No surprises, but here at Westcott moths (plural) have continued to appear at the conservatory windows each night over the past week, brought to them by the actinic light being run indoors. The week's total has comprised
Agonopterix heracliana (9), March Moth (2), Pale Brindled Beauty (9), Oak Beauty (1), Spring Usher (5), Dotted Border (2), Early Moth (5), Common Quaker (1) & Chestnut (1). The Oak Beauty on Friday night and Common Quaker last night were firsts for the year. Oak Beauty doesn't appear annually here and this is my first ever February garden record (out of just over 30 over the years), but it can be out at any time from January onwards in local woodland.
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| Oak Beauty, Westcott 15th February |
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| Common Quaker, Westcott 16th February |
Another tiny (2mm) Nepticulid was found wandering around on a window indoors yesterday and it looks as though it may be a different species to the one found in similar circumstances on 6th February. I'm intrigued to know what it is and where it might have come from, especially at this time of year. I haven't retained any leaf mines indoors this winter and there have been very limited opportunities for anything to fly into the house from outdoors, so perhaps it has emerged from cut flowers or pot plants. We'll see.
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| Nepticulid sp., Westcott 16th February |
Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks
The Nep looks a candidate for Stigmella aaceris or prunetorum. There was a Nepticulid on my kitchen window 2 days ago in the afternoon, but wasn't quick enough with a pot.
ReplyDeleteOf those two, I think S.aceris is the most likely here (mines for the last three years on our Norway Maple). The nationally scarce S.prunetorum would be a much nicer record as there's only one previous for Bucks, but I'm sure I would have noticed its very distinctive mines on our blackthorn...
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