Westcott, Bucks

Only a few adult species were added to the garden year-list during the first two weeks of September.  Co-inciding with ivy coming into flower locally, it was good to see Lunar Underwing arriving in force last night (15th) with seven individuals which at least means that overall moth numbers should improve rapidly now for a while even if the variety changes little.

     (1st)  Scrobipalpa ocellatella, likely Pammene spiniana (both retained)

     (4th)  Black Rustic

     (5th)  Palpita vitrealis, Small Mottled Willow, Old Lady

     (6th)  Nomophila noctuella, Brown-spot Pinion

     (7th)  Elachista maculicerusella, Cacoecimorpha pronubana

     (8th)  Sallow, Deep-brown Dart  
     (14th)  Acleris emargana

     (15th)  Lunar Underwing

Elachista maculicerusella, Westcott 7th September

Possible Pammene spiniana, Westcott 1st September

Old Lady, Westcott 5th September

Sallow, Westcott 8th September

Pammene spiniana would be a very good record for Bucks although I have had it once before in the garden.  It seems reluctant to come to light.  This somewhat worn specimen will be checked (as was the first one in 2020) because its condition makes it difficult to separate from some of the other Pammene species.

This was a busy period for migrant moth activity across the UK.  Single examples in the traps here of Delicate (4th September) and then Palpita vitrealis, Small Mottled Willow & Red Admiral (all 5th, the Small Mottled Willow a very battered and worn specimen), Nomophila noctuella (6th) and Dark Sword-grass (7th & 10th) were the only species of any interest although on the 5th the totals in the garden of Large Yellow Underwing (45), Setaceous Hebrew Character (61) & White-point (40) may also have included a percentage of long-distance travellers.  I also ran a couple of traps at BBOWT's Leaches Farm reserve for three hours from dusk on the 6th and possible migrants there included Nomophila noctuella (1), Delicate (5) and Scarce Bordered Straw (1).  Unfortunately there were no sightings for me anywhere of Porter's Rustic (quite a few records across much of the southern UK) or Convolvulus Hawk-moth (many records, especially in the north-east).  However, the "migrant season" will be with us for a while yet so there is still hope, even here in land-locked Buckinghamshire!            

Palpita vitrealis, Westcott 5th September

Delicate, Westcott 4th September

Small Mottled Willow, Westcott 5th September

Scarce Bordered Straw, Leaches Farm 6th September

In order to keep the garden year-list ticking over in early-Autumn I usually have to resort to hunting for leaf-mines and 2024 has been no exception.  We are at the peak time now for this activity and there are currently many different mines out there, especially of those difficult-to-identify Stigmella and Phyllonorycter species, most of which are specific to a particular food-plant.  Yesterday I added Stigmella oxyacanthella (found on hawthorn, but also uses apple and pear) and Phyllonorycter spinicolella (on blackthorn) to those already seen here recently.  The image below is a back-lit view of the oxyacanthella mine showing the distinctive bright green larva and its reddish frass.  As a word of caution it is worth pointing out that mines of Stigmella crataegella (specific to hawthorn) are identical but the latter is active as a larva between late-June and early August while oxyacanthella is active at the same stage during September and October.  Vacated mines can be impossible to separate. 

Stigmella oxyacanthella mine on hawthorn, Westcott 15th Sept

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks

Phyllocnistis xenia leafmine

I was on a field trip with the Bucks Fungus Group to Wotton today.  This is a private site with marvellous parkland and a large lake.  There are many non-native trees, including lots of White Poplar Populus alba.

I had a good look at these and found several mines of the Kent Maze-miner Phyllocnistis xenia which is a Nationally Scarce B species with only a handful of records in each Upper Thames VC.

The mine occurs on both White Poplar Populus alba and Grey Poplar P. alba x tremula.  (If you are not sure how to ID tree species, there are several apps which are very helpful, e.g. Seek, Obsidentify etc.)

I've found the mine a few times, and I've always found them on low growth, often on saplings, as I did today.  I'm not sure if that's because the mines only occur low down, or because those are the only ones I've been able to look at!

The mine is distinctive, a wide silvery corridor, snaking and covering a large part of the leaf, and with a thin black line of frass.  

Happy hunting!

 

 

Neil Fletcher

VC24

Friday 13th

Unlucky for some.  I was expecting a poor garden catch after just eight moths in similar conditions on Thursday night, but a grand total of three last night between two traps was scraping the barrel somewhat for mid-September even though we were quite close to having a frost here!  Rosy Rustic to the MV, Large and Lesser Yellow Underwings to the actinic. 

Total catch, Westcott 13th September

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks 

One bit of excitement in a poor catch last night

Lyonetia prunifoliella Stowe 09-09-2024

Tiny, but surprisingly easy to spot on the egg box, as it gleams like silver!
 

Scrobipalpa ocellatella

Based on previous confirmed records I'm pretty sure this is Scrobipalpa ocellatella. I suspect the species may be breeding locally now, following the invasion of 2022, as this is the third year I have recorded it here.

Scrobipalpa ocellatella Stowe 07-09-24

Death's Head Hawkmoth caterpillar

This beast was found by a neighbour on the lawn of his back garden in Wolvercote, Oxford: he posted it to the local WhatsApp group, and I've now put it in a tank with earth in it. I'm tempted to try to rear it to adulthood, and would be grateful for advice: is it a good idea to try to? Is the caterpillar about to try to pupate? If not, what should I try to feed it on? (my neighbour's garden doesn't have potatoes, still less Deadly Nightshade, so I'm unclear what it's been eating). And when might it be likely to emerge as an adult, if it did pupate?

Steve Goddard

Alternative to 4am

 A few weeks ago I posted to ask if anyone had found a way of dissuading birds from treating the moth trap as their breakfast buffet, and Dave W responded to say he got up at 4am to see if there was anything interesting and then went back to bed. I tried this but wasn't a fan of it.

So I came up with this arrangement - a 1" square mesh cage around the trap which took 30 minutes to fashion. Whilst I doubt the hawk-moths would get in everything else seems to - I was hoping it would keep some LYUs out - and it definitely keeps the birds ot and moths are once again found resting on the outside of the trap. And I get to stay in bed until a sensible hour.

Andy

L-album Wainscot

I had 2 examples of L-album Wainscot in my garden moth trap last night. This a moth I only first recorded in 2022, but it has now appeared in three consecutive years.

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Antispila treitschkiella in VC22 ('old' Berkshire)

I planted a sapling of the yellow-flowered dogwood Cornus mas twenty-odd years ago in my garden, and it is now a relatively large tree. Following reports from this blog about the finding of the leaf miner Antispila treitschkiella on this dogwood in Bucks I have been keeping an eye out for this on my tree. Yesterday I saw the obvious signs on a couple of leaves and the scan of one is shown below. Of the three Antispila species found in the UK, A. treitschkiella has been found to be specific to Cornus mas, not other dogwoods (Nieukerken et al. 2018), so the identification is straightforward. The size of the hole cut by the larva also indicates A. treitschkiella although there is some overlap with the other Antispila species (i.e., not diagnostic). 

John Thacker, Harwell

Pheromone power part II

A week or so ago, I noted how my pheromone trap had attracted a Gypsy Moth, despite it having been washed and having no lure in it. Following that, I washed the trap again thoroughly in soapy water. So I was amazed to find yet another Gypsy Moth in the trap this morning. This despite it being inside the garage, which is closed at night, apart from a very slightly open window. Clearly these pheromones are very powerful and persistent! 

Acrobasis tumidana in Denham - probably new to Bucks.

 Pleased to see this in the trap 31st August - 1st September. Released  - I was not aware it could be new to VC24! Maybe it has wandered off to another site! The photos are not over-exposed - it really is quite 'pale'. The raised scaling around the ante median line is characteristic, and there is, just visible, some evidence of another raised tuft at the wing base.

Bad start to September!

 Because I can't believe that I'm having to ask about these two as they are in good nick and quite distinctive. Please no humiliating sneers when someone confirms the IDs which I imagine are obvious.

Thanks (I think!)

Just checking

 I think this micro is sufficiently distinctive not to need dissection, but would appreciate confirmation before I release it. Came to MV trap last night.
Thanks
Phil T

Phyllonorycter harrisella Stowe 01 Sept 2024

Westcott, Bucks

New arrivals for the garden year-list were few and far between during the second half of August with only the following recorded:

     (16th)  Agriphila geniculea

     (17th)  Cypress Pug

     (21st)  Centre-barred Sallow

     (22nd)  Frosted Orange

     (23rd)  Udea ferrugalis

     (27th)  Pyrausta despicata, Oak Hook-tip

     (29th)  Feathered Gothic 

     (30th)  Anania crocealis, Orange Sallow

     (31st)  Mompha raschkiella, Latticed Heath

Mompha raschkiella, Westcott 31st August

Pyrausta despicata, Westcott 27th August

Anania crocealis, Westcott 30th August

Cypress Pug, Westcott 17th August

Orange Sallow, Westcott 30th August

Catches since the last report from the garden have varied considerably but last night's count from the final session of this two-week period brought in 388 moths of 59 species which is quite acceptable in my garden at the end of August.  Highest counts were provided by Small Square-spot (53), Large Yellow Underwing (42), Setaceous Hebrew Character (39), Square-spot Rustic (24) & White-point (22).  The numbers of micro-moths are dwindling now but the unidentifiable Yponomeuta species (cagnagella/malinellus/padella) are still hanging on and there were 25 of them here last night.   

 

On 18th August a brief wander around the garden looking for leaf mines produced a goodly number, including evidence of nine micro-moth species which I haven't yet recorded here as adults this year (although some of them could still turn up amongst those Nepticulids etc which I've retained for dissection).  Best find was the first mine I've ever seen on our purging buckthorn, this being a single vacated example of Stigmella catharticella. A more thorough search of the same bush a week or so later produced another vacated mine of the same species. We've had both purging buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica and alder buckthorn Frangula alnus growing here for ten or more years now and all that I've found on either bush to date have been caterpillars of Yellow-tail and the Brimstone butterfly.  

Stigmella catharticella mine on buckthorn, Westcott 18th Aug

During the search for mines on 18th August I came across a near fully-grown caterpillar of Grey Dagger on our hawthorn.  At least it is fairly easy to distinguish Grey Dagger from Dark Dagger at the larval stage, unlike when they are adults.

Grey Dagger caterpillar, Westcott 18th August

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks