Garden Moths 19th Sept. . Large Wainscot +

Autumn is really upon us now.
The various yellow underwing numbers are slowly falling, leaving more room in the traps for the more welcome autumn visitors.
Catch for 19th Sept...
Depressatia badiella x 2
Hofmannophila pseudospretella x 2
Acleris variegana x 2
Eudonia angustea
Agonopterix arenella
Emmelina monodactyla x 3
Epiphyas postvittana x 2
Garden Carpet x 2
Common Marbled Carpet
Willow Beauty
Black Rustic ... year first

Black Rustic

Large Yellow Underwing x 37
Lesser Yellow Underwing x 9
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x 3
Lunar Underwing x 7
Square-spot Rustic x 14
Setaceous Hebrew Character x 12
Flounced Rustic x 2
Orange Sallow

Orange Sallow

Pale Mottled Willow x 15
Copper Underwing
Marbled Beauty
Turnip Moth x 4
Silver Y x 3 ... (2 x daytime on Centranthus, Red Valerian)
Large Wainscot ... year first

Large Wainscot

An update ... garden moths

Here are a few recent additions to the garden year list ...

Swallow Prominent

Least Yellow Underwing

Orange Sallow

Cream-bordered Green Pea

Tree-lichen Beauty

Six-striped Rustic

Epiblema foenella (brown form)

Latticed Heath

Latest garden moths

Large Yellow Underwing numbers have dropped to double figures over the last few days due to cooler nights and a full moon in the clear sky.
Still plenty of Square-spot Rustic and Flounced Rustic
On the 8th Sept the first Lunar Underwing turned up, soon to become the most numerous moths in the traps.

Lunar Underwing

The Agonopterix below is a little worn but it looks like A. nervosa. (tbc)

Agonopterix nervosa

 A steady stream of autumn Small Blood-vein, lots of fresh Garden Carpet and the smaller 2nd or 3rd generation Brimstone Moths and Willow Beauty are coming through.
Other 2nd generation singles include Oak Hook-tip, Treble-bar, Small Square-spot, Common Marbled Carpet and Campion.

Oak Hook-tip

Treble-bar

Small Square-spot

Common Marbled Carpet

Campion

Orange Sallow added a splash of colour in the trap, second record this year

Orange Sallow

21st Aug 2014 .. Some variety at last, plus a macro ID query

Something different to the usual brown stuff at last.

12 deg minimum and overcast with humidity and the overnight low of 12 deg was at sunrise.

Still plenty of brown stuff with a sharp increase of Large Yellow Underwing.

At their peak I average about 80 of these moth cockroaches a night with high counts topping the 100 mark.

Turnip Moth numbers are rising and there are still traps-ful of Straw Underwing and Vine's Rustic.

Shuttle-shaped Dart and Setaceous Hebrew Character have peaked and are in decline.

Common Rustics have all but finished.

20th Aug

Toadflax Brocade ...

 ... is one of my garden "stock" moths.

I have recorded this RDB species since 2009 and there has been a steady increase in numbers for both the May/June and July/August generations.

Not just in my garden as in 2009, but in other areas of the county and beyond which is good news for this attractive species. 

The food plant remains a mystery as I have only seen one Common Toadflax plant (Linaria vulgaris)in the area and that is a half a mile from my garden and no Pale Toadflax (Linaria repens).

After looking in the surrounding gardens, only a couple have a small patch of Snapdragons (  Antirrhinum ) which I know the larva will feed on after observing two larva that emerged from eggs that were laid in a pot.

So for 2 years I have planted  Snapdragon patches but to date have found no larva.

The family of plants which includes Linaria and antirrhinum is huge, so perhaps another foodplant will come to light, excuse the unintended pun.

From the 5th May ( everything was early this spring) I have recorded 14 in May and 5  to mid June.

The second generation appeared on 16th July with 6 in July and 3 to date in August.

Another of my "stock" moths is Small Ranunculus.

Again I had the monopoly on this species 5 years ago in these parts but I'm happy to say, not any more...

21st Aug

Small Ranunculus

Some more of last nights catch :-

Nephopterix angustella

Old Lady

Orange Sallow

Bulrush Wainscot, female

Cochylis hybridella

Unidentified ... ? a worn Dingy Shears ??

And a welcome night visitor ...

4th Sep 2011... 6 of the best

Overnight min temp: 8.9 deg, cold breeze, with an unexpected shower. Or should I say, the forecast was for clear skies in the whole of Bedfordshire !
An Orange Sallow completed the set of six Xanthia family sallows, and joins Sallow, Barred Sallow, Pink-barred Sallow, Dusky-lemon Sallow and Pale-lemon Sallow on the garden list.
Add on the closely related Centre-barred Sallow to the list and it is quite an impressive garden tally.
The unrelated Bordered Sallow and Dusky Sallow are also on the list.



ORANGE SALLOW

If there are any doubts that summer is over, the appearance of Black Rustic 
should have you clicking on the Amazon dot com Christmas catalogue for ideas ! This is my earliest record for the garden.


BLACK RUSTIC

Now for the all important wine bet.....
Macros:
It couldn't be much closer, I have 222 garden macros for the year and The Captain has 223, unless he added some last night.
Micros: This is where I am copping a spanking, Captain Trappings is sitting on a healthy 195 species whereas I am languishing on 171.
SO, trailing by 25 species is not a good position to be in