Last week I trapped two "Little Brown Jobs", initially identifying both of them as Clouded Drab. It wasn't until I got the second one in the viewfinder that I realised it wasn't the same as the first!
With a little help from twitter (thank you!), I discovered that the second was actually a Lead-coloured Drab. What a great way to learn the difference between them, by fortuitously having both of them in the trap at the same time...
Anyway, here they are:
The Clouded Drab with its pointed wingtips...
and the Lead-coloured Drab with its rounded ones...
I've learned since that the male Lead-coloured Drab has feathered antennae too, but I forgot to check that bit.
As for whether the black spots are diagnostic for the Lead-coloured, I don't know that either...
Anyway, it's great to be involved. I'm limited to weekend trapping, but I often put sugar out during the week. Hope everyone has a great summer of trapping - look forward to reading/seeing the moths on here!
You can find me on twitter @lilylouhart if you'd like to...
Hey Cheryl - Great first post and a lovely selection of images. Really great comparison between the two Drab species. I have only ever caught one Lead-coloured Drab here before, they are pretty scarce in Cumbria :-)
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