Early September Mothing in the garden

It's been a rather slow month with a small trickle of new moths during the first two weeks of September.

The weather has been a little up and down as well, with some windy and wet days, mixed in with some humid and warm sunny days, but cool nights (some dropping as low as 6c here in North Herts).

The big shock was of course the 2nd Herts record of Slender Burnished Brass and not seen since the year 2000! It was a Plusia I needed as well, having seen Scarce Burnished Brass abroad in the past.

An Orange Sallow was also a nice surprise this morning, and a good moth for my garden ad never annual.

Below are all of the new for year species.

Garden species count for 2020 now upto 474.

Catch Reports - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts

03/09/20

1x Slender Burnished Brass

05/09/20

2x Brindled Green

08/09/20

1x Cypress Pug

09/09/20

4x Lunar Underwing 

10/09/20

1x Deep-brown Dart

12/09/20

2x Black Rustic

1x Orange Sallow

Black Rustic

Cypress Pug

Deep-brown Dart

Lunar Underwing

Orange Sallow

Slender Burnished Brass

August Roundup - Garden report

August, in general was a funny old month. It started average temperature wise in the low to mid 20's and then by the second week we had 5 days of 30+ peaking at around 35 degrees on the 7th.

Night time temperatures were unbearable for sleeping, with at least 7 nights on a trot where the temperature did not drop below 18 degrees, in fact the warmest night was 22.5c on the 11th. 

I cannot remember it being +20c at night for such an extended period of time before.

The catches were rather sporadic and naturally went mad when it was warm, but there was a huge decrease in numbers of common species, in fact new for year species literally dried up at towards the end of August after the hot spell, and I went a full 6 trapping efforts not seeing any new species, this is most unusual.

But, it wasn't all bad. With 6 new species for the garden, pretty darn good after 8 years of trapping here.

We start on the 31st of July, the night before the month of August started.

Below are all of the new for year species.

Garden species count for 2020 now upto 460.

Catch Reports - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts

30/07/20

Barred Hook-tip

Common Wainscot

Flounced Rustic

Least Yellow Underwing

Waved Black

Gelechia senticetella

01/08/20

Gypsy Moth [New Garden Moth no.747]

Mouse Moth

Phoenix

White-point

Agriphila tristella

Epinotia ramella

Parapoynx stratiotata

Phyllonorycter geniculella

02/08/20

Marbled Beauty

Old Lady

Rosy Rustic

Wormwood Pug

Bryotropha affinis

Eucosma campoliliana

Pammene regiana

04/08/20

Pammene aurita

Ypsolopha sequella

Ypsolopha sylvella

05/08/20

Pammene aurita

Ypsolopha sequella

06/08/20

Ectoedemia louisella/sericopeza

07/08/20

Caloptilia falconipennella [New Garden Moth no.748]

08/08/20

Old Lady

Rosy Rustic

Wormwood Pug

Aglossa pinguinalis [New Garden Moth no.749]

Agriphila geniculea

Cedestis gysseleniella [New Garden Moth no.750]

Mompha raschkiella

09/08/20

Clay Triple-lines

Pretty Chalk Carpet [New Garden Moth no.751]

Pyralis farinalis

10/08/20

Oak Processionary

Plain Pug [New Garden Moth no.752]

Argyresthia bonnetella

Epinotia nisella

Pyrausta despicata

12/08/20

Hoary Footman

Roeslerstammia erxlebella

Ypsolopha alpella

13/08/20

Orange Swift

Cochylis dubitana

Elophila nymphaeata

15/08/20

Frosted Orange

Agriphila straminella

Cochylimorpha straminea

Cydia amplana

Udea ferrugalis

16/08/20

Currant Pug

Catoptria falsella

20/08/20

Dewick's Plusia

21/08/20

Centre-barred Sallow

22/08/20

Monopis weaverella

Aglossa pinguinalis

Caloptilia falconipennella

Cochylis dubitana

Cydia amplana

Dewick's Plusia

Elophila nymphaeata

Gypsy Moth

Waved Black

 

Catch Report - 29/07/20 - Back Garden

A catch from when the weather was still nice! 

