Orange Footman confirmation

I had quite a few moths that are new to me in the garden this week, including a female Ghost Moth, a Pebble Prominent and a Foxglove Pug. I would be grateful if someone could confirm a couple of my IDs. The first is what I presume to be an Orange Footman - it looked more yellow than orange to my eyes.

Am I correct in thinking that the next one is a Lychnis?

Finally, are these chaps Vine's Rustic? The forewings measured 13-14mm.

Steve Trigg, Cookham

A couple of garden firsts plus a nice Small Clouded Brindle

A nice fresh Small Clouded Brindle was a scarce visitor to my Stoke Goldington (North Bucks) garden recently (30th May), but a couple of garden firsts provided added excitement. The pug, I presume, is Freyer's (31st May). I believe the large Crambid is a female of one of three spp. The Hants Moths website has a spitting image assigned to Chilo phragmitella, but female Donacaula forficella and Schoenobius gigantella can apparently be very similar; the costa profile being diagnostic? As always, opinions welcomed.

Finally, after debate about a previous Agonopterix, a classic arenella turned up on 30th.

Small Clouded Brindle

Freyer's Pug

Chilo phragmitella?

Agonopterix arenella

Netted Pug

When I caught 2 or 3 Netted Pugs in June 2010 in my back garden in Chorleywood, Bucks, I was struck by what beautiful moths they were, but didn't realise that I wouldn't see another, anywhere, since. Until last Saturday night, when 1 turned up at the porch light (which hardly attracts anything). Still beautiful, in my opinion (the moth, not the porch light).
Andy King.

Scarlet Tiger

I had a nice female Scarlet Tiger moth hatch on the 22nd May, from a larva i found in my Aylesbury garden - the first record from here. Dave Maunder

Scarlet Tiger

Scarlet Tiger pupa, prior to hatching

I.D. help required

I had this micro in my garden trap here in Aylesbury a few nights ago, and wondered if anyone can help with identification, please? Peter Hall has suggested a Bryotropha species. Thanks, from Dave Maunder

Bryotropha? - approx. 6mm

Another Toadflax Brocade

Another moderately successful night here in central Oxford last night with four new for years: Buff Ermine, Treble Lines, Wormwood Pug and Small Magpie. The most noteworthy moth in the trap however was my second Toadflax Brocade of the year. You may recall that the first one (caught on the 16th May) turned out to be the first for the VC23 recording area so it's still a good moth to get.

Another Toadflax Brocade

Growing up

Just to report that the Thrupp (Oxon) School for Emperors has graduated en masse from KS2. I have been monitoring them with the vigilance of Brian Hanrahan and the Harrier jets in the Falklands war: I counted 24 eggs when their mother overnighted, and I've now counted 24 catties into their new home.

This is like a vast comprehensive  compared with their initial ice cream box primary because I have taken on board fellow-posters' warnings about the larvae getting increasingly voracious and large. I also try to dry the hawthorn with newspaper on wet days such as today, thanks to warnings from other UTM breeders about damping off.

Final point of interest: I did look online for larva breeding boxes of the kind I used as a teenager via Watkins & Doncaster but they are not to be had at the moment. The best websites can offer is the hope of new stocks later in June. Are a lot of us caterpillar breeders about?  Martin Wainwright

Making Progress in Central Oxford

I've been having some better catches over the last few days here in central Oxford though as usual my numbers are always lower than the stellar counts that Steve gets just over a mile away in relatively rural Wolvercote. New for years for my garden have included Dark Arches, Common Swift, Large Nutmeg, The Spectacle, Heart and Dart, Fan Foot and Green Pug for the macros and Notocelia Rosaecolana, Cochylis Nana and Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix for the micros. I'm left with three I can't pin down: the first is probably too poorly marked to ID, the second is a well marked Eudonia/Scoparia species which I thought would be easy but I'm struggling with and the third is a Nemapogon species which mostly closely matches N variatella from photos I've found on the internet though that's supposedly only found in the London area (these things seem to change very quickly though). However it may just be N cloacella (Cork Moth) instead which is much commoner.

Adam Hartley

Worn micro

Eudonia/Scoparia species

Nemapogon variatella or just N. cloacella?

... then, ones we're not

With apologies, the following have left us uncertain over the last couple of days: first, what looks like, and probably is, a knackered White Ermine in a rather unusual stance (but which I'm including in case it's something rare that we've overlooked...); then four varied micros which may prove to be incapable of identification; and, inevitably, a couple of undistinguished-looking pugs, which could well be the same species. As ever, and ideas would be very welcome indeed. Steve and Xander Goddard.

Knackered White Ermine?, 1/6/14

Unknown micro 1, 1/6/14

Unknown micro 2, 1/6/14

Unknown micro 3, 1/6/14

Unknown micro 4, 2/6/14

Unknown pug 1, 1/6/14

Unknown pug 2, 2/6/14

First, ones we're sure of...

Still a steady supply of new species for the year in Wolvercote, Oxon, with some quite closely-related macros: Clouded Brindle and Mottled Rustic (both of which we're pretty confident about), as well as the first Large Yellow Underwings of the year on 1st June; along with some micros: Celypha striana, Enarmonia formosana and Lozotaenia forsterana, for example. The catch on 1st June was our biggest yet of the year,  with 38 species so far identified and over 100 individuals. Steve and Xander Goddard.

Celypha striana, 2/6/14

Clouded Brindle, 2/6/14

Enarmonia formosana, 1/6/14

Large Yellow Underwing, 1/6/14

Lozotaenia forsterana, 1/6/14

Mottled Rustic (we think), 2/6/14

IDs and Micro technique question

These are from yesterday, I think I've ID'd the micros but am totally stuck on the macros because I've failed to find anything tha tmatches (usually its too many matches).

I think I have yet another Light Brown Apple Moth by elimination, a pale diamond back moth (top and side view).

My guesses re the macros and I'm really not sure is that for the first one I might go for a Tawny Marbled Minor? and that the second might be a poorly marked Common Rustic (or Lesser Common or Rem's)

My mcro technique question is how to get them out of the trap. I usually lose a few on opening up and then again when I attempt to get any resting ones out of the egg boxes into container by holding the egg box over a container and tapping.

Salcey Forest

Peter Hall and I ran four MV lights in the VC 24 portion of Salcey Forest, Northants last night and even though it got quite chilly we managed to pick up more than 100 species in three hours.  It was interesting to see some Traveller's-Joy feeders there (Fern, Pretty Chalk Carpet & Haworth's Pug) because the food-plant seems to be absent from much of Aylesbury Vale - we normally associate these moths with the Chilterns.  Red-necked Footman was recorded so can now be said to have invaded all of Buckinghamshire from the extreme south to the extreme north.  Clouded Silver, Orange Footman and Ingrailed Clay (counts of 50+ for each) were around in good numbers, while other species included Gold Swift, Pammene aurana, Purple Clay, Green Arches (a beautiful moth when fresh) and Grey Arches, the last three of which were posed together in the photograph below:

Salcey Forest 1st June

One surprise was to find three ghostly white shapes roosting on grass stems near one of the trap sites.  The happy snap below was taken as a record shot using Peter's mobile phone and unfortunately the flash has washed out their markings, but you can at least make out what they are - three Wood Whites.

Wood Whites, Salcey Forest 1st June

Dave Wilton     
  

More for IDs

Almost caught up - I have a number I can't find. One thing I find really irritatting is when I think I've got a match and then discover it's something rare and only been seen once in a branch of Tesco's in Torquay. So unfortunately I have quite a few unknowns from today.

On the upside from more or less novice I managed to identify about a dozen or so.

So in no particular order

Light Brown Apple Moth (I keep think I may be missing other species)
Dusky Brocade?
worn Brindled Pug?
Cabbage Moth
 Epiblema trimaculata or E. Rosaecolana


I have some more but the upload is playing tonight


Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

IDs please

I'm now running behind in my catches - these were from Saturday night. The first one was easy but a suprise, a Scorched Wing, I think the othe one is possibly a Large Nutmeg although there seems to be a hint of a shoulder streak, I think I have a cadis fly and the final one I can't find at all.


Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Science?

Two unintended experiments here at Thrupp, Oxon. I was delayed in putting out the Robinson trap 'til 11.30pm, a couple of hours later than the current norm. This appears to have had no effect on either the size or the variety of the catch, the second in a row to top 200 with a rich variety of species.

Secondly, the need to find better a better photograph backdrop than camera-confusing black plastic led me to move one newcomer - a very pretty Marbled Coronet - from the bulb collar and thus I was able to watch its waking process from start to flight, a process which took 96 seconds and involved wing exercises which started slowly, accelerated and then slowed down again before take-off. The apparent moth law, The Fatter they are the Slower they Wake, seems partially suspended in current warmer and lighter conditions. It's no longer just the Carpets, Pugs and Micros which are too skittish for me to carry helpful instructions to find a better posing place than an eggbox.

Here's the other newcomer: a Grass Rivulet to add to other examples of this delightful little scrap which have been posted here.  Martin Wainwright

Just a few

Quite a small catch in Wolvercote last night, considering it was relatively warm, but some nice species among them. Our first Pseudargyrotoza conwagana of the year was a handsome little creature (but who the heck came up with its name?); and we had what we think is a rather vaguely-marked Shears (but are open to suggestions). The longhorn, which seems likeliest to be Nematopogon swammerdamella, we're willing to be told is unidentifiable from sight alone, especially in a rather dodgy photo... Steve and Xander Goddard.

Some sort of longhorn, 31/5/14

Possible Shears, 31/5/14

Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, 31/5/14

BIG Evening Session

Thanx to all who turned up at the CWBP trapping session last night. I look forward to seeing all the lists, and the ids of the micros...

In summary, 9 people, 10 lights, and several new species for the year including a couple of macro lifers for me plus I'm sure several micros.

The most numerous macro species was probably Orange Footman again this year plus the innumerable Coleopheridae in the micro world.

As far as interesting/new species for the year/site goes (from my list, and in no particular order), Gold Swift, Map-winged Swift, Alabonia geoffrella, Epinotia bilunana, Udea olivalis, Peach Blossom, Small Yellow Wave, Flame Carpet, Garden Carpet, Small Phoenix, Small Seraphim, Foxglove Pug, Grey Birch, Small Elephant Hawk-moth, Buff-tip, Shears, Poplar Grey, Alder Moth, Coronet, Rustic Shoulder-knot, Green Silver-lines,  Buttoned Snout, Snout & Small Fan-foot.

Look, I can rest differently

Is anyone else pleased when a moth decides to behave differently from the norm? Here's an example which for a few moments I took to be something new. In fact it's a Flame, but one which - uniquely in my limited experience - has decided to rest with its wings in a V-shape rather than tightly wrapped like an umbrella, as in the little pic, left. It shared the Robinson trap at Thrupp with 209 other moths including one newcomer, a Mottled Beauty (as featured by the Wolvercote duo yesterday). That's my first June debut; May saw 81 which brings my year's total to 132 (plus any number of the annoying tweedy, kidney-marked brethren which I aim to disentangle when the busy months of summer are a pleasant memory).  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon