Help with ID

 

Happy New Year all!

I put my trap out for the first time this year, last night. I caught two moths, one I think is a Pale Brindled Beauty and the other a Spring Usher. Am I correct?
Also to my surprise, underneath the trap was a lovely caterpillar. Can anyone ID it?

Pale Brindled Beauty?

Spring Usher?

 

Many thanks

Lorna

 

 

Help!!!

Came to light 11/12 January.

Couldn't persuade it to open wings. Northern winter moth?

Alan Diver

Tackley

Oxon

Burnham Beeches, Bucks

Like Dave's trap at Westcott there has been little action at the Burnham Beeches Rothamsted trap over the last week. A total of 4 macros - Winter, Chestnut, Mottled Umber and last night (10th) an Oak Beauty.  The latter being the second earliest ever in the Bucks database which has only four January records for the species.  Three towards the end of the month and the earliest being 5 Jan 2007.

Westcott, Bucks

It has been particularly quiet here over the past week with no moths seen other than the occasional Pale Brindled Beauty, the garden's first example for this season having appeared back on 30th December.

Pale Brindled Beauties, Westcott 5th January

Peter Hall is currently working his way through my dissections for 2017 and has completed those for Westcott so I can now produce some accurate garden statistics for the year to bore you with.  2017 was definitely a good one so far as I'm concerned!

• The garden twin-30wt actinic trap was run on 279 nights throughout the year as follows:  Jan (6 nights), Feb (20), Mar (31), Apr (27), May (31), Jun (29), Jul (29), Aug (13), Sep (30), Oct (31), Nov (19) and Dec (13). 
• The actinic was joined by a 125wt MV for 32 nights between May and October (no trapping was done using the MV on its own).
• 16 nights between mid-June and late-July produced a 100+ species count. Three of them were by the actinic on its own, the remainder using the two traps.
• The top ten highest nightly species counts were 148 (21st June), 146 (6th July), 143 (18th June), 135 (19th July), 134 (9th July), 133 (17th July), 128 (10th July), 125 (5th July) and 121 (19th June & 1st July), all using two traps except for 19th June which was achieved by the actinic on its own.
• 28,860 individual moths were caught in the garden.  This was better than 2016 but nowhere near as good as the totals achieved in 2014 (32,910) or 2015 (33,941).  The 2017 total might have passed the 30k mark if I hadn't been absent in Devon for a significant part of August.   
• 662 moth species were identified in the garden (326 micros, 336 macros), significantly better than the previous highest annual count of 633 in 2015.
• 25 of those 662 species currently have national status:  20 Nationally Scarce B-list (known from between 31 and 100 10km squares in the UK), four Nationally Scarce A-list (16-30 10km squares) and one Red Data Book (15 or fewer 10km squares). The RDB species was Pauper Pug which seems to be spreading and may no longer deserve that status. 
• 30 moth species were new for the garden list (21 micros, 9 macros).  One of them (Cosmopterix scribaiella) was a county first while three more (Ptocheuusa paupella, Elachista utonella & Phaulernis dentella) appear to have been only the second records for Bucks.
• After 13 years of recording at this site the garden Lepidoptera species list now stands at 967, comprising 31 butterflies and 936 moths (423 macros).  At current progress the magic 1,000 could be in reach within a year or three.
• Which makes me wonder ... have any specific sites in our three counties already achieved that figure?  Pucketty Farm near Faringdon strikes me as a possibility.  Several of our 10km squares certainly have done so, for example those which include Bernwood Forest and Burnham Beeches.  Other than being a countryside rather than an urban location, the habitat here at Westcott is nothing particularly special and the garden species list is probably down to perseverance in holding on to otherwise unidentifiable micro-moth species for dissection and having someone keen (and kind) enough to do the job!

 
Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Mottled umber

6th January 2018

This mottled umber came to light on the night of 3/4 January

Comparing it to the one that was taken on the 20/21 December (below) shows some of the range of variations exhibited by the males of this species.

Alan Diver
Tackley
Oxon

Off the Blocks

A single Winter Moth braved the winds last night to get my garden list for Westcott started for 2018.  A quick look around today produced the expected active mines of Phyllonorycter leucographella (on pyracantha) and Stigmella aurella (on bramble).  The aurella larva in the image below doesn't look all that well and may be parasitized but it was still moving.

