Birch mines add two new species

Two new micro moths were added to the garden species list bringing the total to 361.
Both mines found on the few yellow Birch leaves still hanging on the tree so were quite easy to spot.
Stigmella luteella and Stigmella sakhanilella, both ID'd by A. Banthorpe, VC30 joint recorder

Stigmella luteella mine on Birch

Stigmella sakhalinella

10th Oct 2016 ...Another new micro for The Dells

My recently acquired Hazel seedlings accounted for micro species no. 359
If you plant the right trees and shrubs they will come !
BF 75 Stigmella floslactella leaf mine

Stigmella floslactella ... ID confirmation A.and M. Banthorpe Beds County recorders

16th July 2016 .... Small Waves

Having caught 3 small wave species in the traps I thought a comparison shot might be good for beginners.
If you think herding cats is difficult, try herding moths without the aid of a blast or two of CO2.
I got there in the end after much coaxing and cussing ...

Small Fan-footed Wave - Dwarf Cream Wave - Single-dotted Wave

 From L to R
Small Fan-footed Wave
Dwarf Cream Wave
Single-dotted Wave

Catch list for 22nd June '16 and 6th/7th July '16

7th July 2016 - Catch report
0229...Monopis obviella x 1
0425...Yponomeuta cagnagella x 1
0426...Yponomeuta malinellus x 4
0464...Plutella xylostella x 2
0642...Crassa unitella x 1
0647...Hoffmannophila pseudospretella x 3
0648...Endrosis sarcitrella x 1
0695...Agonopterix alstromeriana x 1
0757...Recurvaria nanella ...nfy
0787...Bryotropha terrella x 2
0994...Clepsis consimilana x 4
0998...Epiphyas postvittana x 2
****...Cnephasia sp. x 3
1063...Celypha striana x 4
1076...Celypha lacunana x 1
1083...Hedya nubiferana ...nfy
1175...Notocelia uddmanniana x 2
1201...Eucosma cana ...nfy
1219...Lathronympha strigana ... nfy
1261...Cydia pomonella x 2
1293...Chrysoteuchia culmella x 6
1294...Crambus pascuella x 2
1302...Crambus perlella x 1
1334...Scoparia ambigualis x 1
1344...Eudonia mercurella x 3
1376...Anania hortulata x 4
1424...Endotricha flammealis x 3
1428...Aphomia sociella x 2
1474...Ephestia unicolorella x 2
1481...Homoeosoma sinuella x 2
1524...Emmelina monodactyla x 3
1634...Lackey ...nfy
1699...Least Carpet x 3
1705...Dwarf Cream Wave x 1
1713...Riband Wave x 7
1765...Barred Yellow
1813...Haworth's Pug x 1
1830...Wormwood Pug x 2
1834...Common Pug x 1
1862...Double-striped Pug x 2
1906...Brimstone x 2
1922...Swallow-tailed Moth x 2
1937...Willow Beauty x 4
1976...Privet Hawk-moth x 1
2047...Scarce Footman x 2
2050...Common Footman x 4
2061...Buff Ermine x 1
2077...Short-cloaked Moth x 1
2088...Heart and Club x 4
2089...Heart and Dart x 7
2098...The Flame x 3
2107...Large Yellow Underwing x 7
2110...Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x 1 ...nfy
2126...Setaceous Hebrew Character x 2
2134...Square-spot Rustic ...nfy
2154...Cabbage Moth x 1
2164...Broad-barred White
2193...Clay x 1
2198...Smoky Wainscot x 2
2199...Common Wainscot x 1
2280...Miller
2284x.Grey Dagger agg. x 1
2293...Marbled Beauty x 4
2321...Dark Arches x 9
2322...Light Arches x 1
2337x.Marbled Minor agg. x 3
2341...Cloaked Minor x 3
2381...Uncertain x 7
2382...Rustic x 1
2387...Mottled Rustic x 3
2477...Snout x 1
2489...Fan-foot