Back on the 29th of July to be precise, a fairly cool day at 21 degrees, but dominant cloud cover blessed us throughout most of the night and with a mean low of 16 degrees, it was a busy one at the trap with 61 species noted.

No new macro moths for the year were noted oddly, but five new species of micro moth made up for it, with Recurvaria nanella the best of the 5.

Garden species count for 2020 now upto 406.

Only New For Year Species Reported

250w Clear MV Robinson Trap min 16c at 4:30am

Catch Report - 29/07/20 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts

Macro Moths

No new species recorded

Micro Moths

Argyresthia albistria 1 [NFY]

Cochylis molliculana 1 [NFY]

Eucosma cana 1 [NFY]

Phyllonorycter messaniella 1 [NFY]

Recurvaria nanella 1 [NFY]

Phyllonorycter messaniella

Argyresthia albistria

Cochylis molliculana

Eucosma cana

Recurvaria nanella

Field Trip - Bramfield Woods - 24/07/20

Exactly a month ago, we made another trip to the fantastic woodland that is Bramfield Woods here in central Herts.

It was a warm one, and a little bit breezy at times but the moths were not complaining and with the muggyness it was quite busy at the more powerful traps, less action was happening at the Actinic though, so they were packed up first.

We ran our lights until around 2am where tiredness got the better of us.

The usual suspects were observed, but the pick had to be not one, but two Dark Crimson Underwings! and both to two different traps that were run by Trevor...narrowly avoiding mine! Once again Trevor rubbed my nose in it (O we had a good laugh at that).

My trump card was to be found in the lower 160w blended trap, a really unusual coloured Large Emerald, an aberration of somekind that wasn't worn and was scale perfect! Never seen a green moth look so odd.

A Caryocolum species needs to be checked as well as a Bryotropha and a Nemapogon variatella /ruricolella, ones for the winter dissections!

Catch Report - 24/07/20 - Bramfield Woods - Central Herts - 4 traps - 1x 125w MV Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x 250w Clear MV Robinson Trap & 1x 40w U-Tube + 15w Actinic tube & 15w Synergetic tube Trap