Mine of Stigmella aurella, Westcott 3rd January

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Last moth of the year.

Today was the first opportunity for me to photograph it: Two nights ago (30 Dec) This little Ypsolopha ustella (in one of its many forms) turned up on the bathroom window:

Mild but quite windy that night in Chorleywood, Bucks.
Ustella is a moth which hibernates through the winter and so it must have been the mild weather which brought it out, although I still can't see why it would bother.
I'm yet to see a 2018 moth.
Happy New Year to you all.

A problem with comments & Tinea dubiella

hi, don't know whether it is me but I can't add comments (Firefox). It tells me I'm not logged in. I click on log in and as you can see I can post.

But when I return to the main page it shows me logged out so I can't reply.

I just wanted to thank Dave for his reply on the Beaded Chestnut. I'd like to thank Peter for the dissection of  Tinea dubiella (see below). Also thanks to everyone else who helped with IDs this year.

A happy New Year all.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

October Confirmations

I managed to get myself terribly confused over Lunar Underwings and Beaded Chestnuts from the forewing only pictures I had. Previous years I found Beaded Chestnut's unlike the Lunar Underwings were pretty much constant. This year I got completely plain ones to ones that were almost black.

I'd appreciate if someone could confirm these catches from October. I think all but the last ones are Beaded Chestnut, with the final one as Lunar Underwing.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Next Year's Moths

I took a couple of MV Robinsons to one of my local ancient woodlands, Finemere Wood, last night.  The lights produced 370 moths of 8 species between them, either on/under the sheet or in/on the trap.  Well over 200 were Winter Moths while more than 120 were Mottled Umbers.  There actually seemed to be many more Winter Moths around just about every nearby oak trunk, especially at the start of the three-hour session when the males were very active and some newly-emerged females were seen scampering upwards.  On one particular trunk I noticed half a dozen mated pairs and a couple of solitary females. 

The other species seen comprised Acleris ferrugana/notana (3), Northern Winter Moth (at least 11), Satellite (3) and Chestnut (13), all of which were expected, while I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised at the early emergence of Pale Brindled Beauty (3) and Spring Usher (2) which are really next year's moths.

Pale Brindled Beauty, Finemere Wood 22nd December

Spring Usher, Finemere Wood 22nd December

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks
  

A few moths of December

13 moths over last two nights here in Cowley, 8 of them Epiphyas postvittana but also a Double-striped Pug, Satellite, Mottled Umber and a late rather battered male Red-green Carpet.

 

Mottled umber

This Mottled umber came to light on the 20/21 December. It was actually on the curtain lining as I had the patio door open to pass the cable through.

I always close the curtains when I have the trap outside as the white linings form a large white sheet. I frequently find moths on the patio windows or inside as this one did.

Alan Diver
Tackley, Oxon.

Light brown apple moth

Despite frost on 17th December, this Light brown apple moth came to light.

Alan Diver
Tackley, Oxon

Chestnuts at Christmas

For the first time in well over a week, the garden stayed frost free last night, and the light trap attracted 3 moths. A Winter Moth sat on the outside of the trap, whilst amongst the egg boxes were 2 Chestnuts.

These are actually the first Chestnuts I have recorded in the garden this year, so it just goes to show it is never too late to get additions to your garden year list.
Finally, a very happy Xmas to all of you who contribute to this blog, and best wishes for 2018.

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Snow cats in the Chilterns

Wasn't really expecting to see moths today, but did find caterpillars in numbers! I never knew Large Yellow Underwing caterpillars had a fondness for snow-top excursions, but it seems to be a known behaviour, at least in America. See this blog post for further details.

A caterpillar curled up on the snow after I disturbed it

The dark speck in the middle of the lower part of this
photo is a Large Yellow Underwing caterpillar, honest!

See, amid the Winter snow

Last night and this morning in Thrupp.  Thank Goodness that December Moths are well wrapped-up! Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Red-line Quaker

My last Red-line Quaker sighting this year was on 2nd November so this specimen in the garden last night was rather unexpected, more than a month later.  I have had one other December record (7th December 2016, one day later) so it isn't entirely without precedent here, but noteworthy all the same.

