Storm? What storm?

Believing the Met Office, on 27th October I decided to run an actinic light overnight inside our conservatory here at Westcott, Bucks (expecting the trap to get blown away if placed outside).  It did get quite wet and windy in the middle of the night but certainly didn't stop the moths from flying and even some rather delicate micros ventured out.  In the end 23 moths of 13 species came to sheltered windows and walls adjacent to where the light was placed:  Caloptilia rufipennella (2), Phyllonorycter messaniella (1), Plutella xylostella (1), Red-green Carpet (4), Spruce Carpet (1), November sp (1, female), Feathered Thorn (2), Dark Sword-grass (1), Satellite (1), Brick (1), Beaded Chestnut (6), Lunar Underwing (1) & Pink-barred Sallow (1).

     The number of species caught was actually fairly typical of results from the trap here over the previous week although there has been quite a bit of variety from night to night.  Other species seen here since the 21st comprise Agonopterix heracliana, Agonopterix arenella, Blastobasis lacticolella, Epiphyas postvittana, Acleris sparsana, Acleris variegana, Nomophila noctuella, Common Marbled Carpet, Large Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Sprawler, Black Rustic, Grey Shoulder-knot, Blair's Shoulder-knot, Green-brindled Crescent, Merveille du Jour, Red-line Quaker, Yellow-line Quaker, Angle Shades, Pale Mottled Willow, Burnished Brass, Silver Y & Red Underwing.  It is certainly not yet time to pack up for the winter!




Caloptilia rufipennella

Plutella xylostella



Feathered Thorn

 

      Searching for leaf-mines locally has continued apace and new species for the year recorded recently have included Ectoedemia argyropeza (22nd, on aspen in Rushbeds Wood), Phyllonorycter cerasicolella (22nd, on cherry at Westcott), Phyllonorycter spinicolella (22nd, on blackthorn at Marsh Gibbon), Phyllonorycter trifasciella (21st, on snowberry at Westcott), Stigmella salicis (22nd, on willow at Marsh Gibbon) & Stigmella tiliae (22nd, on lime at Westcott).  Stigmella tiliae has not been recorded before in Bucks so it was nice to get a county first in the garden.  Active cases of Coleophora gryphipennella have been relatively easy to find underneath leaves of dog rose over the past week so that's another one to keep an eye out for.  Dave Wilton

Coleophora gryphipennella