Open the floodgates!

Seems an appropriate post header, as looking at the forecast, I think we're in for a fairly grim week's weather. However, the last couple of weeks have combined considerable busy-ness elsewhere with quite a spike in moth numbers - over 80 a couple of times, and a maximum species count of 33 - which will no doubt be overtaken later in the summer but has felt fairly spectacular anyway. As before, quite a few species seem to be turning up early in or slightly before their expected flight season; and new species for the year (one or two lifers, too) turning up more or less every night: even last night, which was not great weatherwise, we had our first Silver Y and Setaceous Hebrew Character of the year. Perhaps the most striking record was a Telechrysis tripuncta on 23rd May, which is not a very common species.

There isn't space for more than a sample of what we've seen over the last fortnight, but I've posted a few below. All told we're now up to 124 species on the challenge: 116 moths and eight butterflies.

Elachista argentella, 16/5/14 (a lifer)

Figure of Eighty, 18/5/14 (another lifer!)

Iron Prominent, 23/5/14

Peach Blossom, 17/5/14

Puss Moth, 18/5/14

Scorched Wing, 21/5/14

Another 21 species to add.Up to 33 with best nights mothing yet.

 Broad Barred White

 Cabbage Moth

 Clouded Bordered Brindle

 Common Marbled Carpet

Epiblema Cynosbatella

 Eyed Hawkmoth

 Lime Hawkmoth

 Poplar Hawkmoth

 Small Rivulet

 Rustic Shoulder Knot

 Shuttle Shaped Dart

 Spectacle

 Swallow Prominent

 Treble Lines

Bee moth

Also had Garden Carpet, Dark-Barred Twin Spot, Light Brown Apple moth, Silver Y, Many Plumed  & Waved Umber.:)

Peering at leaves

There’s been a bit of a lull here in Beds. on the trapping front, but we did a bit of leaf mining last month. This allowed us to confirm the presence of Eriocrania unimaculella from last month’s trap and to add a few new species to our year list (one of which turned out to be a beetle!).

 

Eriocrania sangii

Some other micros floating around while we were peering at leaves in the garden were: Phyllonorycter harrisella, Esperia sulphurella, and Argyrotaenia ljungiana. A recent new addition to the Lodge was Carpatolechia proximella, which is the 7^th Beds. record for this species.  The Hawk-moths have started appearing, with Lime and Poplar our sightings so far, and we’ve had the usual Flame Shoulders, Rustic Shoulder-knots, Treble Lines etc. in the trap recently. One of April’s highlights was an Alder Moth, which is an uncommon resident in Beds.

Our butterfly total is lagging at the moment on just 7 species but we’ve had 68 moth species so far, which takes our total up to 75.

May 21st

What a night for moths . Just been through my photos. 32 macro sps 7 micro (nearly all new)
Highlights: Mullein, Light Brocade, 2 Eyed Hawks, 2 Ochreous Pug, Dark Brocade ... 14 were NFY

The new micro:
Syndemis musculana, calopita robustella, Epinotia rubinosana (scarce pine one here).. One I'm not sure about but could be Eucosma obumbratana ? Help required

...,,,,.,,,.. Just worked out my mystery micro Cudia ulicetana. Another new one for me!

Whetstone, Leics. - A few more

I've managed to add another 28 species since the last update, from 3 and a bit nights trapping. I usually run two traps overnight, dusk - dawn, but last night I just ran one trap from dusk - midnight before the forecast deluge (which certainly arrived, boating lake at bottom of garden this morning). Only real highlight has been the first garden tick for the year - Phyllonorycter harrisella. 649th species, 343rd micro and 12th Phyllonorycter for the garden. Here are the additions:

	Taxon	Vernacular	Earliest
94	Cilix glaucata	Chinese Character	17/05/2014
95	Isotrias rectifasciana		17/05/2014
96	Electrophaes corylata	Broken-barred Carpet	17/05/2014
97	Phyllonorycter leucographella	Firethorn Leaf Miner	17/05/2014
98	Paraswammerdamia nebulella		17/05/2014
99	Mompha subbistrigella		17/05/2014
100	Xestia c-nigrum	Setaceous Hebrew Character	17/05/2014
101	Blastobasis lacticolella		17/05/2014
102	Eupithecia dodoneata	Oak-tree Pug	17/05/2014
103	Smerinthus ocellata	Eyed Hawk-moth	17/05/2014
104	Eupithecia indigata	Ochreous Pug	17/05/2014
105	Timandra comae	Blood-vein	17/05/2014
106	Phyllonorycter harrisella		17/05/2014
107	Plagodis dolabraria	Scorched Wing	18/05/2014
108	Cabera pusaria	Common White Wave	18/05/2014
109	Laothoe populi	Poplar Hawk-moth	18/05/2014
110	Lacanobia oleracea	Bright-line Brown-eye	18/05/2014
111	Hepialus lupulinus	Common Swift	19/05/2014
112	Hoplodrina ambigua	Vine's Rustic	19/05/2014
113	Pseudargyrotoza conwagana		19/05/2014
114	Ochropleura plecta	Flame Shoulder	19/05/2014
115	Eupithecia assimilata	Currant Pug	19/05/2014
116	Eupithecia subfuscata	Grey Pug	19/05/2014
117	Xanthorhoe montanata	Silver-ground Carpet	19/05/2014
118	Celypha lacunana		19/05/2014
119	Plutella xylostella	Diamond-back Moth	21/05/2014
120	Notodonta dromedarius	Iron Prominent	21/05/2014
121	Zanclognatha tarsipennalis	Fan-foot	21/05/2014

Diamond-back Moth

Fan-foot

Whetstone, Leics. - Back in the Game

I couldn't quite believe it myself when I realised that the garden traps had not been on since 29/04/2014. Half-way through May and no trapping in the month - ridiculous! No surprise then that once they were back on I've quickly amassed a good few yearticks, although the first night back on (14th) was pants. Both last two nights much better, and hopefully a few more tonight (17th). Up to 93 now (87 moths, 6 butterflies). Latest additions are:

	Taxon	Vernacular	Earliest
57	Phlogophora meticulosa	Angle Shades	04/05/2014
58	Coleophora serratella	[larval]	14/05/2014
59	Odontopera bidentata	Scalloped Hazel	14/05/2014
60	Colostygia pectinataria	Green Carpet	14/05/2014
61	Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet	14/05/2014
62	Syndemis musculana		15/05/2014
63	Eupithecia exiguata	Mottled Pug	15/05/2014
64	Tinea trinotella		15/05/2014
65	Xanthorhoe ferrugata	Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet	15/05/2014
66	Coleophora albicosta		15/05/2014
67	Elachista argentella		15/05/2014
68	Lomographa temerata	Clouded Silver	15/05/2014
69	Argyresthia trifasciata		15/05/2014
70	Prays ruficeps		15/05/2014
71	Eupithecia vulgata	Common Pug	15/05/2014
72	Scrobipalpa acuminatella		15/05/2014
73	Abrostola tripartita	Spectacle	15/05/2014
74	Epirrhoe alternata	Common Carpet	15/05/2014
75	Caloptilia robustella		15/05/2014
76	Aphomia sociella	Bee Moth	15/05/2014
77	Hydriomena impluviata	May Highflyer	15/05/2014
78	Phyllonorycter stettinensis		15/05/2014
79	Calliteara pudibunda	Pale Tussock	16/05/2014
80	Tyria jacobaeae	Cinnabar	16/05/2014
81	Diaphora mendica	Muslin Moth	16/05/2014
82	Eupithecia intricata arceuthata	Freyer's Pug	16/05/2014
83	Epiblema cynosbatella		16/05/2014
84	Eurrhypara hortulata	Small Magpie	16/05/2014
85	Hofmannophila pseudospretella	Brown House Moth	16/05/2014
86	Cabera exanthemata	Common Wave	16/05/2014
87	Tethea ocularis octogesimea	Figure of Eighty	16/05/2014
88	Argyresthia cupressella		16/05/2014
89	Bucculatrix nigricomella		16/05/2014
90	Apamea sordens	Rustic Shoulder-knot	16/05/2014
91	Agrotis exclamationis	Heart and Dart	16/05/2014
92	Pasiphila rectangulata	Green Pug	16/05/2014
93	Pieris brassicae	Large White	17/05/2014

Bucks Garden

I've done a bit of trapping out and about over the last couple of weeks, and had about 60 species in woodland-edge sites, but in my garden, it is very quiet, and I only have two to add for the last week:

26. Common Pug
27. Common Marbled Carpet.

Gradual improvement

Numbers still seem a little low here in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire, but there have been some nice additions to the year list (now at 73: 65 moths plus eight butterflies) and to our garden list in the last week or so. One of the latter was a very striking White-pinion Spotted (as opposed to a White-spotted Pinion!), which I took at first to be an albino Green Carpet, until corrected by wiser heads; we also, after a couple of false starts, got a decent photo of a Syndemis musculana, which I think had shown up a couple of times previously but we hadn't snapped it well enough. On top of that, we've had a couple of Rustic Shoulder-knots, a rather early Coronet and a Poplar Hawkmoth, as well as a steady stream of Muslin Moths, Shuttle-shaped Darts and Flame Shoulders: all of which is keeping up interest, but I'm very much looking forward to the first really substantial catch of the year.

