4 days of mothing and a change of weather

I've been pretty lazy lately updating my blog and so here is a combined list of moths including all of the new for year species since the 22nd of July until the 30th.

In the time I trapped 4 times and each time the catch has got slightly lower each time.

This slow down I usually expect to see at the end of August, but with species such as Square-spot Rustic, Rosy Rustic and Straw Underwing it kind of feels like that time of year already.

Some great new moths for the year last week including the rarely seen Nutmeg (with just 3 records now for the garden and last seen in 2014).

Nutmeg is a strange one for me. It seems to have poor years for about 5 or 6 consecutive years then an explosion happens like in 2012 where I trapped no less than 220 over two traps on the farm at Braughing Friars. 

Also Ypsolopha scabrella, which was a garden first in 2013 returned after a four year absence and not just one but 4 over the week and all different specimens as they were potted up.

Udea ferrugalis was recorded as well, a migrant that has turned up for the last 5 years running and my earliest garden record by 29 days, I actually caught two of them on different nights which was pleasing.

Last week saw a spurt of migrants with a year first Nomophila noctuella also recorded and no less than 35 Silver-Y's over the week.

Unbelievably I missed out on Copper Underwing last year, a common moth and which was a year first on the 28th of July.

But saving the best until last was a new Macro Moth for the garden and a truly un-welcome visitor if you work for DEFRA, the Oak Processionary Moth. Really pleased to trap this presumed wanderer from it's stronghold population in the Thames Valley and in many districts of London.

Unfortunately, it was in a pretty dire state but it still counts and I believe only the second record for Hertfordshire.

The year list now sits on 414 species with the year totals so far being 

2016 - [372] 2015 - [401] 2014 - [423] 2013 - [385] 

So I need 9 species to level with the best year in 2014, that should be easily attainable with about 20 common species 'expected' to turn up before the year ends.

That is all for now... back to trapping for me.

Catch Report - 22/07/17 to 30/07/17 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap

 

Macro Moths

1x Oak Processionary [NEW!] 

3x Copper Underwing [NFY]

1x Least Yellow Underwing [NFY] 

1x Nutmeg [NFY]

1x Straw Underwing [NFY]

1x White-spotted Pug [NFY]

1x Blood-vein

1x Bright-line Brown-eye

4x Brimstone Moth

2x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

76x Common Rustic

2x Common Wainscot

2x Dark Arches

1x Dingy Footman

1x Dot Moth

5x Double-striped Pug

3x Dun-bar

1x July Highflyer

1x Knot Grass

5x Large Yellow Underwing

5x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

1x Lesser Yellow Underwing

1x Lychnis 

1x Maiden's Blush 

5x Maple Pug

5x Mottled Beauty

8x Nut-tree Tussock

1x Pale Mottled Willow

1x Pale Prominent 

1x Peppered Moth

1x Poplar Hawk-moth

1x Red Twin-spot Carpet

10x Riband Wave

2x Ruby Tiger

5x Rustic

1x Scalloped Oak

5x Shuttle-shaped Dart

35x Silver-Y

1x Small Waved Umber 

1x Smoky Wainscot 

4x Straw Dot

1x Tree-lichen Beauty

3x Turnip Moth

3x Uncertain

2x Willow Beauty

1x Yellow-tail

Micro Moths

1x Catoptria pinella [NFY]

1x Epinotia tenerana [ NFY]

1x Hypatima rhomboidella [NFY] 

1x Nomophila noctuella [NFY] 

1x Phyllonorycter geniculella [NFY]

1x Phyllonorycter messaniella [NFY]

2x Udea ferrugalis [NFY]

4x Ypsolopha scabrella [NFY]

1x Acleris forsskaleana 

2x Acrobasis advenella 

5x Acrobasis suavella

3x Agriphila tristella

45x Agriphila straminella

1x Aleimma loeflingiana

2x Amblyptilia acanthdactyla

4x Argyresthia albistria 

45x Blastobasis adustella

1x Bucculatrix ulmella

10x Chrysoteuchia culmella

1x Cnephasia sp

1x Coleophora sp

2x Cydia fagiglandana 

2x Cydia pomonella

2x Cydia splendana

1x Endrosis sarcitrella 

4x Emmelina monodactyla

5x Endotricha flammealis

1x Epiphyas postvittana

35x Eudonia lacustrata

30x Eudonia mercurella

2x Evergestis forficalis  

1x Lyonetia clerkella

4x Pammene aurita

1x Pammene fasciana 

1x Pandemis corylana 

1x Phyllonorycter harrisella

45x Pleuroptya ruralis

15x Spilonota ocellana

4x Yponomeuta evonymella

1x Ypsolopha sequella 

Cydia fagiglandana

 

Epinotia tenerana

Hypatima rhomboidella

July Highflyer

Nomophila noctuella

Nutmeg

Oak Processionary

Peppered Moth

Turnip Moth

Udea ferrugalis

Ypsolopha scabrella