Garden Moth Recording 2011

Mothman

That is a Chestnut

thebishop

Thanks forI.D.Mothman.
Last night catch was.
Emmelina Monodactyla.x1
Twinspotted Quake rx2
Small Quaker x5
Common Quaker x4
Hebrew Character x1
Chestnut x1
Clouded Drab x1.
First night trapping with temp above freezing. 6.5c.Last night.

Gardener3

Cold and cloudy last night but no morning frost. There's a large sallow near my GMS location so not surprising the Quakers etc were bombing in!

40W Actinic, trap total was 184 moths of 15 species, the GMS total 179 moths of 11 species.

March Moth x 1
Early Thorn x 4
Oak Beauty x 7
Dotted Border x 1
Small Quaker x 12
Common Quaker x 51
Clouded Drab x 48
Twin-spotted Quaker x 19
Hebrew Character x 12
Pale Pinion x 5
Grey Shoulder-knot x 5
Early Grey x 14

plus singles of Diurnea fagella, Agonopterix occelana and Engrailed and two Early Tooth-striped.

littlebug

It's a lovely mild night so I've put the trap out and already have some moths in there, one common quaker and rest unknown til the morning.

littlebug

Finally some decent numbers in the trap due to the mild night.

Clouded Drab x 13
Common Quaker x 6
Emmelina Monodactyla x1
Hebrew Character x 10

plus species new to me..

Early Grey x 1
Early Thorn x1

and this one that I'm not sure of. I think the photo makes it look darker than it was... it seemed very pale in comparison to others.

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

and this one that I'm not sure of. I think the photo makes it look darker than it was... it seemed very pale in comparison to others.

Powdered Quaker

littlebug

Thanks MM I forgot to add that there was also a large black beetle in there. I like the surprises but not looking forward to trying to keep wasps out:eek:

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

Thanks MM I forgot to add that there was also a large black beetle in there. I like the surprises but not looking forward to trying to keep wasps out:eek:

The beetle may have been a Sexton Beetle, Nicrophorus Humator.
I had one Saturday night.

Wasps are usually not an issue till the late summer or Autumn. They come to the trap at dawn.

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

and this one that I'm not sure of. I think the photo makes it look darker than it was...

Try use a grey background. The white causes the camera to under expose the subject. Alternatively up the exposure a few clicks.

V_Moth

Set up my new moth trap last night (6W Heath type) for the first time. Unfortunately when I checked it this morning it had been blown over by the strong westerly winds. So, no moths just yet...

littlebug

Bad luck V_Moth That was a rough night for starting. Hopefully it'll be a bit calmer at the weekend. Are you doing the GMS? Or just trapping for the fun of it:D?

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

Are you doing the GMS? Or just trapping for the fun of it:D?

I would hope that it is also fun doing the GMS...I can interpret otherwise

Wind is worse than the cold for getting moths though one can get good results if trap is in a sheltered spot on a windy night, sheltered meaning almost buried under a bank or something...hopefully no harm done to the trap.

V_Moth

Thanks for the replies. I got into moth trapping last year and recently got a portable moth trap. I think it is okay, but didn't have too much time to check it this morning (work etc.).

Btw, any good way of getting egg boxes?

littlebug

V_Moth wrote: »

Btw, any good way of getting egg boxes?

After first buying lots of eggs :rolleyes: I asked in a local cafe if they had any (after tip from MM). They were only too happy to offload them. I'm sure any cafe, hotel, bakery etc would give you some.

V_Moth

littlebug wrote: »

After first buying lots of eggs :rolleyes: I asked in a local cafe if they had any (after tip from MM). They were only too happy to offload them. I'm sure any cafe, hotel, bakery etc would give you some.

Thanks.