Red-line Quaker, Westcott 6th December

Despite the relative warmth, ever-increasing wind overnight from Storm Caroline was probably the reason why December Moth (1) and Winter Moth (3) were the only other moths which came to the actinic light.  The forecast suggests that it is now time to go back into hibernation for at least a week or so! 

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Tinea pellionella?

Tried running the trap within the garage and got a nice December moth and Light Brown Apple Moth so it seems to work for me.

Also found this inside the house - can it be ID'd as Tinea pellionella?

If it needs it's bits checked can someone tell me how I need to prepare it and and where to send it?

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Westcott, Bucks

I ran the actinic light in the conservatory here from dusk until 10.30pm last night, when the sky cleared to reveal that very bright moon, and in that time 16 moths had appeared at the windows:  December Moth (5, including two females), Winter Moth (7), Mottled Umber (2) & Dark Chestnut (1) along with what I thought in the dark was a faded Scarce Umber but on reflection in daylight now looks much more like a small, poorly marked and very early Dotted Border.  There is one other December record for Dotted Border in Bucks, from exactly the same date in 2004.  Unlike Mottled Umber which may go on until February, the flight period locally for Scarce Umber is usually only about four weeks long and almost all of my records are confined to November.  This year I had my first in the garden on 31st October so theoretically it should be over here by now anyway.

Westcott, 3rd December

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

When do you trap in winter?

Hope this is ok to post.

As per the title when do you trap in winter? What is the lowest temperature that it's worth putting the trap out for?

I've had a series of no show trappings - I didn't trap last week but I'm wondering if I'm attempting the impossible due to the temperature.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Links to help with identification of Winter Moth and Northern Winter Moth

I posted this as a comment to Steve Trigg's question below, but the links don't work in comments, so I'm repeating it here - these are links to comparison images for Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) and Northern Winter Moth (Operophtera fagata).

Main thing to look for is that Northern Winter Moth is a bit larger and paler (especially on the hindwing) than Winter Moth (but as ever worn specimens can be confusing). Check the undersides as well. If you can find the females they a bit easier to distinguish: both have reduced wings but Northern Winter's wings are less reduced than Winter.

And as Dave said below, Northern Winter is more closely tied to Birch and Alder trees, while Winter Moth feeds on a wider range of trees and shrubs.

• Comparison by Jon Clifton via Norfolk Moths
• Chris Lewis's British Lepidoptera page on winter and November moths
• Comparison from Northumberland Moths
• Comparison from Hants Moths
• Comparison from the German Lepiforum site, which includes info on the females

The specimen images on Lepiforum suggest that the underside of Northern Winter is noticeably paler than the underside of 'normal' Winter Moth, which may be a useful clue for moths on windows!

Winter moth question

My first Winter Moth of the year appeared at my kitchen window last night.

I wondered, is the Northern Winter Moth also found in our area of Berks/Bucks/Oxon? I don't recall the Northern Winter Moth ever being mentioned on this blog.

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Migrants again (2)

Well, that little warm but very windy patch produced no further migrants at all here!  On the 21st I had a Winter Moth and two Satellites, on the 22nd just a Dingy Footman caterpillar, while last night there were two December Moths and singletons of Red-green Carpet, Winter Moth, Feathered Thorn & Scarce Umber.  The 8mm Dingy Footman caterpillar had presumably been tempted out of hibernation and was found climbing one of our conservatory windows beside the actinic light which was being run indoors against the glass.

Dingy Footman caterpillar, Westcott 23rd November

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Your Records!

After a concerted effort over the past couple of weeks I've now entered nearly 17,000 records from 2017 into MapMate and, barring dissections and data from the Marsh Gibbon RIS trap, I'm at last almost up-to-date with inputs.  I therefore now feel comfortable reminding everyone else how vitally important your records are.  If you haven't already done so, you too should now be considering getting them together in whatever form you use to pass on to your County Moth Recorder.

That data doesn't just sit on your CMR's computer (honest!).  It gets passed on to the National Moth Recording Scheme which is managed by Butterfly Conservation and is used to inform conservation activities for moths throughout the UK.

If you haven't contributed records before (or if you've forgotten how to go about doing so), you'll find all the information you need under the "YOUR RECORDS" tab at the top of this page. 

