29th Sept. 2012 .. Garden traps

Down to 5 deg last night with an early rising full moon which is lighting up the garden and casting clear shadows, so not ideal conditions for the traps.
Where are the Shuttle-shaped Darts ?
This time last year I was recording them in double figures up to mid October, although daytime temperatures in October last year were hitting 30 degs, !
Lunar Underwing is now the bulk of the catch with 18 recorded and 3 Large Ranunculus also ignored the bright moon and made it to the trap lights.

  1 .. 0647 .. Hofmannophila pseudospretella
  1 .. 0648 .. Endrosis sarcitrella
  1 .. 0674 .. Depressaria badiella
  1 .. 0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana
  2 .. 1048 .. Acleris variegana
  1 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea
  3 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla
  2 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
  1 .. 1916 .. Light Emerald
  4 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
  4 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
  6 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
  1 .. 2110 .. Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
  3 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
  3 .. 2252 .. Large Ranunculus
18 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing

2270 Lunar Underwing, Omphaloscelis lunosa 

  2 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic

28th Sept 2012

The bright full moon of late is hampering the catch at the moment which is a mixed blessing, if you can see the moon, it ain't raining.
At least we didn't get flooded out like some of the poor sods North and West of us.
Bedfordshire has been lucky enough to be in the calm eye of the low pressure system that has wreaked havoc in some parts of the country.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Stuarts trap had floated off down Howick Burn to the North Sea !

  2 .. 0229 .. Monopis obviella
  2 .. 0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana
  1 .. 1048 .. Acleris variegana
  1 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea
  2 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla
  3 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
  1 .. 1916 .. Light Emerald
  6 .. 1937 .. Willow beauty
10 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
  6 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
  7 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
  2 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
12 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing
  2 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic

27th Sept. 2012 .. Garden Traps

Early rain, clearing, bright fullish moon.
1 .. 332a .. Phyllonorycter leucographella, Firethorn Leaf Miner, (year first)

1 .. 0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana, Light Brown Apple Moth
2 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea

3 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla, Common Plume
2 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
2 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
6 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
1 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
5 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 .. 2232 .. Black Rustic
9 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing
2 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic
1 .. 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
1 .. 2441 .. Silver Y

26th Sept 2012 .. Giving it large

Light rain for most of the night but still a reasonable catch including a year first Large Ranunculus.

1 .. 332a .. Argyresthia goedartella (The all gold form)
2 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea
1 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
2 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
1 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
2 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
3 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
2 .. 2232 .. Black Rustic
1 .. 2252Large Ranunculus, year first, (Below)

4 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing

24th Sept 2012 .. Garden Trap

30/40mph gusts through the night but staying dry so on went a trap.
I was hoping something a little more exotic would be blasted into the garden and find its way to the trap lights as the wind was coming in the right direction.
Nothing new, but 24 moths braved the gale.

1 .. 1776 .. Green Carpet
8 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
1 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
2 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 .. 2232 .. Black Rustic
1 .. 2269 .. Centre-barred Sallow

4 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing
1 .. 0647 .. Hofmannophila pseudospretella
2 .. 0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana
2 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea
1 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla

22nd Sept 2012 ... Garden traps and Correction

It looks like we are going to have some rough weather for the next few nights so the traps have been covered and battened down (no room in the shed).
Last nights temp fell to 5.9 deg and the moth count was well down but a Brown-spot Pinion was added to the year list. No it wasn't .... last autumn was a long time ago... a pale Lunar Underwing was trapped NOT a B-s P
I KNEW that didn't look quite right ! 
Thanks for the correction Andy, Matt, Andy. (I hadn't added it to my total you may have noticed)
No gain on Matt Captain Trappings total tho, in fact I'm now 13 behind, and what's more,in between gorging Chinese food and quaffing copious amounts of a nice Aussie red with friends at the Captains domicile he checked his trap and found....a Brown-spot Pinion. A real one !

