Bovingdon and Gadesprings - Field Trip - 19/05/14Roger, Steve and I made a trip to Bovingdon for some late Spring and early Summer species and boy were we in for a treat!We first trapped this site last year on the 11th of June (Trip report HERE)This time though we were simply overwhelmed with species coming in faster than one could jot down.Interestingly we caught most species that we caught last year but as a comparison, we are about 6 weeks ahead of last year (because of the cold Winter of 2012/13)Of course last year was abnormal so we could not go on last years records too much, some of the species that we did get were typically 2 weeks earlier than the books state.The evening was perfect, with a mild muggy feel about it and still 20 degrees at 8pm, the cloud was still with us and the moon stayed at bay (at least until we packed up)The threat of rain seemed to have subsided and the breeze had dropped so we were very lucky indeed.We did not get our target species Light Feathered Rustic, but it needn't have mattered as it was a long shot anyway and there was plenty of interest coming to all four traps as we worked them throughout the night.Highlights included an Alder Moth, Buttoned Snout, Seraphim, Clay Triple-lines, Grass Rivulet and Coronet.The smaller moths were also in abundance, particularly around the twin Actinic trap and several were taken away to examine in natural light.Highlights of the micros included Bucculatrix nigricomella, Mompha lacteella, Mompha raschkiella, Strophedra weirana and Platyptilia gonodactyla, 3 of those new to me.We also managed to get an unusual looking Treble Lines of the form obscura.It really was so nice to see good numbers of the common species as well with 30+ Clouded Silver, 40+ of Red Twin-spot Carpet and Mottled/Common Pug both numbering easily in excess of 25 specimens each.Exhausted as we had finished around 1am at this site, then onto Gadesprings to empty the two traps there, where we found another 3 Alder Moths, Figure of Eighty and Light Brocade amongst a reasonable amount of species.Home at 3am, up at 6am and I felt like I had a hangover this morning, all good fun!Numbers below are as close as I could record! Catch Report - 19/05/14 - Bovingdon Brickworks - Hemel Hempstead - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Suitcase Trap.69 Macros and 34 Macros (103 species)Macro Moths3x Common Swift4x Green Silver-lines1x Brown Rustic3x Common Marbled Carpet5x Green Carpet15+ Silver-ground Carpet8x Oak Hook-tip15+ Brimstone Moth5x Small Phoenix 1x Small Fan-foot15+ Flame Shoulder25+ Common Pug25+ Mottled Pug2x Ingrailed Clay1x White-spotted Pug1x Foxglove Pug2x Pale Prominent6x Treble Lines1x Straw Dot40+ Red Twin-spot Carpet3x Water Carpet1x Broken-barred Carpet1x Brown Silver-line30+ Clouded Silver1x Scorched Carpet1x Tawny Marbled Minor2x Flame Carpet5x Orange Footman6x Pale Tussock2x Grey Pug4x Seraphim1x Pebble Prominent4x Nut-tree Tussock3x Small Square-spot2x Angle Shades4x Waved Umber2x Shuttle-shaped Dart4x Least Black Arches1x Marbled Minor1x Spruce Carpet1x Yellow-barred Brindle2x Common Wave1x Common White Wave1x V-pug3x Scorched Wing1x Marbled White Spot5x Scalloped Hazel10x White Ermine4x Peppered Moth2x Chinese Character1x Flame2x Cinnabar 1x Peach Blossom2x Clouded-bordered Brindle1x Buttoned Snout1x Shoulder-striped Wainscot1x Iron Prominent1x Brindled Pug1x Common Carpet1x Blood-vein1x Bright-line Brown-eye2x Oak-tree Pug2x Coronet1x Alder Moth [NEW!]1x Knot Grass1x Herald1x Grass Rivulet [NEW!]1x Clay Triple-lines1x White-pinion SpottedMicro Moths2x Endrosis sarcitrella2x Epiblema cynosbatella2x Bucculatrix nigricomella [NEW!]1x Aspilapteryx tringipennella4x Crambus lathoniellus1x Aphomia sociella5x Caloptilia syringella1x Caloptilia stigmatella1x Caloptilia semifascia1x Agonopterix arenella1x Plutella porrectella8x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana2x Cochylimorpha straminea2x Epiblema cirsiana1x Blastobasis lacticolella1x Incurvaria masculella2x Ancylis badiana10x Syndemis musculana3x Scoparia ambigualis1x Alucita hexadactyla2x Phyllonorycter harrisella2x Monopis weaverella 1x Mompha lacteella [NEW!]2x Mompha raschkiella1x Nemapogon cloacella1x Strophedra weirana1x Cataclysta lemnata1x Prays ruficeps/fraxinella1x Cochylis atricapitana1x Parornix sp1x Coleophora sp1x Anthophila fabriciana1x Platyptilia gonodactyla [NEW!]1x Ephestia parasitella unicolorella-------------------------------------------------------------------------Catch Report - 19/05/14 - Gadesprings - Hemel Hempstead - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap and 40w Actinic Trap.40 Macros and 9 Macros (49 species)Macro Moths1x Cinnabar1x Figure of Eighty4x Clouded Silver1x Waved Umber7x Flame Shoulder2x White Ermine5x Peppered Moth3x Alder Moth2x Brimstone2x Small Square-spot1x Pale Tussock1x Orange Footman10x Treble Lines 1x Oak-tree Pug1x Green Carpet1x Chinese Character1x Yellow-barred Brindle 2x Pale Prominent6x Heart & Dart1x Shuttle-shaped Dart2x Common Marbled Carpet 1x Common Pug1x Vine's Rustic1x Rustic Shoulder-knot1x Tawny Marbled Minor1x Marbled Minor1x Spectacle1x Green Silver-lines1x Iron Prominent2x Small Clouded Brindle1x Silver-ground Carpet1x Scalloped Hazel1x Lychnis2x Oak Nycteoline1x Pale Tussock1x Coronet1x Clouded-bordered Brindle1x Light Brocade1x Shuttle-shaped Dart1x Buff-tipMicro Moths1x Dichrorampha sp1x Anthophila fabriciana1x Syndemis musculana1x Tinea trinotella 1x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana2x Elachista maculicerusella1x Plutella xylostella1x Caloptilia robustella1x Endrosis sarcitrella
Summary[edit] Description: June already! On Sunday night I trapped again after a nice weekend break away. The weather was pretty much perfect with increasing cloud cover and the temperature hovering around high teens as it got dark. Quite a few new for years featured in the catch of a modest amount of moths, given the perfect conditions and time of year. Bucculatrix bechsteinella was a brand new moth for me, a little worn which proved a headache trying to identify. Still a field trip to write up from last night..not enough hours in the day! and again might trap in the garden tonight, if it stays dry long enough that is. Catch Report - 01/06/14 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap Macro Moths 8x Heart & Dart [NFY] 1x Straw Dot [NFY] 1x Common White Wave [NFY] 3x Common Marbled Carpet 1x Buff-tip 1x Bright-line Brown-eye 1x Brown Rustic 1x Flame Shoulder 3x Shuttle-shaped Dart 11x Nutmeg 9x Rustic Shoulder-knot 2x Brimstone Moth 1x Garden Carpet 3x Setaceous Hebrew Character 1x Mottled Pug 4x Marbled Minor 1x Common Pug 4x Ingrailed Clay 1x Cabbage Moth 2x Tawny Marbled Minor 2x Vine's Rustic 2x Mottled Rustic 1x Silver-Y 5x Common Swift Micro Moths 1x Bucculatrix bechsteinella [NEW!] 1x Celypa striana [NFY] 1x Ephestia parasitella [NFY] 1x Caloptilia robustella [NFY] 1x Teleiodes luculella [NFY] 1x Hedya pruniana [NFY] 1x Celypha lacunana 2x Mompha subbistrigella 1x Scoparia ambigualis 1x Argyresthia spinosella 1x Phyllonorycter harrisella 1x Epiphyas postvittana 1x Adela rufimitrella. Date: 2 June 2014, 18:00. Source: [0287] Caloptilia robustella. Author: Ben Sale from UK.
Summary[edit] Description: A new moth for the Garden! I trapped on Monday as it was a beautifully warm and sunny day, we had a bit of cloud cover at 4pm and it looked a little stormy but it cleared again and was a predominantly clear night again. Some great moths again and a further new for the year including new for my garden, Clouded-bordered Brindle. Other moths of note included Tachystola acroxantha and Caloptilia robustella. The list is certainly growing nicely now as we approach peak season mothing! Catch Report - 06/06/16 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap Macro Moths 1x Clouded-bordered Brindle [NFG] 1x Yellow Shell [NFY] 1x Treble Brown Spot [NFY] 1x Large Nutmeg [NFY] 2x Willow Beauty [NFY] 1x Cabbage Moth 1x Clouded Border 3x Angle Shades 1x Vine's Rustic 1x Treble Lines Micro Moths 1x Tachystola acroxantha [NFY] 1x Nemapogon cloacella [NFY] 1x Caloptilia robustella [NFY] 2x Eurrhypara hortulata 15x Plutella xylostella 1x Argyresthia spinosella. Date: 7 June 2016, 07:23. Source: [0287] Caloptilia robustella. Author: Ben Sale from UK.
Summary[edit] Description: Another garden first! On Tuesday morning I was greeted by a further 7 new species for the year, making it 15 in just two back to back nights which is mildy impressive for my garden this time of year. Best of all was a garden first Ochreous Pug, last seen in 2012 and my first ever record for Hertfordshire! It is a pine feeding species and we don't have a great deal of coniferous woodland near us. Also my second migrant moth for the year turned up in the shape of a rather brown and mottled Plutella xylostella. Catch Report - 15/05/17 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap Macro Moths 1x Ochreous Pug [NFG] 1x Bright-line Brown-eye [NFY] 1x Grey Dagger [NFY] 1x Mottled Pug [NFY] 2x Brimstone Moth 1x Chocolate-tip 2x Common Pug 1x Garden Carpet 8x Shuttle-shaped Dart Micro Moths 1x Argyrotaenia ljungiana [NFY] 2x Caloptilia robustella/alchimiella [NFY] 1x Plutella xylostella [NFY] 1x Aphomia sociella 2x Epiphyas postvittana. Date: 16 May 2017, 09:07. Source: [0287] Caloptilia robustella/alchimiella. Author: Ben Sale from UK.
Summary[edit] Description: Another garden first! On Tuesday morning I was greeted by a further 7 new species for the year, making it 15 in just two back to back nights which is mildy impressive for my garden this time of year. Best of all was a garden first Ochreous Pug, last seen in 2012 and my first ever record for Hertfordshire! It is a pine feeding species and we don't have a great deal of coniferous woodland near us. Also my second migrant moth for the year turned up in the shape of a rather brown and mottled Plutella xylostella. Catch Report - 15/05/17 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap Macro Moths 1x Ochreous Pug [NFG] 1x Bright-line Brown-eye [NFY] 1x Grey Dagger [NFY] 1x Mottled Pug [NFY] 2x Brimstone Moth 1x Chocolate-tip 2x Common Pug 1x Garden Carpet 8x Shuttle-shaped Dart Micro Moths 1x Argyrotaenia ljungiana [NFY] 2x Caloptilia robustella/alchimiella [NFY] 1x Plutella xylostella [NFY] 1x Aphomia sociella 2x Epiphyas postvittana. Date: 16 May 2017, 09:08. Source: [0287] Caloptilia robustella/alchimiella. Author: Ben Sale from UK.
