Signs of life...

Having run the trap for three consecutive nights a few more moths are now turning up, although numbers are still very low:

4 Hebrew Character
Common Quaker
March Moth
Chestnut
Dark Chestnut
2 Agonopterix heracliana
2 Emmelina monodactyla

Slight improvement

Well the respite from really cold and wintry weather has seen a rise in the number of moths around with a few being added to the garden year list including Early Moth, Early Grey and Chestnut.

Early Moth




Early Grey



The most notable sighting though was of a significant flush of emergence of Dotted Border and Early Moth, with the blackthorn bushes by the house literally crawling with them two evenings ago.



This was followed a night later by a flush of dozens of Agonopterix heracliana on the garden hedge, was fascinating to see so many at once.

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

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

Catch report 28/2/12

Exceptionally mild yet again, another new for year - Early Grey

Garden trap catch report 28/2/12

Emmelina monodactlya

Agonopterix alstromeriana

A. heracliana

Tortricodes alternella - 2

Early Grey (nfy)

Chestnut

Satellite

Common Quaker

Pale Brindled Beauty

plus another female Early Moth (and 2 males) on the dusking foray.

Dave

A much improved night

Last night actually delivered a good cast of the usual early spring suspects to the garden trap:

Tortricodes alternella (2)
Agonopterix heracliana 
A. alstromeriana

Early Moth
Chestnut
Satellite (2, both with white markings this time)

Common Quaker

Dave