Calm after the Storm

Very much an 'after the lord mayors show' feel about mothing at the moment, with the hot weather and peak mothing time seemingly over.  I thought it might be worth trapping in the garden last night in complete cloud cover, but nothing unusual was caught.  Still, a total of 84 moths of 38 macro species ain't bad, particularly for this year.  Just five expected year ticks.

30th July:
Macros:
16 Riband Wave
7 Uncertain
4 Peppered Moth (including a carbonaria)
4 Scalloped Oak
3 Large Yellow Underwing
3 Buff Ermine
3 Rustic
3 Dark Arches
3 Common Rustic sp.
2 Willow Beauty
2 Scalloped Hook-tip
2 Rosy Footman
2 LBBYU NFY
2 Silver Y
2 Slender Brindle NFY
2 Common Footman
2 Dunbar
2 True Lover's Knot
2 Smoky Wainscot
1 Small Rivulet
1 Small Phoenix
1 Rosy Minor
1 September Thorn
1 Engrailed NFY
1 Red Twin-spot Carpet
1 Pine Carpet NFY
1 Double-striped Pug
1 Clay
1 Bird's Wing
1 Poplar Grey
1 Nut-tree Tussock
1 Heart and Dart
1 Scarce Footman
1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
1 Bright-line Brown-eye
1 Single-dotted Wave
1 Small Fan-footed Wave
1 Ear Moth NFY

Micros:
9 Dipleurina lacustrata
5 Eudonia mercurella
5 Agriphila straminella
5 Brown House-moth (I think these are trying to breed in the moth trap [feeding on the egg boxes], so some of these may be 'stowaways'!)
4 Cydia splendana
3 Crambus pascuella
3 Bryotropha terrella
2 Catoptria pinella
2 Hypsospygia glaucinalis
2 Bryotropha affinis
1 Bird-cherry Ermine
1 Tinea trinotella
1 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Blastobasis adustella
1 Beautiful Plume
1 Phlyctaenia coronata
1 Acleris aspersana*
1 Carcina quercana
1 Catoptria falsella
1 Celypha lacunana 

Ear Moth

Slender Brindle

Single-dotted Wave

Pine Carpet

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Rosy Minor

Acleris aspersana

Beautiful Plume

Tinea trinotella

Barred on the Downs

I didn't have enough time to commit to the event at Pewley Downs last night, but in the short time I was there, I managed a macro lifer in the shape of an overdue Barred Hook-tip.  Micro highlights included Cochylis hybridella and Endothemia marginea.

Barred Hook-tip

Frantic Garden Moths

Chaos, is all I can say about going through the trap today (which took all afternoon).  The hottest day of the year proceeded the night, so I should have expected a difficult time come the rumage.  I didn't have enough pots for everything!  I smashed my previous record in the garden of 42 macro species, with a total of 54.  Then there were the 55 micro species in addition!  No garden ticks among the macros but there were the second records of Broad-barred White and Vapourer, alongside just 10 year ticks.  Micro highlights included Blastodacna hellerella and the scarce Caloptilia cuculipennella.  Its interesting to note all the pine and heath species in the list, perhaps suggesting that the direction of the wind/air flow during the night was from Marley Common (including 13 True Lover's Knot - only had about 5 in total before!)

25th July:
Macros:
15 Riband Wave
13 True Lover's Knot
8 Uncertain
8 Large Yellow Underwing
6 Dunbar
6 Small Fan-footed Wave
5 Small Rivulet NFY
4 Snout
4 Buff Ermine
4 Willow Beauty
4 Rosy Footman
3 Rustic
3 Dot Moth
3 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
3 Dark Arches
2 Clouded Border
2 Scarce Footman
2 Minor sp.
2 Peppered Moth
2 Herald NFY
2 September Thorn
2 Brimstone
2 Common White Wave
2 Fan-foot
2 Buff Arches
2 Clay
2 Iron Prominent
1 Poplar Hawk-moth
1 Swallow-tailed Moth
1 Early Thorn
1 Vapourer NFY
1 Silver Y
1 Rosy Minor NFY
1 Common Wave
1 Miller
1 Red Twin-spot Carpet
1 Dagger sp.
1 Tawny-barred Angle
1 Broad-barred White
1 Common Footman
1 Burnished Brass
1 Small Fan-foot NFY
1 Horse Chestnut NFY
1 Pine Hawk-moth NFY
1 Garden Carpet
1 Heart and Dart
1 Smoky Wainscot NFY
1 Green Pug
1 Bright-line Brown-eye
1 July Highflyer
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Double-square-spot
1 Purple Clay NFY
1 Scalloped Hook-tip NFY

