Springing into action

The last week has seen a steady stream of spring species to the garden trap, thanks to the mild weather. Including one for which I had a 'gap' year in 2013, Oak Beauty.



Twin-spotted Quaker



Pale Pinion



Double-striped Pug

Usual suspects already?

Amazing isn't it, only a couple of weeks ago we were all bemoaning the drought of moths and yet already those now turning up are falling in to the 'usual suspects' category...

Now getting a steady flow of Orthosias each night with the odd representative from other families, including a few more micros.

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...

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