Lunar Underwing

  1 .. 0674 .. Depressaria badiella
  1 .. 1048 .. Acleris variegana
  3 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla
  2 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
  1 .. 1776 .. Green Carpet
  1 .. 1916 .. Light Emerald
  2 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
  1 .. 2087 .. Turnip Moth
  2 .. 2092 .. Shuttle-shaped Dart
18 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
14 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
13 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
  3 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
  4 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing
  1 .. 2297 .. Copper Underwing
  1 .. 2353 .. Flounced Rustic
  2 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic
  1 .. 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
  1 .. 2441 .. Silver Y

20th Sept 2012... Garden traps

Surprises and latecomers were the order of the evening.
I was just about to pot up a fluttering moth on the side of the house when a bat flew in, missed the moth, but brushed my hand.
Jump ? I jumped !
I caught glimpses of the bat/s flying around the trap lights later in the evening, almost entering the traps, something I haven't witnessed before.
That was the surprise.
The latecomers were Spindle Ermine and Pammene fasciana.
A Black Rustic was a year first and a hoverfly on the wall near the house trap was identified as Helophilus pendulus .

  1 .. 0427 .. Yponomeuta cagnagella, (below)

  1 .. 0647 .. Hofmannophila pseudospretella
  2 .. 0648 .. Endrosis sarcitrella
  2 .. 0674 .. Depressaria badiella
  2 .. 0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana
  1 .. 1236 .. Pammene fasciana, (below)

  1 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea
  1 .. 1497 .. Amblyptilia acanthadactyla
  7 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla
  1 .. 0015 .. Orange Swift
  2 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
  1 .. 1776 .. Green Carpet
  1 .. 1906 .. Brimstone Moth
  4 .. 1916 .. Light Emerald
  5 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
  1 .. 2087 .. Turnip Moth
31 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
12 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
19 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
  5 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
  1 .. 2232 .. Black Rustic, year first

  3 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing
  1 .. 2297 .. Copper Underwing
  4 .. 2306 .. Angle Shades
  1 .. 2353 .. Flounced Rustic
  3 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic
  1 .. 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
  1 .. 2434 .. Burnished Brass
  2 .. 2441 .. Silver Y

18th Sept 2012 .. Big Red

Temperature dropped to 4 deg. last night and at last the Large Yellow Underwings are in decline.
Over the last 3 nights the totals of these blundering beasts has been 70, 47 and 19 last night in two traps.
My interest in the garden traps has been in decline for the last 3 weeks after recording similar lists for too long, but it got a much needed shot in the arm last night as two more species were added to the year list.

  1 .. 0647 .. Hofmanophila pseudospretella
  1 .. 0674 .. Depressaria badiella
  1 .. 1048 .. Acleris variegana
  4 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla

  1 .. 0015 .. Orange Swift
  3 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
  1 .. 1764 .. Common Marbled Carpet
  1 .. 1776 .. Green Carpet
  1 .. 1862 .. Double-striped Pug
  1 .. 1906 .. Brimstone Moth
  3 .. 1916 .. Light Emerald
  2 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
19 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
  6 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
14 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
  6 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
  1 .. 2274 .. Sallow, year first

  2 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing
  1 .. 2297 .. Copper Underwing
  2 .. 2353 .. Flounced Rustic
  7 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic
  2 .. 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
  1 .. 2441 .. Silver Y
  1 .. 2452 .. Red Underwing, year first

17th Sept ... Garden traps

 21 species from 150+ moths recorded last night, 85 of which were Large Yellow Underwing and Setaceous Hebrew Character.
Common Marbled Carpet turned up, the first this year with the red panel on the forewing, and what a beauty it was........

Depressaria species can be an ID nightmare, but I'm pretty sure this is D. badiella
which has proved to be quite common in The Dells garden from past gen. dets.
Forewing: 10mm

Trap results:-
  1 .. 0674 .. Depressaria badiella (TBC)
  2 .. 0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana
  1 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea
  9 .. 1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla
  1 .. 0015 .. Orange Swift
  2 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
  1 .. 1764 .. Common Marbled Carpet
  2 .. 1862 .. Double-striped Pug
  1 .. 1906 .. Brimstone Moth
  3 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
  5 .. 1961 .. Light Emerald
47 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
  9 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
  1 .. 2110 .. Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
38 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
  6 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
  3 .. 2199 .. Common Wainscot