Micros:
39 Chrysoteuchia culmella
24 Dipleurina lacustrata
24 Agriphila straminella
13 Phycita roborella
10 Cydia splendana
7 Eudonia mercurella
5 Clepsis consimilana
5 Mother of Pearl
5 Coleophora sp.
4 Bryotropha terrella
4 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
3 Carcina quercana
3 Bud Moth
3 Variegated Golden Tortrix
3 Crambus pascuella
3 Catoptria pinella
3 Bryotropha affinis*
2 Cnephasia sp.
2 Cydia fagiglandana
2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
2 Ash Bud Moth
2 Bird-cherry Ermine
2 Acleris forsskaleana
2 Hawthorn Moth
2 Codling Moth
2 Dioryctria abietella
2 Hypsopygia glaucinalis
2 Light Brown Apple Moth
2 Caloptilia elongella
1 Plum Tortrix
1 Crassa unitella
1 Rhyaconia pinicolana
1 Bee Moth
1 Blastodacna hellerella*
1 Caloptilia cuculipennella*
1 Garden Rose Tortrix*
1 Scoparia ambigualis
1 Borkhausenia fuscescens*
1 Zeiraphera isertana
1 Holly Tortrix
1 Diamond-back Moth
1 Bramble Shoot Moth
1 Agriphila inquinitella
1 Argyresthia bonnetella
1 Endotrichia flammealis
1 Red-barred Tortrix
1 Cherry Bark Moth
1 Emmelina monodactyla
1 Argyresthia brockeela
1 Pammene fasciana
1 Celypha striana
1 Brown China-mark
1 Common White Plume
1 Acrobasis rependana
1 Eucosma hohenwartiana
1 Blastobasis adustella
1 Neofriseria singula 

A ridiculous 349 moths in total!

Vapourer

Herald

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Horse Chestnut

Small Rivulet

Scalloped Hook-tip

Blastodacna hellerella

Caloptilia cuculipennella

Garden Rose Tortrix

Rhyaconia pinicolana

Caloptilia elongella

Eucosma hohenwartiana

Neofriseria singula

Sheets puts on a Show

Conditions are fantastic just now, so perhaps I should expect large hauls, particularly from visits into the field.  Last evening, there was an event at Sheets Heath which is a young heathland and woodland site near Woking, next to Bisley shooting range.  Our last visit last year was excellent with some heathland specials.  In keeping with that, this nights trapping was brilliant with two lifers amongst other top species.  We had four traps going, but both of my highlights were in my trap, as first a single Hoary Footman appeared, and then a Scarce Silver-lines.

24th July, Sheets Heath:
6 Scalloped Hook-tip
3 Oak Hook-tip
2 Pebble Hook-tip
3 Buff Arches
3 Grass Emerald (including a specimen of the red form)
2 Large Emerald
3 Common Emerald
1 Maiden's Blush
1 Least Carpet
3 Dotted Border Wave
12 Small Fan-footed Wave
1 Single-dotted Wave
3 Riband Wave
3 Plain Wave
2 Common Carpet
3 Yellow Shell
1 Small Phoenix
1 Blue-bordered Carpet
4 July Highflyer
1 May Highflyer
3 Small Rivulet
1 Ling Pug
6 Narrow-winged Pug
1 Double-striped Pug
2 Small Seraphim
1 Clouded Border
3 Horse Chestnut
2 Brimstone
1 September Thorn
1 Early Thorn
1 Purple Thorn
1 Scalloped Oak
8 Peppered Moth (including examples of all three forms [normal, carbonaria, and intermediate])
3 Mottled Beauty
2 Engrailed
1 Common White Wave
2 Pine Hawk-moth
1 Poplar Hawk-moth
3 Elephant Hawk-moth
2 Iron Prominent
1 Pale Prominent
2 Yellow-tail
2 Black Arches
6 Rosy Footman
3 Dingy Footman
1 Hoary Footman
8 Scarce Footman
3 Buff Footman
2 Common Footman
1 White Ermine
3 Buff Ermine
1 Ruby Tiger
1 Flame Shoulder
2 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 LBBYU
8 True Lover's Knot
1 Double Square-spot
5 Beautiful Yellow Underwing
1 Clay
1 Minor Shoulder-knot
1 Miller
4 Suspected
2 Dunbar
3 Uncertain
1 Marbled White-spot
1 Scarce Silver-lines
1 Nut-tree Tussock
2 Spectacle
1 Beautiful Hook-tip
2 Snout
1 Small Fan-foot

Total: 72
Also, a bewildering array of micros!

Hoary Footman

Scarce Silver-lines

the red form of Grass Emerald

Beautiful Yellow Underwing

Mullein over a Garden Shark

Its great to finally see some warm weather, but ample field oppurtunities in recent times have meant that I have neglected my garden somewhat.  I corrected that last evening after a scorching day.  Numbers and variety of macros was actually a bit down on my last trapping, but an incredible array of micros, and a garden tick and potentially exciting record made up for that.  Among 13 year ticks was one of the Sharks, i.e Mullein, Striped Lychnis, or Water Betony.  Its most likely a very late Mullein, as the others are very rare indeed in the area, but its still a notable record (I'll pass it on for an experts opinion).  Several micro lifers included the quality species of the tiny Ectoedemia decentella and the pyralid Dioryctria abietella.

23rd July:
Macros:
8 Riband Wave
7 Dark Arches
5 Uncertain
5 Large Yellow Underwing
4 Rustic
3 Fan-foot
3 Peppered Moth
3 Buff Ermine
2 Scarce Footman NFY
2 July Highflyer
2 Dot Moth
2 Bright-line Brown-eye NFY
2 Elephant Hawk-moth
2 Poplar Hawk-moth
2 Swallow-tailed Moth
2 True Lover's Knot NFY
1 Mullein/Striped Lychnis/Water Betony NFG
1 September Thorn NFY
1 Poplar Grey
1 Iron Prominent
1 Brimstone
1 Scalloped Oak NFY
1 Single-dotted Wave NFY
1 Dunbar NFY
1 Marbled Beauty NFY
1 Small Fan-footed Wave NFY
1 Nut-tree Tussock
1 Common Footman NFY
1 Common Emerald NFY
1 Rosy Footman
1 Common White Wave
1 Miller NFY

Micros:
1 Common White Plume
3 Udea prunalis
21 Chrysoteuchia culmella
7 Cydia splendana
1 Diamond-back Moth
1 Caloptilia elongella*
1 Bryotropha terrella
1 Dioryctria abietella*
7 Crambus pascuella
2 Codling Moth
2 Acleris forsskaleana
9 Agriphila straminella
5 Phycita roborella
1 Anania coronata
2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
3 Holly Tortrix
1 Carcina quercana
2 Oegoconia sp.
1 Acrobasis advenella*
4 Pammene fasciana*
5 Eudonia mercurella
2 Hypsopygia glaucinalis
9 Dipleurina lacustrata
3 Small Magpie
1 Mother-of-pearl
2 Brown House-moth
1 Scoparia ambigualis
1 Lozotaenia forsterana
1 Eucosma hohenwartiana
1 Clepsis consimilana*
1 Ectoedemia decentella*
1 Bud Moth
1 Agriphila inquinatella
1 Notocelia rosaecolana
1 Opostega salaciella
1 Bird-cherry Ermine*
1 Cydia fagiglandana

probable Mullein

Common Emerald

Miller

True Lover's Knot

Bright-line Brown-eye

Scalloped Oak

September Thorn

Agriphila inquinatella

Caloptilia elongella (this looks two-toned, but actually its just a change in light)

Cydia fagiglandana

Dioryctria abietella

Codling Moth

Eudonia mercurella

Pammene fasciana

Ectoedemia decentella

Bird-cherry Ermine

Dark and Cold Thursley

The BC event was at Thursley Common last night, but the weather was completely different to the forecast from a few days ago, when it suggested perfect mothing weather.  Actually, the sky was totally clear, and our fingertips were really feeling the cold by the end, in July!  In three traps, we actually got some great species, hinting at the quality of this site.  Best was my first 'wild' Dark Tussocks.  Other top moths were Round-winged Muslin, Striped Wainscot, the reed-feeder Donacaula mucronellus, and the wet heath specialist Silver Hook.