Gardener3

Wind is worse than the cold for getting moths though one can get good results if trap is in a sheltered spot on a windy night, sheltered meaning almost buried under a bank or something

Despite the wild, wet and windy weather I put the 6W Actinic and sheet in a sheltered part of the nearby woods, just on the off-chance that a few moths might be flying.
To my surprise this morning's count was:

Brindled Pug x 15
Chestnut x 5
Clouded Drab x 23
Common Quaker x 21
Diurnea fagella x 5
Double-striped Pug x 2
Early Thorn x 2
Early Tooth-striped x 6
Engrailed x 2
Grey Shoulder-knot x 1
Hebrew Character x 9
Oak Beauty x 4
Red-green Carpet x 1
Satellite x 1 (new for Co. Cork?)
Small Quaker x 11
Twin-spotted Quaker x 9

also Caloptilia stigmatella x 1
and a possible Eriocrania sangii

littlebug

It's very windy here this evening. I'm going to have the trap a few feet from it's usual spot where it might get a little more shelter. Otherwise it would be a no go for tonight at all I think, without high risk of damage. Is that ok for GMS?

Mothman

If its that windy, probably best leave it a night.

Having said that, I've set my trap up. I've tied it down and I think it'll stay put. The driving rain may be an issue though.

littlebug

The wind has eased off slightly. I did move the trap as where it was it's catching the funnel effect from the side of the house. It's moved only a matter of 6-7 ft so no biggie. It's now sheltered from the wind and secure but getting lashings of rain down off the roof :rolleyes: I'll leave it a wee while and if it doesn't ease up I'll call it a day.

edited to add.... half an hour later and with a pool of water in the bottom of the trap and completely saturated egg trays I've called it off for the night.

Gardener3

half an hour later and with a pool of water in the bottom of the trap and completely saturated egg trays

I was suffering from that but then I drilled numerous small holes in the bottom of both my traps - works a treat!

Very wet here but singles of Hebrew Character, Clouded Drab and Small, Common and Twin-spotted Quaker on the sheltered side of the sheet. Just hope there are a few more in the trap.

Mothman

Leaving mine out, still in the position I left it. Not many moths, Small Quaker, Common Quaker and somehow an Early Tooth-striped made it.

I don't have the rain here, may be flooding with you LB

Mothman

Thought long and hard about putting the trap out. It was very windy. I did, but tied it down well and this morning, it was still where I left it. As is usual when windy, a higher proportion don't make into the trap, so hunted around the trap for an hour searching for moths. The robin doing the same, but I got most before the robin joined the hunt. I didn't count what was outside the trap, but I estimate about half and considering there was a total of 146 moths, that is a lot of moths not in trap, many of which I would not have got had I not been up so early.

1061 Acleris literana 1
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 2
1881 Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata) 2
1930 Oak Beauty (Biston strataria) 2
2182 Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda) 11
2186 Powdered Quaker (Orthosia gracilis) 4
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 30
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 14
2189 Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda) 9
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 63
2237 Grey Shoulder-knot (Lithophane ornitopus) 1
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 3
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 2
2423 Oak Nycteoline (Nycteola revayana) 1

Gardener3

Very wild, wet and windy here but though I've no rain-guard I've holes drilled in the bottom of the trap so the water can't collect and a couple of stones in the bottom held everything stable.

Early Thorn x 3
Dotted Border x 1
Small Quaker x 10
Common Quaker x 26
Clouded Drab x 29
Twin-spotted Quaker x 6
Hebrew Character x 34
Pale Pinion x 1
Early Grey x 2

also Early Tooth-striped, Engrailed, Emmelina monodactyla and a very peppermint-coloured Acleris literana.

littlebug

Take 2.
Wind and rain has been replaced by clear starry skies and cold so I imagine it'll be another quiet night mothwise.

thebishop

I have mine out tonight too.Thunder showers all day hope they finished now.

Half-cocked

Just left our trap out for 2 hours. Got the following:

1 Early Grey (?)


3 Hebrew Characters



and 5 very faded Common Quakers.

Mothman

Half-cocked wrote: »

1 Early Grey (?)

Yes it is. Most of mine are suffused with pink.

littlebug

Just 5 Hebrew Character and one Clouded Drab here last night, easily identified by my daughter this morning .

thebishop

Is this an Oak Beauty?

littlebug

thebishop wrote: »

Is this an Oak Beauty?

I don't know enough to know. MM or G3 will know for definite.
Good photo though :cool:
What kind of numbers/ species did you get on Saturday night ?