  3 .. 2353 .. Flounced Rustic
13 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic
  4 .. 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
  1 .. 2477 .. Snout

16th September 2012 ... Sedums and traps results

I have a well established Sedum in the garden which is a superb source of nectar for a variety of insects at a time when the Buddleia and Lavenders are past their best.
During the day it is covered with bees, hoverflies and butterflies and at night it hosts an array of nocturnal feeders.
There are hundreds of varieties, and with careful selection, you can have them flowering from July through to October.
Here is a link to the Royal Horticultural society sedum variety trials.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/getattachment/3f6b5c23-913c-4289-9b59-07854da6e280/Herbaceous-Sedums.aspx

 Height and spread...2 ft/600mm. Sedum spectabile "Autumn Joy". This is a two year old plant growing under one of my apple trees

Emmelina monodactyla (Common Plume) and Amblyptilia acanthadactyla (Beautiful Plume) were found feeding last night, along with Lesser and Large Yellow Underwings

On the minus side, Vine Weevils are also partial to a sip of Sedum nectar.
A big plus is the bees during the day

I will certainly be planting more of these with the aim of broadening the flowering season.......

Last nights traps :-
  1 .. 0263 .. Apple Leaf Miner,Lyonetia clerkella, dark form
  1 .. 0647 .. Brown House Moth, Hofmannophila pseudospretella
  2 .. 0648 .. White-shouldered House Moth, Endrosis sarcitrella
  2 .. 0998 .. Light Brown Apple Moth, Epiphyas postvittana
  2 .. 1048 .. Garden Rose Tortrix, Acleris variegana

  1 .. 1497 .. Beautiful Plume, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla
20+. 1524 .. Common Plume, Emmelina monodactyla

  2 .. 0015 .. Orange Swift
  2 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
  1 .. 1764 .. Common Marbled Carpet
  1 .. 1816 .. Toadflax Pug
  1 .. 1862 .. Double-striped Pug
  1 .. 1906 .. Brimstone Moth
  1 .. 1914 .. Dusky Thorn

  3 .. 1916 .. Light Emerald
  4 .. 1937 .. Willow Berauty
70 .. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
16 .. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
  1 .. 2110 .. Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
36 .. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
  4 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
  3 .. 2199 .. Common Wainscot
  1 .. 2270 .. Lunar Underwing, year first

  1 .. 2293 .. Marbled Beauty
  1 .. 2306 .. Angle Shades
  4 .. 2353 .. Flounced Rustic
  8 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic
  6 .. 2389 .. Pale Mottled Willow
  1 .. 2477 .. Snout

15th Sept 2012 .... Garden Traps

The traps held no surprises this morning, still plenty of tired looking Yellow Underwings and other brown creatures.
A fresh looking Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing was noted just as I thought they had given up this year.
The desert of brown had the odd oasis, Brimstone Moth, Garden and Common Marbled Carpets and a Burnished Brass.
I'm not sure of the status of Burnished Brass to date as there appears to be strong evidence of a split, so maybe Cryptic Burnished Brass, as some are calling it, will soon be appearing on records.
If anyone has any comments on this....feel free.
Nothing seems to be Cryptic about this one.....

Common Marbled Carpet, for the past few years have all been the version with the big orangey red blotch on the forewing, but this year they have given way to the darker forms......Pic very much brightened to show pattern.

Moth Trappers favourites.....
Caddis Flies !
Not so many now but my traps get full of them during the elusive Summer,,, not a clue what species this is, but I may "get into them" someday, even though ID is a mare with some species and gen det is required.

15th Sept ... Buff-tip larva

BUFF-TIP larva.
Feeding on my small Silver Birch along with 20 others or more.
Many of the upper branches have been completely stripped

14th Sept, garden trap :-
3 .. 0647 .. Hofmannophila pseudospretella
2 .. 0648 .. Endrosis sarcitrella
1 .. 0697 .. Agonopterix arenella
2 .. 0998 .. Epiphyas postvittana
1 .. 1048 .. Acleris variegana
3 .. 1309 .. Agriphila geniculera
3 .. 1342 .. Eudonia angustea
15..1524 .. Emmelina monodactyla (8 nectaring on Sedum var. Autumn Joy)
2 .. 0015 .. Orange Swift
6 .. 1728 .. Garden Carpet
2 .. 1862 .. Double-striped Pug
4 .. 1916 .. Light Emerald
4 .. 1937 .. Willow Beauty
41. 2107 .. Large Yellow Underwing
13. 2109 .. Lesser Yellow Underwing
15. 2126 .. Setaceous Hebrew Character
5 .. 2134 .. Square-spot Rustic
1 .. 2297 .. Copper Underwing agg (Too worn to tell)
6 .. 2306 .. Angle Shades
8 .. 2353 .. Flounced Rustic
5 .. 2384 .. Vine's Rustic
1 .. 2434 .. Burnished Brass
3 .. 2441 .. Silver Y

9th Sept 2012 .. At last, something different !

Very warm last night but windy.
I'm down to one trap now which will continue henceforth.
My garden is a tad too small to support two traps and it takes so much time to log it all.
Not only that, looking at past records has convinced me that there is no gain species-wise, but the numbers of common species goes up and it gives me no pleasure to record an extra 30 Large Yellow Underwings or Hebrew Characters.

This year has been poor with many expected species missing from the year list but last night produced a third record of Frosted Orange for the garden....

0015 Orange Swift
0647 Hofmannophila pseudospretella
0658 Carcina quercana (Below)

0658 Carcina quercana, sprucing up an antenna with its foreleg

0874 Blastobasis lacticolella
0998 Epiphyas postvittana x 2
1048 Acleris variegana
1309 Agriphila geniculea
1348 Parapoynx stratiotata (Below)

1524 Emmelina monodactyla
1728 Garden Carpet x 2
1776 Green Carpet
1906 Brimstone Moth
1937 Willow Beauty x 3
2087 Turnip Moth x 2, (Below)

2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart x 3
2107 Large Yellow Underwing x 27
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing x 3
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character x 18
2134 Square-spot Rustic x 16
2306 Angle Shades
2353 Flounced Rustic x 11
2364 Frosted Orange *year first
2384 Vine's Rustic x 12
2389 Pale Mottled Willow x 6
2441 Silver Y

5th Sept 2012 ... Waiting

A wee bit chilly last night at 6 deg.
Nothing to add to the garden list.
Best moth last night was a second generation Early Thorn ...

The usual Large Yellow Underwings, Flounced Rustic, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Square-spot Rustic and Pale Mottled Willow.

3 x Angle Shades and a Spectacle.
Burnished Brass on 4th Aug.
Very few micro moths, except Agriphila geniculea
It's amazing that anything at all can fly through the garden which is now innundated with Garden Spiders ....

Garden Spider

The next couple of days look real good for Bedfordshire weatherwise so Matt and I are going to drop a trap in Home Wood maybe saturday night.

New micros for The Dells garden

Here are the latest batch of new micros for The Dells garden.
 I.D's and gen.det. by David Manning VC 30 micro recorder.
G.F. garden first
Y.F. year first

July 31st .. 0568 .. Coleophora versurella  G.F.
Aug  1st ... 0756 .. Parachronistis albiceps G.F.
Aug  1st ... 1097 .. Endothenia gentianaeana Y.F.
Aug  7th ... 0521 .. Coleophora conyzae G.F.
Aug  8th ... 0565 .. Coleophora saxicolella G.F.
Aug  8th ... 1245 .. Grapholita janthinana Y.F.
Aug  9th ... 0765 .. Teleiodes vulgella Y.F.
Aug 10th ...0898 .. Limnaecia phragmitella Y.F.
Aug 10th ...0936 .. Cochylimorpha straminea G.F.
Aug 10th ...1099 .. Endothenia marginana Y.F.
Aug 14th ...0495 .. Coleophora spinella G.F.
Aug 14th ...0789 .. Bryotropha domestica Y.F.
Aug 14th ...1022a  Cnephasia pumicana G.F. VC30 first
Aug 17th ...0522 .. Coleophora lineolea G.F.
Aug 17th ...1139 .. Epinotia tenerana G.F.
Aug 22nd ..0965 .. Cochylis hybridella Y.F.
Aug 23rd ..0215 .. Nemapogon granella G.F.
Aug 29th ..0674 .. Depressaria badiella Y.F.

Total species for garden (macro + micro) now stands at 548
Macro records from July 2009
Micro records from January 2010

Interesting gen. dets,

It's been a bit quiet around the traps for the last few nights.
Clear skies and a full moon are not ideal but at least it's been warmer.
Cochylis hybridella was added to the year list on 2nd Sept.
Cochylis hybridella 22nd Aug 
from a batch sent to micro recorder replaces the above record.
Depressaria badiella (99% sure) will need to be confirmed in last nights haul.
Apart from those, the traps have been mostly full of tired looking brown creatures.

I got some gen. det. results through which added a couple of species.
The first from macro recorders Andy and Melissa Banthorpe from a batch of five Common Rustic aggs. that I collected on 6th August.
Results of gen. det. were ... Common Rustic, two male and two female, but the good news was a Lesser Common Rustic male was found. Thanks guys !
It got better, as I received an email from county micro recorder David Manning.
A new moth for VC30 .. 1022a Cnephasia pumicana.
This used to be quite a common moth (1022 Cnephasia pasiuana) but was recently split into two species so well done Mr M for being up to speed and spotting it !
Being a cautious man, David sent a genitalia structure slide  to micro mothing's equivalent of "The Man from Del Monte", John Langmaid, who said "Yes".
(You have to be a certain age to remember The Man from Del Monte and David is probably too young)

As I walked out into the garden this morning to check the traps, a strangely shaped creature buzzed around my head that looked like nothing I had ever seen.
Until it settled on my small pond surround.
Mystery solved....
It was a wasp flying around carrying a Large Yellow Underwings wing....

31st Aug ..Last of the Summer Whine

That's another errm Summer over.

Last night more than doubled the previous nights temperature at 11deg C although there was an annoying drizzle during "the hour of the moth".
There is an overlap between generations of Brimstone Moth, with 2 large and 6 much smaller, fresher ones around the traps
The intention was to run just one trap from now on but I couldn't stop myself from flicking on the two... OCD is alive and well...

The Count :-
  9 .. 0015 Orange Swift
  3 .. 0647 Hofmannophila pseudospretella
  7 .. 0648 Endrosis sarcitrella
  2 .. 0697 Agonopterix arenella
  1 .. 0874 Blastobasis lacticolella
  1 .. 0964 Cochylis dubitana
  4 .. 0998 Epiphyas postvittana
  1 .. 1048 Acleris variegana
  1 .. 1288 Alucita hexadactyla
  1 .. 1305 Agriphila tristella
16 .. 1309 Agriphila geniculea
  6 .. 1331 Acentria ephemerella
  3 .. 1342 Eudonia angustea
  1 .. 1361 Pyrausta aurata
  2 .. 1524 Emmelina monodactyla
  1 .. ------ Coleophora for gen. det.
  1 .. 1713 Riband Wave
  7 .. 1728 Garden Carpet
  1 .. 1742 Yellow Shell
  1 .. 1764 Common Marbled Carpet

  1 .. 1776 Green Carpet
  2 .. 1862 Double-striped Pug
  8 .. 1906 Brimstone Moth
  1 .. 1914 Dusky Thorn *year first

  7 .. 1937 Willow Beauty
  2 .. 1961 Light Emerald
  1 .. 2061 Buff Ermine
  3 .. 2087 Turnip Moth
  4 .. 2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart
21 .. 2107 Large Yellow Underwing
  5 .. 2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing
  1 .. 2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
14 .. 2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character
  9 .. 2134 Square-spot Rustic
  1 .. 2145 Nutmeg
  1 .. 2154 Cabbage Moth
  1 .. 2269 Centre-barred Sallow *year first

  3 .. 2293 Marbled Beauty
  6 .. 2297x Copper Underwing agg.
  4 .. 2299 Mouse Moth
15 .. 2353 Flounced Rustic
  9 .. 2384 Vine's Rustic
  2 .. 2441 Silver Y
  1 .. 2474 Straw Dot