65 Macro species & 84 Micro species - 149 species in total

Macro Moths

Barred Hook-tip

Barred Red

Black Arches

Blood vein 

Bright-line Brown-eye

Brown-line Bright-eye 

Brown-tail

Buff Ermine

Buff Footman

Buff-tip

Clay 

Cloaked Minor

Common Carpet

Common Footman

Common Rustic

Common Wave 

Common White Wave

Dark Arches

Dingy Footman

Double Square-spot

Dun-bar 

Dusky Sallow

Dusky Thorn 

Ear 

Elephant Hawk-moth

Fan-foot

Flame 

Flame Shoulder

Heart & Dart

Iron Prominent

Large Emerald 

Large Yellow Underwing

Latticed Heath

Least Carpet

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Nut-tree Tussock

Oak Hook-tip

Peach Blossom

Pebble Hook-tip

Peppered Moth

Pine Hawk-moth

Riband Wave

Rivulet 

Rosy Footman

Ruby Tiger

Rustic 

Sallow Kitten

Scalloped Hook-tip

Scalloped Oak

Scarce Footman

Scarce Silver Lines

Silver Y

Single-dotted Wave

Slender Brindle

Small Fan-footed Wave

Small Rivulet 

Small White Wave

Smoky Wainscot

Tawny-barred Angle

Tree-lichen Beauty

Vines Rustic

Willow Beauty

Yellow Shell

Yellow-tail

Micro Moths

Accentria emphemerella

Acleris forskalleana

Acleris notana 

Acrobasis consociella

Acrobasis repandana

Agapeta hamana

Agonopterix alstromeriana

Agriphila straminella

Anacampsis populella

Aphomia sociella

Apotomis betuletana

Archips xylosteana

Argyresthia albistria

Argyresthia brockeella

Argyresthia retinella 

Argyresthia conjugella

Aspilapteryx tringipennella

Assara terebrella

Athrips mouffetella

Batia lunaris

Batrachedra praeangusta

Blastobasis adustella

Blastobasis lacticolella

Brachmia blandella

Bryotropha sp

Bucculatrix bechensteinella

Calomotropha paludella

Caloptila alchimiella

Carcina quercana

Caryocolum sp

Catoptria pinella

Celypha lacunana

Celypha striana

Chrysoteuchia culmella

Cnephasia sp

Coleophora trifoli

Crambus pascuella

Crassa unitella 

Cydalima perspectalis

Cydia fagiglandana

Cydia splendana

Ditula angustiorana

Endotricha flammealis

Epagoge grotiana

Epinotia nisella 

Epinotia ramella

Eucosma cana

Eudemis profundana

Eudonia lacustrata

Eudonia mercurella

Exotelia dodecella

Gelechia scotinella

Gypsonoma dealbana

Hofmannophila pseudospretella

Hypsopygia costalis

Hypsopygia glaucinalis

Lathronympha strigana

Lozotaeniodes formosana

Metalampra italica

Monochroa cytisella

Monochroa palustrella

Nemapogon variatella ruricolella

Pandemis corylana

Pandemis heparana

Parapoynx stratiotata

Paraswammerdamia nebulella

Parornix sp

Pediasia contaminella

Phycita roborella

Phyllonorycter harrisella

Phyllonorycter messaniella

Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella

Pleuroptya ruralis

Rhopobota naevana

Rhyacionia buoliana

Rhyacionia pinicolana

Scoparia ambigualis

Spilonota ocellana

Syncopacma sp

Teleiodes luculella

Tinea trinotella

Yponomeuta evonymella 

Ypsolpha ustella 

Zeiraphera isertana

250w Clear MV Robinson Trap

250w Clear MV Robinson Trap

Dark Crimson Underwings

Anacampsis populella

Assara terebrella

Black Arches (Female)

Caryocolum sp

Large Emerald aberration

Large Emerald

Nemapogon variatella ruricolella

Rhyacionia pinicolana

Catch Report - 26/07/20 - Back garden

Another garden trapping effort on the 26th of July.

During the daytime and before setting up the trap my wife spotted a Hummingbird Hawk-moth whizzing around our Buddleia, a first for the year and not seen since 2017, we've not seen any since unfortunately. In 2017 we had two that would regularly visit at dinnertime everyday for over two weeks!

From the trap in the morning, some nice quality species such as Lychnis, Twin-spotted Wainscot and Lesser-spotted Pinion, all of which are scarce here, particularly the Wainscot with only one previous garden record in 2014!

Two Coleophora are left still to check as well as a tiny Elachista which is probably stabilella.

Garden species count for 2020 now upto 401.

Only New For Year Species Reported

250w Clear MV Robinson Trap min 16c at 4:15am

Catch Report - 26/07/20 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts

Macro Moths

Buff Footman 1 [NFY]

Copper Underwing 1 [NFY]

Hummingbird Hawk-moth 1 [NFY] (Feeding from Buddleia at 5:30pm)

Lesser-spotted Pinion 1 [NFY]

Lychnis 1 [NFY]

Twin-spotted Wainscot 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

Argyresthia goedartella 1 [NFY]

Lathronympha strigana 1 [NFY]

Argyresthia goedartella

Buff Footman

Copper Underwing

Lathronympha strigana

Lesser-spotted Pinion

Lychnis

Twin-spotted Wainscot

Field Trip - Chippenham Fen - 17/07/20

My last trip out to Chippenham of the year, and after the excitement of the last trip (with the new for Britain Parallel Lines), I wasn't expecting anything that exotic this time!

I did however record a hefty 231 species over 4 lights run from 9:30pm until 2:00am.

The weather was warm and muggy and did not drop below 17 degrees all night.

Several macro moth species were new to me, Goat Moth and Marbled Clover I had only previously seen in France before and the Geometridae moth, the Chevron was completely new for me.

On the micro front Acleris shepherdana & Monochroa lutulentella were also firsts for me.

To see so many moths in the space of  just over 4 hours was incredible.

Below are the results.

