March ... In like a lamb, out like a lion. ... Mar 28 - Apr 5

Gale force winds at the tail end of March certainly defied the old proverb, even so I decided to run the garden traps in the vain hope of getting a stray March Moth or Oak Beauty.
These two common early Spring moths are rarely encountered at The Dells and it looks like both species have eluded the 2015 year list.
Brindled Pug is an immediate target right now as I missed it last year for the first time ever, although I spent 10 days in hospital during the height of the flight.
The mothing has been dire of late but will pick up big time from now.
 Species list is 22 down on last year but 11 better than 2013.

March 28 - April 5

28th March
Warm (min. temp. 8.2 deg)
Windy, gusts to 40 mph.
Cloudy.
0998 Epiphyas postvittana, 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 1
2187 Common Quaker, 1
2189 Twin-spotted Quaker, 1
2190 Hebrew Character, 1
2243 Early Grey, 2

2189 .. Twin-spotted Quaker

29th March
Cooler, 4.2 deg C min. temp.
Windy, 35mph gusts
light rain clearing
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 2
2187 Common Quaker, 2
2188 Clouded Drab, 3
2190 Hebrew Character, 1
2243 Early Grey, 2
Larva on garden brick wall, grazing on lichen.
Around half an inch long.(width of a brick seam)
Marbled Beauty, final instar before pupation.

30th March
6.9 deg C min. temp.
Very windy, 70mph gusts.
One trap, sheltered side of house.
The strong gusts were enough to re-arrange my garden furniture, despite this, there were two "adrenalin rush" moths in the trap the following morning ...
2188 Clouded Drab, 1
2243 Early Grey, 1

31st March
2.8 deg C min. temp.
Cold and windy, 30mph gusts
2190 Hebrew Character, 1

Year first Peacock butterfly in garden amongst the Dog Violets, much later than last year (9th March) ...

... however, Brimstone and Tortoiseshell were only 5 days later than 2014

1st April
4.6 deg C, prolonged light rain with a strong gusting breeze.
Traps under rain covers.
0663 Diurnea fagella, 1
2182 Small Quaker, 1
2188 Clouded Drab, 2
2190 Hebrew Character, 3
2306 Angle Shades, 1, year first

Angle Shades

Small Quaker

Year first Bee Fly, warming up on the garden wall, much later than 2014, on the 8th March.

Bee-fly, Bombylius major

2nd April
6.4 deg C min.temp.
Persistent light rain after midnight.
A year first Muslin Moth (male, females are white) arrived on exactly the same day as last year

Muslin Moth

0663 Diurnea fagella, 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 1
1862 Double-striped Pug, 2
2063 Muslin Moth, 1, year first.
2187 Common Quaker, 4
2190 Hebrew Character, 3
2243 Early Grey, 3

This tiny Pea Weevil was on the garden shed window.
About 5mm in length ...

Pea Weevil, Sitona lineatus

3rd April
6.8 deg C min. temp. Calm but light rain. Trap covers on.
0663 Diurnea fagella, 1, white, the previous 2 were dark
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 1
2187 Common Quaker, 1
2188 Clouded Drab, 3
2243 Early Grey, 2

4th April
6.1 deg. C min. temp. Calm, overcast
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 3
2187 Common Quaker, 3
2188 Clouded Drab, 2
2190 Hebrew Character, 5
2243 Early Grey, 6

5th April
2.4 deg C min. temp. Calm, sharp drop in temp when skies cleared, with a near full waning moon.
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 2
2187 Common Quaker 2
2190 Hebrew Character 4
2243 Early Grey 3

2015 ... 24 species to date
2014 ... 46 species to date
2013 ... 13 species to date

12th March 2014 ... Garden Moth Traps latest

Not the best of conditions for moth trapping, the temperature was ok but clear skies and a bright waxing moon didn't help ... and then the fog arrived.
The early evening produced the first Small Quaker of the year and two Diurnea fagella appeared on the patio door window.
Agonopterix alstromeriana was found on the inside of the patio door window on the previous evening.
The county recorders, Andy and Melissa Banthorpe, inform me that the Pale Mottled Willow caught on the 9th March was the earliest record from VC30 and there are only 3 March records.

!!th March
1 x 0688 Agonopterix heracliana
1 x 0695 Agonopterix alstromeriana ... year first
1 x 1524 Emmelina monodactyla
1 x 1862 Double-striped Pug
6 x 2187 Common Quaker
1 x 2188 Clouded Drab
1 x 2243 Early Grey

12th March
2 x 0663 Diurnea fagella ... year first
4 x 1524 Emmelina monodactyla
1 x 2182 Small Quaker ... year first
1 x 2197 Common Quaker
2 x 2243 Early Grey
1 x 2259 Dark Chestnut

Agonopterix alstromeriana.. 11th March 2014

Diurnea fagella .. 12th March 2014

Small Quaker .. 12th March 2014

21st April 2013 ... What's that coming over the hill .....

... Is it a Mompha, is it a Mompha

Lots of moths about last night until midnight when the skies cleared and a bright waxing moon slowed things down.
Two Mompha, one 6mm ish long, possibly propinquella, and the other much smaller at around 4mm, which I cannot identify but I know a man who can !

Mompha 1 ... 6mm nose to tail

Mompha 2 ... about 4mm long

Thanks Matt and Skev ... NOT Mompha  ... 483 Epermenia chaerophyllella
The same moth I called a Mompha last year ... some people never learn

A year first Pale Mottled Willow and a first appearance for Small Quaker in the garden and 10 Early Grey was a high count.

