1st May 2012...Trail of the Lonesome Pine

Overnight min. temp. 9.2 deg, light breeze, fine drizzle late evening.
The late drizzle/heavy mist put the mockers on a promising night, but not before three more species were added to the year list.
Common Pug put in an appearance as expected, but a Pine Beauty in the trap was pleasing as I was beginning to think about consigning it to the "dipped out" file along with March Moth.
Incurvaria masculella was a year first for the micro tally.

Pine Beauty (above)
Laurel and Hardy, Trail of the Lonesome Pine 1937 (below)

Common Pug

Incurvaria masculella (male)

Trap results:-
130 Incurvaria masculella 1 year first
648 White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella 1
998 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2
1728 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata 1
1834 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata 1, year first
1862 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata 10
1906 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta 1
2179 Pine Beauty Panolis flammea 1, year first
2190 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica 3

2389 Pale Mottled Willow Paradrina clavipalpis 3

17th March 2011...The Dells garden update

Glad to say the Met Office got it wrong with a 4 degree low and rain forecast.
There were a few specks of rain, not anywhere near enough to cover up the traps, but the temperature stayed above 8deg C for most of the night, dropping to 6 in the early hours.
28 moths of 10 species was the result, including a year first Pine Beauty........
........................................................................................
DARK CHESTNUT 2259

SATELLITE 2256

PINE BEAUTY 2179

Last nights tally :-

11 x Common Quaker

4 x Double-striped Pug

3 x Hebrew Character

3 x Clouded Drab

2 x Agonopterix heracliana

1 x Emmelina monodactyla

1 x Small Quaker

1 x Satellite

1 x Dark Chestnut

1 x Pine Beauty

................................................

Totals :-

194 moths (129 macro, 65 micro) of 22 species (16 macro, 6 micro)

WHAT A BEAUTY !

THE TOP TWO pictures show 2 micros that made it into my shed.
It looks to me as though they could be different colour varieties of the same species as they are the same size (about 8mm long) and shape..................... Help !

.................And here is the other one.usually seen with wings rolled up this EMMELINA MONODACTYLA was showing off. Note the missing back leg.

just as your are thinking you might be starting to get to grips with macro identification......along come the PUGS !!! OK here goes........

COMMON PUG (or Brindled, or Oak Tree, or ...............)

No problem with this little beauty though..........

my very first PINE BEAUTY Results for 30th April :-

10 x S.S.Darts

4 x Early Grey

3 x Brimstone

2 x Common Quaker

1 x Powdered Quaker

1 x Small Quaker

1 x Small Waved Umber (caught at last and released far away....nightly visitor for 3 nights)

1 x Pine Beauty (garden first)

1 E. monodactyla

AND the two micros pictured above, results show a 66% drop in species on the previous 2 nights. They have obviously seen the May bank holiday weather forecast !
The two micros are Argyrotaenia ljungiana Thanks Ben !