A close frond of mine

In a follow up to the previous post and Hartstongue mines from Wales, the larva have been examined more closely and confirmed as Psychoides verhuella.

A tale of 3 Vices...

...3 Vice Counties that is: East Gloucestershire, Breconshire and East Kent.

A weekend trip to a wedding in the Brecon Beacons offered plenty of opportunity for moth recording much further afield with a stop-over in Gloucestershire on the way.

Ran the 125W MV in a rural garden in Grafton, Gloucestershire, close to a blossoming Sallow and had probably the best March night I've ever had:

112 Small Quaker
47 Clouded Drab
39 Hebrew Character
19 Common Quaker
11 Twin-spotted Quaker
5 Lead Coloured Drab (NFY)
5 Red Chestnut (NFY)
2 Satellite
2 Engrailed (NFY)
Double striped Pug (NFY)
Dotted Border
Pale Pinion (NFY)
March Moth
Early Thorn (NFY)
Chestnut
Agonopterix heracliana
A. alstromeriana
Parsnip moth












Although busy with the wedding, manged a few species around the lighted windows/security lights of the hotel (near Bwlch):

Red Sword-grass (NFY) - or what was left of it in a spider's web:





Mottled Grey (NFY)
Twin-spotted Quaker
Common Quaker
Small Quaker
March Moth
Clouded Drab
Hebrew Character

Plus Psychoides filicivora mines and possibly its congener, P. verhuella (larvae being reared through but will also have closer inspection in the week). 


On return home and cold, foggy conditions, still fired up the garden trap last night which yielded zip!


But all in all a very productive weekend all round.

Dave

A strange case of 50 not out

Having been very active in searching for early stages (mines, larvae, cases etc) I reached the total of 50 species for the year yesterday afternoon whilst searching lichen-covered headstones in a churchyard!

There were dozens of Luffia ferchaultella cases wherever there was lichen - I counted 45 on one headstone alone.




And in the trap last night, nothing new just an increase in some of the numbers:

Ypsolopha mucronella
Diurnea fagella 4
Epiphyas postvittana
Clouded Drab 10
Hebrew Character 12
Small Quaker 4
Early Grey 3
Twin-spotted Quaker 3
Common Quaker
March Moth
Oak Beauty

Dave

Catch report 21st March

Catch report 21/3/12, Back garden twin 30W actinic Robinson

Eudonia angustea (nfy)
Emmelina monodactyla
Shoulder Stripe
Hebrew Character 4
Small Quaker 3
Common Quaker
Twin-spotted Quaker 2
Clouded Drab 4
Satellite 2
Early Grey 5

Dave

What a beauty...

Took delivery yesterday of the twin 30W actinic set up from ALS to use as interchangeable with the existing MV electrics on the Robinson trap and gave the light a run out last night. All in all a good result including one new for year that I'd been anticipating for a few days - Oak Beauty. Always a treat and much loved by the kids (keeps them going until the hawkmoth season!)...

Trap Report - Twin 60W actinic Robinson - Back garden


Diurnea fagella 
Agonopterix heracliana
Oak Beauty
Satellite
Twin-spotted Quaker 2
Clouded Drab 4
Common Quaker 2
Small Quaker 3
Early Grey 2
Hebrew Character 5
March Moth

Couldn't resist some of these pics: In this one it's like an old Vulcan bomber with two wingmen And if anyone has any ideas as to what the Clouded Drab said to the Oak Beauty...

Just ticking over but LBAM's on the rise...

Nothing new to the garden trap for a few days now, just middling numbers of usual suspects, although a few more LBAMs now turning up - will it bounce back this year seeing how the winter was relatively mild.



Dave

Two more new for years, a little overdue

Amongst the usual suspects this morning were two more new for year, two that I would have expected before now but better late than never...

Small Quaker



Clouded Drab

Weekend catch-up

Another good few days at the garden trap over the weekend:

Shoulder-stripe (NFY)


Twin-spotted Quaker (nfy)


Diurnea fagella
Ypsolopha mucronella
Agonopterix heracliana
A. alstromeriana
Epiphyas postvittana
Emmelina monodactyla
Pale Brindled Beauty
Common Quaker
Hebrew Character
Early Grey
Dotted Border
Satellite

Back in business

After a week of weather totally unsuitable for trapping manged to run the garden trap last night:

Garden catch report 8th March

Twin-spotted Quaker (NFY) - pic to follow
2 Hebrew Character
Dotted Border
Satellite
Agonopterix heracliana

Weather looks set better for trapping for a few nights now, so fingers crossed.

Dave

Another good weekend for early stage finds

Well the weather has certainly taken a turn for the worse for trapping, however managed to get out and about at the weekend on a other foray for early stages of micro moths, this time to Covert Wood.

A two-hour trip yielded the following:

Cedestis subfasciella: green larva, mine from tip to base (C. gyselleniella mines base to tip and  from April onwards)

Ocnerostoma friesei: Brown larva. Date helps separate from O. piniariella (as latter from April onwards)

Trifurcula immundella: egg cases observed in field (with hand lens) on at least 3 mines to help separate from Leucoptera spartifoliella.

Agonopterix assimilella: larval spinnings and feeding signs extremely numerous on Broom
Taleporia tubulosa - 3 cases


Dave

Distinctive cocoon on broom for id

Very keen for comments on what might be inside this small yet distinctive pupa. On Broom, adjacent to mixed woodland and heathland habitat, East Kent

Dave

Usual suspects plus cat for ID...

A new month but on the moth front it is decidedly business as usual.  Of note was the record total of 7 Dotted Border for the garden trap.

Back Garden trap results 1st March 2012

Tortricodes alternella
Emmelina monodactyla 3
Dotted Border 7

Hebrew Character 9
Early Moth 2
Satellite
Chestnut 2
Pale Brindled Beauty

Plus on the night time dog walk:

Female Early Moth
Angle Shades caterpillar
Three as yet unidentified caterpillars (ca. 17mm long), browsing on Blackthorn buds (comments welcomed) Edit: Thanks to Douglas over on Back Garden Moths - these look like Lesser Y U cats.

Dave

Last of the February moths

A good night at the garden trap again to end a very productive February:

Spring Usher (NFY)
March Moth
Dotted Border 4
Chestnut 2
Satellite
Hebrew Character 7
Early Grey
Tortricodes alternella 2
Emmelina monodactyla

plus Dark Chestnut out dusking

Latest pics

March Moth

Early Grey

Hebrew Character and its inherent variability

Lets hope March continues in a similar vane

Dave