Garden Micro Update

Micros haven't done too badly in the garden so far this year.  Recent activity has included Ypsolopha mucronella, a daytime sighting on 11th March when it was disturbed from vegetation while I was mowing the lawn.  Acleris kochiella was caught again in the trap last night (its third appearance this year), while Agonopterix ocellana was added to the year list on 9th March and has appeared on four subsequent occasions.  Mompha jurassicella, a garden regular, has been found three or four times already both indoors and out, while a good candidate for the very similar Mompha bradleyi was netted during the daytime yesterday but will have to await closer inspection (it hasn't been recorded here since 2011).

Acleris kochiella, 15th March

Agonopterix ocellana, 10th March

Two MV traps run for the usual few hours from dusk in local woodland last night produced 492 moths of  19 species (272 of them Small Quakers).  The only thing of interest was Caloptilia populetorum which despite its name is a birch-feeder.  Although known from the site it is still a relatively uncommon species in Bucks with only about a dozen previous records.

Caloptilia populetorum, 15th March

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks