Garden Moths 2012

littlebug

Mothman wrote: »

The Light Arches pic is not great, but it looks like it and the other is a Shark!

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*

The light arches tumbled out from somewhere when I was taking the trap apart... rain was heavy thus bad pic.

Mothman

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

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?


(Sincere apologies for the awful picture.)

Mothman

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.

Half-cocked

Got our first ever Small Elephant Hawkmoth last night:



And a Lychnis:



Also this Bordered Sallow which I've only ever caught once before:



Also got our first Swallowtailed and Common Emeralds of the season too. No doubt the trap will be empty on GMS night!

Half-cocked

Can anyone help ID this little micro, about 6-7mm long:

Mothman

Half-cocked wrote: »

Can anyone help ID this little micro, about 6-7mm long:

Looks like Cydia species but don't know which one off hand.

Too early and doesn't look quite right for splendana

swifts need our help!

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

I now know it's a four spot footman caterpillar

thebishop

Last Friday nights catch. Dry night for a change.
Brimstone x 1
Large Yellow Underwing x 1
Flame Shoulder x 2
Flame x 4
White Ermine x 4
Buff Ermine x 8
Brown China Mark x 2
Clouded Border Brindle x 1
Heart and Dart x 5
Clouded Border x 4
Dot Moth x 1
Marbled Minor x 1
July High Flyer x 1
Willow Beauty x 1
Scalloped Hazel x 1
Uncertain x 3

Mothman

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

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



Had to GMS last night as I'm not around tonight. Got my first Buff Arches of the year, otherwise a disappointing catch.

Mothman

Half-cocked wrote: »

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

The former

quercus

spotted a hummingbird hawk moth today busy sipping nectar from lavander plants.

littlebug

Near death by White Shoulder House Moth this afternoon. Driving along and the kids informed me there was a little moth flying around in the car. Then it landed right on the front of my glasses. For a second I forgot that I was driving and whipped off my glasses :eek: I can barely see my own hands without them never mind the road and traffic :eek: not my finest moment I've been warned to never EVER do that again!

Mothman wrote: »

A bit early for straminella, so very likely to be Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

This is the one I thought was straminella. I thought it wasn't streaky enough for culmella but having looked at other photos since I see they're quite variable. Lots of them around at the minute.

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I haven't trapped all week so looking forward to seeing what tonight brings. That said I also haven't looked at the forecase yet.

Half-cocked

littlebug wrote: »

That said I also haven't looked at the forecase yet.

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

Mothman

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

littlebug

Half-cocked wrote: »

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

Mothman wrote: »

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

Perfectly calm and dry here !
My feeling is I'll have lots of moths in the trap due to calm start to the night but lashing rain when I'm sorting them out in the morning

thebishop

15.5c Here at the minute.One light shower since I put the trap out. There seems to be a good no of moths around the trap. Hopefully it will remain dry for the rest of the night.

littlebug

Stayed mainly dry though with some drizzle:).

1669 Common Emerald x 1
1713 Riband Wave x 1
1981 Poplar Hawk Moth x 1
2089 Heart & Dart x 8
2102 Flame Shoulder x 3
2107 Large Yellow Underwing x 7
2118 True Lover's Knot x1
2321 Dark Arches x 1

plus a few probably garden grass veneers. i didn't look too closely.

thebishop

Could this be a hybrid between a sn Elephant Hawk Moth and a Small Elephant Hawk Moth.?

Mothman

thebishop wrote: »

Could this be a hybrid between a sn Elephant Hawk Moth and a Small Elephant Hawk Moth.?

Just a worn Elephant HM, showing signs of the recent weather!

Half-cocked

29 species last night, Heart & Dart and Mottled Beauty the most common. Also caught my first ever Drinker:

thebishop

Friday night was one of the better ones around here.mild with very little rain.Good few moths about.
Dot Moth x 2
Brimstone x 4
Flame x 5
Flame Shoulder 3
Buff Ermine x 6
White Ermine x 6
Miller x 1
Spectacle x 1
Clouded Silver x 1
White-pinion spotted x 1
Peppered Moth x 2
Silver Y x 1
Grey Arches x 2
Light Arches x 1
Dark Arches x2
Buff Arches 1
Heart and Dart x 4
Heart and Club x 2
Uncertain x 5
Rustic x 2
Poplar Grey x 1
Mottled Beauty x 1
Common Emerald x 1
Double Square-spot x 1
Elephant Hawk Moth x 1.
Put the trap out last night in a friends garden about 3 miles away as the moth flies.Lots of moths out there including 8 Elephant Hawk Moths.3 Poplar Hawk Moths.3 Silver Ys and 5 Pinion-spotted.

jmkennedyie

Folks, new to moth ID's, received present of a trap, first night out Sat July 7th. North Kildare. Struggling my way through the ID's. Hope to submit records once gain some confidence in Id skills. Here's the first few ... would you mind confirming or correcting? Thank you.

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

Garden Carpet (x 3)


Heart and Dart?


Dark Arches??


Great Oak Beauty??


Shaded Fan-foot ??

jmkennedyie

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

Square Spot Dart?


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


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

Mothman

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!

jmkennedyie

Much appreciated. A few more if I may...

So this is also Willow Beauty?


Wheras these two guys are Mottled Beauty?



This lad is a worn out Fan-foot:


This guy...a Lychnis by any chance??


Will look into the book and the MapMate software...thanks for the links.

Mothman

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

jmkennedyie wrote: »

Folks, new to moth ID's, received present of a trap, first night out Sat July 7th.

well done on the ids... it can still take me hours sometimes if there are more than the usual suspects.
I usually go to the "what's flying now" on a couple of the moth sites as my first port of call if I'm stuck, just to narrow down the options. I also look back at other peoples (Mothman, thebishop, half-cocked) recent lists which also helps narrow it down a bit.

Mothman wrote: »

I got an excel template that will generate the codes and scientific names automatically.

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

Mothman

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.