Latest from the garden

The weather continues to test us, the conditions have been pretty dire lately and it's not much better next week with a potetial for frosts once more.

Last night the best moth was a year first Brindled Beauty, a moth that I recorded 9 of in 2022. We'll see how this spring fairs for the species.

A bonus Dotted Chestnut was found tucked in the white sheet that I put underneath my trap.

Also a dark pinky-hued Agonopterix heracliana species was checked for ciliella, turns out it is just a male heracliana and I guess the other 5 were probably the same.

I also did a spot of dusking on the patio, looking West towards the setting sun, with variable amounts of dark cloud it was quite hard to pick out any movements.

I did however strike lucky with 2 out of 3 moths netted.

Two dark form Lyonetia clerkella were the reward, another new species for the year.

Moth garden list for 2023 stands at 38 species
 

30/03/23 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Brindled Beauty 1 [NFY]
Clouded Drab 1

Common Quaker 5

Dotted Chestnut 1

Double-striped Pug 2

Hebrew Character 2

March Moth 3

 

Micro Moths

Lyonetia clerkella 2 [NFY]

Agonopterix alstromeriana 1

Agonopterix heracliana 6

Emmelina monodactyla 2

 

Agonopterix heracliana

Brindled Beauty

Dotted Chestnut

Lyonetia clerkella 1

Lyonetia clerkella 2

 

Still windy and changeable

But, last night was the only night that it's been relatively calm for a while, and with minimums of between 6 and 8 degrees I was hopeful of a good catch.

Well it wasn't ground-breaking to say the least, but it did include a year first Red Chestnut.

Monday saw two further Pammene giganteana to the FUN lure, and also one turned up today.

I'm hoping it might be worth trying again tonight, we'll see by the morning.

Moth garden list for 2023 stands at 36 species
 

28/03/23 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Red Chestnut 1 [NFY]
Common Quaker 7

Grey Shoulder-knot 1

Hebrew Character 4

 

Micro Moths

Agonopterix alstromeriana 1

Emmelina monodactyla 1

 

Pammene giganteana

Red Chestnut

 

Quiet and just too windy

Another catch from Tuesday night, but it was a bit windy and wet and the catch was less, last night the wind was just too strong in my exposed garden, so I had the night off.

A Satellite was a welcome new for year, and a second Lead-coloured Drab was included in the catch.

I'm hoping this wind will ease soon...

Moth garden list for 2023 stands at 35 species
 

21/03/23 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Satellite 1 [NFY]

Clouded Drab 2
Common Quaker 3

Early Grey 2

Hebrew Character 2

Lead-coloured Drab 1
March Moth 3

 

Micro Moths

Agonopterix alstromeriana 1

Diurnea fagella 1
Emmelina monodactyla 2

Lead-coloured Drab

Satellite

Latest from the garden moth trap

Last night was once again, worth running the trap in the garden.

A mild day of 15 degrees, with night time temperatures not falling below 8c, but with wind and sporadic showers, conditions weren't the best.

Luckily a selection of moths ventured out, a different set to the previous night.

A year first Silver Y came in at around 8pm, I could not get it to sit correctly, its wings were constantly splayed (maybe some muscle damage whilst exiting the pupa), although it flew off rapidly after it's photograph.

Another Pammene giganteana, a darker one this time came to the FUN lure during the daytime.

Ans this evening as I was setting the trap up again for tonight, I spyed a Twin-spotted Quaker which I had missed this morning, wedged between two fence panels... another year tick!

Moth garden list for 2023 stands at 34 species
 

20/03/23 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Silver Y 1 [NFY]

Twin-spotted Quaker 1 [NFY]

Clouded Drab 3
Common Quaker 2

Double-striped Pug 1

Early Grey 1

Hebrew Character 1
March Moth 4

Micro Moths

Agonopterix alstromeriana 2

Diurnea fagella 3
Emmelina monodactyla 3

Pammene giganteana 1 [To FUN lure] 

Pammene giganteana

Silver Y

Twin-spotted Quaker

Dotty

Last night I trapped once more, another wet night but it wasn't hammering it down for a change and the temperature stayed above 7 degrees, so neither here nor there really.

A lower catch of 20 moths of 9 species.

This was headed by an Autumn/Spring species that needs no introduction. The Dotted Chestnut is a marvel of dark dots against layers of orange and ginger scales. Certainly the brightest moth in the traps currently.

