Vine's Rustic

11 moths here last night (in spite of the temperature falling to zero C), one of which was a Vine's Rustic, the latest I've seen this species here.

Richard Ellis

Chorleywood

Micro found in kitchen

I found this small moth flying around the kitchen last evening. The fw length is 6mm.

I feel I should know what it is, but have drawn a blank looking through the field guides. Can anybody help?

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Two Unsuitable Nights

The last two nights seemed particularly unsuitable for moths but there were still a few hardy individuals out there.  On Friday I turned off the actinic light at 11pm as by then we already had our first proper frost of the season here, but Brick (2), Red-line Quaker (1) & Sprawler (1) were found in the trap.  Last night was dismal and damp after a cold wet day.  However, by dawn this morning Common Marbled Carpet (1), Black Rustic (1), Satellite (1), Brick (1) & Beaded Chestnut (1) had ventured out to be caught by the trap.

Satellite, Westcott 27th October

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Winter is coming!

First December Moth Poecilocampa populi of the year in an otherwise small catch that included
Acleris sparsana
Red-green Carpet
November (det.gen.)
Merveille du Jour
Yellow-line Quaker
And a very nice ichneumon  which was new for the garden Absyrtus vicinator

Neil Fletcher
Walter's Ash

Twin-spot plume?

Only one moth last night. I think Twin-spot plume a possibility.

Grateful for help.

Alan Diver

Tackley

Wrong Pinion

With the temperature remaining just into double figures last night the garden actinic produced a reasonable catch of 73 moths from 17 species although, as is only to be expected, there does seem to be a general downwards trend towards winter now that Beaded Chestnut and Lunar Underwing are almost at an end.  Last night's most numerous moth was Brick with a record 19 individuals.  Brick numbers fluctuate wildly from year to year here but this season it has now surpassed the highest total ever achieved in the garden (156 in 2015).  No other moth got into double digits last night but the Novembers, Feathered Thorn and Green-brindled Crescent did get close.  Dark Chestnut has been doing well here over the past few weeks and five turned up last night, while it was also good to see another Dusky-lemon Sallow (13th of the season).  A rather dark Pale Pinion in the catch was the third this autumn but the chances of seeing its cousin Tawny Pinion here this year seem to be fading fast now.  Neither species is guaranteed to turn up in the garden.

Pale Pinion, Westcott 23rd October

Finemere Wood received another visit last night with a couple of MV traps.  HS2 workers have now set up shop along the track leading to the entrance and their massive floodlights will probably draw a lot of moths out of the wood!  18 species appeared at my lights, with Figure of Eight (33) the most numerous and a single Epinotia maculana the only thing of interest.  Everything else was very much as expected, with no sign of the hoped-for Clifden Nonpareil.  As in the garden, species such as December Moth, Scarce Umber and Mottled Umber have yet to get going here.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

White Ermine second generation

I was expecting my granddaughter's White Ermine chrysalises, bred in her kitchen in London from eggs laid here by an arrival on the last day of May, to over-winter. But yesterday, one hatched, prompting anxious 'phone calls from my daughter-in-law about what the new arrival might want in the way of food. Explanations about the inadvisability of keeping adult moths as pets are under way, but the moth is being kept until Grandpa trundles down tomorrow; let's hope it stays calm.

Waring, Townend and Lewington note in last year's edition that the smaller, partial second generation in September and October has recently increased in numbers. So here is another morsel of evidence. My own - second picture - slumber on. I hope they stay that way, as I plan to give them next week to a friend in Salisbury who wants to take up light-trapping and specifically mentioned the White Ermine as a draw.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Westcott, Bucks

Considering that the temperature was hovering around 4C under clear skies when I secured the trap at 6am this morning, last night's catch by the garden actinic was quite impressive with 93 moths of 28 species even though there was little of particular note:  Agonopterix alstromeriana (1), Blastobasis lacticolella (1), Clepsis consimilana (1), Epiphyas postvittana (1), Eudonia angustea (2), Pleuroptya ruralis (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1), Red-green Carpet (7), Common Marbled Carpet (2), November Moth sp (15), Feathered Thorn (3), Figure of Eight (1), Dark Sword-grass (2), Large Yellow Underwing (2), Square-spot Rustic (1), Black Rustic (8), Green-brindled Crescent (9), Merveille du Jour (5), Satellite (1), Dark Chestnut (1), Brick (7), Red-line Quaker (1), Yellow-line Quaker (3), Beaded Chestnut (10), Lunar Underwing (2), Barred Sallow (1), Sallow (3) & Angle Shades (1).  I imagine most must have arrived during the early part of the night when there was some cloud cover.

