Micro Mayhem

Micro-moths have really taken off in my garden recently, in-fact on Wednesday night the catch was made up mostly of micros! There were over 30 Yponomeuta species in and around the trap!

The most numerous macro was Common Footman at 38! 

In total, 68 species were noted of probably 220 moths at an estimate.

 

There were also 5 species of Hawk-moth present (6 if you count the fly-by Humming-bird) plenty of Miller's, Poplar Grey's and Sycamore's (All 10+ in number)

 

Best of the larger moths were Ghost Moth, Rosy Footman and my earliest ever Mouse Moth and 2 Early Thorn (10-15 years ago, the Mouse Moth was a late summer species peaking around the end of August, start of September).

Best of the smaller moths were 2 Caloptilia rufipennella, Dichrorampha simpliciana, Gelechia senticetella, Pexicopia malvella & Yponomeuta rorrella (Picked out for all the evonymella and padella/cag/mal aggregates).

A whole host of new moths added to the year list, with a few on the pending list.

New for years/garden & notable records listed below.

Moth garden list for 2022 stands at 454 species

29/06/22 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Fan-foot 1 [NFG]

Ghost Moth 1 [NFG]

Early Thorn 2 (First 2nd brooders)

Mouse Moth 1 [NFY]

Rosy Footman 1 [NFG]


Micro Moths

Acleris variegana 1 [NFY]

Acrobasis suavella 1 [NFY]

Agonopterix sp 1 TBC (Check for ciliella)

Argyresthia goedartella 1 [NFG]

Bucculatrix sp 1 TBC

Caloptilia rufipennella 2

Coleophora sp 1 TBC

Dichrorampha simpliciana 1 [NFY]

Gelechia senticetella 1 [NFY]

Hypsopygia costalis 1 [NFY]

Metzneria metzneriella 1 [NFG]

Pexicopia malvella 1 [NFG]

Phyllonorycter quercifoliella 1 [NFG]

Yponomeuta rorrella 1 [NFG]

Acleris variegana

Dichrorampha simpliciana

Early Thorn

Fan-foot

Gelechia senticetella

Ghost Moth

Metzneria metzneriella

Mouse Moth

Rosy Footman

Yponomeuta rorrella

A few nights off and then business as usual

As it was cool and a bit rubbish here on Sunday and Monday night, I decided not to run the trap as the late nights and early mornings had finally take thier toll!

All good things must come to an end as they say, but in the mothing world, during peak season, this is only momentarily.

Back to trapping on Tuesday night, and it was a rather healthy haul of moths on a slightly warmer night and less wind, there were over 50 species present.

Again, time is extremely precious with work and a young family so I have to just list my new species for the year/garden currently as it's just too time consuming jotting down hundreds of moths.

 

Highlights were several Brown-line Bright-eyes, an Oak Nycteoline, a really pretty Dichomeris alacella (which i've taken before at nearby Chippenham Fen, a good garden moth nevertheless), the distinct Eucosma obumbratana with it's two-tone appearance and the Bluebell feeder Eana incanana.

I also netted two more Triaxomasia caprimulgella at dusk, that's 3 now of this supposed rare moth (Although are the moths rare because people aren't actively looking for them? I think so in some cases).

 

Below are the new ones added on Tuesday night plus any good records noted. 

Moth garden list for 2022 stands at 440 species

25/06/22 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Brown-line Bright-eye 3 [NFG]
Oak Nycteoline 1


Micro Moths

Blastobasis adustella 1 [NFY]
Carcina quercana 1 [NFG]
Coleophora sp 1 [TBC]
Dichomeris alacella 1 [NFG]
Dichrorampha alpinana/flavidorsana 1 

Eana incanana 1 [NFG]
Eucosma obumbratana 1 [NFG]
Rhodophaea formosa 1 [NFG]
Triaxomasia caprimulgella 2 (Netted at dusk)

Brown-line Bright-eye

Carcina quercana

Coleophora sp

Dichomeris alacella

Dichrorampha alpinana/flavidorsana

Eana incanana

Eucosma obumbratana

Oak Nycteoline

Rhodophaea formosa

Triaxomasia caprimulgella

Saturday night's moth catch

I've had two nights off here from moth recording, partly due to burn-out, and also due to the cooler night-time temperatures dipping to around 8 degrees on both Sunday night, and Monday night.

The trap will be back on tonight as the wind is set to drop and the cloud cover will hopefully remain, locking those temperatures in. 

Species blew me away once more with crackers such as Bordered Beauty, Yarrow Pug, Acleris forsskaleana, Lobesia abscisana & 2 bright Oegoconia species, to name but a few.

Around 50 species wre observed, 16 were new additions. 

 

A fairly good-sized Coleophora which is plain white, with no creamy-yellow tufts below the palps, could well be my first Coleophora betulella. Specimen retained.

Another Coleophora was much easier to identify, one of the metallic green species with it's distinct black & white ringed antennae, and thick antennal basal tufts, mayrella it was!

 

Triaxomasia caprimulgella was a good moth to get, I netted it at dusk. It is a rare species to light, but now comes to several Clearwing lures. (And at time of going to post, i've now netted a second better conditioned example this evening - 28/06/22).

 

The weather remains a bit meh to say the least, not warm, not cold, sunny and then dull and quite windy during the day, but dropping overnight.

But it's just so dry, too dry and the garden is suffering somewhat.

Only the new species were recorded once more, as I am struggling for time currently.

Moth garden list for 2022 stands at 433 species

25/06/22 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Bordered Beauty 1 [NFG]
Maple Pug 1 [NFG]
Rustic 1 [NFG]
Scalloped Oak 1 [NFG]
Yarrow Pug 1 [NFG]

Micro Moths

Acleris forsskaleana 1 [NFG]
Borkhausenia fuscescens 1 [NFY]
Coleophora betulella sp 1 [NFG] (TBC)
Coleophora mayrella 1 [NFG]
Ectoedemia hannoverella/turbidella 1 [NFG] (TBC)
Endothenia gentianaeana/marginana 1 [NFG]
Lobesia abscisana 1 [NFG]
Oegoconia sp 2 [NFY]
Pammene regiana 1 [NFG]
Triaxomasia caprimulgella 1 [NFG]
Yponomeuta evonymella 1 [NFG]

 

Acleris forsskaleana

Bordered Beauty

Borkhausenia fuscescens

Coleophora betulella tbc

Coleophora mayrella

Ectoedemia hannoverella turbidella

Endothenia gentianaeana marginana

Lobesia abscisana

Maple Pug

Oegoconia sp

Pammene regiana

Triaxomasia caprimulgella

Yarrow Pug

 

Hurn Forest - Dorset (20-23rd June)

Last week I went away on holiday to Dorset next to Hurn Forest with the family.

 

We had a lovely time, and were very lucky with the weather. 

In the evenings I made several brief walks for an hour or so at a time to see if I could find any moths at dusk. 

Indeed I did find a few, though they were few and far between, which I was quite surprised about, particularly as I was walking in a huge nature reserve.

But, it was quality over quantity, the moths I did net made up for the lack of abundance.

In short, I managed 3 new species for my UK records.

They were Crombrugghia laetus (my second Crombrugghia species after nabbing distans in the garden last year), Phyllonorycter ulicicolella (many tapped from Gorse, all a bit worn) & Phyllonorycter viminiella (A distinct species with it's pale ochre ground colour).

Other highlights were Rosy Marbled, oodles of lekking Gold Swifts, and a Common Lutestring.

Common Lutestring

Crombrugghia laetus

Gold Swift

Pempelia genistella

Phyllonorycter ulicicolella

Phyllonorycter viminiella

Rosy Marbled

Another incredible catch for the garden

Friday night was another really busy one here in my garden in Fordham.

I got back from mothing out in the field at around 1am (as it was raining) and the trap was buzzing with moths, particularly micros (yippee), the wind was very strong and I was surprised at how many moths had actually made it to the trapping area.

I potted up what I could and went to bed.

Rising early Saturday morning to beat the local bold blackbird, I was greeted with a few more new species for the year, all in all, around 65 species were noted, but jotting them all done currently is pressing me for time, and sleep deprivation! 14 were added to the year list total.

Some really beautiful moths were potted, observed, photographed and released, including Ruddy Carpet, White Satin, Catoptria pinella and the melanic form of Cydalima perspectalis.

Only the new species were recorded once more.

Moth garden list for 2022 stands at 417 species

24/06/22 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Clay 1 [NFG]
Dun-bar 2 [NFG]
Oak Nycteoline 1 [NFG]
Ruddy Carpet 1 [NFG]
Scarce Footman 1 [NFG]
Shaded Broad-bar 1 [NFG]
White Satin 1 [NFG]
Wormwood Pug 1 [NFG]

Micro Moths

Agriphila straminella 1 [NFG]
Catoptria pinella 1 [NFG]
Cnephasia longana 1 [NFG]
Cydalima perspectalis 3 [NFY]
Spilonota ocellana 1 [NFG]
Stenoptilia pterodactyla 1 [NFG]

 

Agriphila straminella

Cnephasia longana

Cydalima perspectalis

Dun-bar

Oak Nycteoline

Ruddy Carpet

Spilonota ocellana

Stenoptilia pterodactyla

White Satin

Wormwood Pug