Catch Report - 17/07/20 - Chippenham Fen - Cambridgeshire - 4 traps - 1x 125w MV Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x 250w Clear MV Robinson Trap & 1x 40w U-Tube + 15w Actinic tube & 15w Synergetic tube Trap

116 Macro species & 115 Micro species - 231 species in total

Macro Moths

Beautiful Hook-tip

Black Arches

Blackneck 

Bordered Beauty

Bordered Pug

Bright-line Brown-eye

Brimstone

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Brown Scallop 

Brown-line Bright-eye 

Brown-tail

Buff Ermine

Buff-tip

Bulrush Wainscot

Chevron

Cloaked Minor

Clouded Border

Clouded Silver

Common Carpet

Common Footman 

Common Rustic 

Common Wave

Common White Wave

Coronet

Coxcomb Prominent

Currant Pug

Dark Arches

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet

Dingy Footman

Dingy Shell

Dotted Fan-foot

Double Lobed 

Double Square-spot

Double-striped Pug

Drinker 

Dun-bar 

Dusky Sallow

Dusky Thorn 

Dwarf Cream Wave

Early Thorn

Elephant Hawk-morh

Engrailed

Fan-foot

Fen Wainscot

Fern

Four-spotted Footman 

Ghost Moth

Goat Moth

Grey Dagger 

Haworth's Pug

Herald

Iron Prominent

Kent Black Arches

Knot Grass

Large Emerald

Large Twin-spot Carpet

Large Yellow Underwing

Latticed Heath

Least Carpet

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Lesser Cream Wave

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Lime-speck Pug

Lunar Yellow Underwing

Lychnis

Maple Pug

Marbled Beauty

Marbled Clover

Marbled White Spot

Mere Wainscot

Miller 

Mottled Beauty

Nutmeg

Nut-tree Tussock

Pale Prominent

Pebble Hook-tip

Pebble Prominent

Peppered Moth

Pine Hawk-moth

Poplar Grey

Poplar Hawk-moth

Red Twin-spot Carpet

Reed Leopard

Riband Wave

Rosy Footman

Round-winged Muslin

Ruby Tiger

Rufous Minor

Rustic

Sallow Kitten 

Scalloped Oak 

Scarce Footman

Scarlet Tiger

Shaded Broad-bar

Silver Barred

Silver Y

Single-dotted Wave

Slender Pug 

Small Emerald

Small Fan-footed Wave

Small Phoenix 

Small Rufous 

Small Scallop

Snout

Southern Wainscot

Straw Dot

Striped Wainscot

Swallow Prominent

Swallow-tailed Moth

Tree-lichen Beauty

Uncertain

V-Pug 

White Satin 

Wormwood Pug

Yellow Shell

Yellow-tail 

Micro Moths

Accentria emphemerella

Acleris comariana/laterana

Acleris forskalleana

Acleris hastiana

Acleris holmiana

Acleris kochiella

Acleris shepherdana

Acleris variegana

Acompsia cinerella

Acrobasis consociella

Acrobasis suavella

Adaina microdactyla

Aethes rubigana

Agapeta hamana

Agapeta zoegana

Agonopterix alstromeriana

Agonopterix angelicella

Agonopterix ciliella

Agriphila straminella

Agriphila tristella

Anacampsis blatterialla

Anania hortulata

Anania lancealis

Anania perlucidalis

Aphomia sociella

Archips podana

Argyresthia albistria

Argyresthia brockeella

Argyresthia goedartella

Batia lunaris

Blastobasis adustella

Brachmia blandella

Bryotropha terrella

Bucculatrix nigricomella

Caloptila alchimiella

Caloptilia semifascia

Cameraria ohridella

Carcina quercana

Carpatolechia fugitivella

Cataclysta lemnata

Catoptria pinella

Celypha lacunana

Celypha striana

Chilo phragmitrella

Chrysoteuchia culmella

Cnephasia sp

Cochylis atricapitana

Cochylis dubitana

Coleophora conspicuella

Cosmopterix scribaiella

Crambus pascuella

Crambus perlella

Cydia fagiglandana

Cydia splendana

Ditula angustiorana

Elachista maculicerusella

Elachista stabilella

Elophila nymphaeata

Endothenia ericetana

Endothenia quadrimaculana

Endotricha flammealis

Epagoge grotiana

Epinotia nisella

Epinotia tenerana

Ethmia dodecea

Ethmia quadrillella

Eucosma cana

Eucosma hohenwartiana

Eucosma obumbratana

Eudemis profundana

Eudonia lacustrata

Eudonia mercurella

Euzophera pinguis

Evergestis pallidata

Gelechia muscosella

