Quick note....

It is great to see the season gaining momentum! Hopefully some exciting finds to come in our respective gardens!

The Streamer

 If contributors to the blog could mention the county they trap in on each post, this would be really helpful; as it gives context for those visiting the blog,  Thank you :-)

Early arrivals

Still quite small catches in our trap in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire, but some strikingly early individuals over the past week or so: we've had Orange Footman, Least Black Arches, Poplar Hawkmoth and Pale Prominent, all of which Waring and Townsend have as emerging in May. Brimstones have been coming to the fore, and Epiphyas postvittana looks to be preparing to have a good year, too. We've had a few extra butterflies, too, on some of the recent sunnier days - Orange Tips in quite good numbers, and a rather nice Green-veined White. So overall, we're now on 53: 45 moths and eight butterflies.

Least Black Arches, 23/4/14

Orange Footman, 24/4/14

Pale Prominent, 27/4/14

Poplar Hawkmoth, 24/4/14

Chuffed

Being new to this in 2014 i was very pleased to get my first hawk moth, Lime, on 25th April which turned out to be my best night to date, 12 moths with 11 Species. 5 of which were new for me.

Central Oxford Update

I realise that I've not yet posted anything this year to this blog so I'd better give people the story so far. In my modest central Oxford garden last year I managed just shy of 250 so that's my target to beat this year. With a score of 37 I'm already well ahead of last year at this time (which was just 8) since spring was so late then. Here's the list so far in all it's detail

Moths
1    01/01/2014    Clothes Moth
2    18/03/2014    Clouded Drab
3    18/03/2014    Hebrew Character
4    18/03/2014    Brindled Pug (NFG)
5    19/03/2014    Common Quaker
6    19/03/2014    Early Grey
7    29/03/2014    Scarlet Tiger Moth (larva)
8    30/03/2014    Double-striped Pug
9    30/03/2014    Common Plume
10    30/03/2014    White-shouldered House Moth
11    30/03/2014    Beautiful Plume
12    31/03/2014    Early Thorn
13    31/03/2014    Herald (NFG)
14    31/03/2014    Small Quaker (NFG)
15    01/04/2014    Light Brown Apple Moth
16    01/04/2014    Twin-spotted Quaker (NFG)
17    01/04/2014    Pale Mottled Willow
18    03/04/2014    Bee Moth
19    03/04/2014    Many-plumed Moth
20    06/04/2014    Brimstone
21    06/04/2014    Caloptilia Rufipennella
22    11/04/2014    Least Black Arches
23    12/04/2014    Psychoides filicivora (NFG)
24    13/04/2014    Esperia Sulphurella
25    15/04/2014    Yellow-barred Brindle
26    18/04/2014    Muslin
27    22/04/2014    Clouded-bordered Brindle (NFG)
28    23/04/2014    V-Pug
29    23/04/2014    Garden Carpet
30    23/04/2014    Waved Umber

Butterflies
1 Date unknown  Brimstone
2 Date unknown  Peacock
3    09/04/2014    Small Tortoiseshell
4    14/04/2014    Small White
5    14/04/2014    Holly Blue
6    14/04/2014    Orange-tip
7    14/04/2014    Green-veined White

My main interest for this year is in getting new moths on the all time garden list which currently stands at a little over 250 (largely being made up from last year's year list). So far I've managed six which are marked on the list.

The clear highlight for this year so far has been the diminutive Psychoides filicivora as this was only the third ever record in the county. Let's hope for another warm summer with the superb catches that it brought

Waved Umber

Clouded-bordered Brindle

Least Black Arches

Psychoides filicivora

Twin-spotted Quaker

Very slow start to 2014 due to weather & health but 2 new ones.

Up to 12 now:)
Streamer

Many Plumed Moth

Story so far near Oxford

Here's a list of moths which have visited my Robinson trap in Thrupp, Oxon, since the beginning of February. More on Martin's Moths and Upper Thames Moths if of interest. All warm wishes, Martin Wainwright.

Pale Brindled Beauty 2/3 February, Chestnut 2/3 February, Dotted Border 16/17 February

Hebrew Character 18/19 February, Common Plume 23/24 February, Satellite 23/24 February, Common Quaker 24/25 February, Clouded Drab 24/25 February, Early Grey 6 March, Small Brindled Beauty 9 March, Small Quaker 9 March, Twin-spotted Quaker 9 March, March Moth 10 March

Pale Pinion 10 March, Carnation Tortrix, Cacoecimorpha pronubana 16 March, Lead-coloured Drab  16 March, Agonopterix heracliana 18 March, Brindled Beauty 18 March, Leek Moth, Acrolepiopsis assectela (susp) 18 March, Oak Beauty 18 March, Red Chestnut 22 March, Early Thorn 31 March, Pine Beauty 31 March, Brindled Pug 31 March, Agonopterix alstromeriana  1 April. Diurnea flagella 1 April, Dotted Chestnut 1 April, Powdered Quaker 4 April, Purple Thorn 9 April, Twenty-plume 11 April, Brimstone Moth 16 April, Chocolate-tip 17 April, Coxcomb Prominent 17 April, Muslin Moth 17 April, Nut-tree Tussock 17 April.

Chocolate Tip

A Chocolate Tip from last night

Various new species - but a slowdown on numbers

Some quite good nights last week - 2nd April was especially busy, with 16 species in and around the trap - but despite quite high temperatures, things have slowed down over the last couple of nights: possibly it's been too windy? At any rate, last night we only got twelve individuals; on the other hand, new species have kept coming regardless, including our first ever Water Carpet and Powdered Quaker, our first Brimstone, Herald and Muslin Moth of the year, and several nice micros. It's quite noticeable that many of the individuals are rather nice, spruce specimens: presumably recently emerged. Anyway, there's a selection of them below: we're now on 39 all told: 36 moths and three butterflies.

Water Carpet, 2/4/14

Powdered Quaker, 2/4/14

Brimstone, 3/4/14

Herald, 2/4/14

Muslin Moth, 6/4/14

Caloptilia semifascia, 6/4/14

Quiet Again

It's all gone a bit quiet in the nocturnal world of my garden, but one new species for my year list appeared on Thursday night, so here it is:

19. Early Grey

Rise of the micros

We had a good trapping session this week, with 17 species in one night (and that’s just the moths!). Numbers are certainly starting to improve and the quakers and pugs are out in force. The micros are starting to gather in number as well, which makes for some extra pondering over their ID and adds to the challenge (and fun) of it all! We’ve added a couple of new species to our site list this year – Caloptilia semifascia and Dotted Chestnut, which appears to be expanding its range in this area. Some of the species from the trap this week were:

Dotted Chestnut

Eriocrania subpurpurella

Phtheochroa rugosana 

Eriocrania unimaculella

Oak Beauty

We’re on a total of 36 species now (31 moths + 5 butterflies).

Grinding along...

Numbers still feel a bit low compared to some others so far, but given that this time last year our year list stood at one individual of one species, it's quite hard to complain! We've had the trap out for the last couple of nights, both of which have been relatively balmy, and had thirty-or-so individuals both nights: several new species for the year, including Double-striped Pug (a handsome individual on the 31st giving the lie to the idea that pugs are all dull) and a rather early-feeling Flame Shoulder on the 31st. Several nice micros, too, with our first Beautiful Plume and Many-plumed of the year, among others. All of which leaves the year's total at 29: 26 moths, plus three butterflies.

Double-striped Pug, 31/3/14

Flame Shoulder, 31/3/14