Garden Moths 2012

littlebug wrote: »

Oh for goodness sake :rolleyes: I had Shark written in my notebook but for some reason I went off from that. *should trust my own first instinct*

It had to be something fishy with all the water around

My list from last night. It has picked up a lot though numbers still seem to be about half of what is normal for time of year.

0014 Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli) 1
0468 Rhigognostis incarnatella 1
0774 Teleiodes luculella 2
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 7
0970 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana) 2
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 6
1006 Epagoge grotiana 1
1076 Celypha lacunana 12
1082 Plum Tortrix (Hedya pruniana) 2
1083 Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana) 1
1174 Epiblema cynosbatella 1
1201 Eucosma cana 1
1293 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 7
1334 Scoparia ambigualis 5
1345 Brown China-mark (Elophila nymphaeata) 1
1376 Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata) 1
1392 Udea olivalis 3
1433 Cryptoblabes bistriga 1
1653 Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides) 1
1666 Large Emerald (Geometra papilionaria) 1
1669 Common Emerald (Hemithea aestivaria) 1
1709 Satin Wave (Idaea subsericeata) 3
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 1
1713 Riband Wave [non-banded form] (Idaea aversata ab. remutata) 5
1727 Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) 2
1734 July Belle (Scotopteryx luridata) 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 6
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 1
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 2
1931 Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) 1
1941 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata) 7
1945 Brussels Lace (Cleorodes lichenaria) 2
1955 Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) 5
1956 Common Wave (Cabera exanthemata) 3
1961 Light Emerald (Campaea margaritata) 4
1962 Barred Red (Hylaea fasciaria) 1
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 2
1991 Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) 2
2008 Coxcomb Prominent (Ptilodon capucina) 1
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 2
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 2
2061 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) 3
2069 Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae) 1
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 11
2098 Flame (Axylia putris) 1
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 2
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 4
2114 Double Dart (Graphiphora augur) 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 3
2128 Double Square-spot (Xestia triangulum) 1
2158 Pale-shouldered Brocade (Lacanobia thalassina) 1
2160 Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea) 1
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1
2205 Shoulder-striped Wainscot (Mythimna comma) 2
2281 Alder Moth (Acronicta alni) 1
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 1
2322 Light Arches (Apamea lithoxylaea) 1
2330 Dusky Brocade (Apamea remissa) 1
2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 10
2381 Uncertain (Hoplodrina alsines) 4
2382 Rustic (Hoplodrina blanda) 3
2387 Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus) 2
2410 Marbled White Spot (Protodeltote pygarga) 1
2442 Beautiful Golden Y (Autographa pulchrina) 1
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 3
2469 Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) 2
2474 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis) 14
2477 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1
2489 Fan-foot (Zanclognatha tarsipennalis) 1

slowburner wrote: »

Managed to identify an Elephant Hawkmoth Deilphila wlpenor, seen today, thanks to this thread.
The curious thing is that someone in Dublin posted on another site about seeing one of these for the first time today.
Are they common enough in Ireland?

They're common and widespread.
See distribution map which I have just updated.

I've had up to 30 at a single trap. They fly at night and are not usually seen.

If you pm details of sighting, location grid ref. I'll add it to database.
www.gridreference.ie is useful for this.

swifts need our help! wrote: »

Does anyone know this caterpillar that was feeding on a sycamore leaf?

It's a Four-spotted Footman
A location for ID requests is really useful

Was this Northern Ireland?
Here's the reason why this is significant

Very few records and thought not to be resident in NI.

In fact I believe it is resident across most of ireland.
The numbers and widespread nature of records, suggest this.

Half-cocked wrote: »

Can anyone tell if this is Lozotaenia forsterana or Choristoneura hebenstreitella? I think the former.

The former

Half-cocked wrote: »

I don't think you will be trapping tonight.....

I don't think I am...I don't think my trap will float......

LB, that is culmella and oops with the driving incident.

We had a colony of White-shouldered House-moths in our last car......for years :eek: They had no problem thriving on what the kids dropped

jmkennedyie wrote: »

... would you mind confirming or correcting? Thank you.

Garden Carpet (x 3)


Heart and Dart?


Dark Arches??

Yes to these 3.

Great Oak Beauty??


Shaded Fan-foot ??

Willow Beauty and Fan-foot. Fan-foot can be this light tan colour or darker such as most books illustrate.

jmkennedyie wrote: »

Opps. A couple others...smaller size...

Square Spot Dart?

Double Square-spot

Really struggling with this one...another Great Oak Beauty??

Another Willow Beauty

And the beautiful Swallow-Tailed moth (I hope!)

It certainly is

Also, where's the best place to get the species numbers that you quote on your lists?