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks       

Migrants again

We seem to have another small window for immigration with a warmer southerly airflow now and for the next two or three nights.  Last night the actinic light was run inside the conservatory here, bringing ten species to the windows and amongst which were Udea ferrugalis (1) & Silver Y (1) which may have been migrants, although the Silver Y seemed to be on its last legs whereas migrants are usually very fresh-looking.

Udea ferrugalis, Westcott 20th November

Silver Y, Westcott 20th November

The other moths comprised Emmelina monodactyla (1), December Moth (1, another female), Common Marbled Carpet (1), Red-green Carpet (1), Winter Moth (6), Feathered Thorn (1), Mottled Umber (1) & Angle Shades (1).  The Common Marbled Carpet was my latest sighting by a week.

Common Marbled Carpet, Westcott 20th November

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Tachystola acroxantha

The trio of moths caught on the night of 15th/16th November included this Ruddy Streak (Tachystola acroxantha).

The other two were Red-line Quaker and Spruce Carpet.

Dave Ferguson, Beaconsfield

Hebrew Character

I was starting to wonder where the December moths had got to and then caught 17 on Tuesday night along with 9 other species including a very worn Setaceous Hebrew Character. I decided to put the trap out again last night hoping for a Grey Shoulder-knot or a Scarce Umber to add to the 2017 list and was quite surprised to get this Hebrew Character.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Plumed Prominent

Martin Albertini and I trapped speculatively in some mixed woodland near Marlow, Bucks last night in the hope of finding Plumed Prominent at a new site.  Four MV traps were run from dusk (just before 5pm) and it proved to be a successful evening with four males appearing at around about their usual time (between 6pm and 7pm), divided between three of our four lights.  The session added two new tetrads to the known distribution in our area of this Nationally Scarce 'A' list species which only flies at this time of year.

Plumed Prominent, near Marlow 15th November

There wasn't much else flying, although it was nice to confirm both Autumnal Moth and Northern Winter Moth amongst those which did appear.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

December Eggs

Although rather damp, but because it was distinctly warmer I decided to run the actinic light my usual lazy winter way last night (inside the conservatory and recording what comes to the windows).  Ten moths put in an appearance:  Blastobasis lacticolella (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1), December Moth (3), Red-green Carpet (1), Winter Moth (2), Feathered Thorn (1) & Mottled Umber (1).  One of the Decembers was a female and when I photographed her this morning she wouldn't stop laying eggs.  I'll probably keep them safe until the caterpillars emerge in the spring and then release them locally.

December Moth female and eggs, Westcott 14th November

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

December moth

I too put my trap out on Thursday 9th in the hope of catching another Oak Rustic. Unfortunately one didn't show up but I did catch 26 moths of 7 species. December moth 10, Feathered Thorn 5, Red green carpet 3, Yellow line Quaker 3, November moth 3, Mottled Umber 1 and Brick 1.
I couldn't get over how fluffy the December moth was. Definitely got his winter coat on!

Lorna Woolhouse, Checkendon

Like Westcott, like Thrupp

The moths here faithfully copied Dave's last night, though I admit to ignorance about the one on the bottom right, being permanently unable to tell the various contenders apart.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Westcott, Bucks

Back on 6th November I had December Moth, my final guaranteed species for the 2017 garden year-list, so I can now be selective as to when I run the light.  Following two nights off, the weather last night seemed quite reasonable and the moths seemed to think so too, with 18 individuals of six species appearing:  December Moth (1), November Moth sp (1), Winter Moth (5), Feathered Thorn (2), Scarce Umber (2) & Sprawler (7).

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Couple of mysteries

The mothing year is clearly drawing to a close here in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire, with catches (when I've bothered putting the trap out, which has been comparatively rarely in recent weeks) diminishing to the point where last night's was a complete blank. I've had a couple of migrants - a Silver Y on 24th October, and a Vestal (first of the year) on the 26th; but relatively little else of note, and the garden year list will be in the 360s; not bad, but certainly not record-breaking. A couple of uncertainties from recent weeks: first this, from 15th October, which may simply be a very pale and tired individual of a familiar species, but if so, I can't make out which one:

Unknown, 15/10/17

This latter, I suspect, is a Yellow-line Quaker, and would be the first of the year here, although I'm very much open to correction:

Possible Yellow-line Quaker, 28/11/17

As ever, I'd be grateful for suggestions and corrections: especially on the first individual, for which I've been cudgelling my brains and getting nowhere for some time.