Summary[edit] Description: Another garden first! On Tuesday morning I was greeted by a further 7 new species for the year, making it 15 in just two back to back nights which is mildy impressive for my garden this time of year. Best of all was a garden first Ochreous Pug, last seen in 2012 and my first ever record for Hertfordshire! It is a pine feeding species and we don't have a great deal of coniferous woodland near us. Also my second migrant moth for the year turned up in the shape of a rather brown and mottled Plutella xylostella. Catch Report - 15/05/17 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap Macro Moths 1x Ochreous Pug [NFG] 1x Bright-line Brown-eye [NFY] 1x Grey Dagger [NFY] 1x Mottled Pug [NFY] 2x Brimstone Moth 1x Chocolate-tip 2x Common Pug 1x Garden Carpet 8x Shuttle-shaped Dart Micro Moths 1x Argyrotaenia ljungiana [NFY] 2x Caloptilia robustella/alchimiella [NFY] 1x Plutella xylostella [NFY] 1x Aphomia sociella 2x Epiphyas postvittana. Date: 16 May 2017, 09:00. Source: [0287] Caloptilia robustella/alchimiella. Author: Ben Sale from UK.
Bovingdon and Gadesprings - Field Trip - 19/05/14 Roger, Steve and I made a trip to Bovingdon for some late Spring and early Summer species and boy were we in for a treat! We first trapped this site last year on the 11th of June (Trip report HERE) This time though we were simply overwhelmed with species coming in faster than one could jot down. Interestingly we caught most species that we caught last year but as a comparison, we are about 6 weeks ahead of last year (because of the cold Winter of 2012/13) Of course last year was abnormal so we could not go on last years records too much, some of the species that we did get were typically 2 weeks earlier than the books state. The evening was perfect, with a mild muggy feel about it and still 20 degrees at 8pm, the cloud was still with us and the moon stayed at bay (at least until we packed up) The threat of rain seemed to have subsided and the breeze had dropped so we were very lucky indeed. We did not get our target species Light Feathered Rustic, but it needn't have mattered as it was a long shot anyway and there was plenty of interest coming to all four traps as we worked them throughout the night. Highlights included an Alder Moth, Buttoned Snout, Seraphim, Clay Triple-lines, Grass Rivulet and Coronet. The smaller moths were also in abundance, particularly around the twin Actinic trap and several were taken away to examine in natural light. Highlights of the micros included Bucculatrix nigricomella, Mompha lacteella, Mompha raschkiella, Strophedra weirana and Platyptilia gonodactyla, 3 of those new to me. We also managed to get an unusual looking Treble Lines of the form obscura. It really was so nice to see good numbers of the common species as well with 30+ Clouded Silver, 40+ of Red Twin-spot Carpet and Mottled/Common Pug both numbering easily in excess of 25 specimens each. Exhausted as we had finished around 1am at this site, then onto Gadesprings to empty the two traps there, where we found another 3 Alder Moths, Figure of Eighty and Light Brocade amongst a reasonable amount of species. Home at 3am, up at 6am and I felt like I had a hangover this morning, all good fun! Numbers below are as close as I could record! Catch Report - 19/05/14 - Bovingdon Brickworks - Hemel Hempstead - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Suitcase