Help with a Carpet!

A few new moths for me this week but not the number I had thought might appear due to the warmer weather. But I did have Barred Hook Tip, Great Prominent and Muslin moth (my new favourite!) I also caught what I think is a Swallow Prominent rather than Lesser Swallow Prominent. I was pretty amazed to see that she had started to lay eggs in the container I had her in. Are they easy to raise? Any tips for a complete novice?

On Friday night I caught a complete unknown. I'm guessing some sort of Carpet? Sorry the photo is not any better, it flew off before I could get a good snap of it!

Some sort of Carpet?

Barred Hook Tip

Muslin Moth

Great Prominent

Swallow Prominent?

Many thanks again
Lorna Woolhouse, Checkendon, South Oxon

More pugs and others

The last few nights have resulted in Frosted Green, Least Black Arches, Clouded Silver, Orange Footman, Flame Shoulder, White Ermine and Flame Carpet appearing for the first time this year.

Sorry to add yet more pugs to the requests for help but having caught 15 pugs last night I feel I am going a bit pug blind. The majority were I think very worn specimens of Brindled Pug. however these three were less worn.
I have also included a photo of what I think is Incurvaria masculella and a macro that is a bit worn and that I feel I ought to know.

Any help much appreciated as always.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Another Garsington Seraphim?

Cross band is there..

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

First hawk

My first hawk moth of the year arrived last night, a Poplar and a day later than the species' debut here last year. Nice to have a Spectacle too and a Muslin showing its yellow leggings like Malvolio.  Other arrivals on Saturday night included the Chinese Character below, which was very restless, a Scorched Carpet (I think) and a pug whose ID needless to say escapes me. Help gratefully received. if my photo is not too poor. On the basis that I should at least have a guess, I would go for Common.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

EMP success in Chalfont St Peter

It does work! I put the lure out at the Forester site in Chalfont Heights about 3.30 this afternoon. After half an hour 4 male Emperor moths turned up within the space of 5 minutes. I later put the lure out at my Parents house which is a little further west and got two again within a short space of time between them. - Would this be males from the same clutch being grouped together and getting the scent at the same time? or is this too much of leap?

Pug check

Please could the Pugmeisters help me with these? I think I have Ochreous Pug in the first pic, even though I don't have any pine woodland near me in Sonning (but there are scattered Scots Pines within half a mile or so). It is slightly smaller than Brindled Pug as you can see in the second photo. Then below that I have what I believe to a be a faded Oak-tree Pug. Any thoughts?

Two micros and a pug

I hope someone can help with these three trapped last night.

Apologies for the quality of the photos.

I think the second one is Phyllonorycter lautella?

Any thoughts welcome

Barnaby Briggs - Iver

Pugs!

A pick up in the variety here in Longwick last night with Muslin Moth, Swallow Prominent and Lesser Swallow Prominent as well as Figure of 80, Oak Nycteoline and Pale Tussock. A few orthosias hanging on and a few pugs too - the one pictured above ( it's a poor record shot I know) was very distinctive with swept back wings and a strong discal spot. Could it be Ochreous Pug?

I have added a second image - just before it departed high and to the east! Only scattered pine in local gardens but I have a lot of leylandii and I do get Pine Carpet. Hope this si better!

Success with Emperor lure in garden

I hung the Emperor Moth pheromone lure out in the garden this afternoon around 4.20pm. About 20 minutes later, a single male started flying in wide erratic circles around the garden. It took a good few minutes before the moth closed in on the lure, and it only landed fleetingly before disappearing off.
This is the first "wild" male Emperor I have seen in my garden, so very exciting for me!

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Couple for confirmation

Better night - got a Muslin, 2 Pebble Prominents and a Chocolate Tip which are NFY.

I'm thinking the first pic is an Early grey - looks a bit different with the dark patch behind the head. And the other is an Oak-tree Pug.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Royal family

Penny and I had the good fortune to go on a boat trip from Windsor to Weybridge yesterday, and to thank the friends involved, we took along the Emperor moth which came to my trap on Thursday night. I happened to email our indefatigable webmaster Dave Wilton en route, and he prophesied that if the empress was travelling in the dark, we might find that by the time we reached Windsor, she had company.

Sure enough, she did - an excellent laying of eggs which should ensure enjoyable breeding over the next few months. If anyone would like some, do let me know - martinswainwright@gmail.com - and we can make arrangements. I am assuming that they are fertile and will hatch.

I popped the docile empress on a riverside willow at Runnymede and she was there, dozing away, when we got back to the boat after an hour's exploration on land. We were too late back to put the trap out last night but it will certainly shine tonight. What wonderful weather, for us as well as the moths.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Seraphim?

Caught this morning (wing length 15mm)  having never caught either Early-Tooth striped or Seraphim before I am undecided as to which this is. I am siding with Seraphim but would welcome a more informed opinion. Thankyou.

Steve Lockey (Garsington)

Another Night at the Museum

Not a huge quantity of moths at the museum last night, but new for the year were Acleris literana, Least Black Arches, Red-green Carpet, Muslin, Coxcomb Prominent, Brimstone and Oak Nycteoline.

Also during the week I had Depressaria radiella on one of the museum buildings and a roosting Angle Shades nearly fell on my head when I opened a window.

Dave Morris, Chalfont St Giles

Moth in a pond

This small moth was found floating on a pond at Black Park, Bucks on 3rd. It was identified from the photograph by Dave Wilton as a Least Black Arches.

Dave Ferguson.

Westcott, Bucks

Although comprising only 34 moths in total, the fourteen species trapped in the garden here last night was, I thought, a reasonable return considering that this was the first night for a while when the temperatures held up throughout (the next few even warmer days and nights should make a big difference to catches).  Three species were new for the garden year-list, Common Wave, Pale Prominent and a very welcome Mullein.  I see Mullein caterpillars quite regularly and even found one walking across our lawn last June (they seem to feed on buddleia here), but I haven't trapped an adult anywhere since 2011.  This whole family seems a bit reluctant to visit light traps.

Common Wave, Westcott 3rd May

Pale Prominent, Westcott 3rd May

Mullein, Westcott 3rd May

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

A good clutch

Some nice moths this morning after a warmer night. The Empress is now snoozing in the open-doored shed and I'll keep an eye out for mates. The visitors also included one of the Thorns which fluttered off while I was busy with the others and before I could attempt to ID it.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon.

Purple thorn

A few moths taken over the last few days. All new for me. I spotted the Purple thorn "swimming" in the pond yesterday afternoon. Of course it was doing the "moth stroke" rather than the "butterfly". Rescued it and let it dry out on cardboard egg box, then photographed and released into shrubbery.

I would be grateful for help with ID of 2 micros but may not be enough detail on number 2.

Purple thorn

Mullein

Twenty-plume

Question

Alan Diver,

Tackley

Hi Dave, as always many thanks. Don't think second photo of my second moth helps a lot but I think the other photos confirm your ID particularly looking at head and tufts.

Alan

Processing

I just thought that readers might be interested, in the context of the Oak Processionary Moth reports, in these pictures sent to me in early March by a friend in Cyprus.

He and I think that they are caterpillars of the Pine Processionary, which luckily doesn't seem to have established itself in the UK. Yet.

Whatever their faults, their follow-my-leader habit is rather amazing, and perhaps even endearing. But not for pine trees or in the case of OPM, oaks.

Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Six Hardy Characters

I was sure the actinic trap in the garden would draw a blank last night, especially when I saw the frost around it this morning, but no, there were six hardy Hebrew Characters inside.  That means I managed to run the trap every night during April and got something for my trouble each time.

Westcott, 30th April

Following a Chocolate-tip on the 23rd, the only new moth for the garden list has been a welcome Early Tooth-striped on the 25th.  Since then, apart from a few examples of the caddis Stenophylax permistus and several of Martin's midges, the catch has been entirely of Powdered Quakers and Hebrew Characters (although the former wimped out last night!).

Early Tooth-striped, Westcott 25th April

Still, the year list currently stands at 63 species (42 macros) and, going back as far as 2010 anyway, that is exactly the average count here for the end of April (the extremes being 34 in 2013 and 92 in 2017).  It seems incredible now that another 550+ species could appear in the garden in what remains of this year!

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks