozen of these ... anyone recognise it ?
Gooseberry Sawfly looks odds-on

30th August .. Brrr !

5 degrees would be a good mothing night in January but NOT in August.
1 new addition to the garden year list .. Winter Moth
Just the one trap from now on ....

1 .. 0998 Epiphyas postvittana, Light Brown Apple Moth
1 .. 1305 Agriphila tristella
5 .. 1309 Agriphila geniculea
2 .. 1342 Eudonia angustea
1 .. 1524 Emmelina monodactyla, Common Plume
2 .. 0015 Orange Swift
1 .. 1906 Brimstone Moth
2 .. 1937 Willow Beauty
1 .. 2061 Buff Ermine
1 .. 2087 Turnip Moth
1 .. 2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 .. 2107 Large Yellow Underwing
1 .. 2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing
6 .. 2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 .. 2134 Square-spot Rustic
1 .. 2293 Marbled Beauty
1 .. 2299 Mouse Moth
18. 2353 Flounced Rustic
1 .. 2361 Rosy Rustic *year first

2 .. 2384 Vine's Rustic
1 .. 2389 Pale Mottled Willow

Winter Moth ? that one can wait until November/December when the weather warms up a bit !

28th Aug .. Trap results

Clearer night, bright fullish moon, breezy. cooler.
The weather is feeling positively autumnal and going by past records, Sallow spp and Black Rustic will appear very soon.
The wine bet is a Dells Disaster and to be honest, if I was Paddy Power I would be paying out early.
Captain Trappings is on 217 with a Plain/Shaded Pug pending and I am 14 macro species behind.
Even the bad year is no excuse,  on the same date last year my 2011 total  would have still been 2 species behind Matts 2012 list !
Nothing new last night but I did get my second Canary-shouldered Thorn and 4th Old Lady, plus a Dichrorampha for gen det.
Juniper Webber and Agonopterix arenella were the pick of the micros.

Canary-shouldered Thorn ... Ennomos alniaria 

Agonopteris arenella

Juniper Webber ... Dichomeris marginella

28th Aug, The Mill, Biggleswade

Rain stopped play last night so nothing to report.
Today, took grandkids Keely and Louie to to the little park at the old mill (long since converted to des.res.) next to the River Ivel which flows through home town Biggleswade and is a feeder for the Great Ouse.
Coming through The Dells to Back St we checked out the Prickly Lettuce plants that seem to grow out of the asphalt edges of the paths and it wasn't long before Louie found the first Small Ranunculus larva, in fact almost every small patch of plants was occupied .....

... small wonder that I get so many adults in the garden.
There is also plenty of Ivy-leaved Toadflax sprawling down the brick walls along the pedestrian footpaths but no sign of any Toadflax Brocade larva, maybe the wrong time of year ?

Ivy-leaved Toadflax

The Mill, River Ivel

River Ivel

20 years ago the banks of the Ivel were covered with Common Comfrey and Purple Loosestrife etc, but now the invasive Himalayan Balsam has taken over.

A few young bunnies were having a nibble at the quiet end of the park

Cameraria ohridella on every leaf of the parks Horse Chestnuts trees

A larva found by the grandkids.... anyone ?
Bright-line Brown-eye looks good

I've been on the lookout for one of these in the garden recently... Red Underwing on its last legs, found in the park by Keely

26th Aug 2012 ... White-line Dart

One more for 2012
White-line Dart 2081 .... (Euxoa tritici ?)

VC30 Recorders have informed me that there has been recent DNA work on White-line Dart, and it appears that two separate species exist, although gen. det. is somewhat tricky at present.
This one will be retained for future material if required, but for now, ID as White-line Dart.

Best of the Rest...
1 x Old Lady
2 x Yellow-barred Brindle
1 x Pale Prominent
1 x Spectacle
1 x Angle Shades
1 each of Wormwood and Toadflax Pugs
1 Juniper Webber and a Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix found by grandson Louie during a net sweep of the front garden during the day, along with a pot of 20 grasshoppers ! (safely released)

25th Aug 2012 ... Small consolation

A Small Square-spot was the first macro to be added to the year list since a superb Vestal on the 18th Aug.

Last nights trap results were a little lower as I was at the Trappings household devouring hot curry and quaffing red wine so no patrols of the traps, and after two bottles of red...who cares ?

  5 .. 0015 .. Orange Swift
  2 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
  2 .. 1776 .. Green Carpet
  1 .. 1830 .. Wormwood Pug
  2 .. 1862 .. Double-striped Pug
  1 .. 1867 .. Treble-bar

  2 .. 1906 .. Brimstone Moth
  3 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
  1 .. 2087 .. Turnip Moth
25 .. 2092 .. Shuttle-shaped Dart
20 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
  2 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
  2 .. 2110 .. Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
  2 .. 2123 .. Small Square-spot *year first...oops ! Well spotted Andy Grimsey...this is NOT a Small Square-spot...Problem is, I haven't got pics of the other, nor pics of the one on 29th Aug so I will lose this one for now. Just to play safe...
Square-spot Rustic

25 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
  6 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
  1 .. 2199 .. Common Wainscot
  2 .. 2284x  Grey Dagger agg.
  3 .. 2293 .. Marbled Beauty
  2 .. 2297 .. Copper Underwing
  2 .. 2303 .. Straw Underwing
  1 .. 2306 .. Angle Shades
  2 .. 2334 .. Burnished Brass

  2 .. 2343x  Common Rustic agg.
18 .. 2353 .. Flounced Rustic
22 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic
  2 .. 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
  4 .. 0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana
  1 .. 1305 .. Agriphila tristella
27 .. 1309 .. Agriphila geniculea
  1 .. 1331 .. Acentria ephemerella
  3 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea
  1 .. 1405 .. Pleuroptya ruralis
  1 .. 1417 .. Pyralis farinalis
  4 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla

23rd Aug 2012 .. Garden Moths + odd Minor ?

Jersey Tiger would be nice !
They are sneaking their way up the country and are a distinct possibility.
Three have been recorded in Bedfordshire over the last 3 years, one 2 days ago and one in my home town of Biggleswade, so it's eyes peeled, although this beauty would not be hard to spot !
Back to reality...
I can't buy a new macro moth for the 2012 list at the moment but I added at least two micros last night.....

Wax Moth, Galleria mellonella (Below)

Paying little regard to our immigration policy....
Rush Veneer, Nomophila noctuella (Below) I almost missed this one as it sat in the egg boxes well disguised amongst the numerous caddis flies.

Silver Y numbers are well up this year, this one found its way into the house and spent the night on the skirting....

This "Minor" had me baffled, probably a Cloaked.....
10mm forewing.... any offers ? .... Cheers Captain !

Cloaked Minor, Mesoligia furuncula

21st Aug '12 .. Late summer doldrums

Nothing new in the garden for a few days despite the ideal conditions.
Plenty of brown moths that are starting to look very tired now.
The last 3 nights have seen literally thousands of Water Veneer, Acentria ephemerella, in the traps and hundreds of Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners, Cameraria ohridella.
The wine bet has almost reached "wave the white flag" levels as Capt. Trappings races away with a 15 macro species advantage.
One or two nice moths were recorded that were not so brown, but nothing to speed up the ticker.
Here's a few........

Toadflax Brocade, Calophasia lunula .. a Dells regular and very local.

Argyresthia goedartella

Beautiful Plume, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Iron Prominent, Notodonta dromedarius. Unusually well marked

Poplar Hawk-moth, Laothoe populi. 21/08/12 ..  A latecomer

Lesser Swallow Prominent, Pheosia gnoma

Nutmeg, Discestra trifolii

18th Aug '12 .. New garden macro and micro

A very warm and stifling evening.
The two traps were full of Large Yellow Underwing, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Water Veneer and Whirligig Beetles.
A closer look at a grass moth on the trap glass this morning revealed a site first micro.....

Catoptria falsella 

...followed by a site first macro hiding in the wall air brick........

The Vestal

16th Aug '12 ... Purple Bar brings up the 200

Warm, with the odd light shower, becoming windier throughout the night.
Purple Bar, 1752 Cosmohoe ocellata, brought up the 200th garden macro for the year and a year first 1138 Epinotia nisella was added to the micro list for 2012.
       BF no.
06 .. 0015 .. Orange Swift
02 .. 0227 .. Skin Moth
20+  366a .. Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner
01 .. 0424 .. Bird-cherry Ermine
01 .. 0427 .. Spindle Ermine
03 .. 0642 .. Batia unitella
04 .. 0647 .. Brown House Moth
02 .. 0648 .. White-shouldered House Moth
02 .. 0658 .. Carcina quercana
05 .. 0787 .. Bryotropha terrella
01 .. 0873 .. Blastobasis adustella
08 .. 0974 .. Argyrotaenia ljungiana
03 .. 0998 .. Light Brown Apple Moth
02 .. 1036 .. Acleris forsskaleana
03 .. 1048 .. Garden Rose Tortrix
01 .. 1138 .. Epinotia nisella, *year first (Below)

01 .. 1260 .. Cydia splendana
02 .. 1261 .. Codling Moth
01 .. 1288 .. Twenty Plume Moth
01 .. 1293 .. Chrysoteuchia culmella
01 .. 1304 .. Agriphila straminella
02 .. 1305 .. Agriphila tristella
05 .. 1309 .. Agriphila geniculea
01 .. 1344 .. Eudonia mercurella
02 .. 1348 .. Ringed China-mark
01 .. 1356 .. Garden Pebble
02 .. 1361 .. Pyruasta aurata
01 .. 1378 .. Phlyctaenia coronata
04 .. 1405 .. Mother of Pearl
02 .. 1439 .. Trachycera advenella
01 .. 1452 .. Phycita roborella
02 .. 1524 ,, Common Plume
06 .. 1699 .. Least Carpet
01 .. 1707 .. Small Dusty Wave
02 .. 1708 .. Single-dotted Wave
09 .. 1713 .. Riband Wave
04 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
01 .. 1738 .. Common Carpet
08 .. 1742 .. Yellow Shell
01 .. 1752 .. Purple Bar, *year first (Below)

01 .. 1776 .. Green Carpet
01 .. 1816 .. Toadflax Pug (Below)

04 .. 1862 .. Double-striped Pug
01 .. 1883 .. Yellow-barred Brindle
01 .. 1894 .. Latticed Heath
07 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
02 .. 2061 .. Buff Ermine
02 .. 2064 .. Ruby Tiger
12 .. 2092 .. Shuttle-shaped Dart
25 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
02 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
02 .. 2110 .. Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
06 .. 2111 .. Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
02 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
03 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
01 .. 2154 .. Cabbage Moth
01 .. 2165 .. Small Ranunculus
01 .. 2166 .. Campion
06 .. 2284x  Grey Dagger agg.
01 .. 2289 .. Knot Grass
02 .. 2293 .. Marbled Beauty
05 .. 2297 .. Copper Underwing
01 .. 2298 .. Svensson's Copper Underwing
03 .. 2299 .. Mouse Moth
17 .. 2303 .. Straw Underwing
01 .. 2306 .. Angle Shades
04 .. 2341 .. Cloaked Minor
04 .. 2343x  Common Rustic agg.
03 .. 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
03 .. 2441 .. Silver Y
01 .. 2489 .. Fan-foot

14th Aug '12 ... Nice moth brings up the 300 !

              300 ... 300 ... 300 ... 300 ... 300 ... 300 ... 300 ... 300 ... 300

Square-spotted Clay....site first and membership to the 300 macro club. 

Last night was warm and humid, ideal conditions.
Plenty of moths and a nice variety.
31 species of micro, including 2, Ypsolopha scabrella, Ypsolopha sequella, Plutella xylostella, and a Juniper Webber being the highlights,  plus 15 more for the county micro recorder David Manning.

37 species of macro.
2 Old Lady and 2 Small Ranunculus were good finds.
Another 2 Yellow-barred Brindle were recorded with a single Latticed Heath and 2 Poplar Grey.
Mouse Moths are doing well this year with 2 more noted.
Spectacle, Dun-bar, Silver Y (8) were the best of the rest.

OLD LADY

SMALL RANUNCULUS

Knot Grass

12 Aug '12 ... Garden traps

No sign of macro no. 300 which is disappointing given the great weather for the last week.
The last two nights haven't boosted the year list by many, just an expected Square-spot Rustic and a Small China-mark....
A second Small Rivulet for the garden, Latticed Heath, Nut-tree Tussock and White Satin Moth were nice finds.
No Footman moths for the first time in weeks, whoosh, that was your summer !

