Having got my 2024 records sorted and feeling that it was a good year for the number of species recorded (especially micros) overall numbers were down. I decided to look more closely at what had happened with the more common species.
I looked at the 52 commonest species in the garden. These are ones that I have recorded more than 400 individuals of since I started trapping regularly in 2016. I compared the numbers caught in 2024 with the average caught in 2016-2023.
In 2024 14 species did better than expected. The best 5 were Dingy Footman, Riband Wave, Green Carpet, Straw Dot and Buff Footman.
8 species were much the same as in previous years.
30 species appeared in much lower number with the poorest being Large Nutmeg, Flame, Middle-barred Minor, Lunar Underwing and Heart and Dart.
Generally it was the heavier, more robust moths that performed badly and the lighter ones that did well.
Other less common moths that did well in 2024 were Pine Hawk-moth, Early Moth, Delicate, Cypress Carpet and Magpie moth. Two species showing a notable decline here in the last few years are Small Angle Shades and Satellite.
Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.
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