The Tower of Rustic Neglect / + big news

In conjunction with the Surrey Wildlife Trusts volunteer do at the Semaphore Tower at Chatley Heath, I joined Paul Wheeler for some mothing on the edge of the heathland there.  It was rather nice having a barbacue, cider and wine to keep us going (although pangs of guilt for not being a volunteer meant I just had the one half-pint of cider!).   The conditions weren't brilliant, but I still came away with the nice macro lifer of Neglected Rustic, although its lucky it showed its hindwings, as we may have otherwise overlooked it as a Lesser Yellow Underwing!  Some nice micros included Agriphila latistria, Swarmmadamia caesiella, and Mirificarma mulinella (just like the Rustic, these were as dull as anything, but new ones to me!).  I did not take any notes so I don't have the full list, but the only other moths worthy of any mention were a Mocha, lots of White-line Darts, and the heathland gelechid Aristotelia ericinella.

Neglected Rustic

 

In other news, I have recently found out that I have to move house.  This is a bit of a pain, as I feel I was just getting to know the lepifauna of my Haslemere garden!  In just over three years there I've built up a macro list of 275, and a micro list (which I've only just started) of 105.  On the plus side, the house I am moving to near Aldershot at the end of September is a blank canvas, and I can't wait to get going there.  The Ash Ranges are close-by, and the Basingstoke Canal passes the bottom of the garden, so I hope to get some nice wetland species.

Mega Micro Micros!

Here was I thinking that a return to trapping in my suburban garden would be a step down from the last couple of sensational field trips.  In terms of macros it certainly was, but the quality of the micros was just as good as the recent trappings at nature reserves.  Just three expected year ticks amongst the macros, but the micros were excellent, and included the stunning Mompha locupletella, as well as Aspilapteryx tringipennella, and Bucculatrix ulmella.  Also a notable number of Horse-chestnut Leaf-miners.  All these took some sorting I can tell you, almost all being of the microscopic type!  Note to self: Must get a hand-lens.

20th August:
Macros:
49 LBBYU
14 Dunbar
14 Large Yellow Underwing
8 Riband Wave
5 Brimstone
4 Common Carpet
4 Common Rustic sp.
3 Willow Beauty
3 Lesser Yellow Underwing
2 Yellow-barred Brindle
2 Silver Y
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Iron Prominent
2 Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 Straw Dot
2 Small Rivulet
2 True Lover's Knot
1 Pebble Hook-tip
1 Green Carpet
1 Flounced Rustic NFY
1 Garden Carpet
1 Rosy Minor
1 Small Phoenix
1 Common White Wave
1 Mouse Moth
1 Ear Moth
1 Burnished Brass
1 Six-striped Rustic NFY
1 Old Lady NFY
1 Flame Shoulder
1 Fan-foot
1 Dark Arches
1 Spruce Carpet
1 Early Thorn
1 Rosy Footman
1 Copper Underwing
1 Buff Footman
1 Peppered Moth

Micros:
14 Cydia splendana
8 Phycita roborella
7 Agriphila tristella
7 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner
7 Eudonia mercurella
6 Blastobasis adustella
5 Agriphila geniculea
3 Hypsopygia glaucinalis
2 Holly Tortrix
2 Chrysoteuchia culmella
2 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
2 Scoparia ambigualis
2 Aspilapteryx tringipennella*
2 Parornix anglicella
2 Caloptilia rufipennella
1 Eudonia truncicolella
1 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Garden Pebble
1 Cydia fagiglandana
1 Catoptria pinella
1 Light Brown Apple Moth
1 Bryotropha affinis
1 Acleris forsskaleana
1 Bucculatrix ulmella*
1 Trachycera advenella
1 Argyresthia goedartella
1 Beautiful Plume
1 Epinotia nisella
1 Rhyaconia pinicolana
1 Apple Leaf-miner*
1 Case-bearing Clothes-moth
1 Mompha locupletella*

Mompha locupletella

Bucculatrix ulmella

Aspilapteryx tringipennella



Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner

Apple Leaf-miner

Caloptilia rufipennella

Six-striped Rustic

It's been quiet at Wimbledon Towers

Not a lot going on moth-wise here at Wimbledon Towers, mainly as I've been away a lot and one of my dogs needing surgery has had me pre-occupied.  I have tried to get the trap out most nights that I'm here but despite that, I am not getting anything like the numbers that others are getting, either in Surrey or elsewhere around the country.  Still, this weekend has turned up a few nice ones such as Tree Lichen Beauty, Straw Dot, Jersey Tiger, Vapourer, Peacock and also several Gypsy Moth.  Was also pleased to be able to confirm both Treble-bar and Lesser Treble-bar ...

 

Gypsy Moth

Peacock Moth

Lesser Treble-Bar

The Clay on Chalk

The mothing is just relentless at the moment, and I don't really care that the tiredness is catching up with me!  Its worth it.  Last night the destination was the fantastic chalk site of Norbury Park for an event with David Gardner.  The warmest day of the year proceeded it, so we knew we'd get good numbers in our two traps, but quality was yet again better than expected.  One of the first moths to appear was a lifer, a lovely fresh Square-spotted Clay.  The quality macros didn't end there, with things like Mocha, and only my second Cypress Pug.  The quality amongst the micros was never-ending, with things like the stunning Parectopa ononidis, Eucalybites auroguttella, Batrachedra praeangusta, the tiny Hemp-agrimony Plume (aptly named microdactyla), and best of all, the migrant Cydia amplana.

18th August, Norbury Park:
Macros:
8 Dingy Footman
6 Orange Swift
5 Brimstone
10 Pretty Chalk Carpet
8 Green Carpet
3 Lesser-spotted Pinion
1 Square-spotted Clay
15 Barred Hook-tip
3 LBBYU
1 Nut-tree Tussock
12 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Small Rivulet
4 Flame Shoulder
4 Flounced Rustic
4 Iron Prominent
50 Buff Footman
3 Small Fan-footed Wave
4 Ruby Tiger
5 Copper Underwing
5 Common Carpet
6 Coronet
5 Dunbar
1 Snout
5 Straw Dot
2 Lesser Swallow Prominent
2 Riband Wave
2 Orange Footman
2 Yellow-barred Brindle
5 Black Arches
1 Small Phoenix
3 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
5 Square-spot Rustic
2 Rosy Footman
1 Mocha
3 Willow Beauty
1 Common Wave
1 Silver Y
1 Small Waved Umber
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 Satin Beauty
1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 Peach Blossom
3 Dark Arches
1 Cypress Pug
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Pebble Hook-tip
5 Straw Underwing
4 Cloaked Minor
1 Small Square-spot
2 White Point
1 Lime-speck Pug
1 Red Twin-spot Carpet
1 Ear Moth
1 Dagger sp.

Micros (* = lifer):
15 Agriphila tristella
1 Red-barred Tortrix
25 Blastobasis adustella
1 Brown House-moth
3 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
4 Mother of Pearl
1 Bramle Shoot Moth
3 Eudonia mercurella
1 Small China-mark
2 Trachycera advenella
2 Pyrausta aurata
4 Phycita roborella
1 Parectopa ononidis*
3 Cydia splendana
1 Aryresthia goedartella
3 Euzophera pinguis
2 Epinotia nisella
5 Carcina quercana
1 Eucalybites auroguttella*
1 Bactra lancealana
2 Monopsis weaverella
2 Holly Tortrix
2 Gold Triangle
1 Hemp-agrimony Plume*
2 Ash Bud Moth
4 Agapeta hamana
2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
5 Agriphila straminella
2 Diamond-back Moth
1 Caloptilia alchimiella
1 Caloptilia rufipennella*
2 Batia unitella
1 Skin Moth
1 Light Brown Apple Moth
2 Scrobipalpa costella
2 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner
1 Rush Veneer
1 Phlyctaenia coronata
1 Cydia amplana*
1 Cryptoblades bistriga*
1 Batrachedra praeangusta*
3 Celypha lacunana
1 Endothenia marginana
2 Cochylis atricapitana
1 Caloptilia semifascia*

Total: 100

Square-spotted Clay

Lesser-spotted Pinion

Cypress Pug

Mocha

Hemp-agrimony Plume

Cydia amplana

A Pod of Peas at Kempton

I went a fair distance out of my way yesterday evening, as there was a private trapping session with Paul Wheeler at Kempton nature reserve, Sunbury.  I was rather looking forward to it as its a fantastic looking wetland site complete with scrub, woodland, reedbed, and flower meadows, and it was the one of the first times I'd trapped in the suburbs of London, said to have its own unique moth populations.  I was not disappointed, as a nice muggy night produced both quality and quantity to our four traps.  Macro lifers are becoming quite hard to come by, so to get two was amazing.  The typical London suburb moths stole the show with not only Jersey Tigers (I've seen them before in Devon), but at least 5 Tree-lichen Beauty.  The other lifer was the scarce Cream-bordered Green Pea, which is sometimes a migrant, but with 3 seen, its no doubt breeding on the rampant Willow scrub.  A few nice micros too, with the likes of Elachista bisulcella, and Triangle Plume.  All this means that things like White-line Dart and Southern Wainscot barely get a mention (well, now they have!).

