Latest from the garden trap

3 year-listers on Monday night here in my garden in Stevenage, with two species of the common Spring Pugs and the every increasingly common Mompha jurassicella, which seems to have over-taken subbistrigella as the most prevelant Mompha in my garden. 

The weather is warm during the day, but still cool at night with a low of 7c.

Moth species for 2021 in the garden now stands at 28. 

29/03/21 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts - 125w Clear MV Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

Brindled Pug 1 [NFY]

Double-striped Pug 3 -NFY] 

Chestnut 1

Common Quaker 5

Hebrew Character 1

Small Quaker 1

Twin-spotted Quaker 2

 

Micro Moths

 

Mompha jurassicella 1 [NFY]

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1

Diurnea fagella 2

Emmelina monodactyla 3

Brindled Pug

Diurnea fagella

Double-striped Pug

Mompha jurassicella

Late moths and pale moths

I ran the trap again last night as it was predicted to be around 7 degrees, still a little on the cool side to get excited about, but worth a shot.

The wind was the problem, and that big bright orb in the sky, that was bright enough to pierce the high level cloud.

5 moths turned up, not great. But only my second Twin-spotted Quaker of the year, a really pale example, and 2 year first Diurnea fagella which are running two weeks behind compared to an average year here.

That's all folks! Tomorrow for a few days sees weather set to warm up, with temperatures in the low 20's possible, but still a little cool at night under clear skies.

Moth species for 2021 in the garden now stands at 25.  

Diurnea fagella

Hebrew Character

Twin-spotted Quaker

Caloptilia elongella new for me

I ran the trap last night again at where I work, there were just 3 moths to be found in and around the trapping area, hardly ground-breaking for the end of March, a light frost, bright moon and just 1c was probably responsible for this.

But, one moth caught my eye as I packed away. A rufous-coloured Caloptilia that needed a second look.

I've recorded both betulicola and rufipennella in numbers over the years, but have never seen the Alder feeder, elongella. This is hardly surprising, as Alder isn't a very prolific species of tree in Herts. Alder is mostly found in the damper valleys and therefore wetland species tend to usually be confined to these areas (Although on warm muggy summer nights they have a tendency to disperse, for example Silky Wainscot and Bulrush Wainscot have been recorded in my garden before, which is nowhere near any suitable habitat). 

Speaking with Graeme Smith, and a look at the differences between the three, the moth does indeed appear to be my first elongella.

rufipennella was instantly ruled about because of the legs. The next bit to look at is the triangular section underneath the legs called the 'trochanter' this is white or off-white in betulicola. In elongella it is the same colour as the ground colouration of the moth itself, mine is very much the latter.

The British Caloptilia genus currently stands at 13 species, with honoratella added to the British list in 2019. I was lucky enough to record this new to Hertfordshire last year.

I have therefore recorded 12 species of Caloptilia here now, the missing species is probably a common moth for some of you out there... azalleella! One day maybe..

Caloptilia elongella

Caloptilia elongella

More lure action at work this time

In the Cemetery where I work in Bishop's Stortford, and not far from my trapping area, we have two medium sized Oak trees which are in line of sight to where I park my car, the Pammene giganteana's caterpillars feed from the Oak tree, and I have a Grapholita molesta lure that seems to attract Pammene giganteana, you can see where i'm going here can't you...

So with the (MOL) lure deployed on my bonnet at 7:30am I would check it intermittently throughout the day.

At 9, I had a quick peek and was very surprised to see one sitting on top of the trap, not only for it's early flight time in the day, but also for the fact that the temperature was barely 7 degrees, cloudy and with a cool breeze making things feel much colder.

I checked again at lunchtime (1pm), and there were a further 4!

From 1pm until hometime at 3:30pm, there were no more.

Trapping at night has been quite poor the last few nights with hardly any variety and with only Small Quaker doing well.

 A nice 'lead-coloured' Clouded Drab was the best of the bunch last night.

 

'Leady' Clouded Drab

4 of the 5 Pammene giganteana

The first one to arrive between 7:30am to 9:00am

Lure deployment area

Pammene giganteana

2 more Pammene giganteana

Another couple of Pammene giganteana to my MOL lure over the last couple of days, i'm assuming that they are all different moths, though the species shows little variation from what i've seen.

Two I have put side by side and you can just about do 'spot the difference'.

The home trap was busy'ish with 22 moths, but mundane with only 3 species! Common Quaker, Hebrew Character and Small Quaker.

At work last night, a light frost and just 2 pigging moths! Thankfully one was worth taking a quick piccie of, a nice grey Diurnea fagella.

Diurnea fagella

Pammene giganteana

Pammene giganteana

First species to a pheremone lure in my garden!

On Friday afternoon, and after talking with Tim Green about his success lately with the 'molesta' lure for Pammene giganteana, I was duly prompted to find my lure buckets, get them washed up with some warm soapy water, and de-frost said lure.

I popped the lure out in the bucket trap after work on Friday at around 4pm, and checked on it just before dark, nothing... to be honest, very much expected! 

Two things worry me about these lures, firstly do they work? secondly did they use to work, but don't now? and finally, is the moth species likely to be found in said location? The first two you can change (buy new lure for a target species, and find out what species come to each specific lure from other people's experiences) the last, well that's the exciting part, you just don't know what is out there, I did have a feeling that the large Oak trees at the bottom of the garden may harbour this particular species, and a lot of the Spring flying Tortrix moths appear to not be quite as attracted to light as previously thought (In fact many species of Pammene and Cydia I have observed and netted in the early morning sunshine).

So you can imagine my delight when I checked my lure after dinner yesterday (20/03/21) to find a smart little dark tortrix sitting in the trap.

A closer inspection revealed that it was indeed Pammene giganteana and a second garden record (Having recorded it to light in my first Spring here in 2013).

Oddly, conditions did not seem ideal, just 7 degrees and a light cool wind and heavily over-cast.

If anyone else has a MOL lure and have Oak trees in the vicinity like I do, then what are you waiting for, get your lure out now!

In the trap this morning it was the usual fare of Spring Noctuids, highlight was a second record for the year of Dark Chestnut, never a common moth here.

Moth species for 2021 in the garden now stands at 23. 

 

Pammene giganteana

Dark Chestnut

A typical Spring catch here

Lure trap to the left in the boggy garden

Woah!

An extra new for year at home, and a nice surprise at work - 17/03/21

Last night I ran both a trap at home (125w Clear MV Robinson Trap) and a trap at work (twin 15w Actinic/Synergetic combo + 40w Actinic Trap).

Both traps had very little moths in and around, mostly Quaker's and Hebrew's with the abscence of any Drab's this morning.

Pick of the catch at home was a year first Agonopterix alstromeriana, a common moth here but always nicely coloured.

At work, I instantly spotted a thin almost straw-like moth sitting behind the trap and was very pleased to pot up and photograph the Spindle feeding Ypsolopha mucronella.

This is an uncommon moth for my records, this being only my 5th in 15 years of trapping, very pleased.

Agonopterix alstromeriana

Ypsolopha mucronella

 

Latest from the traps at home & away

Well the wind calmed down eventually over the last few days, and on Sunday night it was just about warm enough to chance a trapping effort in the garden, only 4 moths ventured out.

Last night however was much calmer, with just a hint of breeze and mild at a minimum of 7 degrees and a big contrast of 31 moths of 8 species.

Highlight of the night was only my 4th garden record of Twin-spotted Quaker, a really pale specimen.

At work there wasn't much at all last night, but a nicely marked Common Quaker caught my eye.

Moth species for 2021 in the garden now stands at 22. 

14/03/21 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts - 125w Clear MV Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

Common Quaker 2

Early Grey 1

Hebrew Character 1

 

Micro Moths

 

None Recorded!

15/03/21 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts - 125w Clear MV Robinson Trap

 

Macro Moths

 

Twin-spotted Quaker 1 [NFY]

Chestnut 1

Clouded Drab 1

Common Quaker 6

Hebrew Character 4

March Moth 2

Small Quaker 16

Micro Moths

 

Amblyptilia acanthdactyla 1

 

15/03/21 - Work - Bishop's Stortford - East Herts - 40w Actinic + 15w Twin Synergetic/Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Common Quaker 6

Early Grey 1

Hebrew Character 2

Small Quaker 1

Micro Moths

 

Emmelina monodactyla 1 

Clouded Drab

Common Quaker

Twin-spotted Quaker

In the garden and at work

Warm and very spring like yesterday in the sunshine by the afternoon, today... in massive contrast it's been cool, wet and windy, the transition happened in the early hours of the morning, and it actually got warmer by the morning (it dipped to 3c but by 6am was up at 6c)

Not too many moths to count, but a pleasing total of 11 moths of 4 species with 1 new for year species, the Early Grey.

At work, much less but only one less on species, a fresh Oak Beauty being the best.

Moth species for 2021 in the garden now stands at 21.

09/03/21 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts - 125w Clear MV Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

Early Grey 1 [NFY]

Chestnut 1

Common Quaker 4

Small Quaker 5

 

Micro Moths

 

None Recorded!

09/03/21 - Work - Bishop's Stortford - East Herts - 40w Actinic + 15w Twin Synergetic/Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

 

Common Quaker 2

Oak Beauty 1

Micro Moths

 

Agonopterix alstromeriana 1

 

Early Grey

Oak Beauty

 

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla by day : Species no.20 for 2021

I was just setting up the jetwash for my wife to do our patios (She enjoys the satisfaction of doing this), when I spotted an Amblyptilia acanthadactyla sitting on the back gate.

This is a really common Plume moth in my garden and slightly more common than Emmelina monodactyla.

Just too cold for running a trap at the moment.

The next 'mothy action' will see me go 'Sallowing' to try and find some moths away from home.

Moth species for 2021 in the garden now stands at 20. 

Stevenage, North Herts

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla