Mothing at last!

Finally, a quaranteed dry, warm night when we were at home and able to moth trap. It was wonderful to see so many moths: 48 species including: Buff Arches, Elephant Hawk, True Lover's Knot, Buff Tip, Poplar Hawk, Pebble Prominent, Large Emerald and Garden Tiger. Oh and 161 Large Yellow Underwings.  (12/13th July.)

Elephant Hawk Moth.

Plain Golden Y.

Poplar Hawk Moth.

Large Emerald and Swallowtail Moths.

Scalloped Oak and Buff Arches.

Gold Spangle and Coxcomb Prominent.

Peppered Moth, Buff-tip, True Lover's Knot and Phoenix. 

Garden Tiger.

April Moth Trap

It's always hard to find nights with no rain - guaranteed...so with a good overnight forecast - the year's first moth trap. Not exactly stuning results, but at least the trap didn't take long to empty! 

Results: Streamer 4: Clouded Drab 7: Red Chestnut 1: Hebrew Character 18; Flame Carpet 1 and Early Thorn 1. 

Flame Carpet.

Hebrew Characters.

Early Thorn.

Streamer.

August Moth Trap

A warm and still night, but a disappointing number of moths - which seems to be  the state of play this year. So a few highlights....

Poplar Hawk-moth and below...

Garden Tiger.

Clouded Border.

One anntenaed Drinker Moth.

Lesser Swallow Prominent.

Burnished Brass.

True Lover's Knot.

The list.

A damp moth trap

The forecast was clear with a 14% chance of a shower between 5 and 7 am..so we risked a trap. Fortunately it had only just begun to drizzle when we covered the trap over as dawn broke.... Over 40 species, but this is below the numbers we normally get in July.  Actual number of moths was down too. How much this is because of general decline in populations and abundance, and how much is due to this year's weather I don't know - I guess we'll have to wait until next year to find out. 

 A few highlights...

The Spectacle.

Peppered Moth 

The Drinker.

Buff-tip.

Barred Yellow.

Purple Bar.

Garden Tigers. 

Gold Swifts

 For quite a few years now, we have had a colony of Gold Swifts in the verge by our house. In 2022 they were present and displaying nicely, when the verge was cut. In 2023 we checked, but sadly never saw any...concerning. However, much to my delight, I found four ....and there will probably be more as they aren't that easy to spot unless flying. 

First 2024 Moth Trap

Back from holiday and a dry, still night, so time ot get the moth trap out. Just 10 species: Brimstone 2; Common Carpet 1; Flame Carpet 3; Garden Carpet 1; Mother of Pearl 1; Pale Tussock 1; Poplar Haw 3: Sandy Carpet 2; Scalloped Hazel 1 and Small Square-spot 1. 

Pale Tussock.

Brimstone.

Scalloped Hazel.

Poplar Hawk-moth.

 

Autumn Mothtrap (2)

With some really good sightings being recorded across the county, we put the trap out for a second consecutive night and recorded: 

Angleshades 1; Autumnal Rustic 1 ; Black Rustic 1; Canary –shouldered Thorn 3; Centre-barred Sallow 2; Common Marbled Carpet 3; Common Carpet 1; Common Wainscot 4; Copper Underwing 2; Dark Arches 3; Flame Carpet 1; Flame Shoulder 7; Frosted Orange 2; Garden Carpet 1; Green-brindled Crescent 2 ; Green Carpet 1; Large Yellow Underwing 12; Lesser Yellow Underwing 2; Pink-barred Sallow 2;  Purple Bar 1; Rosy Rustic 16; Sallow 2; Setaceous Hebrew Character 8; Silver Y 6; Snout 3; Small Square-spot 1; Square-spot Rustic 1; Vestal 2….plus a gorgeous big patterned cranefly – Pedicaria rivosa and two Harlequin ladybirds.  

The new highlights being; Autumnal Rustic; Black Rustic; Frosted Orange and Pink-barrred Sallow. 

Autumnal Rustic.

Black Rustic.

Frosted Orange.

Pink-barred Sallow.

Two Green-brindled Crescents.

Canary-shuldered Thorn. 

Pedicaria rivosa.

Harlequin Ladybird.

Autumn moth trap (1)

I hadn't trapped with it being misty overnight, but with the mini heatwave and mist continuing with a zero percent chance of rain - it had to be worth a go. And how we were rewarded! 

The full list of species nad numbers was: Angleshades 2; Brimstone 1; Brown China Mark 1; Brown-spot Pinion 1; Canary –shouldered Thorn 2; Centre-barred Sallow 4; Common Marbled Carpet 9; Common Rustic 3; Common Carpet 1; Common Wainscot 3; Copper Underwing 4; Dark Arches 7; Dingy Footman 1; Flame Carpet 1; Flame Shoulder 9; Gold Spot 1; Green Carpet 2; Green-brindled Crescent 1; Large Yellow Underwing 18; Lesser Yellow Underwing 4; Rosy Rustic 11; Sallow 4; Setaceous Hebrew Character 9; Silver Y 5; Smoky Wainscot 2; Snout 1; Small Square-spot 4; Square-spot Rustic 6; Vestal 3; White Ermine 1. 

So thirty species, with the highlights being the three Vestal, which had been brought up with the African heat and winds that brought the generous covering of Saharan sand earlier in the week! 

Vestal.

Canary-shouldered Thorn.

Green-brindled Crescent.

Setaceous Hebrew Character.

Gold Spot.

Sallow.

Rosy Rustic.

Copper Underwing.

Brown China-mark.

Angleshades.