Pleuroptya ruralis, Westcott 21st October

This is the second October example of Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis I've trapped in 2018 (the other being in the garden on the 15th) and is the latest I've ever seen it.  In fact a check of my own records showed only two other October sightings (on the 9th in 2006 and 15th in 2014).  Black Rustic is still going strong and the season's garden count is currently only three short of 400, significantly better even than last year's record total of 305.  As for Merveille du Jour, 2017's count of 12 was the first time it had ever reached double figures here and this year I've had 40 so far - quite an achievement when there's only one quite juvenile oak tree anywhere near the garden!

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks      

Another CNP in Oxford

A colleague at work showed me a photograph of a cracking Clifden Nonpareil sat on the wall of her house in East Oxford (Temple Cowley area) during the day last Friday. Thank you Sarah!

Marc Botham, Didcot

Clifden Nonpareil, Oxford, 19-10-18

Confirmations please

I think I have Clepsis consimila and Winter / Northern Winter Moth that will need it's bits looked at to confirm?

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Tachystola acroxantha?

Is this Tachystola acroxantha?. Most of the images show a much browner moth with a slightly different shape.

Steve Lockey (Garsington)

More Mines

It didn't take long to go through last night's garden trap (17 moths of eight species and nothing of particular interest) so I decided to have another look around the garden for leaf-mines in this morning's sunshine.  I concentrated on our willow Salix babylonica and apple Malus domestica which still have the majority of their leaves and found evidence of three species new to this year's garden list.  On the former were two active mines of Stigmella obliquella, while the latter produced a vacated mine of Stigmella oxyacanthella and an active mine of Stigmella incognitella which is a first for the site.  It takes the number of Nepticulid species (Stigmella and Ectoedemia) found in the garden to 26 of which only five have been confirmed via dissection at the adult stage, the remainder having been identified solely by finding their distinctive larval mines.

Mine of Stigmella obliquella on willow, Westcott 20th October

Mine of Stigmella incognitella on apple, Westcott 20th October
(ignore the mine of Lyonetia clerkella running top to bottom on
the left hand side of the image)

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks  

Second generations

Dave has noted earlier that some moths are having a second (late) generation, when the guides say that they only have one - presumably because of the relatively unusual weather conditions earlier in the year.  A couple of nights ago I trapped a Beautiful Hook-tip (within the usual size range) and a very lively Heart & Club (the 'club' not very evident), both of which I have only seen previously in June and July.

John Thacker

Harwell

red-green carpet

Rather nice red-green carpet

Can this pug? be identified, please?

Alan Diver

Tackley

Vestal

Down to 4.5C here last night, the coldest so far this autumn, so only 18 moths one of which was a Vestal, the first I have seen here this year:

Richard Ellis

Chorleywood

Unparalleled

Despite running the mercury light last night in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire, my catch was pretty unmemorable - apart from the beast sat on top of the uppermost eggbox. I knew what it was the moment I glimpsed it, and although it was a pretty battered specimen, its colours rather faded, it remained a thrill to have my first ever Clifden Nonpareil. They aren't, obviously, such a rarity as they were just a few years ago, but its star value was evident, not least because of its sheer size.

Clifden Nonpareil, 17/10/18

Clifden Nonpareil, 17/10/18

Clifden Nonpareil, 17/10/18

In what might be slightly less welcome news for owners of topiaries in Wolvercote, a late-season flurry of NFGs included the Cydalima perspectalis pictured below on 10th October. Again, that would have had a lot more rarity value a few years ago.

Cydalima perspectalis, 10/10/18

Steve Goddard

Tiny Hook-tip

There was a much reduced catch in the garden last night (55 moths of 18 species) but of interest was this pint-sized and rather battered Beautiful Hook-tip.  Just how small it was won't be entirely apparent from the photo below but the forewing length was only 11mm. 

Beautiful Hook-tip, Westcott 17th October

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

December already!

My first December Moth turned up this morning, along with what I think is a Dark Chestnut?
Haven't trapped these before, but have been experimenting with Heath traps in different parts of the garden.

December Moth

Dark Chestnut?

Help needed

I feel I ought to know this one but can't find it in the book!

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Cypress Carpet

No exciting migrants from my trap last weekend (13th), but Cypress Carpet was new for my garden.  Cydalima perspectalis is also rising in numbers quite considerably with seven in the trap.  A very respectable 40 species seen and it was amazing to be on the patio at midnight in a T-shirt.

Adam Bassett
Marlow Bottom