Garden Moth Recording 2011

Half-cocked

littlebug wrote: »

lovely image h-c

The smell was worse than the sight;)

littlebug

Mothman wrote: »

Oh do!
don't pass up on a mild calm cloudy night

Also familiarise yourself with Diurnea fagella
A large micro moth that is on the GMS list but not in the guide book.

I can't do it tonight or tomorrow night and I think it'll be colder again after that. I'll see how it's looking on Wednesday. I'm just getting impatient

Half-cocked

Had to pack up early due to rain but caught a few:

3 of these (common quaker?):


1 of these (a plume?):


and 1 of these (a pug?):

littlebug

I'd agree with those h-c with the second being Emmelina Monodactyla. I only know because I caught those two on my first night. Is the third one a double striped pug?
The links G3 gave is pretty good to get a brief overview on "what's flying now" e.g. http://back-garden-moths.co.uk/community/monthid2.php?flightID=February

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

Is the third one a double striped pug?

Yes

Mothman

380 moths in the actinic trap this morning. My fingers froze as well when counting them
The trap was under a sallow, but only 20m from the GMS site.
It was mild to 2 am and then the sky must have cleared as the temp plummeted to below 3C

0663 Diurnea fagella 2
0670 Depressaria daucella 15
0701 Agonopterix ocellana 1
1663 March Moth (Alsophila aescularia) 9
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 7
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1881 Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata) 5
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 7
1930 Oak Beauty (Biston strataria) 3
1934 Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria) 4
2182 Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda) 11
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 142
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 66
2189 Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda) 33
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 56
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 15
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 3

Gardener3

The bees had announced that the sallow beside the garden pond was open for business so I put the Actinic 40W under it.
Mild and cloudy, becoming clear and colder by midnight.

Chestnut x 2
Clouded Drab x 59
Common Quaker x 103
Dark Sword-grass x 1
Diurnea fagella x 1
Dotted Border x 1
Double-striped Pug x 2
Early Grey x 12
Early Thorn x 2
Engrailed x 3
Hebrew Character x 13
March Moth x 5
Mottled Grey x 1
Oak Beauty x 3
Pale Pinion x 3
Small Quaker x 18
Twin-spotted Quaker x 15

245 moths of 16 species - I'm glad I haven't got a MV trap!

littlebug

Wow, that's a lot of moths!
If I trap on wednesday night and get a good catch can I use that for my gms data? It looks like it'll be cooler again by the weekend.

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

If I trap on wednesday night and get a good catch can I use that for my gms data? It looks like it'll be cooler again by the weekend.

No, the ethos of GMS and for good data is not to chase the weather. So stick with Friday. If Friday does not suit, (weekend away, or really bad weather such as would endanger the trap etc) then aim for Thursday or Saturday.

So it can mean a bucket load of moths on a mild Thursday night and next to nothing on the following cold Friday night, but that is the data GMS needs.

Mothman

Gardener3 wrote: »

I'm glad I haven't got a MV trap!

I find the MV trap in these situations is no better.

The sallow is the attractant, the light is mearly the means to get the moths in the box. The better pulling power of the MV is not needed.

Billy Bunting

Can i have a name put on these please, at rest at the moment on my Donegal window ledge......

Mothman

Billy Bunting wrote: »

Can i have a name put on these please, at rest at the moment on my Donegal window ledge......

Emperor Moth.
The near one is a female and I think the other is female as well. The males have feathered antennae and yellow/orange hindwing.

Keep an eye on these this evening, if either are virgin females than they may attract many males! If the reason thay are at the window is because of a light left on, then they may remain there tonight if light is left on.

Billy Bunting

Thanks. Will keeep an eye on them, don't see any feathered antennae so must be female.

littlebug

So I ended up putting the trap out this evening after all. So far there's one march moth above it, a few flies buzzing around and one thing that went into the box while I was there that was probably a crane fly
I couldn't see anything actually in the box but I didn't look too hard. There were a few fluttering round my head though so I'll assume there'll be some in the morning.
I want an emporer moth too !:D

littlebug

Total 10 moths.
2x March Moth
4x Clouded Drab
2x Hebrew Character
1x Dotted Border

and this one...


They all start to look the same after a while
I have to work on the trap... watching it for about 30 seconds last night I saw 2 moths escape.

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

and this one...

I think you may extract the moth out and get a better picture perhaps under natural light and I need an indication of size. Same size as what?

Usually the noctuid moths can be moved without them fluttering off. Use a paint brush or encourage it to walk onto a little stick.
Don't bring into the sun, so a compromise between getting enough light for photo and not having it too bright that the moth seeks shade.

littlebug

Mothman wrote: »

I think you may extract the moth out and get a better picture perhaps under natural light and I need an indication of size. Same size as what?

Usually the noctuid moths can be moved without them fluttering off. Use a paint brush or encourage it to walk onto a little stick.
Don't bring into the sun, so a compromise between getting enough light for photo and not having it too bright that the moth seeks shade.

Oops too late Slightly better angle maybe in the pic below maybe? It was a bit bigger than the clouded drab (I think). I was out really early so couldn't get decent pics in natural light.

Mothman

Fairly sure it is a Clouded drab.
The pale parts are where the scales have worn off exposing the wing membrane.

littlebug

Mothman wrote: »

Fairly sure it is a Clouded drab.
The pale parts are where the scales have worn off exposing the wing membrane.

yes I can see the markings now. The pale (worn) parts threw me.

littlebug

I've just spotted a few more... another March Moth on the back wall, a clouded drab above the back door, and two hebrew Characters, one under the back door and one under the kitchen window. I wonder are they my escapees?

Mothman

No live catch traps gets near 100% retention. I've put in 15 Brimstone Moths into a robinson trap before midnight to find only 2 in it at dawn.

Many moths will fly around aouside the trap and settle down. Its takes me nearly as long gathering up these moths as it does going through what is actually in the trap and my species total can be 30+ before I even open the trap!

littlebug

I'm seeing them everywhere now!
This pretty little double striped pug was resting on my patio door this morning.

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

This pretty little double striped pug was resting on my patio door this morning.

A real fresh one!

This is why its great to start early in year, you get the species in their fresh condition hopefully before you see them when worn.

Mothman

Week 3.
Its a cold night, just like every night this week. There are some moths bout the trap and with all the sunshine, perhaps an early flight season for some.

Mothman

Considering the heavy frost with min temperature of -1C, a better catch than expected, though only a single geometer. The sunshine by day seems to have helped the Hebrew Character to emerge with this being highest count of year.

Robinson 125w MV
1930 Oak Beauty (Biston strataria) 1
2182 Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda) 5
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 15
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 23
2189 Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda) 5
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 60
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 15

littlebug

Week 3.

week 4 isn't it

Small numbers again though not quite so cold here.

Clouded Drab x3
Hebrew Character x 3
Common quaker x 2
March Moth x1

Nothing new- my species list stands at a whopping 8!

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

week 4 isn't it

Oh is it?
I lose count really quickly, even quicker than I thought

I won't mention week number again!

thebishop

Idea this one please.

Mothman

thebishop wrote: »

Idea this one please.

What size?
Fairly sure its a Chestnut, but if size rules it out....

thebishop

Siting on a 10cent coin.