Trap. 69 Macros and 34 Macros (103 species) Macro Moths 3x Common Swift 4x Green Silver-lines 1x Brown Rustic 3x Common Marbled Carpet 5x Green Carpet 15+ Silver-ground Carpet 8x Oak Hook-tip 15+ Brimstone Moth 5x Small Phoenix 1x Small Fan-foot 15+ Flame Shoulder 25+ Common Pug 25+ Mottled Pug 2x Ingrailed Clay 1x White-spotted Pug 1x Foxglove Pug 2x Pale Prominent 6x Treble Lines 1x Straw Dot 40+ Red Twin-spot Carpet 3x Water Carpet 1x Broken-barred Carpet 1x Brown Silver-line 30+ Clouded Silver 1x Scorched Carpet 1x Tawny Marbled Minor 2x Flame Carpet 5x Orange Footman 6x Pale Tussock 2x Grey Pug 4x Seraphim 1x Pebble Prominent 4x Nut-tree Tussock 3x Small Square-spot 2x Angle Shades 4x Waved Umber 2x Shuttle-shaped Dart 4x Least Black Arches 1x Marbled Minor 1x Spruce Carpet 1x Yellow-barred Brindle 2x Common Wave 1x Common White Wave 1x V-pug 3x Scorched Wing 1x Marbled White Spot 5x Scalloped Hazel 10x White Ermine 4x Peppered Moth 2x Chinese Character 1x Flame 2x Cinnabar 1x Peach Blossom 2x Clouded-bordered Brindle 1x Buttoned Snout 1x Shoulder-striped Wainscot 1x Iron Prominent 1x Brindled Pug 1x Common Carpet 1x Blood-vein 1x Bright-line Brown-eye 2x Oak-tree Pug 2x Coronet 1x Alder Moth [NEW!] 1x Knot Grass 1x Herald 1x Grass Rivulet [NEW!] 1x Clay Triple-lines 1x White-pinion Spotted Micro Moths 2x Endrosis sarcitrella 2x Epiblema cynosbatella 2x Bucculatrix nigricomella [NEW!] 1x Aspilapteryx tringipennella 4x Crambus lathoniellus 1x Aphomia sociella 5x Caloptilia syringella 1x Caloptilia stigmatella 1x Caloptilia semifascia 1x Agonopterix arenella 1x Plutella porrectella 8x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 2x Cochylimorpha straminea 2x Epiblema cirsiana 1x Blastobasis lacticolella 1x Incurvaria masculella 2x Ancylis badiana 10x Syndemis musculana 3x Scoparia ambigualis 1x Alucita hexadactyla 2x Phyllonorycter harrisella 2x Monopis weaverella 1x Mompha lacteella [NEW!] 2x Mompha raschkiella 1x Nemapogon cloacella 1x Strophedra weirana 1x Cataclysta lemnata 1x Prays ruficeps/fraxinella 1x Cochylis atricapitana 1x Parornix sp 1x Coleophora sp 1x Anthophila fabriciana 1x Platyptilia gonodactyla [NEW!] 1x Ephestia parasitella unicolorella Catch Report - 19/05/14 - Gadesprings - Hemel Hempstead - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap and 40w Actinic Trap. 40 Macros and 9 Macros (49 species) Macro Moths 1x Cinnabar 1x Figure of Eighty 4x Clouded Silver 1x Waved Umber 7x Flame Shoulder 2x White Ermine 5x Peppered Moth 3x Alder Moth 2x Brimstone 2x Small Square-spot 1x Pale Tussock 1x Orange Footman 10x Treble Lines 1x Oak-tree Pug 1x Green Carpet 1x Chinese Character 1x Yellow-barred Brindle 2x Pale Prominent 6x Heart & Dart 1x Shuttle-shaped Dart 2x Common Marbled Carpet 1x Common Pug 1x Vine's Rustic 1x Rustic Shoulder-knot 1x Tawny Marbled Minor 1x Marbled Minor 1x Spectacle 1x Green Silver-lines 1x Iron Prominent 2x Small Clouded Brindle 1x Silver-ground Carpet 1x Scalloped Hazel 1x Lychnis 2x Oak Nycteoline 1x Pale Tussock 1x Coronet 1x Clouded-bordered Brindle 1x Light Brocade 1x Shuttle-shaped Dart 1x Buff-tip Micro Moths 1x Dichrorampha sp 1x Anthophila fabriciana 1x Syndemis musculana 1x Tinea trinotella 1x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 2x Elachista maculicerusella 1x Plutella xylostella 1x Caloptilia robustella 1x Endrosis sarcitrella