Steve Goddard

No Plumed Prominent - yet

Getting a quick visit in before the weather turns much colder for the next week or two, last night I checked a known site near Marlow, Bucks for Plumed Prominent even though it is perhaps still a few days early for this nationally scarce species to be flying locally.  It didn't appear and I had to make do with December Moth which does itself have quite an impressive set of antennae!

December Moth, near Marlow 3rd November

Back home at Westcott the garden actinic trap produced 21 moths of eleven species, comprising Mompha jurassicella (1), Blastobasis lacticolella (2), Acleris hastiana (1), Vestal (1), Red-green Carpet (1), November Moth sp (3), Feathered Thorn (4), Sprawler (5), Dark Chestnut (1), Brick (1) & Beaded Chestnut (1).  The Vestal was the eighth example (and the second female) I've had in the garden in three weeks during this current wave of migration.

Vestal, Westcott 3rd November

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks
 

Stenoptilia pterodactyla?

hi, can anyone confirm an ID on this as Stenoptilia pterodactyla (Brown Plume)?

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

What a Gem!

Last night's collection of moths to the garden actinic comprised just ten individuals of eight species but amongst them was this rather worn female Gem, showing that there are still some interesting migrants out there.  Not quite up to the rarity value of Martin's Cosmopolitan from last Saturday night but I was still more than happy to see it!

Gem, Westcott 2nd November

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Sponsor a Moth for the Atlas

Steve Wheatley, BC's Regional Officer for the south-east, sent out the message below this morning regarding the campaign to raise money for the forthcoming Atlas:

Hi,

 

As you probably know, Butterfly Conservation is running the Sponsor a Moth campaign in preparation for the Macro Moth Atlas. There are a few regional top priority species that still need a sponsor:

 

·         Barberry Carpet (Oxon)

·         Shoulder-striped Clover (Heaths, especially New Forest)

·         Silvery Arches (Heaths)

·         Pale Shining Brown (Oxon)

·         Sloe Carpet (difficult to pin down – pardon the pun)

 

Let’s try to get them all sponsored! Please can you promote these in your area and to your moth recorder contacts?  Click on this link to the BC website.

 

Please help. I can’t really afford to sponsor them all. I’ve already sponsored Clay Fan-foot – a favourite of mine and much overlooked.

 

Best wishes,

 

Steve

 

Another Oak Rustic

Further to Lorna's entry this little fellow turned up last night as well

Steve Lockey (Garsington)

Oak Rustic?

I put my trap out last night in the beech woods on the Estate that I work on (Checkendon, South Oxon) and caught this little chap. Am I right in thinking that it is an Oak Rustic?

Lorna, Checkendon South Oxfordshire

Leaf Mines

Inspired by a post by Colin Plant on the Herts & Middx. Moths yahoo group, I went looking at the extensive collection of Field Maple at the Chiltern Open Air Museum site, for mines of Stigmella aceris. Since the site is not in Herts (even though the county border forms one of the edges of the site) my results are not relevant to their records.

I managed to find at least three mines of the species in the fallen leaves (I've found it there before), and also, in the fallen leaves of Black Poplar, I found a couple of mines of Phyllocnistis unipunctella.

The other target species in Colin's post was Stigmella speciosa; a sycamore leaf from my home village of Seer Green contains two mines which I think are this species, although both are somewhat shorter than examples shown on leafmines.

Dave Morris

Scarce Umber

The frosts of the previous two nights resulted in very slim pickings for the garden actinic trap here at Westcott, with Brick (4) on the 29th and Sprawler (1) on the 30th, but there was a slight improvement last night:  Emmelina monodactyla (5), Red-green Carpet (3), November Moth sp (3), Feathered Thorn (3), Scarce Umber (1), Turnip Moth (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (2), Sprawler (3), Dark Chestnut (1) & Brick (1).  The Scarce Umber was the earliest sighting I've had of that species in the garden although only by a couple of days.  Just December Moth to go now, then...

Scarce Umber, Westcott 31st October

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks