The Least of expectations

Back to the old trap last night, and in initially clear, but then cloudy conditions, a good illustration of what I was getting at yesterday was achieved. 75 moths of 27 species is a pretty good haul for the whole night, but remember, the MV got that in two hours! Amongst this lot was new for the year Least Yellow Underwing, but the best was my second garden record of Oak Nycteoline.

31st July:

14 Dark Arches

8 Uncertain

8 Common Rustic sp.

7 Dunbar

4 Willow Beauty

3 Shuttle-shaped Dart

3 Rustic

3 Large Yellow Underwing

3 LBBYU

2 Clay

2 Scalloped Oak

2 Double Square-spot

1 Single-dotted Wave

1 Rosy Footman

1 Rosy Minor

1 Yellow-barred Brindle

1 Riband Wave

1 Red Twin-spot Carpet

1 Small Fan-footed Wave

1 Smoky Wainscot

1 Heart and Dart

1 Least Yellow Underwing NFY

1 Poplar Hawk

1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

1 Ear Moth

1 Yellow-tail

1 Oak Nycteoline NFY

Dunbar

Least Yellow Underwing

Oak Nycteoline

March Round-off

A few more odds and ends from March in the garden.

Emmelina monodactyla, caught on the 22nd. An almost prehistoric looking micro moth...

Double striped Pugs fly throughout most of the year in mild weather, but it is the first generation, emerging during March and April, that are the smartest looking (sorry for the horrible camera focusing, they are not easy to photograph!). Caught this individual on 22nd March...

On a field trip to the bathroom on 14th, this Mompha subbistrigella decided to fly in through an open window. Its the smallest moth I've ever seen- only 4mm in length- and new for the garden. Provided a real challenge for the macro lens...

Probably the most stunning moth I've caught yet this year, I caught my first Oak Beauty on the 11th, and since then small numbers have been turning up to lit windows now and then- always a pleasure to see...

Not easily told apart from Dark Chestnut (which is coming to the end of its flight period), I caught this typical looking Chestnut on the 11th. Told apart from Dark Chestnut by the more curved edge to the forewing, as opposed the more straight edged and sharp 'apex' of the Dark Chestnut...

Mild weather brought this worn Oak Nycteoline out of hiberation slightly earlier than usual on the 10th March. Like the Double-striped Pug, it can be seen throughout most of the year...

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.

Chafers don't Hog precedings at Norbury Park

I just had to be away for the week when it started to warm up didn't I! As a result I have not trapped in my garden for ages (I'll hopefully rectify that this evening), but I managed to get a fix from the mothing drug last night, and what a dramatic one it was.

I went to Norbury Park and trapped til 1am with David Gardner. The main surprise of the night was the shear number of Cockchafers. I think we got to about 50 come the end! They really were quite an inconvenience to say the least. Halfway through the night we also had a visit from a Hedgehog, and we were willing it over to help us clear the trap of Beetles!

Onto the moths, and we got 37 macros in the end, including a few surprises. I managed to get eight brand new species during the course of the night too. An interesting haul of Great Prominent also.

The final list (* is new to me):

Mocha

Coronet (a dark form)

Treble Lines*

Small White Wave* x 5

Mottled Pug

Brindled Pug x 3

Pebble Hook-tip x 2

Common Carpet x 2

Pale Tussock x 3

Purple Bar x 2

Clay Triple-lines x 2

Nut-tree Tussock x 4

Brown Silver-lines* x 2

Red-green Carpet

Small Waved Umber x 2

Water Carpet

Scalloped Hazel x 2

Currant Pug*

Treble-bar

Marbled Brown* x 6

Common White Wave

Coxcomb Prominent x 2

Silver-ground Carpet*

White Ermine
Pale Prominent

Flame Shoulder x 2

Oak Nycteoline

Scorched Carpet x 2

Least Black Arches x 2

Flame Carpet x 2

Brimestone x 5

Red Twin-spot Carpet x 4

Great Prominent x 10

Green Carpet x 16

Pretty Chalk Carpet

Waved Umber* x 2
White-pinion Spotted* x 7

Apologies for the poor shots, they were very much done on the spur of the moment.

Our late night visitor...

Waved Umber

Small White Wave

Pretty Chalk Carpet

White-pinion Spotted

Pebble Hook-tip

Pale Tussock

Oak Nycteoline

The Mocha

Marbled Brown

Great Prominent

Green Carpet

Coxcomb Prominent

Clay Triple-lines

Cockchafers

The full trap!

Conditions are getting better

Wed night was much milder and my increased catch reflected this:

brimstone moth (nfy) 2
flame shoulder (nfy) 2
poplar hawk (nfy) 2


Hebrew character 2
small phoenix (nfy)
early grey
muslin moth
E. monodactyla
orange footman (nfy)

puss moth (nfy)

sharp-angled carpet (a rather deceptive one, which I first thought to be a water carpet!)


garden pebble (nfy)

white ermine (nfy)

swallow prominent (nfy)
lesser swallow prominent (nfy) 2
pale prominent (nfy)

coxcomb prominent (nfy)
white-spotted pug (nfy)


oak hook-tip (nfy)
scalloped hook-tip (nfy)
Oak nycteoline (nfy)

Epiblema cynosbatella (nfy)


Pale tussock (nfy)
several unidentified pugs!
(nfy = new for year)