More success was also had in the daytime at some point today (whilst I was working).

A single Pammene giganteana was in the Funebrana lure trap, another year first and 5 days earlier than last years example.

Moth garden list for 2023 stands at 32 species

19/03/23 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Dotted Chestnut 1 [NFY]

Clouded Drab 5
Common Quaker 5

Hebrew Character 4
March Moth 1

Small Quaker 1

Micro Moths

Pammene giganteana 1 [NFY]

Agonopterix alstromeriana 1

Diurnea fagella 1
Emmelina monodactyla 1

 

Dotted Chestnut

Pammene giganteana

Pammene giganteana

Tommie & Dottie

 

Shoulder Stripe Success

A day later, and another newbie for the garden moth list, Shoulder Stripe makes it no.686.

Another very good night with 22 moths noted of the same amount of species than the previous night, but with nearly half of them different ones!

Backing up the excellent new garden record of Shoulder Stripe, were new for year Early Grey, Engrailed and Lead-coloured Drab.

Other highlights included some nice forms of Clouded Drab and Small Quaker.

Leslie my moth friend just around the corner took a walk around Fordham Woods last night, which is just around the corner from me (But in the opposite direction to my trap north). He netted a pristine Water Carpet, a moth that is yet to venture into my garden.

 

Moth garden list for 2023 stands at 30 species

17/03/23 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Shoulder Stripe 1 [NFG]

Early Grey 1 [NFY]

Engrailed 1 [NFY]

Lead-coloured Drab 1 [NFY]

Clouded Drab 3
Common Quaker 3

Hebrew Character 2
March Moth 3

Small Quaker 2

Micro Moths

Agonopterix alstromeriana 2
Agonopterix heracliana 1

Diurnea fagella 1
Emmelina monodactyla 1

 

Clouded Drab & Lead-coloured Drab

Early Grey

Engrailed

Lead-coloured Drab

Shoulder Stripe

Small Quaker

Water Carpet - Leslie Gardiner - Fordham Woods

 

And we're off! 30 moths to the trap, more than January & February combined!

30 moths of 13 species last night, more moths than I saw in the whole of the two first months of the year (29 in total).

It's amazing that one perfect night weather-wise can be the real deal breaker.

 

Yesterday we had highs of 14 degrees, and this morning at around 5am the minimum was still a pleasant 10 degrees.

Coupled with light winds, no moon and full cloud cover it had to all come together surely.

We had light rain early evening, and that sometimes does hamper early fliers, particularly in the summer, but this wasn't the case for last night.

 

And I finally got a Chestnut, wahaaaay! 

 

5 new species for the year were recorded, and a sixth was completely new for the garden list! 

 

Acleris kochiella is an over-wintering tortrix moth that I have never caught in any gardens that i've trapped in, for me it's always been a woodland moth, so very pleased an example was spotted sitting on our side gate.

 

It is the 685th species for the garden and the 2nd new moth this year. 

 

Moth garden list for 2023 stands at 26 species

16/03/23 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Chestnut 1 [NFY]
Hebrew Character 3 [NFY] 

Oak Beauty 1 [NFY]
Small Quaker 2 [NFY]
Clouded Drab 1
Common Quaker 7
Dotted Border 1
March Moth 5

Micro Moths

Acleris kochiella 1 [NFG]
Eudonia angustea 1 [NFY]
Agonopterix alstromeriana 3
Agonopterix heracliana 1
Emmelina monodactyla 3

Acleris kochiella

Chestnut

Clouded Drab

Eudonia angustea

Hebrew Character

Oak Beauty

Small Quaker

A few more weeks go by...

Still super quiet in my garden here in East Cambs.

The cold weather has now eased, the snow has melted but we are left with squally winds, torrential rain but mild temperatures.

In fact, last night didn't drop below 10c, but it was just too windy.

So you can imagine my surprise when I found 5 moths around the trap this morning.

The best, a Grey Shoulder-knot which was potted up before bedtime, the 20th species for 2023.

It was rather lively and hard to photograph!

 

Little opportunity coming up so it will probably go a little quiet again.

 

We just need the wind to ease now.

 

Moth garden list for 2023 stands at 20 species

12/03/23 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Grey Shoulder-knot 1 [NFY]
Clouded Drab 1

March Moth 1

Micro Moths

Agonopterix alstromeriana 1

Agonopterix heracliana sp 1

 

Grey Shoulder-knot