Grapholita janthinana

Gypsonoma dealbana

Hedya salicella

Helycystogramma rufescens

Hofmannophila pseudospretella

Homoeosoma sinuella

Hypsopygia costalis

Limnaecia phragmitrella

Lobesia abscisana

Metzneria metzneriella

Mompha ochraceella

Monochroa lutulentella

Notocelia roborana

Nymphula nitidulata

Ostrinia nubilalis

Pammene aurita

Pandemis heparana

Paraswammerdamia nebulella

Parornix sp

Phalonidia manniana

Phtherochroa inopiana

Phycita roborella

Phyllonorycter kleemannella

Phyllonorycter stettinensis

Piniphila bifasciana

Pleuroptya ruralis

Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

Pyrausta purpuralis

Rhyacionia buoliana

Schoenobius gigantella

Scoparia ambigualis

Scoparia basistrigalis

Stathmopoda pedella

Tachystola acroxantha

Teleiodes vulgella

Thiodina subocellana

Tinea pellionella

Tinea trinotella

Yponomeuta cag mal

Yponomeuta evonymella Schoenobius gigantella Nymphula nitidulata Monochroa lutulentella Marbled Clover Goat Moth Chevron Acleris shepherdana Acleris hastiana 125w MV Robinson Trap

Some migrant highlights from last night's field trip

Last night I took my gear to my local woodland, with storms threatening earlier on, by the evening things had settled down and we were in for a warm and muggy session.

I've yet to collate the list but its around 120 species.

Migrant wise, I was expecting something and I was pleased to pot up a single Cydia amplana at the Actinic trap, my 3rd UK record of this species (previous examples in my garden 2014,2019). 

There were also plenty of Silver Y and Plutella xylostella, countless Turnips and also one each of Dark Sword-grass and the first Udea ferrugalis i've seen this year.

Cydia amplana

You couldn't make this up, honest!

Last night the trap was full of Straw Underwing, 52 of the blighters! Previous years I would just get into double-figures per session at the very most.

Back to the topic..

I've been having issues with numerous cats in our garden, pooping, digging, catching moths, playing with my egg trays and sunbathing in front of the 250 watt bulb!

My brother in law has the same problem and put me onto one of these solar scarers, i've yet to see it work but we will see.

So I was going through my trap and on one tray, well you wouldn't believe it...there was a cat in the trap, this wasn't just any old feline though, it was a Large Tabby and a garden first! One I haven't seen for 10 years, what are the chances of getting a Tabby moth on the same night as installing a Tabby cat deterrent :D

It is the 747th species for my garden.

Catch Report - 22/07/20 - Back Garden

Another warm night on the 22nd of July with lows of a very respectable 17 degrees and with lashings of cloud cover and no rain, 64 species were noted in and around the trap.

I did expect a few more new for year species that were jotted down, but with one new garden moth and two species that didn't feature in 2019 I was suitably pleased.

Coleophora albitarsella was a new moth for me and my garden, both Dingy Footman & Slender Pug were absent last year and it was great to get both of the common Pyrausta species side by side.

One moth needs double checking, an Ocnerostoma species and proably Ocnerostoma friesei, a moth i've recorded twice before here.

Garden species count for 2020 now upto 393.

Only New For Year Species Reported

125w MV Robinson Trap min 13c at 4:15am

Catch Report - 22/07/20 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts

Macro Moths

Dingy Footman 1 [NFY]

Slender Pug 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

Coleophora albitarsella 1 [NFG]

Pyrausta purpuralis 1 [NFY]

Coleophora albitarsella

Dingy Footman

Ocnerostoma sp

Pyrausta aurata (left) Pyrausta purpuralis (right)

Slender Pug