No, that's not a terrible crime fighting duo, but two of the moths new for the year i caught recently. The Small Square-spot was in the Rothamsted Trap in Crowmarsh amazingly, given its reluctance to attract and catch anything recently. The Buff Ermine was in my garden in Didcot, the first moth I have caught in three nights! Also, had Treble Lines, which was new for year for me, at Crowmarsh in an MV light trap I left out all last night which managed to catch a grand total of 5 moths. Had more moths on my butterfly transects today where I found Small Yellow Underwing, about 20 Burnet Companion, a handful of Grass Rivulets (numbers still building but considerably lower than previous years on the
Rhinathus stuffed field margins), a handful of Silver Y, Silver-ground Carpet, Common carpets, Green Carpet, Yellow Shell, Treble-bar, Lesser Treble-bar, Cinnabar, Nettle tap, and
Crambus lathoniellus.
Managed to complete a couple of local woodland butterfly transects today and, like you, saw more moths than butterflies! Casual checking of buttercup flowers produced getting on for 100 Micropterix calthella at each site, plenty of Adela rufimitrella on lady's smock & Glyphipterix simpliciella on many plants but particularly stitchwort. Kicked up Mother Shipton & Burnet Companion as well as two or three Silver Y (...would have preferred Bordered Straws!).
ReplyDeletePerhaps you missed all the butterflies counting micro-moths in buttercup flower heads?
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