6th July 2016 - Catch report - TL14 - VC30
  1...0229...Monopis obviella
  1...0425...Yponomeuta cagnagella
  2...0426...Yponomeuta malinellus
  1...0464...Plutella xylostella
  1...0483...Epermenia chaerophyllella ...nfy
  1...0644...Borkhausenia fucescens ...nfy
  6...0647...Hofmannophila pseudospretella
  1...0688...Agonopterix heracliana
  2...0787...Bryotropha terrella
  2...871x...Oegoconia agg.
  1...0874...Blastobasis lacticolella
  1...0905...Blastodacna hellerella ...nfy
  1...0937...Agapeta hamana
  1...0970...Pandemis cerasana
  5...0994...Clepsis consimilana
  3...0998...Epiphyas postvittana
  5...****...Cnephasia sp.
  1...1036...Acleris forsskaleana ...nfy
  1...1047...Acleris schalleriana ...nfy
  2...1063...Celypha striana
  1...1168...Gypsonoma sociana ...nfy
  2...1175...Notocelia uddmanniana
  3...1216...Enarmonia formosana
  3...1261...Cydia pomonella
  8...1293...Chrysoteuchia culmella
  3...1294...Crambus pascuella
  1...1302...Crambus perlella
  4...1344...Eudonia mercurella
  1...1375...Ostrinia nubilalis ...nfy
  2...1376...Anania hortulata
  1...1413...Hypsopygia costalis
  1...1424...Endotricha flammealis
  3...1428...Aphomia sociella
  4...1474...Ephestia unitella
  2...1481...Homoeosoma sinuella
  1...1524...Emmelina monodactyla
  1...1690...Small Blood-vein
  1...1699...Least Carpet
  2...1705...Dwarf Cream Wave
  1...1707...Small Dusty Wave
  4...1713...Riband Wave
  2...1742...Yellow Shell
  2...1813...Haworth's Pug
  1...1827...Freyer's Pug
  1...1830...Wormwood Pug
  2...1834...Common Pug
  3...1862...Double-striped Pug
  1...1906...Brimstone
  2...1922...Swallow-tailed Moth
  1...1931...Peppered Moth
  5...1937...Willow Beauty
  2...1976...Privet Hawk-moth
  1...2000...Iron Prominent ...nfy
  2...2047...Scarce Footman
  5...2050...Common Footman
  1...2061...Buff Ermine
  2...2077...Short-cloaked Moth
  2...2088...Heart and Club
  6...2089...Heart and Dart
  1...2098...The Flame
  5...2107...Large Yellow Underwing
  1...2126...Setaceous Hebrew Character
  1...2128...Double Square-spot
  1...2154...Cabbage Moth
  2...2155...Dot Moth
  2...2160...Bright-line Brown-eye
  1...2165...Small Ranunculus
  2...2193...Clay
  2...2198...Smoky Wainscot
  2...2284x.Grey Dagger agg.
  1...2293...Marbled Beauty
  7...2321...Dark Arches
  2...2337x.Marbled Minor agg.
  2...2341...Cloaked Minor
  1...2343x.Common Rustic agg.
  4...2381...Uncertain
  2...2387...Mottled Rustic
  1...2389...Pale Mottled Willow
  1...2477...Snout