Thursley Common, 21st July:

1 Batia lunaris

1 Monochroa cytisella

1 Bryotropha terrella

2 Eupoecilia augustana

2 Argyrotaenia ljungiana

2 Pine Shoot Moth

2 Cydia ulicetana

4 Endotrichia flammealis

4 Pempelia palumbella

2 Dipleruina lacustrata

6 Chrysoteuchia culmella

2 Crambus pascuella

2 Donacaula mucronella

20 Brown China-mark 20

1 Drinker

6 Dwarf Cream Wave

3 Riband Wave

15 Horse Chestnut

1 Peppered Moth

1 Engrailed

4 Pine Hawk-moth

2 Iron Prominent

2 Dark Tussock

2 Round-winged Muslin

7 Four-dotted Footman

2 Dingy Footman

10 Scarce Footman

2 Common Footman

1 Heart and Dart

1 Large Yellow Underwing

1 Least Yellow Underwing

45 True Lover's Knot

3 Striped Wainscot

6 Smoky Wainscot

2 Dark Arches

1 Uncertain

1 Marbled White Spot

1 Silver Hook

1 Nut-tree Tussock

Dark Tussock

Waved Black

A nice find in the trap this morning!

Waved Black

I believe I had one last week too but it got away as I was trying to pot it.  But not that many moths look like this so will assume it was even though I won't record it.

A Whole Lotta Leps

I trapped last night with Paul Wheeler at the west end of Newlands Corner (chalk downland site), mainly because conditions were forecast to be ideal and we couldn't let it go to waste, particularly this year!  The air was pretty warm, though steady rain did cause a few problems.  We ran three traps, and I set mine on a bare path, which I think in these conditions was a bit of a mistake, as all the equipment (and some of the moths regretably) got wet and filthy with mud!  As expected, numbers and diversity were very good, but quality was oddly poor, particularly the macros, with for instance only one or two chalk specialists.  No photos as a result of this and the rain.  Also, due to the weather, I didn't take notes, so a list here of 95 species is probably missing out several micros.  Still, an estimate of some 266 moths up to 1 am is not bad!

July 17th, Newlands Corner:

