Migrant moths continue to grace my garden trap, last night being the best night so far this autumn with 29 species altogether. Migrant species included a nice Four-spotted Footman (this could be resident I guess but given what else arrived I think more likely a migrant), 2 Vestal, Silver Y, Rusty Dot Pearl, and Rush Veneer. Star moth for me though was a False Codling Moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta, a moth I haven't seen before.
Marc Botham, Didcot
---apologies for terrible photos
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| False Codling Moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) Didcot 23/10/17 |
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| Four-spotted Footman Didcot 23/10/17 |
That's a good total! Only 15 species here last night but did include ferrugalis and yet another Vestal. I wonder if Thaumatotibia leucotreta is becoming established as I've seen several references to it this year and I had it myself in the garden back at the beginning of August. Either that or inspectors of imported fruit aren't doing their job properly...!
ReplyDeleteI guess like any migrant species it can establish temporarily over the summer if it arrives in spring in good enough numbers but I read somewhere that below certain temperatures it stops development hence its apparently limited expansion, so don't expect it can survive even a mild winter in UK. Last night's catch seemed very 'migrant' based. I haven't been seeing many Setaceous HC's for a while but last night I had half a dozen and one was very fresh. The new garden is well positioned to intercept migrants as it faces south-east and at the bottom of the garden where it opens up a bit I can position it nicely so it gets all southern aspects. However, there has to be migrants and I think it has been suggested they tend to follow geograpical contours like valley bottoms channelling them inland and I'm not in such a place. I'm desperate to land something mega, and even more desperate to get my bogey moth, Striped Hawkmoth, but won't hold my breath :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Wow there's a first, more species than your garden, only just registered that. Must have been a good night here!!
ReplyDeleteOne of those species appears to be a species of Argyresthia, possibly trifasciata - wouldn't that be fairly weird timing? Are there any known migrant species from this genus do you know?
Your new place is obviously going to be MUCH better for moths than the old one, which is excellent news. Best of luck with Striped Hawk!
ReplyDeleteArgyresthia trifasciata appears in May and is always the first I see each year from that family, so it could conceivably have attempted a second brood this year although that would be something rather unusual. It is quite a distinctive moth but it would be nice to see a picture!
20 species (if I include the remains of 2 Merville du Jour and a Green-brindled Crescent that the hornets and wasps had eaten) here last night but no migrants. A Willow Beauty in excellent condition was probably the most notable moth. On the subject of migrants is it known whether any of the moth species go back as Painted Ladies are now known to do? I guess it would only apply to the species that arrive early in the year like Silver Y anyway.
ReplyDeleteI know of only one previous Berkshire record for Thaumatotibia leucotreta, when Bernard Verdcourt found one in Maidenhead in 1993.
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