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As of March 2015, an official website for Surrey Moths has been set-up here. There you'll find information on everything to do with the Surrey Branch of Butterfly Conservation, including the updated events calender for 2015. Hope to see you there!




Showing posts with label cloaked minor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloaked minor. Show all posts

Saturday, 7 August 2010

Still plenty of moths about - and predators

I had the trap on overnight on Thursday (5th August). The catch was not huge but included a couple of wasps and a dozen hornets - with the resultant carnage. I don't enjoy identifying moths from odd wings but I found a lesser swallow prominent's forewing and that of one of the kittens (probably sallow). A number of moths made their first appearance for some months - pale prominent, nut-tree tussock, coxcomb prominent. There were three September thorns, a scalloped oak, yellow-tail and a very faded common emerald.
A few random pictures follow:

straw underwing

shuttle-shaped dart

cloaked minor

The clay

common emerald

chocolate tip

Agapeta zoegana

Spilonota ocellana

Cochylimorpha straminea

German wasp Vespula germanica

Thursday, 29 July 2010

Mega numbers make up for Minor pain

In seemingly unpromising conditions, and circumstances, I got my best catch this year in terms of number of individuals (94), but oddly, a rather low species count of 26 (this was not down to Large Yellow Underwing as it would usually be - I got only one!).
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Amongst these were one new for the garden, and two other year ticks. The new garden species was an unsurprising one really, two Cloaked Minor. I also got another Scallop Shell, which I was happy to get a decent shot of this time. Some pretty micros present too. The difficult circumstances mentioned before were that 6-7 wasps were present in/around the trap, and whilst checking the light first thing this morning, one suddenly lunged at me and stung me on the chest (they ate one of my Buff Ermines too)! It was worth it in the end though.
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28th July:
19 Dunbar
12 Riband Wave
10 Common Rustic sp.
7 Flame
7 Dark Arches
6 Shuttle-shaped Dart
4 Double Square-spot
4 Rustic
3 Uncertain
2 Lesser Swallow Prominent NFY
2 Svensson's Copper Underwing
2 July Highflyer
2 Cloaked Minor NFG
2 Copper Underwing
2 Buff Ermine
1 Oak Hook-tip
1 Scallop Shell
1 Yellow-barred Brindle
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Poplar Hawk-moth
1 Rosy Minor
1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Vine's Rustic NFY
1 Small Fan-footed Wave
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Cochylis atricapitana

Oegoconia quadripuncta/deauratella

Pyrausta aurata

Common Rustic sp. (this was very bold in the flesh, more like a Dot Moth)

Vine's Rustic (not 100% certain)

Lesser Swallow Prominents

Scallop Shell

Cloaked Minor

Sunday, 25 July 2010

Three Leopards stalk us at Smithwood

A half-night at a place called Smithwood Common near Cranleigh yesterday produced the now regulation three lifers for me. We placed one trap in grassland, and the other most importantly, next to a pond, which is the last site where Water Ermine had been seen in Surrey.
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No sign of those unsurprisingly, but we did manage 42 macro species up to o:oo in very good conditions. The three new ones were a Double Kidney, three stunning Leopard Moth, and a Lesser-spotted Pinion, which, thanks to recent discussion, I ID'd immediately.
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Smithwood Common, 24th July:
Large Yellow Underwing
Lime-speck Pug
Small Fan-footed Wave
Dunbar
Smoky Wainscot
Common Rustic
Lesser Cream Wave
Small Rufous
Brimstone
Leopard Moth*
July Highflyer
Lesser-spotted Pinion*
Yellow Shell
Double Kidney*
Yellow-tail
Dusky Sallow
Small Rivulet
Dingy Footman
Single-dotted Wave
Common Footman
Ruby Tiger
Snout
Black Arches
Flame Shoulder
Cloaked Minor
Double Square-spot
Small Phoenix
Oak Hook-tip
Uncertain
Buff Arches
a possible Yarrow Pug (it will be gen. deted.)
Willow Beauty
Scarce Footman
Dark Arches
Coxcomb Prominent
Pale Prominent
Riband Wave
Flame
Common Carpet
Currant Pug
Shaded Broad-bar
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
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Small Rufous

Double Kidney

Cloaked Minor f. latistriata

Lime-speck Pug

Lesser-spotted Pinion

Lesser Cream Wave

Leopard Moth