1 Yponomeuta plumbella

1 Argyresthia bonnetella

1 Batia lunaris

2  Carcina quercana

1 Metznaria metzneriella (plus at least one, possibly two other Metznaria species I can't recall at the moment)

3 Yarrow Plume

2 Beautiful Plume

1 Triangle Plume

3 Brown Plume

2 Common White Plume

2 Common Plume

5 Agapeta zoegana

1 Eupoecilia augustana

1 Aethes rubigana

3 Green Oak Tortrix

1 Acleris forsskaleana

2 Acleris ferrugana

2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrix

4 Variegated Golden Tortrix

3 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix

1 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix

1 Apatomis turbidana

3 Marbled Orchard Tortrix

4 Zeiraphera isertana

11 Bud Moth

7 Bramble Shoot Moth

2 Bee Moth

1 Hypsopygia glaucinalis

1 Acrobasis advenella

1 Euzophera pinguis

1 Homeosoma sinuella

3 Phycita roborella

1 Dipleurina lacustrata

1 Scoparia ambigualis

2 Scoparia pyralella

13 Chrysoteuchia culmella

1 Anania lancealis

1 Mother of Pearl

1 Oak Hook-tip (a tiny specimen!)

5 Peach Blossom

9 Buff Arches

3 Common Emerald

2 Small Fan-footed Wave

1 Treble Brown-spot

2 Riband Wave

1 Red Twin-spot Carpet

5 Large Twin-spot Carpet

6 Common Carpet

1 Yellow Shell

5 July Highflyer

1 Fern

3 Brown Scallop

2 Dark Umber

1 Green Pug

1 Brimstone

1 Early Thorn

2 Scalloped Oak

6 Peppered Moth (1 carbonaria)

1 Willow Beauty

3 Mottled Beauty

2 Satin Beauty

5 Engrailed

3 Clouded Silver

2 Pebble Prominent

1 Buff-tip

4 Scarce Footman

4 Buff Footman

2 Common Footman

14 Rosy Footman

1 Buff Ermine

4 Kent Black Arches

2 Short-cloaked Moth

1 Heart and Dart

3 Flame

5 Large Yellow Underwing

2 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

1 Least Yellow Underwing

3 Purple Clay

5 Double Square-spot

3 Clay

4 Smoky Wainscot

6 Coronet

7 Small Angle Shades

2 Suspected

3 Dunbar

3 Dark Arches

1 Common Rustic

2 Uncertain

1 Marbled White-spot

1 Green Silver-lines

3 Beautiful Golden Y

1 Silver Y

1 Beautiful Hook-tip

3 Snout

1 Fan-foot

2 Small Fan-foot

Just when you don't expect it....

...so there I was at about 6.30pm last night getting ready for an evening out, having the usual wardrobe malfunction and throwing a bit of a strop, when my partner calmly announced "I've just seen a moth" and disappeared rapidly out of the door! 


Torn between throwing an even bigger strop and curiosity, curiosity won out.  Turned out to be not any old moth but a Small Ranunculus!  The trap hadn't been on for a few night because of the weather and me being poorly so I can only think it had been attracted to one of the house lights and had found a sheltered spot out of the rain.

Small Ranunculus

So despite the weather we ran the trap last night hoping another might show up but not to be.  Although four September Thorn were a bit of a surprise.

September Thorn

A Peach of a Catch in the Garden

Conditions looked pretty good last night, with entire cloud cover and little rain forecast.  It was slightly wrong in that it rained almost all night!  But, with the rain guard in place, it caused little problems, and in fact I think proved that it is very much worth trapping in these conditions (as long as you can protect your equipment!).  I got the biggest number of individuals, with 105, since Small Quaker-gate, and the second most diverse catch of the year with 40 species (140 of 55 if you include micros).  Amongst these were 13 year ticks, which is unsurprising considering I haven't trapped in the garden for two and a half weeks for various reasons.  I did get one garden tick too in the form of an overdue Peach Blossom.  Also my second Four-dotted Footman. 

13th July:
11 Heart and Dart
11 Large Yellow Underwing
10 Minor sp.
6 Riband Wave NFY
6 Dark Arches
6 Uncertain
4 Flame Shoulder
3 Buff Ermine
3 Light Emerald
3 Flame
3 Double Square-spot NFY
3 Heart and Club
3 Snout
2 Garden Carpet
2 Peppered Moth
2 Spectacle
2 Elephant Hawk-moth
2 Swallow-tailed Moth
2 Clay NFY
2 Light Arches NFY
2 Dot Moth NFY
1 Buff Arches
1 Four-dotted Footman
1 Peach Blossom NFG
1 Green Silver-lines NFY
1 Beautiful Golden Y
1 Rustic NFY
1 Burnished Brass NFY
1 Buff-tip
1 Small Angle Shades
1 Green Pug
1 Poplar Hawk-moth
1 Clouded Border
1 Scorched Wing NFY
1 Common Rustic sp.
1 July Highflyer NFY
1 Turnip NFY
1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing NFY

Micros (* = lifer):
13 Chrysoteuchia culmella
9 Dipleurina lacustrata
2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
2 Crambus perlella
2 Bramble-shoot Moth
1 White-shouldered House Moth
1 Diamond-back Moth
1 Celypha lacunana
1 Batia lunaris
1 Acleris quercana
1 Crambus pascuella
1 Agriphila straminella
1 Argyresthia brockeella
1 Codling Moth * (incredible considering I have always put the trap under an Apple tree!)
1 Ypsolopha parenthesella *

Peach Blossom

Four-dotted Footman

Clay

Dot Moth

Light Arches

July Highflyer

Scorched Wing

Green Silver-lines

Ypsolopha parenthesella (I think, please correct if wrong)