A day late posting for a rightful reason! On Monday night I once again rigged the trap up on timer (early to bed for me at 9) and was quietly confident that I would get a pretty nice catch come the morning. The conditions were perfect if a little breezy, but with a minimum of 16 degrees, a little rain sometime in the night I couldn't have asked for better. Getting up bleary eyed and rubbing my eyes I could not believe it! The trap was probably the fullest it has ever been in my 2 years of trapping here. Moths adorned most of the Perspex collar, and every hole of the egg boxes had at least one moth in it. Macro Highlights were a second garden Small Ranunculus, new for garden Dingy Footman and Large Twin-spot Carpet and the trio Coxcomb, Maple and Pale Prominent. Micros were headed by a first for me, the lovely marked Athrips mouffetella. A slightly knackered Currant Pug which just would not lay flat and kept adorning a ‘Thorn-like’ posture… I didn’t record this species last year. Also a worn Epinotia abbreviana after much identifying was a garden first. All the moths were pretty lively for their photo-shoots, well apart from a very dozy Pale Prominent. 66 Macros and with only 10 less species of Micros at 56, it really was a stonking night. Tonight looks warm and muggy again, I can’t top this list surely! Catch Report - 14/07/14 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap Macro Moths 1x Dingy Footman [NFG] 1x Large Twin-spot Carpet [NFG] 1x Small Ranunculus [NFY] 2x Black Arches [NFY] 3x Buff Footman [NFY] 2x Coxcomb Prominent [NFY] 1x Maple Prominent [NFY] 1x Pale Prominent [NFY] 1x Straw Underwing [NFY] 2x Yellow Shell [NFY] 1x Currant Pug [NFY] 4x Bright-line Brown-eye 2x Brimstone Moth 3x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2x Buff Arches 2x Buff-tip 1x Burnished Brass 2x Clay 1x Cloaked Minor 1x Clouded Silver 11x Common Footman 9x Common Rustic 3x Common White Wave 7x Dark Arches 20x Dot Moth 3x Double Square-spot 2x Double-striped Pug 2x Dun-bar 1x Dwarf Cream Wave 1x Early Thorn 1x Elephant Hawk-moth 1x Engrailed 2x Fan-foot 1x Garden Carpet 1x Heart & Club 8x Heart & Dart 1x Herald 3x July Highflyer 1x Large Yellow Underwing 2x Lesser Yellow Underwing 3x Least Carpet 1x Light Arches 1x Marbled Minor 1x Mottled Rustic 1x Nut-tree Tussock 1x Oak Nycteoline 1x Pale Mottled Willow 1x Peppered Moth 1x Poplar Hawk-moth 1x Privet Hawk-moth 7x Riband Wave 2x Rustic 3x Scalloped Oak 3x Scarce Footman 1x Shaded Pug 1x Silver-Y 1x Single-dotted Wave 1x Small Blood-vein 4x Small Emerald 3x Small Fan-footed Wave 2x Smoky Wainscot 1x Spectacle 3x Swallow-tailed Moth 1x Snout 18x Uncertain 1x Willow Beauty 1x Yellow-tail Micro Moths 1x Athrips mouffetella [NEW!] 1x Aethes rubigana [NFG] 1x Epinotia abbreviana [NFG] 1x Acleris hastiana [NFG] 1x Monochroa palustrella [NFG] 1x Morophaga choragella [NFG] 1x Pammene aurita [NFG] 1x Orthopygia glaucinalis [NFY] 1x Cochylis hybridella [NFY] 4x Blastobasis adustella [NFY] 2x Trachycera advenella [NFY] 2x Cydia splendana [NFY] 3x Phlyctaenia coronata [NFY] 1x Bryotropha affinis [NFY] 2x Tischeria ekebladella [NFY] 1x Ypsolopha dentella [NFY] 1x Batia unitella [NFY] 1x Pammene regiana 1x Bryotropha terrella 2x Eurrhypara hortulata 1x Agonopterix alstromeriana 1x Epiblema uddmanniana 2x Celypha striana 2x Aphomia sociella 1x Emmelina monodactyla 4x Yponomeuta evonymella 1x Epagoge grotiana 2x Acleris forsskaleana 1x Cnephasia sp 2x Plutella xylostella 2x Pleuroptya ruralis 2x Hofmannophila pseudospretella 1x Scrobipalpa acuminatella 3x Endotricha flammealis 1x Clepsis consimilana 9x Spilonota ocellana 1x Hypsopygia costalis 1x Oegoconia sp 1x Trachycera suavella 1x Zeiraphera isertana 2x Blastobasis lacticolella 1x Scoparia ambigualis 1x Phycita roborella 2x Udea prunalis 1x Pandemis heparana 1x Aphelia paleana 1x Endrosis sarcitrella 1x Ectoedemia decentella 5x Eudonia mercurella 2x Ditula angustiorana 1x Gypsonoma dealbana 1x Helcystogramma rufescens 1x Celypha lacunana 15x Chrysoteuchia culmella 2x Dipleurina lacustrata 1x Carcina quercana
Moth Trapping down on the farm part 3 - Rarities abound! My third session on the farm was last Thursday, and I decided to run 4 traps, 2 on each site (he North and South). The plan was to stay with the traps until around 1am then leave them running until 4.30am whilst I got a bit of kip. The day had been a really warm and muggy one with highs of 24 degrees but threats of rain continued, but luckily it wasn't too bad overnight and the main deluge came just at dawn whilst going through the traps..not ideal I can tell you! The main problem wasn't the precipitation threat but the wind! A constant 15mph with gusts of around 20mph did not do the night any favours but it was worth seeing how things fared despite the breezy conditions. Overall it went ok, with numbers slightly down on what I would expect, but a healthy amount of species were there to be recorded. Some really local and rare moths made it all worthwhile. For starter's I recorded a joint County 2nd Anarsia lineatella, the Peach Twig-borer moth. Graeme Smith not 6 miles away as the crow flies recorded one on the same night in his garden in Bishop's Stortford! Anarsia lineatella is a fairly recent colonist from warmer shores, these could be spreading from their stronghold in Essex or may be primary immigrants. Care should be taken though as there is another Gelechid that looks very similar, Gelechia senticetella. Other moths of note were my first Herts record of Cream-bordered Green-pea a Ruddy Carpet and Waved Black. There were also stunning forms of Cloaked Minor and Riband Wave. Two moths are still outstanding for identification. The list stands at 163 species in total minus the two unidentified species. Catch Report - 07/07/16 - Famland - Braughing Friars - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap & 1x 40w Actinic/26w BLB Trap Macro Moths - 78 Species Barred Straw 10 Barred Yellow 2 Blood-vein 2 Blue-bordered Carpet 2 Bright-line Brown-eye 2 Brimstone Moth 2 Brown Rustic 1 Brown-line Bright-eye 5 Buff Arches 2 Burnished Brass 2 Cinnabar 4 Clay 8 Cloaked Minor 4 Clouded Border 4 Clouded Silver 12 Common Emerald 3 Common Footman 10 Common Rustic 2 Common Wainscot 3 Cream-bordered Green-pea Dark Arches 14 Dot Moth 5 Double Square-spot 6 Dwarf Cream Wave 2 Eyed Hawk-moth 1 Fan-foot 2 Figure of Eighty 1 Flame 4 Flame Shoulder 2 Foxglove Pug 1 Ghost Moth 1 Green Pug 2 Green Silver-lines 1 Grey Dagger 1 Heart & Club 7 Heart & Dart 10 July Highflyer 1 Large Twin-spot Carpet 5 Large Yellow Underwing 10 Least Carpet 1 Light Emerald 2 Marbled Minor 3 Mottled Beauty 3 Mottled Pug 1 Mottled Rustic 8 Orange Footman 1 Pale Prominent 1 Poplar Hawk-moth 1 Privet Hawk-moth 3 Riband Wave Ruddy Carpet Rustic 6 Scalloped Oak 1 Scarce Footman 3 Scorched Carpet 1 Scorched Wing 1 Setaceous Hebrew Character 5 Shoulder-striped Wainscot 1 Silver-Y 2 Single-dotted Wave 1 Small Blood-vein 1 Small Fan-foot 2 Small Fan-footed Wave 1 Small Yellow Wave 1 Smoky Wainscot 3 Snout 4 Spectacle 2 Straw Dot 1 Swallow-tailed Moth 2 Tawny Marbled Minor 1 Turnip Moth 1 Uncertain 10 V-Pug 2 Waved Black 1 Willow Beauty 3 Wood Carpet 1 Wormwood Pug 2 Yellow Shell 5 Micro Moths - 85 Species Acentria ephemerella 10 Acleris schalleriana 1 Aethes rubigana 2 Aethes tesserana 1 Agapeta hamana 10+ Aleimma loeflingiana 1 Anania crocealis 1 Anania hortulata 2 Anania perlucidalis 1 Anarsia lineatella 1 [NEW!] Aphelia paleana 1 Aphomia sociella 2 Archips podana 2 Archips xylosteana 2 Argyresthia albistria 1 Argyresthia goedartella 2 Blastobasis lacticolella 2 Blastodacna hellerella 1 Brachmia blandella 2 Bryotropha senectella 2 Bryotropha terrella 5 Calamotropha paludella 1 Carpatolechia fugitivella pos 1 Catoptria falsella 4 Catoptria pinella 5 Celypha lacunana 8 Celypha striana 2 Chrysoteuchia culmella 10+ Clepsis consimilana 2 Cnephasia sp 5 Cochylis hybridella 10 Cochylis molliculana 1 Coleophora mayrella Coleophora sp (White) Crambus lathoniellus 4 Crambus perlella 1 Crassa unitella 4 Cydia fagiglandana 1 Ditula angustiorana 1 Elophila nymphaeata 1 Endothenia gentianaena 1 Ephestia sp 3 Epiblema foenella 3 Epiphyas postvittana 1 Eucosma cana 20+ Eucosma obumbratana 1 Eudonia lacustrata 15+ Eudonia mercurella 1 Eudonia pallida 4 Eulamprotes atrella 1 Galleria mellonella 1 Gypsonoma dealbana 2 Hedya nubiferana 2 Hedya pruniana 2 Hedya salicella 1 Helcyostogramma rufescens 1 Hofmannophila pseudospretella 3 Homoeosoma sinuella 2 Hypsopygia glaucinalis 1 Lobesia abscisana 1 Metzneria metzneriella 1 Mompha ochraceella 20+ Monochroa palustrellus 1 Myelois circumvoluta 6 Notocelia uddmanniana 1 Pandemis cerasana 2 Pandemis corylana 1 Paraswammerdamia nebulella 1 Phycita roborella 3 Phycitodes binaevella 2 Piniphila bifasciana 2 Pleuroptya ruralis 1 Plutella xylostella 2 Prays frraxinella 2 Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 2 Pterophorus pentadactyla 15 Scoaparia basistrigalis 1 Scoparia ambigualis 4 Scoparia pyralella 2 Scoparia subfusca 14 Spatalistis bifasciana 1 Spilonota ocellana 1 Tortrix viridana 2 Udea olivalis 2 Udea prunalis 1
Summary[edit] Description: Catch Report - Braughing 18/07/12 - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap Well it seems like ages since I last trapped in the garden! was nice to get a mid-July list anyway. Riband Wave is really down in numbers this year with just one in the trap this morning, this time of year usually it would be the commonest moth in the trap! but so far just singletons. Also where has Straw Dot got to? hmmm one I trap commonly amongst the grassland on the farm. Really pleased with a stunning Old Lady, the best conditioned one I have ever seen, she was sitting on the side of the trap. The best Micro Moth of the night was a new one for me Apotomis capreana. Catch Report - Braughing 18/07/12 - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap Macro Moths 1x Grey Dagger [NFY] 1x Old Lady [NFY] 2x Barred Straw 2x Beautiful Golden-Y 1x Blood-vein 2x Bright-line Brown-eye 1x Brimstone Moth 1x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 4x Brown Rustic 2x Brown-line Bright-eye 1x Buff-tip 2x Burnished Brass 1x Cinnabar 3x Clay 1x Clouded Silver 4x Common Footman 3x Common Wainscot 18x Dark Arches 2x Dot Moth 6x Double Square-spot 1x Dun-bar 1x Elephant Hawk-moth 1x Engrailed 1x Eyed Hawk-moth 2x Fern 5x Flame 2x Flame Shoulder 1x Ghost Moth 1x Heart & Club 3x Heart & Dart 1x Ingrailed Clay 1x Large Nutmeg 12x Large Yellow Underwing 2x Least Carpet 1x Leopard Moth 6x Light Arches 1x Miller 2x Mottled Beauty 3x Mottled Rustic 3x Peppered Moth 2x Poplar Hawk-moth 1x Privet Hawk-moth 1x Riband Wave 5x Scarce Footman 1x Scorched Carpet 2x Setaceous Hebrew Character 1x Silver-Y 1x Small Fan-footed Wave 4x Snout 3x Smoky Wainscot 7x Uncertain 1x Vine's Rustic 1x White Satin 1x White-point Micro Moths 1x Apotomis capreana [NEW!] 2x Cydia splendana [NFY] 1x Hawthorn Moth Scythropia crataegella [NFY] 1x Dipleurina lacustrata 14x Chrysoteuchia culmella 3x White Plume Moth Pterophorus pentadactyla 3x Crambus lathoniellus 2x Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis 1x Crambus perlella 1x Eucosma cana 1x Cnephasia sp. 1x Agapeta hamana 2x Blastobasis laticolella 1x Pandemis cerasana 2x Zeiraphera isertana 1x Hedya nubiferana 1x Monochroa palustrella 2x Crambus perlella 1x Bryotropha affinis 1x Pempelia formosa 2x Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella 2x Udea olivalis 2x Endotricha flammealis 2x Small Magpie Eurrhypara hortulata 3x Bramble Shoot Moth Epiblema uddmanniana 4x Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella 3x Scoparia sp. 4x Celypha striana 2x Celypha lacunana. Date: 10 July 2012, 07:59. Source: [0737] Monochroa palustrella. Author: Ben Sale from UK.
Hemel Hempstead - Field Trip - 08/07/13 - National Moth Night contribution David, Roger and myself made another effort to trap at Gadesprings again, for my contribution to National Moth Night (as I wouldn't be running a trap in my garden until Sunday night) The weather was perfect, cloudy and mild with just a hint of breeze. Luckily we had almost finished packing up at about 2am before the rain started. We set up 2 traps from the mains and a further 3 traps about 200 metres along the canal/watercress beds. Two of the traps were placed right next to large outcrops of Butterbur, in the vain attempt to see whether we could get a Butterbur Moth....that never happened! Although we did get a few interesting species at the end of the night. Olive was a good record. My only records are below Hatfield Broad Oak 21/07/2008 Hatfield Broad Oak 22/07/2008 Canvey Wick SSSI 08/07/2010 Interestingly all my previous records are from Essex, so this is my first Hertfordshire specimen. Other moths of note were a Dioryctria, possbly abietella due to its plainess and size (I have set the specimen for further identification), Ypsolopha sequella which I haven't seen for awhile now, and a possible Elachista gleichenella, which to my knowledge is extinct in Herts now. I unfortunately let it go after a few photos which I am kicking myself for doing. It does look spot on for this species and has many more markings than atricomella, alpinella and the rest of the confusion species. Numbers below are approximate 08/07/13 - Gadesprings - Hemel Hempstead - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x 22w Actinic + 26w Blacklight Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Trap run from 9.00pm until 1.30am 124 Species in total 63 Macro Moths & 61 Micro Moths Macro Moths 1x Beautiful Hook-tip 1x Bright-line Brown-eye 2x Brimstone Moth 5x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1x Clay 2x Cloaked Minor 3x Common Carpet 1x Common Emerald 2x Common Footman 4x Common Rustic 1x Common Wave 1x Common Wainscot 1x Copper Underwing 1x Coronet 10x Dark Arches 15x Dingy Footman 10x Double Lobed 1x Double Square-spot 10x Dun-bar 1x Fern 5x Flame Shoulder 1x Heart & Dart 2x July Highflyer 1x Knot Grass 3x Large Yellow Underwing 8x Least Yellow Underwing 15x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 5x Lesser Yellow Underwing 1x Lunar-spotted Pinion 3x Maple Pug 1x Nut-tree Tussock 1x Olive 4x Orange Swift 1x Pale Mottled Willow 2x Pale Prominent 1x Poplar Hawk-moth 2x Red Twin-spot Carpet 4x Riband Wave 1x Rosy Rustic 12x Ruby Tiger 1x Sallow Kitten 1x Scorched Carpet 2x Shuttle-shaped Dart 5x Silver-Y 1x Single-dotted Wave 2x Small Fan-footed Wave 2x Small Phoenix 1x Small Rivulet 1x Smoky Wainscot 5x Snout 1x Southern Wainscot 1x Square-spot Rustic 2x Straw Dot 1x Tawny Speckled Pug 1x Toadflax Pug 4x Tree-lichen Beauty 2x Uncertain 2x V-pug 5x White-spotted Pug 5x Willow Beauty 2x Wormwood Pug 8x Yellow Shell 1x Yellow-barred Brindle Micro Moths 2x Acentria ephemerella 1x Acleris emargana 2x Acleris forsskaleana 1x Acleris variegana 2x Agapeta hamana 10x Agriphila straminella 5x Agriphila tristella 2x Aleimma loeflingiana 2x Apotomis lineana 2x Argyresthia bonnetella 1x Bactra lancealana 1x Batia unitella 2x Blastobasis adustella 1x Brachmia blandella 1x Calamotropha paludella 1x Caloptilia alchimiella 2x Cameraria ohridella 4x Carcina quercana 2x Cataclysta lemnata 2x Celypha lacunana 1x Chrysoteuchia culmella 4x Clepsis spectrana 1x Cnephasia sp 2x Coleophora sp 2x Dipleurina lacustrata 1x Dioryctria abietella (pending) 5x Elachista canapennella 1x Elachista gleichenella (pending) 5x Elachista maculicerusella 1x Emmelina monodactyla 1x Epiblema uddmanniana 5x Epinotia nisella 1x Epinotia ramella 1x Eucosma cana 2x Eudemis profundana 1x Eudonia mercurella 1x Eudonia pallida 2x Euzophera pinguis 1x Gypsonoma dealbana 1x Hedya salicella 2x Helcystogramma rufescens 4x Limnaecia phragmitella 2x Mompha epilobiella 1x Monochroa palustrella 1x Orthopygia glaucinalis 2x Pandemis cerasana 1x Pandemis corylana 5x Pandemis heparana 1x Parornix sp 2x Phycita roborella 50+ Pleuroptya ruralis 3x Plutella xylostella 1x Prays ruficeps 2x Pterophorus pentadactyla 1x Pyrausta aurata 1x Rhopobota naevana 2x Spilonota ocellana 4x Trachycera advenella 1x Udea prunalis 2x Yponomeuta evonymella 1x Ypsolopha sequella