22nd June 2016 - Catch report - TL14 - VC30
micros
 2 ... 0186 . Psyche casta ... adult males ...... site first
 1 ... 0263 . Lyonetia clerkella
 1 ... 409a . Argyresthia trifasciata
 1 ... 0450 . Scythropia crataegella
 4 ... 0464 . Plutella xylostella
 1 ... 0647 . Hofmannophila pseudospretella
 1 ... 0648 . Endrosis sarcitrella
 2 ... 0787 . Bryotropha terrella
 1 ... 0874 . Blastobasis lacticolella
 1 ... 0893 . Mompha epilobiella ............... nfy
 1 ... 0994 . Clepsis consimilana
 1 ... 1010 . Ditula angustiorana
 2 ... 1011 . Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
 1 . 1020/4. Cnephasis sp.
 1 ... 1033 . Tortrix viridana........................ nfy
 1 ... 1063 . Celypha striana
 1 ... 1076 . Celypha lacunana
 1 ... 1175 . Notocelia uddmanniana .......... nfy
 1 ... 1176 . Notocelia trimaculana
 1 ... 1201 . Eucosma cana ......................... nfy
 2 ... 1261 . Cydia pomonella
 2 ... 1293 . Chrysoteuchia culmella
 1 ... 1294 . Crambus pascuella
 1 ... 1301 . Crambus lathoniellus
 1 ... 1328 . Schoenobius gigantella ........... nfy
 2 ... 1331 . Acentria ephemerella .............. nfy
 1 ... 1334 . Scoparia ambigualis
 1 ... 1338 . Eudonia lacustrata
 2 ... 1344 . Eudonia mercurella
 1 ... 1348 . Parapoynx stratiotata
 1 ... 1361 . Pyrausta aurata
 7 ... 1376 . Anania hortulata
 1 ... 1392 . Udea olivalis
 1 ... 1417 . Pyralis farinalis ....................... nfy
 1 ... 1425 . Galleria mellonella ........... ...... nfy
 3 ... 1428 . Aphomia sociella
 1 ... 1458 . Myelois circumvoluta .............. nfy
10 .. 1474 . Ephestia unicolorella
 1 ... 1481 . Homoeosoma sinuella
Macros
 2 ... 1711 . Treble Brown Spot
 1 ... 1713 . Riband Wave
 3 ... 1728 . Garden Carpet
 1 ... 1738 . Common Carpet ......................... nfy
 1 ... 1764 . Common Marbled Carpet
 1 ... 1781 . Small Waved Umber
 2 ... 1834 . Common Pug
 1 ... 1837 . Grey Pug
 2 ... 1860 . Green Pug
 1 ... 1862 . Double-striped Pug
 5 ... 1937 . Willow Beauty
 2 ... 1958 . Clouded Silver
 2 ... 1976 . Privet Hawk-moth
 2 ... 2047 . Scarce Footman ........................ nfy
 2 ... 2087 . Turnip Moth
 7 ... 2088 . Heart & Club
28 .. 2089 . Heart & Dart
 1 ... 2098 . Flame
 1 ... 2102 . Flame Shoulder
14 .. 2107 . Large Y.U.
 4 ... 2126 . Setaceous Hebrew Character
 1 ... 2154 . Cabbage Moth
 1 ... 2160 . Bright-line Brown-eye
 1 ... 2280 . Miller
 3 ... 2284x Grey Dagger agg.
 1 ... 2293 . Marbled Beauty
18 ...2321 . Dark Arches
 2 ... 2322 . Light Arches
 1 ... 2331 . Small Clouded Brindle
 1 ... 2333 . Large Nutmeg
 6 ... 2337x Marbled Minor agg.
 3 ... 2381 . Uncertain
 2 ... 2384 . Vine's Rustic
 3 ... 2389 . Pale Mottled Willow
 2 ... 2441 . Silver y
 1 ... 2489 . Fan-foot

PUGS !

Identifying Pugs is one of mothings mysteries to me. Ok I'm fine on quite a few now but I still struggle on some that others find easy, probably because I suffer a little from Pug Dyslexia or maybe it is Pug-avoidance.
On the 5th June a little Pug was spotted on the wall next to the trap so I potted it up and checked it out the following morning.
After posting the wrong ID, several Moth-ers corrected my mistake.
As it turns out, it should not have been in my garden as this is a creature of moorland and heath.
It probably came from the RSPB Old Heath at the Sandy headquarters which is about 3 miles from my garden as the moth flies.
So I recorded my first Narrow-winged Pug which is a great garden tick for the centre of town.

Narrow-winged Pug

12th May '16 ... Toadflax Brocade

Toadflax Brocade turned up last night.
This is a Red Data Book moth and a regular in my VC30 TL14 garden since 2011.
Numbers are increasing so good news for this neat little moth.