17th August, Kempton NR:
Macros:
10 Dingy Footman
3 Lesser Treble-bar
15 Treble-bar
4 Canary-shouldered Thorn
1 Herald
1 Currant Pug
20 Common Wave
2 Old Lady
3 Brimstone
3 Large Yellow Underwing
8 Small Seraphim
3 Double-striped Pug
7 Flame Shoulder
5 Green Carpet
4 Common Carpet
2 Light Emerald
1 Angle Shades
4 Riband Wave
7 LBBYU
3 Ruby Tiger
5 Tree-lichen Beauty
2 Peach Blossom
4 Tawny Speckled Pug
2 Scarce Footman
3 Cream-bordered Green Pea
4 Willow Beauty
2 Dunbar
5 Ear Moth
2 Setaceous Hebrew Character
3 Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 Iron Prominent
1 Cloaked Minor
2 White-point
2 Straw Underwing
3 White-line Dart
2 Common Rustic
2 Copper Underwing
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Single-dotted Wave
5 Southern Wainscot
1 Least Yellow Underwing
3 Orange Swift
1 Swallow Prominent
2 Yellow Shell
1 Spectacle
1 Common White Wave
2 Jersey Tiger
1 Bright-line Brown-eye
1 Pale Prominent
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Black Arches

Micros:
2 Endothenia marginana
6 Limnaecia phragmitella
4 Agriphila straminella
2 Agriphila geniculea
5 Celypha lacunana
15 Water Veneer
1 Cochylis dubitana*
3 Pammene fasciana
2 Bird-cherry Ermine
1 Lathronympha strigana*
3 Light Brown Apple Moth
1 Chrysoteuchia culmella
2 Small China-mark
10 Catoptria falsella
2 Eudonia mercurella
2 Cydia splendana
2 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
3 Agriphila inquinatella
8 Blastobasis adustella
15 Mother of Pearl
2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Phlyctaenia coronata
2 Skin Moth
1 Acrobasis repandana
1 Batia unitella
1 Agonopterix liturosa*
3 Pyrausta purpuralis
4 Phycita roborella
1 Cochylis atricapitana
3 Carcina quercana
2 Pyrausta aurata
2 Calamotropha paludella
2 Diamond-back Moth
1 Caloptilita alchimiella
1 Acrobasis advenella
2 Ringed China-mark
2 Epinotia ramella*
1 Argyresthia goedartella
1 Triangle Plume
1 Eudonia pallida
1 Cyclamen Tortrix*
1 Elachista bisulsella*
1 Elachista albifrontella*
2 Epinotia nisella
1 Parornix anglicella
1 Scrobipalpa costella*
1 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix

Total: 98

Cream-bordered Green Peas (and Ringed China-mark)

Jersey Tiger

Tree-lichen Beauty

Agonopterix liturosa

Toadflax Brocade!

Toadflax Brocade...

Jersey Tiger (ab. lutescens)...

Couldn't resist posting a quick couple of shots of these two absolute gems, which turned up in the garden moth trap this week- Toadflax Brocade last night (16th August) and the Jersey Tiger on the 11th August. Both have been at the top of the garden wish list for a while now, but I never realistically thought I'd have a chance of catching them.

Toadflax Brocade is a particularly interesting record, as its always been a rare species confined to shingle beaches along the south coast. However, recent years have seen an increase in wanderers further inland, with the possibility of breeding in certain areas of Surrey and London.

Lepidopterist's Bulging Box of Yearly Ubiquity

(if you don't understand the title, look at the initials)  Last night was incredibly muggy, so I expected decent numbers in the garden trap.  Species were slightly down, but individual numbers were the largest of the year, mostly down to Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings!  The only species highlights were the second records of Birch Mocha, Tawny Speckled Pug, and Peach Blossom, and six of the seven species of Footman I've ever had in the garden.  Micro highlights included an Agriphila selasella and a Parornix species, probably anglicella.

13th August:
Macros:
87 LBBYU
18 Dunbar
15 Large Yellow Underwing
9 Riband Wave
9 Small Fan-footed Wave
7 Dark Arches
6 Willow Beauty
6 Common Rustic sp.
5 Common Carpet
5 Shuttle-shaped Dart
4 Buff Footman
3 Swallow Prominent
3 Dagger sp.
3 Common Footman
3 Pebble Hook-tip
3 Red Twin-spot Carpet
3 Uncertain
3 Rosy Footman
2 Peppered Moth
2 Fan-foot
2 Early Thorn
2 Brimstone
2 Lesser Swallow Prominent
2 Silver Y
1 Dingy Footman
1 Small Phoenix
1 Scarce Footman
1 Yellow-barred Brindle
1 Lesser Yellow Underwing NFY
1 Tawny Speckled Pug NFY
1 Purple Thorn
1 Orange Footman
1 Maiden's Blush
1 Straw Dot
1 Copper Underwing
1 Knot Grass NFY
1 Black Arches
1 Sallow Kitten
1 Flame Carpet
1 Peach Blossom
1 True Lover's Knot
1 Snout

Micros:
12 Mother of Pearl
7 Phycita roborella
5 Cydia splendana
4 Agriphila straminella
4 Agriphila geniculea
4 Agriphila tristella
3 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
2 Eudonia mercurella
2 Catoptria pinella
2 Bryotropha affinis
1 Crambus pascuella
1 Blastobasis adustella
1 Swammerdamia pyrella
1 Parornix anglicella*
1 Diamond-back Moth
1 Endotrichia flammealis
1 Hypsospygia glaucinalis
1 Acleris forsskaleana
1 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Holly Tortrix
1 Brown House-moth
1 Bactra lancealana
1 Carcina quercana
1 Agriphila selasella*



Birch Mocha

Purple Thorn (second generation)



Sallow Kitten

Black Arches

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Knot Grass (or baldy!)

An array of Daggers



Parornix anglicella

Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix

Agriphila selasella

Swarmmadamia pyrella

A Kitten and a Mouse

Nice to see the sun back, and although I thought the most prolific mothing was behind me this year, this latest period of quality weather has done the business yet again in the garden.  Both species and individuals took another increase, the latter certainly being helped by the peak in Yellow Underwings being upon us.  On the down side, I did have the first problem with wasps this year, with a small contingent awaiting me around the light.  However, another garden tick was amongst the throng of moths in the trap, and just like a few days ago, it was a Footman.  My first garden Buff Footman was amongst a few other nice year ticks, including a Mouse Moth, and only my second garden record of Sallow Kitten.  Among the micros was the scarce Iceplant feeder, Yponomeuta sedella, and a Phyllonorycter rajella.

10th August:
Macros:
32 Large Yellow Underwing
22 LBBYU
13 Riband Wave
11 Common Rustic sp.
9 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
8 Dunbar
6 Willow Beauty
6 Dark Arches
5 Red Twin-spot Carpet
4 Small Fan-footed Wave
4 Small Phoenix
3 Rosy Footman
3 Peppered Moth
3 Rosy Minor
3 Shuttle-shaped Dart
3 Uncertain
2 Scalloped Hook-tip
2 Dingy Footman
2 Svennson's Copper Underwing
2 Common Carpet
2 True Lover's Knot
2 Flame Shoulder
2 Square-spot Rustic NFY
2 Fan-foot
2 Lesser Swallow Prominent
1 Grey Pine Carpet
1 Mouse Moth NFY
1 Brimstone
1 September Thorn
1 Sallow Kitten NFY
1 Buff Footman NFG
1 Clouded Border
1 Nut-tree Tussock
1 Small Rivulet
1 Garden Carpet
1 Iron Prominent
1 Common White Wave
1 Purple Thorn
1 Ruby Tiger NFY
1 Rustic
1 Maiden's Blush
1 Straw Dot
1 Herald
1 Copper Underwing NFY
1 Buff Ermine
1 Dagger sp.
1 Ear Moth
1 Narrow-winged Pug
1 Black Arches NFY
1 Minor Shoulder-knot NFY

Micros:
21 Cydia splendana
10 Eudonia mercurella
8 Phycita roborella
7 Bryotropha affinis
5 Endotrichia flammealis
4 Brown House-moth
4 Agriphila tristella
3 Agriphila straminella
3 Mother of Pearl
2 Dioryctria abietella
2 Crambus pascuella
2 Blastobasis adustella
2 Agriphila geniculea*
1 Catoptria pinella
1 Bud Moth
1 Udea lutealis*
1 Eudonia pyralella
1 Honeysuckle Moth
1 Diamond-back Moth
1 Zieraphera isertana
1 Acleris forsskaleana
1 Holly Tortrix
1 Dipleurina lacustrata
1 Agapeta zoegana
1 Tinea trinotella
1 Light Brown Apple Moth
1 Brown Plume
1 Red-barred Tortrix
1 Yponomeuta sedella*
1 Phyllonorycter rajella*

Sallow Kitten

Buff Footman

Square-spot Rustic

Mouse Moth

Copper Underwing

Yponomeuta sedella

Phyllonorycter rajella

Southern at the Meadows

There was an event last night at wetland site of Stoke Meadows, and for once, the weather was good.  I do wonder though how much I would have seen had I not left early.  Despite this, I managed a great macro lifer.  Two Southern Wainscot were trapped, the second much fresher than the first, but both had the diagnostic spots in the middle of both underwings.  Some nice wetland micros were seen including Calamotropha palludella and Orthotelia sparganella.

