31st March 2014 ... Garden Moth Traps latest

Min. overnight temperature .. 9 deg C, calm and cloudy with a brief light spell of rain..
No great numbers of moths in the traps but the nightly species list is gradually getting longer.
Oak Nycteoline was a good catch for the garden as was Brindled Beauty, both rare at The Dells.
Catch List :-
0006 ... Eriocrania subpurpurella, x 1, ... Year first

Eriocrania subpurpurella 

0483 ... Epermenia chaerophyllella, x 2,
0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana, x 2
0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana, x 2
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla, x 10
1862 ... Double-striped Pug, x 17
1906 ... Brimstone Moth, x 1, ... Year first

Brimstone Moth

1917 ... Early Thorn, x 1
1927 ... Brindled Beauty, x 1, ... Year first

Brindled Beauty, Lycia hirtaria

2182 ... Small Quaker, x 4
2187 ... Common Quaker, x 3
2188 ... Clouded Drab, x 3
2190 ... Hebrew Character, x 3
2243 ... Early Grey, x 4
2256 ... Satellite, x 2
2423 ... Oak Nycteoline, x 1, ... Year first

Oak Nycteoline, ... Nycteola revayana

The first Caddis for 2014, however I have no idea what species it is, but it is very early ...

15th March 2011... Best night so far..(despite ID mistakes)

15th March... 6.8 deg..Medium level cloud cover, warmer,
Blog entry changed due to mis-ID's
Thanks Andy B for the corrections.

Conditions were perfect last night and when my 2nd ever Twin-spotted Quaker turned up early in the evening the omens looked good.....
31 moths of 17 species,

Garden trap results:-
o647... Hofmannophila pseudospretella 1... year first
0663... Diurnea fagella, 3 ... 2 x Male, 1 x Female
0688... Agonopterix heracliana 1
? 0892... Mompha subbistrigella 1... year first whatever it is (to be checked)



Mompha subbistrigella ?  (to be confirmed)

1524... Emmelina monodactyla
1862... Double-striped Pug, 2... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata
1917... Early Thorn, 1...year first... Selenia dentaria

Early Thorn, Selenia dentaria

2182... Small Quaker, 5...Orthosia cruda
2187... Common Quaker, 5...Orthosia cruda
2188... Clouded Drab, 2 ... Orthosia incerta
2189... Twin-spotted Quaker, 1 ... Orthosia incerta



Twin-spotted Quaker, Orthosia incerta

 2190... Hebrew Character, 2 ... Orthosia gothica
2237... Grey Shoulder-knot, 1 ...Lithophane ornitopus



Grey Shoulder-knot, Lithophane ornitopus

 2243... Early Grey, 2 ... Xylocampa areola
2256... Satellite, 1 ... Eupsilia transversa
2258... Chestnut, 1 ...  Conistra vaccinii
1053... Acleris hastiana ... garden first ( originally ID'd as Oak Nycteoline by Mr Magoo here)

ABOVE... Acleris hastiana

                              BELOW...Female Diurnea fagella  * ID, Andy Banthorpe

The previous two nights were very average....

14th March...1.1 deg. calm, cold..clear with fog forming later
8 moths of 4 species........

2182 Small Quaker ..........................Orthosia cruda
2187 Common Quaker x 3 .............Orthosia cerasi
2190 Hebrew Character x 3.............Orthosia gothica
2243 Early Grey ..............................Xylocampa areola
.............................................................................................

13th March...5.4 deg min, calm, low-level cloud
14 moths of 6 species........

0688 Agonopterix heracliana
1524 Emmelina monodactyla
2187 Common Quaker x 5.................Orthosia cerasi
2188 Clouded Drab ...........................Orthosia incerta
2190 Hebrew Character x 5...............Orthosia gothica
2243 Early Grey.................................Xylocampa areola

14th Aug 2011...Garden Traps

overnight min temp:- 8.8 deg
A new micro was added to the garden list last night with a good selection of macros.
Euzophera pinguis is reasonably common in the area and has probably been overlooked in the past as micros were not seriously recorded.

EUZOPHERA PINGUIS 1470

60+ x Turnip Moth
34 x Shuttle-shaped Dart
12 x Straw Underwing
6 x Brimstone Moth
8 x Flounced Rustic
8 x Vine's Rustic
9 x Uncertain/Rustic
7 x Common Wainscot
2 x Cloaked Minor
9 x Setaceous Hebrew Character
5 x Copper Underwing agg
5 x Yellow Shell
2 x Garden Carpet
3 x Buff Ermine
2 x Common Rustic agg
2 x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
2 x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
5 x Large Yellow Underwing
1 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
5 x Riband Wave
3 x Orange Swift
1 x Oak Nycteoline



OAK NYCTEOLINE

 1 x Light Emerald
5 x Double-striped Pug
2 x Toadflax Pug
1 x Tawny-speckled Pug
1 x Sallow Kitten
1 x Treble-bar

TREBLE-BAR

1 x Flame Shoulder
1 x Spectacle
1 x Poplar Grey
1 x Grey Dagger agg
4 x Pale Mottled Willow
5 x Willow Beauty
30 + Acentria ephemerella
2 x Emmelina monodactyla
1 x Epiphyas postvittana
1 x Acleris variegana
2 x Endrosis sarcitrella
1 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella
1 x Carcina quercana
1 x Yponomeuta cagnagella
1 x Chrysoteuchia culmella
1 x Crambus pascuella
1 x Monopis obviella
1 x Eudonia mercurella
1 x Limnaecia phragmitella
1 x Bryotropha terrella
1 x Aphomia sociella
1 x Pyralis farinalis
1 x Trachycera advenella
1 x Agriphila straminella
1 x Euzophera pinguis
2 x Cacoecimorpha pronubana
382 species...215 macro, 167 micro

11th July 2011...

Last nights garden highlights:-
Out of it's normal terrain, reed beds, a FEN WAINSCOT was found on the shed wall. This is a rare resident in VC30 and a new species for the garden.
A rather worn OAK NYCTEOLINE, also on the shed wall
I recorded one in 2009, also one in 2010, so it was a surprise to find TWO WHITE SATIN MOTH in the trap this morning, making 3 caught so far this year.
First showing for LESSER YELLOW UNDERWING this year.
6 x Shuutle-shaped Dart
6 x Riband Wave
1 x Ruby Tiger
14 x Common Footman
4 x Scarce Footman
2 x Cloaked Minor
2 x Small Waved Umber
3 x Least Carpet
2 x Grey Dagger agg.
>15 x Uncertain/Rustic types
1 x Small Blood-vein
1 x Marbled Beauty
1 x Privet Hawk-moth
2 x Willow Beauty
2 x White Satin Moth
2 x Large Yellow Underwing
3 x Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
2 x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
4 x Buff Ermine
8 x Dark Arches
1 x Common Rustic agg.
1 x Clouded Border
1 x Smoky Wainscot
1 x Fen Wainscot
1 x Single-dotted wave
1 x Dwarf Cream Wave
1 x Cabbage Moth
1 x Silver Y
1 x Turnip Moth
1 x Oak Nycteoline
1 x Udea prunalis
30/50 Crambids...culmella, perlella, pascuella,
6 x Eudonia mercurella
8 x Endotricha flammealis
3 x Agapeta hamana
1 x Phlyctaenia coronata
2 x Pyrausta aurata, Gold Triangle
2 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 x Emmelina monodactyla
2 x Yponomeuta evonymella, Bird-cherry Ermine
1 x Clepsis consimilana
2 x Aphomia sociella, Bee Moth
2 x Pleuroptya ruralis, Mother of Pearl
2 x Aphelia paleana, Timothy Tortrix
1 x Celypha striana
1 x Yponomeuta cagnagella, Spindle Ermine
1 x Gypsonoma dealbana
1 x Argyrotaenia ljungiana
1 x Ditula angustiorana, Red-barred Tortrix
1 x Acentria ephemerella, Water Veneer
1 x Rhopobota naevana, Holly Tortrix
After a periodic thorough re-count and updating my 2011 micro and macro list pages, the totals now stand at :-
318 species...190 macro, 128 micro with 2 micro ID's pending

Acleris confusion.....more pics

Thought I'd better post some more pics of this one.
VC 30 recorder says it is most probably Acleris hastiana but it has been pointed out that it closely resembles Oak Nycteoline by a few "moth-ers". Size, markings and flight season fit the bill.
SO, I've dug up some more pics showing side view to level the playing field. It looks like an Acleris sp from these views. Thanks to Ben for opening this interesting debate and comments are as always welcome.

14th,15th & 16th Oct....Landmark reached

Temperatures have been falling over the last three days and 3.6deg C was recorded at 11.45 last night. My 200th macro moth species was recorded on the 15th in the shape of a YELLOW-LINE QUAKER and despite the low temperature last night, a garden "first" was recorded on the illuminated shed wall, a LARGE WAINSCOT.
The lines shown on the pics are from a lined notebook. I do this to give an idea of size, the lines being 8mm apart.
....................................................................................................................................
Only 3 moths recorded last night (16th) in the near frosty conditions. One being this plucky little micro a WHITE-SHOULDERED HOUSE-MOTH

This micro appeared on the 15th just before the rain. According to "Mr. Micro", our esteemed VC micro recorder, it is highly probably Acleris hastiana, which along with A. cristana are the most polymorphic of all the UK species with many variations and intermediates. SO, I think I will record this as

ACLERIS HASTIANA ? OAK NYCTEOLINE

another species that beat the rain was this SATELLITE. Not a year first as I had one on Feb 4th.

My 200th macro on the 15th turned up sometime after the rain had cleared...

YELLOW-LINE QUAKER

Last night only 3 moths were recorded as temperatures plummeted. One of them was this new garden addition......

....... LARGE WAINSCOT 14th Oct............................... 15th Oct............................. 16th Oct

4 x Willow Beauty............... 1 x Willow Beauty............. 1 x S.S. Dart

3 x P.M.Willow.................... 1 x P.M.Willow................... 1 x Large Wainscot

3 x Blair's Sh.-knot............. 1 x S.S.Dart........................ 1 x W.S.H.Moth

2 x S.S.Dart.......................... 1 x Satellite

2 x Beaded Chestnut........... 1 x Yellow-line Quaker

1 x Large Y U'wing.............. 1 x Acleris hastiana ?

1 x Lesser Y U'wing

1 x Turnip Moth

1 x Common Marbled Carpet

1 x Green-brindled Crescent