A strange Character

Amongst the throng of Early Grey and Clouded Drab last night was this unusually marked Hebrew Character - well known for the variability in its markings, this one stood out though.






Also year firsts of Red-green Carpet and Angle Shades.

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

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...

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

A good weekend

Added several species to the year list over the last few days with a combination of the garden trap, nearby dusking and visit to ancient woodland at Kings Wood, Challock.

Garden trapping 25-27 February

Ypsolopha mucronella

Agonopterix alstromeriana 

A. heracliana
Tortricodes alternella
Emmelina monodactyla 

Dotted Border

March Moth
Early Moth
Pale Brindled Beauty
Hebrew Character
Chestnut
Satellite

Dusking adjacent to garden:

Dark Chestnut
Early Moth
E. monodactyla
A. heracliana
Angle Shades cat.

Kings Wood - daytime obs

Taleporia tubulosa - cases, all on Beech

Agonopterix assimilella - larvae on Broom

T. alternella
Stigmella aurella - mines on Bramble

All in all a very productive weekend for late February.

Dave