9th August, Stoke Meadows:
Macros:
1 Riband Wave
2 Single-dotted Wave
3 Shaded Broad-bar
2 Common Carpet
5 Yellow Shell
1 Small Rivulet
1 Tawny Speckled Pug
1 Currant Pug
2 Brimstone
2 Iron Prominent
1 Swallow Prominent
2 Pale Prominent
1 Round-winged Muslin
10 Dingy Footman
1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Least Yellow Underwing
1 Beautiful Yellow Underwing
2 Southern Wainscot
1 Double Kidney
1 Dunbar
1 Common Rustic sp.
2 Crescent
3 Webb's Wainscot
1 Fan-foot

Micros:
1 Caloptilia alchimiella
1 Orthotelia sparganella*
1 Ypsolopha scabrella*
1 Blastobasis adustella
1 Carcina quercana
1 Limnaecia pragmitella*
2 Bryotropha terrella
1 Caryocolum fraternella
3 Red-barred Tortrix
3 Bactra lancealana*
1 Endothenia marginana
2 Celypha lacunana
1 Epinotia nisella
4 Phycita roborella
3 Calamotropha paludella
1 Chrysoteuchia culmella
2 Agriphila tristella
6 Agriphila straminella
2 Donacaula forficella
15 Small China-mark
4 Ringed China-mark
2 Evergestis pallidata*
3 Mother of Pearl

Southern Wainscot

The Whole Hog

An entirely cloudy night meant it was a good idea to trap in the garden, but with a fairly cool day, it was never going to break any records.  Having said that, I got the second best catch of the year in terms of species and individuals.  I thought there were no particular macro highlights at first, but I've just discovered to my great surprise, that Dingy Footman is in fact a garden tick!  Otherwise, just some nice micros.  As I was releasing the moths out of the lounge window as I usually do, a rustling in the bushes below the window caught my attention.  What appeared was a very tame half-grown Hedgehog, hoovering up some of the docile moths!  Cheeky thing.

7th August:
Macros:
19 LBBYU
8 Riband Wave
8 Small Fan-footed Wave
6 Large Yellow Underwing
5 Yellow-barred Brindle
4 Dot Moth
4 Uncertain
4 Common Rustic sp.
3 Willow Beauty
3 Dingy Footman NFG
3 Red Twin-spot Carpet
3 Silver Y
2 Dagger sp.
2 Bright-line Brown-eye
2 Coronet NFY
2 Dark Arches
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Ear Moth
2 True Lover's Knot
2 Scarce Footman
2 Rustic
2 Clay
2 Snout
1 Lesser Swallow Prominent
1 Iron Prominent
1 Garden Carpet
1 Svennson's Copper Underwing NFY
1 Engrailed
1 Yellow-tail NFY
1 Barred Red NFY
1 July Highflyer
1 Common Carpet
1 Early Thorn
1 Small Rivulet
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Pebble Hook-tip
1 Heart and Dart
1 Beautiful Hook-tip
1 Dunbar
1 Mottled Beauty
1 Common Footman
1 Slender Brindle
1 Pale Prominent
1 Bird's Wing

Micros:
12 Eudonia mercurella
4 Cydia splendana
3 Agriphila straminella
3 Phycita roborella
2 Agriphila tristella
2 Endotrichia flammealis
2 Blastobasis adustella
2 Phlyctaenia coronata
2 Acleris aspersana
1 Bryotropha terrella
1 Chrysoteuchia culmella
1 Dipleurina lacustrata
1 Coleophora sp.
1 Small Magpie
1 Orchard Ermine*
1 Carcina quercana
1 Bryotropha affinis
1 Catoptria pinella
1 Udea prunalis
1 Caloptilia elongella
1 Agapeta hamana
1 Hypsospygia glaucinalis
1 Caloptilia robustella*
1 Eudemis profundana

Hedgehog

Maiden's Blush

Common and Dingy Footman

Coronet

Pale Prominent

Barred Red

A very striking Scoparid, I think its a Eudonia mercurella

Orchard Ermine

Agriphila tristella

Caloptilia robustella

Eudemis profundana