This comes from software that many people that contribute to MothsIreland use called MapMate

But if you just want to hold records digitally, then excel does a great job and MapMate or other specialised software can taken up at any time in future.

I'll pm you (later) about this and records. I got an excel template (I need to find it!) that will generate the codes and scientific names automatically.

By the why there is a new book out
my finances don't stretch it it for now but from the description, it seems to be a combination of Waring, Manley and Skinner (3 main guides for past 10 years) all in one!

I think you are right on all counts.
The only one I'm in doubt with is the Lychnis.

Whatever guide you are using is working quite well so perhaps you don't need to jump straight splashing out on a guide.

Will have a pm to you shortly.

littlebug wrote: »

:eek: you mean there's an easier way than looking them up and typing them in every time

oops

I did it many years ago but it did crash at times rendering all the entering lost, but this was on an earlier version of excel and before auto saving.
I was reluctant to distribute it, but it dos seem stable in excel 2007 so perhaps I should share it.

jmkennedyie wrote: »

Thank you. I see what you mean about (2) - yep, Riband seems to be a better fit.
Just re (4), I don't know how useful it is, but the waves of the white line nearest the outer edge (bottom) match the Lychnis in my guide better than Gothic. Also black splodge on left inner wing matches Lychnis dark patch. (see my first pic of this moth a couple of posts back).

It is a Riband Wave and these with an orangey tone can look quite different to the others in the trap.
The one below it is a Common Rustic agg.
and I do think that is another Lychnis but an overhead view is needed.
The pug...is a pug! but photo is over exposed and I'm not going to suggest ID. It isn't a Double-striped which has a distinctive shape.
What can be very useful is the size of the moth, either wingspan or length. With pugs this can rule in or out species which helps narrow down options hugely which is often needed to come to a conclusion.

Yes including a rule in pic serves the purpose well and that is a D-s Pug

I had a relatively good night (for this year)
72 species logged, but on a good night I would expect 100-120species.

0018 Map-winged Swift (Hepialus fusconebulosa) 1
0464 Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella) 2
0468 Rhigognostis incarnatella 2
0647 Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) 1
0868 Helcystogramma rufescens 6
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 7
0892 Mompha subbistrigella 1
0937 Agapeta hamana 2
0970 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana) 2
0972 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis heparana) 1
0989 Timothy Tortrix (Aphelia paleana) 1
1006 Epagoge grotiana 1
1010 Red-barred Tortrix (Ditula angustiorana) 1
1044x Acleris ferrugana/notana 1
1076 Celypha lacunana 8
1083 Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana) 1
1126 Ancylis badiana 1
1201 Eucosma cana 1
1260 Cydia splendana 2
1293 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 8
1301 Crambus lathoniellus 1
1316 Catoptria falsella 1
1338 Dipleurina lacustrata 1
1345 Brown China-mark (Elophila nymphaeata) 1
1392 Udea olivalis 1
1428 Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella) 1
1483 Phycitodes binaevella 1
1653 Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides) 3
1713 Riband Wave [non-banded form] (Idaea aversata ab. remutata) 3
1732 Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) 1
1777 July Highflyer (Hydriomena furcata) 5
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 2
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 2
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 2
1922 Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) 1
1931 Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) 4
1941 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata) 6
1955 Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) 1
1956 Common Wave (Cabera exanthemata) 1
1961 Light Emerald (Campaea margaritata) 10
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 4
1994 Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) 1
2007 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 2
2035 Round-winged Muslin (Thumatha senex) 1
2061 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) 2
2069 Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae) 1
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 30
2098 Flame (Axylia putris) 1
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 11
2114 Double Dart (Graphiphora augur) 4
2122 Purple Clay (Diarsia brunnea) 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 2
2128 Double Square-spot (Xestia triangulum) 1
2130 Dotted Clay (Xestia baja) 1
2160 Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea) 1
2193 Clay (Mythimna ferrago) 2
2197 Southern Wainscot (Mythimna straminea) 1
2198 Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura) 2
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 3
2327 Clouded Brindle (Apamea epomidion) 1
2330 Dusky Brocade (Apamea remissa) 1
2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 4
2341 Cloaked Minor (Mesoligia furuncula) 1
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 9
2381 Uncertain (Hoplodrina alsines) 40
2382 Rustic (Hoplodrina blanda) 4
2434 Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis) 7
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1
2474 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis) 12
2477 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1
2489 Fan-foot (Zanclognatha tarsipennalis) 2

littlebug wrote: »

I'm having trouble with this one.
Best I can come up with is variation on Engrailed

That is a Beauty...Satin to be exact.

Usually darker with not much detail visible and in its typical resting posture with hind wings covered.