The moths are Blossoming!

A night which was completely clear, didn't promise much, but the day had been warm, so I thought it was worth trying. Boy was it, as I got a total of 200 Small Quaker (with my previous trap, the most individuals of all species I got in one night was 107)! I also got a brand new species. I actually counted 199 Small Quaker, but I made a point of searching all the surfaces outside, in order to get that 200th, which I managed! The new one was a lovely Blossom Underwing.

.

24th Mar:

200 Small Quaker

9 Common Quaker

4 Hebrew Character

3 Clouded Drab

3 Twin-spot Quaker

2 Brindled Pug NFY

2 Early Grey NFY

1 Dotted Border

1 Red Chestnut

1 Chestnut

1 Blossom Underwing NFM

1 Oak Beauty

.

Brindled Pug

Early Grey

Blossom Underwing

Its Green for moths as Frost departs

Conditions really looked good last night, with lots of cloud, although it was a little breezy. I ended up getting very similar numbers to my last couple of trappings in clear conditions, but that was still excellent. 30 moths of 7 species included a new species for the garden in the shape of a Frosted Green. It was a lot 'greener' in the flesh.

5th April:

14 Common Quaker

5 Small Quaker

3 Brindled Pug NFY

3 Clouded Drab

3 Hebrew Character

1 Twin-spotted Quaker

1 Frosted Green NFG

+ 2 Black Burrying Beetles

Brindled Pug

Frosted Green

fag-ends of March

At last I'm getting a few moths that are not Orthosiae (quakers and relations). The Diurnea fagella was from last night and the other three species from 31st March:

oak nycteoline (easily mistaken for a micro)

Engrailed (indistinguishable from small engrailed and probably the same species)

Diurnea fagella

Brindled pug (one of the first to appear and quite large for a pug)
Things should start to liven up from now on, especially where warm days are followed by cloudy nights.

Brindled Pug

Trapped on the 26th and confirmed by Graham Collins, the county recorder after initial suspicion that it may have been an early Oak-tree Pug.

Bill