Toadflax Brocade

6th May 2016 ... Warm spell sparks bumper catch

Last week we were scraping ice from the windscreens and this week it's T-shirts and shorts.
The overdue warm spell has certainly kick started the moths with the minimum night temperature at double figures in the Bedford area.
The garden traps produced 20 species of which 11 were newcomers to the 2016 garden list ...
0247 ... Tinea trinotella NFY
0284 ... Caloptilia rufipennella NFY
0647 ... Hofmannophila pseudospretella
0648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella x 3
0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana
0779 ... Bryotropha affinis NFY
0808 ... Platyedra subcinerea NFY
0892 ... Mompha subbistrigella
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana x 6
1288 ... Alucita hexadactyla
1342 ... Eudonia angustea
1428 ... Aphomia sociella NFY
1497 ... Amblyptilia acanthadactyla
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla x 4
1651 ... Chinese Character NFY
1724 ... Red Twin-spot Carpet NFY
1728 ... Garden Carpet
1862 ... Double-striped Pug x 9
1883 ... Yellow-barred Brindle NFY
1920 ... Scalloped Hazel NFY
1936 ... Waved Umber NFY
2063 ... Muslin Moth (male)
2064 ... Ruby Tiger NFY
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart x 2
2186 ... Powdered Quaker
2188 ... Clouded Drab
2190 ... Hebrew Character
2306 ... Angle Shades
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow x 2

Scalloped Hazel

Platyedra subcinerea

End of cold spell ?

April was a bit of a write-off temperature wise, but this first week of May is looking up
Common Pug and Grey Dagger (agg.) were added to the garden year list but species numbers are well down on previous years

Dark/Grey Dagger - Acronicta tridens/psi 

The first Monpha subbistrigella are stirring from their winter hibernation in my garden shed much later than the March emergence in 2015

Mompha subbistrigella

19th April '16 - Latest garden moth trap results

Despite the 2.4 deg min temp. and a near full waxing moon there were a few moths about.
Pale Mottled Willow was expected, Nutmeg was another year first and Mullein was a good find.

Another cold snap is heading our way by the weekend and could persist for a few nights but the next two days look promising in the VC30 area.

Mullein

Nutmeg

Pale Mottled Willow

19th April '16 ... Emperor Moth

A perfect day for putting out a pheromone lure that I bought last year and kept in the freezer until today.
10 minutes later I thought I had a result which turned out to be a Comma butterfly but three hours later a male Emperor was flying around the lure.
Not bad for my garden which is in the middle of Biggleswade town, but these lures can be detected by the male up to 3 miles away so it says on the tin.
I've put the lure back in the freezer  now, no point in distracting more Emperor males.

Emperor Moth - Saturnia pavonia

Poor returns from the traps ...

Moth numbers have been well down compared to previous years.
Latest garden moths ...
3rd April ...  Zelleria hepariella, Early Thorn, a Brimstone Moth on the 7th and a Red Chestnut last night (10th April) pictured below.
So far this year only 24 species have been recorded in the garden.
At the same time last year the total was 32 but that was a bad year !

BF 2139 Red Chestnut

22nd March '16 ... Garden Moth latest

It was going so well until the cloud cover disappeared, the temperature plumetted and the full moon lit up the garden at around 9 pm.
4 x Common Quaker and a Double-striped Pug were the only macro moths.
Amongst the 5 species of micro moths was a Caloptilia and I'm convinced it is "populetorum".
The small black dots along the leading edge of the forewing and the dark cilla fringe are diagnostic.
There are a couple of confusion species so this will require gendet to be absolutely sure.
If my ID is correct then this will be only the 3rd record for VC30 and the 2nd record was caught in my garden in 2014 at the same time of year.

Caloptilia populetorum - to be confirmed

Of the remaining micro catch there were 2 x Emmelina monodactyla, Epiphyas postvittana, Agonopterix heracliana and a year first Agonopterix alstromeriana

Agonopterix alstromeriana

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