Traps totals:-
2 Mompha to be ID'd and added later
0663 ... Diurnea fagella ... 1
0688 ... Agonopterix heracliana ... 1
0695 ... Agonopterix alstromeriana ... 1
1047 ... Acleris schalleriana ... 1
1524 ... Emmelina monodactyla ... 6
1862 ... Double-striped Pug ... Gymnoscelis rufifasciata ... 10 (below)

1917 ... Early Thorn ... Selenia dentaria ... 2
2182 ... Small Quaker ... Orthosia cruda ... 1 (below) Year First

2187 ... Common Quaker ... Orthosia cerasi ... 6
2190 ... Hebrew Character ... Orthosia gothica ... 1
2243 ... Early Grey ... Xylocampa areola ... 10
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow ... Paradrina clavipalpis ... 1 (below) Year First

2469 ... Herald ... Scoliopteryx libatrix ... 1 (below)

2nd and 3rd March 2012 ... Garden traps

2nd March ... Overnight min. temp. 6.6 deg, calm, light mist
3rd March ... Overnight min. temp. 4.8 deg, slight breeze, mostly clear.
The mist on Friday killed off any prospect of a good catch. Moths will fly in the rain, I've often seen them in the car headlights on a rainy night and indeed had them in the traps, but they seem to avoid mist and fog like the plague.

2nd
0688 Agonopterix heracliana x 2
2187 Common Quaker, Orthosia cerasi, x 2
2259 Chestnut, Conistra vaccinii

3rd
2182 Small Quaker, Orthosia cruda, ... year first
2187 Common Quaker, Orthosia cerasi x 2
2243 Early Grey, Xylocampa aereola
2256 Satellite, Eupsilia transversa

Small Quaker ... Orthosia cruda

23rd March 2011...Little moth...Big name

Last night in The Dells garden.

A new micro for the year was added, the all too familiar Brown House Moth,
HOFMANNOPHILA PSEUDOSPRETELLA 0647

SMALL QUAKER 2182 Total :-

38 moths of 11 species.

0647) 1 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House-moth) *FFY

0633) 1 x Diurnea fagella

0688) 2 x Agonopterix heracliana

1524) 6 x Emmelina monodactyla

1663) 1 x March Moth

1862) 9 x Double-striped Pug

2182) 2 x Small Quaker

2187) 9 x Common Quaker

2188) 2 x Clouded Drab

2190) 3 x Hebrew Character

2243) 2 x Early Grey

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Year total :-

363 moths (262 macro, 101 micro) of 27 species (17 macro, 10 micro)

Garden update 14th/15th March 2011

Not too much to report on the moth front, more of the usual suspects, I need a new species badly !
Here are some of the latest catches and observations............
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SMALL QUAKER 2182

AGONOPTERIX HERACLIANA 688

no shortage of these little micros !

My second one this year....DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG 1862

The inevitable HEBREW CHARACTER 2190

CLOUDED DRAB 2188

COMMON QUAKER 2187

This is what appears to be TROILUS LURIDUS, it has no common name and is similar to the Forest Shieldbug. The smooth rounded shoulders are the fieldmark.

This is the first one to be seen in the garden.

GOLDFINCH feeding on the old seedheads of my SENECIO plants. Contrary to the advice of Alan Tichmarsh, I leave the flower heads ON....well worth it I would say !

Also it is a good foodplant for Cinnabar larva !

The SPARROW TENEMENT BLOCK,

1 - 5 SPARROWVILLE

Biggleswade.

Beds. SG188LL

Constructed by Matt Burgess, this community housing project is now producing a regular supply of young sparrows to the area.

No ! We didn't install TV for them.....that is my old terrestial TV aerial which still runs the bedroom TV.

After risking my neck on a double extension ladder marking, drilling and fixing, there were no tenants until 5 years later in 2008.

For the last 3 years there has been two of the five compartments occupied with up to 3 broods during a year. Plenty of interest this year too, so I'm hoping for another good breeding season.

Another view of the Sparrow des res Garden Moth Totals:-

159 moths of 20 species......14 macro and 6 micro

98 macro

61 micro

10th March 2011...heracliana dilemma

Last night I caught 9 Agonopterix spp, all were caught within the hour following dusk.
Little variation was found between 8 of them, but there was a larger, darker one amongst them.
UK Moths quotes heracliana as having a 21mm wingspan, which fits the bill for the moth pictured top.
It then gives the wingspan of A. ciliella as 19-24mm.
The next picture shows another Agonopterix with a wingspan approaching 23mm.
SO, do I record it as ciliella (our micro expert would probably not accept this) or do I kill it and check the hindwing, or just record 9 heraclianas ?
If I kill it, would I be doing this for the right reason ? Maybe it would help me to win the coveted bottle of vino back from Matt Trappings. Decisions............
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Last night was a better night for a while, with temps staying above 6deg for most of the evening and the stiff breeze abating.
No new species, which was slightly disappointing, but tomorrow is another night !
Last nights bag was:-
9 x Agonopterix heracliana !
5 x Common Quaker
1 x Hebrew Character
1 x Small Quaker
1 x Oak Beauty
.........................................................................
AGONOPTERIX HERACLIANA 688

another A. HERACLIANA (well it is now!)

SMALL QUAKER 2182

The superb OAK BEAUTY, 1930, my 4th this year to date Totals to date:-

96 moths of 20 species (14 macro, 6 micro)

6th March...Ticking along nicely

Tried the trap and shed wall lights tonight seeing as the temperature remained above 4deg until 19.00hrs.
I'm glad I did, the trusty blacklights attracted this Small Quaker to the shed wall.
This may be the last chance for a few days judging by the weather forecast. Sub-zero temperatures for Bedford area and the gritters are now on standbye ! The nor'easters give way to sou'westers later in the week so things should warm up.
Looking forward to setting up the little Honda Genny in Holme Wood with the 80watt MV and the 100watts of FUL actinic.
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SMALL QUAKER...2182