Square-spot Rustic ... Xestia xanthographa, year first.

Small China-mark, Cataclysta lemnata, year first

Latticed Heath, Chiasmia clathrata

Sallow Kitten, Furcula furcula

Below ... Marbled Beauty's

10th Aug '12 .. garden traps

The dry weather continues but for how long ?
Nice variety in and around the traps and 5 Nutmeg was an all time high count.
Tawny Speckled Pug is another year tick taking the macro species count for the year within sight of the 200 mark, 17 short of the 2011 total on the same date.
That's not too bad considering the appalling weather we endured from the beginning of April through to mid July.

1 ..... 0424 .. Bird-cherry Ermine .. Yponomeuta evonymella
1 ..... 366a .. Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner .. Cameraria ohridella
1 ..... 0455 .. Ypsolopha scabrella
1 ..... 0642 .. Batia unitella
2 ..... 0647 .. Brown House Moth .. Hofmannophila pseudospretella
1 ..... 0648 .. White-shouldered House Moth .. Endrosis sarcitrella
1 ..... 0787 .. Bryotropha terrella
1 ..... 0964 .. Cochylis dubitana
1 ..... 0972 .. Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix .. Pandemis heparana
2 ..... 0974 .. Argyrotaenia ljungiana
2 ..... 1010 .. Ditula angustiorana
1 ..... 1063 .. Celypha striana
1 ..... 1293 .. Chrysoteuchia culmella
2 ..... 1294 .. Crambus pascuella
1 ..... 1302 .. Crambus perlella
2 ..... 1304 .. Agriphila straminella
3 ..... 1331 .. Water Veneer .. Acentria ephemerella
3 ..... 1344 .. Eudonia mercurella
1 ..... 1348 .. Ringed China-mark .. Parapoynx stratiotata
1 ..... 1361 .. Pyrausta aurata
2 ..... 1378 .. Phlyctaenia coronata
3 ..... 1405 .. Mother of Pearl .. Pleuroptya ruralis
3 ..... 1413 .. Gold Triangle .. Hypsopygia costalis
8 ..... 1424 .. Endotricha flammealis
1 ..... 1439 .. Trachycera advenella
1 ..... 1452 .. Phycita roborella
2 ..... 1524 .. Common Plume .. Emmelina monodactyla
plus 8 unid. micros for recorder

1 ..... 0015 .. Orange Swift
1 ..... 1699 .. Least Carpet
7 ..... 1713 .. Riband Wave
1 ..... 1724 .. Red Twin-spot Carpet
5 ..... 1728 .. Garden Carpet
1 ..... 1738 .. Common Carpet
5 ..... 1742 .. Yellow Shell
2 ..... 1781 .. Small Waved Umber
1 ..... 1839 .. Tawny Speckled Pug, spp fulvata * year first

1 ..... 1862 .. Double-striped Pug
1 ..... 1883 .. Yellow-barred Brindle
1 ..... 1894 .. Latticed Heath
3 ..... 1906 .. Brimstone Moth
1 ..... 1931 .. Peppered Moth

6 ..... 1937 .. Willow Beauty
1 ..... 1997 .. Sallow Kitten
1 ..... 2011 .. Pale Prominent
2 ..... 2047 .. Scarce Footman
2 ..... 2050 .. Common Footman
3 ..... 2061 .. Buff Ermine
4 ..... 2092 .. Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 ..... 2102 .. Flame Shoulder
21 ... 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
2 ..... 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 ..... 2110 ., Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
4 ..... 2111 .. Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
1 ..... 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
5 ..... 2145 .. Nutmeg
1 ..... 2154 .. Cabbage Moth
2 ..... 2155 .. Dot Moth
1 ..... 2278 .. Poplar Grey
2 ..... 2284x  Grey Dagger agg.
2 ..... 2293 .. Marbled Beauty
1 ..... 2297 .. Copper Underwing
1 ..... 2299 .. Mouse Moth
15 ... 2303 .. Straw Underwing 
1 ..... 2321 .. Dark Arches
7 ..... 2341 .. Cloaked Minor
12 ... 2343x  Common Rustic agg.
1 ..... 2352 .. Dusky Sallow
2 ..... 2353 .. Flounced Rustic
2 ..... 2381 .. Uncertain
2 ..... 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
1 ..... 2441 .. Silver Y