Nemophora degeerella

Number 108 for the year, a female Nemophora degeerella found in our alleyway on the purposely left stinging nettles.
Warm and sunny today and looking forward to seeing what is in the trap in the morning, after nearly a week break.

Nemophora degeerella - Female

Puss Moth's into their 3rd instar on their 10th day

The four Puss moth caterpillars are now into their next stage and are looking much more like their final stage, with beautiful shades of green and dark brown.
They have also increased their food consumption and will need some more food tomorrow!

3rd instar - 29/06/13

Hemel Hempstead Field Trip - 26/06/13

Hemel Hempstead Field Trip - 26/06/13

Last night Roger, David and myself did another field trip to the Boxmoor Trusts land. We decided to set-up 2 traps at Gadesprings like we normally do, lock it up and leave it running,
and then drive about a mile and a half to our second site. Roughdown Common is a lovely looking piece of unimproved grass chalkland with intersecting mature woodland and new plantations of mixed trees and scrub.
The site is very uneven as I found out after I slipped over chasing a moth! The amount of flora on offer at this site speaks volumes for the divesity of moths that we would record.
The evening was perfect, overcast warm and with a slight breeze. The moths did not take long to arrive and the micro's were borderline overwhelming for all of us.
Gadesprings did not fair so well, and was slightly cooler (because of the Watercress beds) with about a 1/4 of what we recorded at Roughdown. But again we found different species at this site, notably Netted Pug!
All in all a very enjoyable (and exhausting) evening, which I look forward to repeating again very soon.



Numbers of species are approximate.

121 species total

104 species at Roughdown Common (70 Macro - 34 Micro)

58 species at Gadesprings (49 Macro - 9 Micro)

17 extra  species at Gadesprings

[] = Only at Gadesprings


26/06/13
Roughdown Common - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Trap run from 9.45pm until 1.30am


Macro Moths

1x Angle Shades
5x Beautiful Golden Y
3x Brimstone Moth
1x Broken-barred Carpet
2x Brown Rustic
2x Buff Arches
1x Buff-tip
1x Burnished Brass
2x Clouded Border
20x Clouded Silver
2x Clouded-bordered Brindle
4x Common Carpet
6x Common Marbled Carpet
2x Common Pug
3x Common Swift
2x Common Wainscot
5x Common White Wave
1x Coronet
1x Dark Arches
1x Elephant Hawk-moth
1x Fern
1x Flame
4x Flame Shoulder
2x Ghost Moth
10x Green Carpet
1x Green Pug
10x Grey Pug
10x Heart & Dart
3x Ingrailed Clay
1x Iron Prominent
5x Large Nutmeg
2x Light Brocade
1x Liht Emerald
1x Lobster Moth
6x Marbled Minor
3x Marbled White Spot
1x Middle-barred Minor
2x Mottled Beauty
2x Mottled Pug
1x Orange Footman
2x Pale Oak Beauty
1x Pale Prominent
1x Pale Tussock
3x Peppered Moth
2x Purple Bar
1x Riband Wave
2x Rustic Shoulder-knot
1x Scorched Carpet
5x Scorched Wing
2x Seraphim
1x Setaceous Hebrew Character
1x Shaded Pug
2x Shoulder-striped Wainscot
1x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1x Silver-Y
10x Silver-ground Carpet
1x Small Blood-vein
2x Small Square-spot
1x Snout
1x Spectacle
10x Straw Dot
1x Sycamore
1x Tawny-barred Angle
1x Toadflax Pug
1x Treble Brown Spot
2x Treble Lines
1x V-pug
3x Waved Umber
2x White Ermine
1x Yellow Shell
 
Micro Moths

2x Celypha lacunana
6x Scoparia pyralella
1x Scoparia ambigualis
3x Crambus lathoniellus
1x Hedya nubiferana
8x Cochylimorpha straminea
4x Agapeta hamana
1x Agepeta zoegana
2x Acentria ephemerella
6x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
1x Eupoecilia angustana
1x Nemapogon cloacella
1x Blastobasis laticolella
10x Metzneria metzneriella
1x Coleophora sp
1x Bactra sp
1x Agonopterix arenella
1x Tinea semifulvella
2x Eucosma cana
3x Eucosma obumbratana
1x Eucosma hohenwartiana
4x Tortrix viridana
3x Pandemis cerasana
1x Bryotropha affinis
1x Chrysoteuchia culmella
2x Epiblema uddmanniana
1x Epiblema trimaculana
2x Eucosma campoliliana
2x Elachista sp
2x Udea olivalis
1x Archips podana
1x Aphelia paleana
1x Epiblema cynosbatella
1x pos Eulamprotes unicolorella (to be checked)

