Garden Moth Recording 2011

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

I'm not even sure it's a moth:o.

It isn't
A Caddisfly.
They usually rest with antennae facing forward and fairly parallel.
There are some moths that do as well, eg. Coleophora species.

It's not meant to be easy

littlebug

Mothman wrote: »

It isn't

I don't have a good history with Caddisflies:D . Oh well...

thebishop

Didnt put the trap out last night as it was making heavy thunder showers.Rain lashing down at the moment, not looking good for tonight either.:(

Gardener3

First season can be hard and overwhelming. Very steep learning curve.
This was Gardener3 a year ago and look how much she knows now

Gardener is still struggling!
I only started at the end of last June but moths are much bigger than lichens and there is so much more help available with IDs.

Its helped that I've mothed through the winter as new species have shown up one by one rather than getting too overwhelming - but I'm already getting my Spectacles in a twist and expect mega-confusion when all the noctuids I couldn't figure last year start flying!

Last night's trap yielded:
Garden Pebble
Small Phoenix
Double-striped Pug
Clouded Border
Brown Silver-line
Scalloped Hazel
Common White Wave
Clouded Silver
Lunar Marbled Brown
Buff Ermine
Muslin Moth
Least Black Arches
Flame Shoulder
Small Square Spot
Common Quaker
Clouded Drab
Hebrew Character
Pale Pinion

Plus (not on GMS list)
Caloptilia sp
Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Emperor
Engrailed / Small Engrailed
Puss Moth
Golden-rod Pug
Yellow-barred Brindle
Ruddy Highflyer
Square Spot
Syndemis musculana
Water Carpet

thebishop

First reasonably dry night since last thursday, so decided to put the trap out tonight. Can I count them for GMS if I get any as I didnt have the trap out last week end due to weather.?

Mothman

thebishop wrote: »

First reasonably dry night since last thursday, so decided to put the trap out tonight. Can I count them for GMS if I get any as I didnt have the trap out last week end due to weather.?

No leave last week blank on the GMS form. It is outside the time frame.

wildlifeboy

I just found out what type of Moth it was I took a pic of out my back garden in mayo...its an emporer moth. i'll upload the pic later.

thebishop

I saw this flying today about 2pm in Glengarriff wood.It landed on a birch tree and flew off again after awhile.Is it a day flying moth or was it disturbed somewhere else maybe?

Mothman

thebishop wrote: »

I saw this flying today about 2pm in Glengarriff wood.It landed on a birch tree and flew off again after awhile.Is it a day flying moth or was it disturbed somewhere else maybe?

It is a day flier with the occasional one coming to light traps.
Common Heath

thebishop

Thanks M.M..Ill know it the next time.

Mothman

thebishop wrote: »

Thanks M.M..Ill know it the next time.

Note that Latticed Heath can look quite similar and is often in same habitat.

Mothman

GMS night tonight.
Cool and clear and...cool. 7C already.
Moon will have a negative impact. Its calm though which will help.

Not too cold for the snake which is in position

thebishop

Cool and windy here but at least its not raining.Hope your snake works.The robin will prob cop on to it after awhile.

littlebug

The snake I hope it works.

It's semi cloudy here, quite cool, no rain (yet). We'll see what appears

Mothman

Well the snake kept the moths away as well

A cold night with a min of 4C. Temp rose later to 9C accompanied by a fresh breeze.

18 moths of 13 species in the MV trap.
1722 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata) 1
1725 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe ferrugata) 1
1778 May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata) 1
1779 Ruddy Highflyer (Hydriomena ruberata) 1
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 1
1991 Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) 1
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 1
2123 Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi) 5
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 2
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens) 1
2439 Gold Spot (Plusia festucae) 1

thebishop

Id please.So many of this these look alike.

Little micro.

Mothman

thebishop wrote: »

Id please.So many of this these look alike.

Small Square-spot, perhaps they look alike because they are all the same species..

Little micro.

A macro, Yellow-barred Brindle, a difficult moth to ID

thebishop

Thanks Mothman.
Very few moths again last night. Windy and 10c.
Small Square-spot, x 4.
Pale-Tussock x 1
Yellow-barred Brindle x 1.

littlebug

I'm just figuring out Saturdays moths now. A very quiet night and some very rushed photos taken of the few moths in the trap.
1 small square spot.
1 rustic shoulder knot (I think)
1 white shouldered house moth.

this... another broom? Very different from the last ones so to me is as likely to be something else


this... very small.... flew away before I could get a good look or photograph.

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

this... another broom? Very different from the last ones so to me is as likely to be something else

I think it is Broom Moth. Nothing else has that white line that thickens in middle. Hard to make the rest of moth match....

this... very small.... flew away before I could get a good look or photograph.

Welcome to the world of Pug Moths.

I still go :eek: sometimes when browsing the Pug pages
My first reaction to this one was Grey Pug....but Grey Pug usually has a distinctive discal spot and has no tornal spot which yours does.

I think this is a common Pug but of a form I don't see.

There is an excellent Pug guide (4.2mb! pdf)

This will explain tornal, discal etc

littlebug

Moth night again though it's cold here

When I got the moth trap from the shed there was a muslin moth on the floor beside it I didn't record a muslin moth last week.... I wonder did I miss it somehow and it's been in there all week? I've left it at the front of the house where it (hopefully) won't see the actinic light.
Further inspection in and around the shed revealed lots of white shouldered house moths.

littlebug

Horrible wet and windy night. Just two moths in the trap.
1 rustic shoulder knot
1 Heart and Dart (new to me).

I'm glad the Muslin Moth wasn't in there.

thebishop

Mild 11c here last night. Cloudy with very little wind.Good night for moths here for a change.
Poplar Hawkmoth x 3
Peppered moth x 5
Small square-spot x 9
Flame Shoulder x 2
Muslin Moth x 1
Buff Ermine x 1
Brown Silverline x 1
Common Wave x 1
Clouded Border x 2
Alder Moth x 1
Clouded Border Brindle x 4
Buff-tip x 1
Dark-barred Twin-spot carpet x 1
Pale Tussock x 1
Common-marbled carpet x 1

Mothman

Due to BioBlitz, my GMS trap is on tonight.
I expect to have the trap packed away before the strongest winds arrive in the morning.

And thebishop, nice to see you rewarded for your efforts

Mothman

Due to BioBlitz, my GMS trap is on tonight.
I expect to have the trap packed away before the strongest winds arrive in the morning.

Mothman

Trap was still in situ, but only just. it's quite windy now. Sheet was suspiciously clean...don't think snake did the job and there was a happy robin in close attendence.

0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 2
1725 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe ferrugata) 1
1727 Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) 2
1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 1
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 2
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 4
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 2
1837 Grey Pug (Eupithecia subfuscata) 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 1
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 3
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 3
1991 Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) 1
1994 Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) 1
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma) 1
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 1
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 2
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 1
2078 Least Black Arches (Nola confusalis) 1
2098 Flame (Axylia putris) 1
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 1
2123 Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi) 5
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 8
2158 Pale-shouldered Brocade (Lacanobia thalassina) 2
2305 Small Angle Shades (Euplexia lucipara) 1
2326 Clouded-bordered Brindle (Apamea crenata) 1

thebishop

Had one Moth escape in the house on sat morning when I was emptying the trap.It reappeared last night attracted by the lights on the fish tank.A Gold spot.

Gardener3

Nice Gold Spot - I'm still hoping the one I lost this morning might show up.... I trapped late for the GMS owing to Bioblitz-ing, it was wild, wet and windy here last night with very few moths.
Mainly singles of:
Silver-ground Carpet
Common Marbled Carpet
Grey Pine Carpet
Scalloped Hazel
Poplar Hawk-moth
Small Square-spot
Pale-shouldered Brocade
Clouded Drab

littlebug

I'm taking advantage of the milder evening and have the trap out tonight.

littlebug

Well the milder evening didn't last long :eek:

1 White Shouldered House Moth (not surprising)
1 Rustic Shoulder Knot
and another which I've pondered over for ages and the best I can come up with is a well worn variant of Common Marbled carpet.