April show-ers

This warm weather is encouraging more moths to emerge. There were large swarms of long-horn moths on our local oak trees. They were too high to photograph but could well have been Nematapogon swammerdamella. Below is a selection that came to my trap last night:

purple thorn

nut-tree tussock

iron prominent

flame shoulder

common quaker (a worn specimen which at first glance looked rather like a powdered quaker)

brimstone

And a waved umber from a couple of nights ago...

Number of moths Pale into insignificance....

Numbers remain reasonable, although it was fairly windy last night. In very similar circumstances to yesterday, I got 37 moths of 22 species, and these included a new species for the garden of Pale Oak Beauty, and a new for the year Setaceous Hebrew Character. Also a probable Middle-barred Minor, which is also new for garden.

9th June:

13 Heart and Dart
2 Flame Shoulder
2 May Highflyer
2 Treble Lines
1 Common Marbled Carpet
1 White Ermine
1 Grey Pug
1 Scorched Wing
1 Grey Pine Carpet
1 Iron Prominent
1 Spruce Carpet
1 Pale Tussock
1 Green Carpet
1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 Garden Carpet
1 Setaceous Hebrew Character NFY
1 Small Phoenix
1 Light Brocade
1 Ingrailed Clay
1 Freyer's Pug
1 Pale Oak Beauty NFG
1 Minor sp. (probably Middle-barred Minor NFG)


probable Middle-barred Minor (it wouldn't stay still!)

White Ermine

Flame Shoudler

Heart and Dart

Iron Prominent

Setaceous Hebrew Character

Pale Oak Beauty

National Moth Night - 15th May

Last night was National Moth night when everyone is encouraged to record moths. Butterfly Conservation report that the no. of moths has declined by 40% in the last 30 years, so more study is needed.
In my corner of Surrey it was reasonably mild but with no cloud cover the moths weren't coming to the trap. I ended up with just seven moths.

chocolate-tip


common wave


iron prominent


Hebrew character


muslin moth


2 x unidentified pugs (very worn).

I got my best catch for some time last night with plenty of cloud cover. I got an incredible catch of 17 Brindled Pug, as well as 11 Common Quaker, 9 Hebrew Character, 4 Clouded Drab, 1 Powdered Quaker, 1 Small Quaker, 1 Nut-tree Tussock (new for the year), 1 Iron Prominent (new for the year), 1 Brindled Beauty (new for the garden), as well as 1 Twenty-plume Moth, and 2 Black Burrying Beetles (Nicrophorous humator).