26/06/13
Gadesprings, Hemel Hempstead - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap & 1x 160w MBT Trap run from 9.30pm until 2.00am


Macro Moths

1x Beautiful Golden Y
1x Bright-line Brown-eye []
2x Brimstone Moth
1x Brown Rustic
1x Buff Ermine []
3x Buff-tip
1x Burnished Brass
5x Cinnabar []
1x Clouded Border
1x Common Carpet
1x Common Footman []
5x Clouded Silver
1x Clouded-bordered Brindle
2x Common Marbled Carpet
2x Common Rustic []
4x Common Swift
1x Common Wave []
2x Common White Wave
2x Dark Arches
1x Double Square-spot []
1x Dusky Brocade []
1x Elephant Hawk-moth
3x Flame
3x Flame Shoulder
3x Green Carpet
1x Grey-pine Carpet []
3x Grey Pug
5x Heart & Dart
1x Ingrailed Clay
2x Large Nutmeg
2x Light Brocade
4x Marbled Minor
1x Middle-barred Minor
1x Netted Pug []
1x Pale Prominent
1x Peppered Moth
1x Rustic Shoulder-knot
1x Scorched Wing
1x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1x Silver-Y
5x Silver-ground Carpet
1x Small Square-spot
1x Snout
2x Straw Dot
1x Swallow Prominent []
1x Treble Lines
1x Uncertain []
1x White Ermine
1x Willow Beauty []

Micro Moths

4x Celypha lacunana
2x Cochylimorpha straminea
3x Crambus lathoniellus
2x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
1x Agonopterix arenella
2x Elachista maculicerusella []
2x Clepsis spectrana []
1x Plutella xylostella []
1x Eurrhypara hortulata []

Coronet

Dusky Brocade

Eucosma campoliliana

Eucosma hohenwartiana

Eucosma obumbratana

Eulamprotes unicolorella?

Eupoecilia angustana

Fern

Netted Pug

Scoparia pyralella

Shaded Pug

Sycamore

Toadflax Pug

Last night in Woodland

Another trip to undisclosed woodland last night, did not yield a great deal. On arrival and after a cloudy day....the sky inevitably
cleared and at half past midnight the moths had stopped altogether and the temperature had dropped to 7 degrees with a bright moon!
 
25/06/13 - 1x 125w MV Robinson, 1x 160w MBT Trap and 1x 80w Actinic Trap - 9.45pm til 1.00am

Macro Moths

1x Angle Shades
1x Brimstone Moth
2x Brown Rustic
2x Buff Ermine
1x Clouded Border
1x Clouded Silver
3x Common Carpet
1x Common Marbled Carpet
5x Common Swift
1x Common Wave
3x Common White Wave
1x Fern
10x Green Carpet
2x Ingrailed Clay
3x Light Emerald
1x Lime Hawk-moth
1x Maple Prominent
1x Marbled Minor
5x Pale Oak Beauty
1x Pale Tussock
1x Privet Hawk-moth
1x Rivulet
1x Scorched Wing
2x Setaceous Hebrew Character
10x Silver-ground Carpet

Micro Moths

3x Celypha lacunana
1x Tinea semifulvella
1x Nematopogon swammerdamella
4x Hedya pruniana
2x Udea olivalis
2x Epiblema cynosbatella
1x Eurrhypara hortulata
1x Triaxomera parasitella

Tinea semifulvella

Pale Tussock - Female

 

Maple Prominent

Heart & Darts for everyone

A Heart & Dart for everybody last night with 19 individuals. Still not a great deal, but was happy with a few new garden moths for the year to keep the interest ticking over.
Cacoecimorpha pronubana was new for the garden.
Considering the windy and clear conditions last night and down to 8c this morning I didn't do too bad.
The next few nights look much better for a spot of woodland trapping with the genny.


Catch Report - 23/06/13 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson trap


Macro Moths

1x Dark Arches [NFY]
1x Snout [NFY]
3x Rustic Shoulder-knot
19x Heart & Dart
3x Vine's Rustic
8x Common Swift
1x Green Silver-lines
1x Pale Tussock
2x Large Nutmeg
1x Marbled Minor
1x Bright-line Brown-eye
1x Grey Pug

Micro moths

1x Cacoecimorpha pronubana [NFY]
1x Celypha lacunana
1x Hedya pruniana

Cacoecimorpha pronubana

Pale Tussock

Green Silver-lines

Our babies are growing!

Just thought I would share with everyone our beautiful little Puss Moth caterpillars that were kindly donated by Graeme Smith then subsequently the eggs were baby-sitted by Colin Plant!
They hatched on Tuesday 18th of June and are already into their second instar. They appear to like the selected Sallow species of tree we found right at the end of our bridleway, unfortunately we could only fine one tree, luckily it is a good mature one!

Here are a few pictures of them.

1st Instar 19/06/13

2nd Instar - 22/06/13

2nd Instar - 22/06/13

Can you spot all 4

A new home

A few more for the garden, but numbers dropping rapidly

Nowhere near as good last night with only about 20 moths but I did manage a few garden extras.
With the previous nights catch in pots the list was as follows....

Moths have not obliged for photos this morning! And one sadly keeled over aswell in one of the pots, how odd.

Catch Report - 20/06/13 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson trap


Macro Moths

1x White Ermine [NFG]
1x Yellow Shell [NFY]
1x Light Brocade
2x Willow Beauty
5x Brown Rustic
2x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1x Light Emerald
1x Vine's Rustic
3x Large Nutmeg
2x Rustic Shoulder-knot


Micro moths

1x Celypha striana [NFG]
1x Phyllonorycter harrisella [NFG]
2x Eudonia mercurella

Celypha striana

Phyllonorycter harrisella

A more than 'Minor' success

A great catch last night with plenty to be pleased about, it certainly was a night of the Minor's! with hopefully Rufous, and Tawny Marbled to add to Marbled and Middle-barred Minor.

Beautiful Golden-Y was the Macro highlight.
I think tonight will be the last 'muggy' night so I will take advantage of that, just incase I get some more species for the garden.

Edit : Did not get Rufous, but got 2 Tawny Marbled Minor's confirmed, new to the garden :) 

Catch Report - 19/06/13 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson trap

102 moths of 41 species

Macro Moths

1x Beautiful Golden-Y [NFG]
1x Pale Tussock [NFG]
1x Pale Prominent [NFG]
1x Middle-barred Minor [NFG]
2x Tawny Marbled Minor  [NFG]
1x Spruce Carpet [NFY]
1x Light Emerald [NFY]
1x Straw Dot [NFY]
4x Clouded Silver
6x Green Carpet
2x Willow Beauty
4x Common Pug
7x Large Nutmeg
2x Brimstone Moth
5x Rustic Shoulder-knot
9x Garden Carpet
5x Common Marbled Carpet
6x Common Swift
3x Marbled Minor
1x Peppered Moth
9x Heart & Dart
1x Freyer's Pug
3x Mottled Rustic
1x Mottled Pug
1x Bright-line Brown-eye
1x Shuttle-shaped Dart
2x Ingrailed Clay
2x Brown Rustic



Micro moths

1x Teleiodes luculella [NFG]
1x Hedya pruniana [NFG]
1x Aphomia sociella [NFG]
1x Argyresthia spinosella [NFG]
3x Celypha lacunana [NFY]
2x Crambus lathoniellus
1x Scoparia ambigualis
2x Syndemis musculana
5x Epiphyas postvittana
1x Epiblema cynosbatella
1x Caloptilia alchimiella
1x Plutella xylostella 

Beautiful Golden-Y

Tawny Marbled Minor

Marbled Minor

Argyresthia spinosella

Teleiodes luculella

Middle-barred Minor variations

A few from last night out in the Woods

53 species from an undisclosed site last night, and not a huge amount to write home about, but I did get my second ever Triaxomera parasitella.


Macro Moths

1x Marbled Minor
5x Large Nutmeg
1x Silver-Y
1x Scorched Wing
1x Maiden's Blush
1x Buff Ermine
1x Green Silver-lines
2x Comon Carpet
1x Clouded Border
2x White Ermine
2x Rivulet
1x Bright-line Brown-eye
1x Pale Prominent
1x Orange Footman
1x Angle Shades
1x Rustic Shoulder-knot
1x Poplar Grey
2x Flame Shoulder
1x Clouded-bordered Brindle
2x Common White Wave
3x Straw Dot
1x Sandy Carpet
10x Pale Tussock
3x Scorched Carpet
5x Silver-ground Carpet
3x Common Pug
1x Grey Pug
12x Common Swift
15x Green Carpet
17x Light Emerald
4x Common Marbled Carpet
3x Pale Oak Beauty
1x Iron Prominent
1x Clouded Silver

Micro Moths

1x Cydia pomonella
2x Agapeta hamana
4x Hedya pruniana
1x Epiblema cynosbatella
1x Eurrhypara hortulata
1x Evergestis forficalis
1x Parornix sp
12x Elophila nymphaeata
1x Nemapogon cloacella
2x Cnephasia sp
14x Plutella xylostella
3x Crambus lathoniellus
1x Amblyptilia acanthadactyla
1x Monopis weaverella
1x Epiblema trimaculana
1x Triaxomera parasitella
1x Prays fraxinella
1x Stenoptilia pterodactyla
1x Cochylimorpha straminea

Cochylimorpha straminea

Water Scorpion

Stenoptilia pterodactyla

Elophila nymphaeata

Prays fraxinella

Triaxomera parasitella

Not the migrant I was hoping for.....

Reports of a Deaths-head Hawk-moth yesterday in Letchworth made everybody very excited here in Hertfordshire, sadly the only migrant I managed was a Plutella xylostella!

A good night though last night, with numbers on the increase. Still only two Hawk-moths in the garden so f,ar but I suppose it is still early for this rather snails-pace year.
For instance Treble lines is a garden first and I have had to wait almost 3 weeks later than trapping them in other locations this year.
Green Silver-lines was lovely to see, all in all 6 were new for the garden and one example of the migrant Plutella xylostella was new for the year.

56 moths of 28 species


Catch Report - 17/06/13 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson trap

Macro Moths

1x Treble Lines [NFG]
1x Freyer's Pug [NFG]
1x Scalloped Hazel [NFG]
1x Green Silver-lines [NFG]
1x Clouded Silver [NFG]
1x Poplar Hawk-moth
2x Mottled Rustic
1x Green Carpet
4x Garden Carpet
2x Rustic Shoulder-knot
5x Common Pug
3x Mottled Pug
1x Large Nutmeg
8x Heart & Dart
3x Grey Pug
7x Common Swift
1x Common Marbled Carpet
1x Flame Shoulder
1x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1x Angle Shades
1x Peppered Moth

Micro moths

2x Crambus lathoniellus [NFG]
1x Plutella xylostella [NFY]
1x Emmelina monodactyla
1x Mompha epilobiella
1x Mompha subbistrigella
2x Epiphyas postvittana
1x Celypha lacunana

Green Silver-lines

Freyer's Pug

Epiphyas postvittana - Female

Crambus lathoniellus

Pugs galore

A tidy catch last night with 4 new for the garden and 1 new for the year, leading me upto 60 Macro's and 23 Micro's for the year, a grand total of 83 species for the year and nearing that 100 mark but I still feel quite a way off and we are nearly at July!
I will probably try again tonight, and then I will have a break Tuesday night as I will be out trapping with the generator.
Once again the photos will have to wait as it is still incredibly dark out there and has just started to rain.



Catch Report - 16/06/13 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson trap

Macro Moths

1x Ingrailed Clay [NFG]
1x Marbled Minor [NFG]
1x Oak-tree Pug [NFG]
1x Rustic Shoulder-knot
2x Brimstone Moth
1x Green Carpet
2x Heart & Dart
1x Double-striped Pug
2x Grey Pug
3x Common Pug
1x Pale Mottled Willow
1x Bright-line Brown-eye
3x Common Swift


Micro moths

1x Eurrhypara hortulata [NFG]
1x Caloptilia alchimiella [NFY]
1x Epiblema cynosbatella

Caloptilia alchimiella

Ingrailed Clay

A house tick

A new moth for my garden, well erm my house it should be. A mint Bryotropha affinis found by my better half by the front door and sitting next to an ant bait trap....was it attracted to the smell? Who knows.

Bryotropha affinis