Coronet, 9/5/14

Rustic Shoulder-knot, 8/5/14

Syndemis musculana, 6/5/14

White-pinion Spotted, 8/5/14

A couple in the trap (Bucks)

A couple of new species for my list in the trap last night; the wet and wind, again, didn't help...

23. Dwarf Pug
24. Scalloped Hazel
25. Light Brown Apple Moth

New garden with more moths!

Cheers from Norway all!

Last autumn I moved to a new place not far from my former. I've noticed that moth-trapping seems better at the new site, despite only being a tiny kilometer away. Read my update in the garden moth challenge from May 2013. The vegetation is better, with spontanious trees surrounding the garden rather than Sitka Spruce. Have a look at the garden moth gallery here.

The highlight of the year so far, an Oak-tree Pug trapped 7th of May 2014. This was the first county record, and the northernmost in Norway.

I am doing a #microbigyear in my garden in 2014, doing an effort identifying most of the animals I find. I am closing in on 200 species. The moth list so far contains of 57 species up to 8 May 2014, including four aggs: 

Species	Scientific name	First date
Dotted Border	Agriopis marginaria	28.02.2014
The Chestnut	Conistra vaccinii	03.03.2014
Rusty Birch Button	Acleris notana	04.03.2014
Autumn Green Carpet	Chloroclysta miata	09.03.2014
Heath Button	Acleris hyemana	10.03.2014
March Moth	Alsophila aescularia	10.03.2014
Yellow Horned	Achlya flavicornis	10.03.2014
Variable Smudge	Ypsolopha ustella	10.03.2014
	Caloptilia betulicola/elongella	11.03.2014
Pale Brindled Beauty	Phigalia pilosaria	12.03.2014
Hebrew Character	Orthosia gothica	14.03.2014
	Agonopterix ciliella/heracliana	27.03.2014
Perth Button	Acleris abietana	27.03.2014
Clouded Cosmet	Mompha langiella	27.03.2014
Common Quaker	Orthosia cerasi	27.03.2014
The Satellite	Eupsilia transversa	28.03.2014
Red-green Carpet	Chloroclysta siterata	28.03.2014
Smal kveldvikler	Epinotia crenana	29.03.2014
Pine Beauty Moth	Panolis flammea	30.03.2014
Small Tortoiseshell	Aglais urticae	30.03.2014
Brimstone	Gonepteryx rhamni	30.03.2014
Clouded Drab	Orthosia incerta	30.03.2014
Small Engrailed	Ectropis crepuscularia	30.03.2014
Early Grey	Xylocampa areola	31.03.2014
Red Chestnut	Cerastis rubricosa	02.04.2014
Early Flat-body	Semioscopis avellanella	02.04.2014
Orange Underwing	Archiearis parthenias	04.04.2014
Rannoch Sprawler	Brachionycha nubeculosa	04.04.2014
	Eriocrania semipurpurella/sangii	07.04.2014
Satin Lutestring	Tetheella fluctuosa	08.04.2014
Early Tooth-striped	Trichopteryx carpinata	08.04.2014
December Moth	Poecilocampa populi	08.04.2014
Green-veined White	Pieris napi	19.04.2014
Lesser Swallow Prominent	Pheosia gnoma	22.04.2014
Early Thorn	Selenia dentaria	22.04.2014
Yellow-barred Brindle	Acasis viretata	23.04.2014
Nut-tree Tussock	Colocasia coryli	23.04.2014
Many-plumed Moth	Alucita hexadactyla	23.04.2014
Dawn Flat-body	Semioscopis steinkellneriana	23.04.2014
	Stigmella confusella/lapponica/sorbi	23.04.2014
Flame Carpet	Xanthorhoe designata	23.04.2014
Lilac Leafminer	Gracillaria syringella	23.04.2014
Southern Midget	Phyllonorycter dubitella	24.04.2014
Red-letter Flat-body	Agonopterix ocellana	28.04.2014
Glaucous Shears	Papestra biren	28.04.2014
Scarce Prominent	Odontosia carmelita	28.04.2014
Pale Feathered Bright	Incurvaria pectinea	28.04.2014
Scalloped Hazel	Odontopera bidentata	28.04.2014
Barred Umber	Plagodis pulveraria	29.04.2014
Edinburgh Pug	Eupithecia intricata	29.04.2014
Double-striped Pug	Gymnoscelis rufifasciata	29.04.2014
Brown Silver-line	Petrophora chlorosata	07.05.2014
Oak-tree Pug	Eupithecia dodoneata	07.05.2014
Dwarf Pug	Eupithecia tantillaria	07.05.2014
Pale-shouldered Brocade	Lacanobia thalassina	08.05.2014

43 In Hants And Mystery Moth- Help With ID Please

I'm fairly certain I have seen this moth before but I can't find it in my books, so any help with ID be most welcome :-) It appeared in our room last night and buzzed around for ages before finally settling long enough for a photo.

Up to 43 species for the year here so far which isn't bad considering the moth box hasn't been out as much as I'd have liked. Highlights so far include Lunar Marbled Brown and an Emperor Moth seen in Dartmoor last week.

CT.

Bucks Daytime Moth

One more flying around the garden in the sunshine this morning; luckily it settled for id, although not long enough for a photo:

22. Pyrausta aurata

Still very quiet in Bucks

Every night it just seems to be either cold or wet (in the whole of April I had 10 moths in the garden, and this morning, frost on the car...), but I do have a few more species to add to my garden list for the year:

20. Caloptilia syringella
21. Acleris cristana
22. Water Carpet (new for the all-time garden list)

The 50 Mark

Today I reached 51 Lepidoptera recorded in the garden this year. This includes 46 moths, 1 moth type and 4 butterflies. We were away from mid March to mid April so there is some catching-up to do. I look forward to warmer weather and lots of moths!

Number 50 is Yellow Belle

Whetstone, Leics. Update

Haven't updated for a while, and in truth I haven't done too much garden trapping since the last update. Cold and/or wet nights put me off and I had a few days away in Devon around Easter. Nevertheless, I've somehow managed to squeeze a few new for year species into the few trap nights and (along with one more butterfly) I'm now up to 56 species. Additions since my last update are:

	Taxon	Vernacular	Earliest
32	Alucita hexadactyla	Twenty-plume Moth	30/03/2014
33	Orthosia cruda	Small Quaker	30/03/2014
34	Panolis flammea	Pine Beauty	30/03/2014
35	Agonopterix alstromeriana		01/04/2014
36	Endrosis sarcitrella	White-shouldered House Moth	09/04/2014
37	Eupithecia abbreviata	Brindled Pug	09/04/2014
38	Semioscopis steinkellneriana		10/04/2014
39	Opisthograptis luteolata	Brimstone Moth	10/04/2014
40	Acasis viretata	Yellow-barred Brindle	10/04/2014
41	Pieris rapae	Small White	14/04/2014
42	Agonopterix arenella		14/04/2014
43	Eupithecia pulchellata	Foxglove Pug	24/04/2014
44	Epiphyas postvittana	Light Brown Apple Moth	24/04/2014
45	Xanthorhoe spadicearia	Red Twin-spot Carpet	24/04/2014
46	Esperia sulphurella		24/04/2014
47	Acronicta rumicis	Knot Grass	24/04/2014
48	Chloroclystis v-ata	V-Pug	28/04/2014
49	Xanthorhoe fluctuata	Garden Carpet	28/04/2014
50	Menophra abruptaria	Waved Umber	28/04/2014
51	Eupithecia tripunctaria	White-spotted Pug	28/04/2014
52	Thera britannica	Spruce Carpet	28/04/2014
53	Nola confusalis	Least Black Arches	29/04/2014
54	Xanthorhoe designata	Flame Carpet	29/04/2014
55	Agrotis puta	Shuttle-shaped Dart	29/04/2014
56	Mamestra brassicae	Cabbage Moth	29/04/2014

Expecting things to start ramping up during May, though I'm also hoping my replacement 22W Synergetic ring turns up soon - someone in the household has managed to smash another one in the shed for me, probably whilst lazily trying to extracate a scooter without bothering to move the trap. Had to use my 80W actinic combo on 29th.

Foxglove Pug

Knot Grass - a bit knackered but pleased as not annual in my garden

Flame Carpet - also worn but this was a garden tick last year so good to see another

Least Black Arches - always a season marker for me