Growing numbers; and a couple of unknowns

We had one species - Common Quaker - break in to double figures last night (eleven of them), and a couple of new species for the year (Early Grey and Diurnea fagella). However, we also had a couple of individuals I'm not at all sure about, although I have a nasty feeling they'll turn out to be pretty obvious - can anybody help us with them? The first, judging by size, is probably a macro - though I'm not even sure of that - and the second clearly a micro, I think some sort of crambid; all suggestions for species gratefully received (I do have a few other photos of them, but I don't think they'd help much). Steve and Xander Goddard.

Unknown, 15/3/14

Unknown micro, 15/3/14

Micros ID

Ive had 2 micros in the last few nights, i think I'm right with the first one being Ypsolopha mucronella but please confirm, 2 photos added.

The other one is possibly Agonopterix heracliana but again confirmation is sought

These were caught in my 20W actinic trap in Milton Keynes, Bucks

Darren Seaman

Common Footman larva

Last Monday (10th March) Helen Hyre found this Common Footman caterpillar crawling along her kitchen windowsill on the outskirts of Aylesbury, Bucks.

Common Footman larva

Pale Pinion year by year

Several people have reported Pale Pinion moths over the last few weeks (e.g. this one from Steve Goddard) I thought I'd see if there was any pattern to its appearances in Berkshire over the years. The numbers do go up and down a bit, but the distribution has remained scattered widely over the county. So I don't think this proves very much, but it was fun to do!:

Martin Harvey

Tiny caller at Thrupp

This very small micro was on a window pane indoors this sunny lunchtime and got in a tremendous tizz when we opened the outside door and a breeze blew in. Am I right in thinking that it is a Carnation Tortrix, Cacoecimorpha pronubana?

At all events, it makes a pleasant change from the worthy but dull procession of Common Quakers and Clouded Drabs which have been holding nonconformist meetings in my eggboxes since I last posted, albeit much fewer in number during recent cold and foggy nights.

Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon.

Burial Park again...

This weeks catch at CWBP comprised 1 x Dotted Border, 3 x Engrailed, 2 x Diurnea fagella and 1 x Agonopterix ocellana (pretty sure, see pic, but please confirm!).

Dave Morris

Loosley Row garden trap

I put the trap (twin 30w actinic Skinner) out last night for a few hours and was quite pleased with the results: Engrailed (1), March Moth (14), Common Quaker (21), Agonopterix heracliana (2), Clouded Drab (3), Twin-spotted Quaker (2), Small Quaker (2), Hebrew Character (3), Chestnut (1) and Pine Beauty (1).

Nigel Partridge

A few garden moths at last!

I've finally had a sprinkling of spring Orthosias and other moths to my garden trap here in my suburban garden on the edge of Aylesbury  -see photos below. Dave Maunder

Could someone check my Quakers?

My weekly trap out in my Cookham garden delivered 8 moths last night. There were singles of Early Grey, Hebrew Character, Oak Beauty and Pine Beauty. The Pine Beauty is below.

The other 4 moths were all Common Quakers I think, but could someone give a second opinion on the grey specimen on the bottom right in this picture?

Many thanks,

Steve Trigg

More moths from Finemere on Sunday evening

I spent two hours in Finemere woods, Bucks on Sunday 9th March, and got a reasonable haul with my 15 watt actinic trap which comprised:- Yellow-horned (6); Red chestnut (2); Satellite moth (1); Early grey (1); Small quaker (18); Common quaker (6); Clouded drab (4); Hebrew character (1); Oak beauty (1); Small brindled beauty (10); Pale brindled beauty (1); Spring usher (1); Shoulder-stripe (1); March moth (3); Engrailed moth (12); Tortricodes alternella (25+); and Diurnea fagella (2) - a total of approx. 95 moths in two hours in the woods, which contrasted sharply with the 1 Common quaker in my Aylesbury garden m.v. trap that was on all night! Proving woodland beats the town any time for moths!
Dave Maunder

Getting better

Three new for the year for me last night, Early Grey, Satellite and  Engrailed. Also 14 Hebrew Character, 11 Clouded Drab, 7 Common Quaker and 2 Shoulder Stripe. Taken in a 20w actinic trap in Milton Keynes

Darren Seaman

Pale Pinions (?) and more micros

While we're not picking up the same sort of numbers as others (not sure why - it could just be that Martin Wainwright's Thrupp is a better location at this time of year than Wolvercote), we're still getting some interesting individuals: here are a couple of our own Pale Pinions (I assume - they look more like that than Tawny), and a couple of micros which looked both to be the same species, Agonopterix heracliana - only one photo posted. In both cases, we'd welcome confirmation. Steve and Xander Goddard.

Presumed Pale Pinion 1, 9/3/14, camouflaging itself cleverly

Second presumed Pale Pinion, 9/3/14

Possible Agonopterix heracliana, 9/3/14

Hide and seek

It was good to read Marc's report of two Pale Pinions yesterday - and then to find this one this morning in my Robinson trap at Thrupp.  The only bad thing was that it distracted me so much that I almost missed three March moths - my first of 2014 - which were playing hide-and-seek on Mr and Mrs Robinson's very simple but amazingly effective rainshield.  Here's the one which hid best:

For the record - if that's considered useful; if not I can cut it out in future - there were also 33 Common Quakers, 8 Hebrew Characters, 5 Clouded Drabs and 2 Small Quakers. If butterflies may be permitted a peep on a moths blog, I saw my first 'wild' one in yesterday's amazing sunshine - a Small White, followed shortly afterwards by a Tortoiseshell and then, on a walk to Hampton Gay, three Brimstones and a Peacock. Bliss!  Martin Wainwright

The mother's foe returns...

Our local Brown Long-eared Bat population seems to have awoken earlier than usual this year.  It never takes them long to realise where there's a good source of food and there was at least one set of Common Quaker wings by the trap this morning, so I expect there'll be more tonight...

Dave Wilton, Westcott, Bucks

Brown Long-eared Bat at the twin-30wt actinic trap

A little more like it

Broke spectacularly into double figures last night, for the first time this year, with six Common Quaker, two Hebrew Character and a couple I'd be grateful to have confirmation on: I'm pretty certain they're Clouded Drab and Small Quaker.

Presumed Clouded Drab, 8/3/14

Presumed Small Quaker, 8/3/14

I also captured the following micro in my kitchen on Saturday evening, which I suspect is Agonopterix ocellana, which, if I'm right, would be a garden first. Again, confirmation would be welcome! Apologies for the poor quality of the photos, particularly of the micro. Steve and Xander Goddard

Presumed Agonopterix ocellana, 8/3/14

Best night so far

Modest compared to some other people's catches but I got a Common Quaker, 3 Hebrew Characters and a new one for me, an Oak Beauty. Lovely thing.                                                                                       Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Nycteoline

Took further advantage of this mild (and for this month, only fully free) weekend and did my monthly survey at Bagley Woods. Lots of Oak Beauties, Small Brindled Beauties and Yellow-horned, but still only small numbers of Orthosias. The best of the lot was a pair of Pale Pinions, which are likely to be my first records for the site, and possibly (i'll have to check) my earliest ever record of Oak Nycteoline, which was of the nice spotted form which I'm not entirely sure I've caught myself before. Went looking for Orange Underwings afterwards during the glorious sunny weather around midday but no luck - anyone else seen any yet? No recent records from Bagley so would be good to go back and have another look when they're being seen elsewhere. Plenty of butterflies about, never seen so many spring Brimstones and Commas! Marc Botham, Bagley Woods

Oak Nycteoline - Bagley Woods

Double figures

 

A bumper night - lovely and warm! I hope that others have had the same. My Robinson trap at Thrupp, Oxon, had 44 moths inside with a further ten on a nearby wall including the well-camouflaged one above. I hope I am right in ID-ing it as a Small Brindled Beauty.

In the trap itself, there was my first Twin-spotted Quaker of 2014, pictured above, alongside 31 Common Quakers, five Hebrew Characters, 3 Clouded Drabs, 2 Satellites, a Dotted Border and the moth pictured at the bottom of this post which I hope I am right - sorry for nervous doubts about my recognition skills again - in ID-ing as a beautifully-coloured Small Quaker.  Martin Wainwright

More spring moths

On Wednesday 5th March i ran my 15 watt actinic trap in Finemere woods for 2 hours, and got a reasonable catch which comprised :- Yellow-horned (5), Small quaker (2), Common quaker (1), Satellite (1), Chestnut (12), Oak beauty (1), Small brindled beauty (5), Pale brindled beauty (1), Spring usher (6), Dotted border (1), March moth (7), Engrailed (1), and Tortricodes alternella (6).
On Thursday 6th March i ran my trap in woodland on Coombe hill not far from the monument, and got :-
Yellow-horned (10), Oak beauty (2), Small brindled beauty (2), Spring usher (1), March moth (1), and Tortricodes alternella (3).
Having the chance to use a mobile moth trap for the first time this year is certainly turning out to be fun! Dave maunder

Chestnuts

Thursday night I did my March trapping for Harcourt Arboretum because it was so mild. The omens were good when I got home and my garden trap already had several moths in it (which if you've seen any of my previous posts you will appreciate is a considerable improvement on recent times). Whilst Harcourt yielded a fair number of moths the species list was distinctly lacking several of those expected and consisted of nothing unexpected or especially exciting, but it was nice to start seeing a trap full of moths again nevertheless: Dotted Border, March Moth, Small Brindled Beauty, Oak Beauty, Chestnut, Dark Chestnut, Hebrew Character, Small Quaker, Common Quaker, Clouded Drab, Yellow-horned, Acleris notana/ferrugana, Acleris hastiana, Ypsolopha ustella. It was my garden trap that provided me the nicest catch, though again nothing unexpected, but was nice to get a full set of the Conistra species resident locally as depicted below (and they all landed just like that honestly...:)). March Moth (1), Dotted Border (2), Clouded Drab (4), Hebrew Character (3), Common Quaker (1) and Agonopterix heracliana (2) joined the party making it by far the best night so far this year. The previous night also marked the first 2014 garden appearance of Agonopterix alstromeriana, which I subsequently found a trio of in the Rothamsted trap at CEH Wallingford, and another at MV light in the garden last night along with first a garden record of Diurnea fagella. Marc Botham, Benson

Dark Chestnut, Chestnut and Dotted Chestnut at Lonesome Farm.

ID Confirmations Please

Wednesday night I got my first Hebrew Character. This morning I had a March moth and something I'm not sure about. A Clouded Drab perhaps?

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Best night of the year so far last night, 1 Shoulder Stripe, 5 Hebrew Characters and 3 Common Quaker in my actinic trap in Milton Keynes.
 Darren Seaman

First week of the GMS

Although it's not strictly a garden, the first session of the summer GMS at CWBP with our little 6W trap caught 2 Hebrew Characters, 2 Chestnuts and a Small Brindled Beauty after having had nothing at the trap for the last 7 weeks, so I think we finally have spring!

Also, in my garden trap a single Satellite.

Dave Morris

Oak Beauty and 2 others

I had 3 moths in my garden trap last night here in Cookham. The first was an Oak Beauty which I hadn't seen before (I am fairly new to mothing).

The second I am fairly confident was a Clouded Drab.

The third one I found a bit more tricky, but eventually decided it was a Chestnut. I would be grateful for a second opinion.

They are all common species, but when you are new to mothing all catches are exciting!

Steve Trigg.

Grey and brown

My first Early Grey of 2014 brightened up the eggboxes this morning after a milder night. Also in the Robinson trap at Thrupp, Oxon, were six Common Quakers, two Chestnuts, two Hebrew Characters, a Dotted Border and two of these, below, on which I'd appreciate help. Clouded Drab I think, but correction or confirmation greatly welcomed. Martin Wainwright

Non-identical twins

A couple of Common Quakers in the Robinson trap at Thrupp, Oxon, this morning, showing the species' variable markings on which my Moth Bible remarks. I think they must have come early because a mild evening turned very cold later and the garden this morning was white with frost. Martin Wainwright

Mothy Mutterings

"Mothy Mutterings" is the title of a series of short newsletters from the moth team at Butterfly Conservation's head office. The latest (February) issue is now available, and contains interesting notes re possible effects of the wet winter on moths, and some initial work towards a national recording project for micro-moths. Martin Harvey

Caterpillars at Holtspur Bottom

Conservation work at Holtspur Bottom this morning was hard graft (although alleviated by pleasant surroundings and good company!). But in the course of digging and shifting earth from one place to another we found several caterpillars in the soil. At the time I was confidently telling people that they must be one of the root-feeding noctuid moths, but I was wrong - having had a closer look they are swift moths, most likely Common Swift.

For more on Butterfly Conservation's reserve near Beaconsfield see the new Holtspur Bottom website. Martin Harvey

Thinking out of the (egg)box

Two useful reminders overnight not to think just of the light-trap and its eggboxes: our first 'wild' moth of the year, a Dotted Border spotted by my wife Penny who is the expert at such detection, on our front door beneath a weak but working outside light.

And then this morning, a second DB which was in the brambles beside my Robinson trap (which only contained a solitary Common Quaker inside).  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon