More Mines

As has been mentioned before, searching for leaf mines is a great way of expanding one's garden list to include some of our smallest species.  Even though we've not yet arrived at the traditional leaf-mining months of September and October, another dozen moths were added to the Westcott year-list this afternoon with larval mines found on blackthorn, cherry, hazel and hawthorn.  They included two active Nepticulids on hawthorn, Stigmella crataegella and Stigmella hybnerella, of which crataegella is a new species for the garden (it mines only in July and early August and I usually forget to look for it then). 

Active and vacated mines of Stigmella crataegella, 11th August

Active mine of Stigmella hybnerella, 11th August

I also took a quick tour of the lower leaves on our Norway Maple and in ten minutes found 33 vacated mines of Stigmella aceris.  This species was first noticed on the tree in 2016 (just a single mine) and has now been found on it each subsequent year.  The moth appeared in the UK in the 1970s and has been slowly spreading, although the speed of that spread seems to have accelerated considerably over the past few years.

Mine of Stigmella aceris with deceased larva, 11th August

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks
     

Oegoconia question

I recorded my first Oegoconia species last night (attracted to a lit window). I think it is probably O. quadripuncta, but I see there are 2 other possible confusion species. My question is, do I need to retain the moth or can it be positively identified from my picture below?

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Micros. Grateful for ID help.

Think I'm happy with first 2.

Pammene aurita.( beautiful colouring)

Agriphila tristella

paraswammerdamia albicapitella?

Phycita roborella?

Lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella)?

Alan Diver,

Tackley.

Best guess!.

Could this be Pine Hawkmoth that had seen better days. Caught Friday in Sibford Ferris

Look what the wind blew in Pt 2

So in spite of the weather last night I had my trap out for GMS.

I seem to have had quite a few new for me macros this year, and last night it was this:

...which unless I am very much mistaken is the infamous Oak Processionary.

Dave Morris
Seer Green

Moths in the Wind

I ran a single MV trap in a relatively sheltered spot in the garden last night and despite some rain and the constant high winds (frequent gusts in excess of 40mph all night) a total of 166 moths of 49 species reached the trap.  Contrary to what you might expect, moths (often some quite "delicate" species) do fly in high winds.  They simply operate lower to the ground and in the more sheltered spots.  After all, if you only lived for a couple of weeks and the survival of your species was dependant on finding a mate, the chances are you would think twice before taking a night off too!

Unfortunately the catch produced nothing of particular interest.  The only vaguely possible signs of migration were singletons of Plutella xylostella, Udea ferrugalis and Turnip.  A fresh Thistle Ermine Myelois circumvoluta was the first I've seen here since a run of 17 examples between 9th June and 18th July.  It is supposed to go on into September but I do wonder if this is just a single extended brood or not.  A Buff Ermine was also perhaps indicative of a second brood.  For the past five years or so I've seen the moth regularly during August so if nothing else it has extended its flight season.

Myelois circumvoluta, Westcott 9th August

Buff Ermine, Westcott 9th August

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Phyllonorycter acerifoliella?

Is this P. acerifoliella? It's on Field Maple but am not sure how to differentiate from some of the Caloptilia cones. The leaf doesn't have evidence of the initial triangular blotch of the latter.

Thanks,
Nigel

More ID help please

This is the last batch from early July. I'll keep my guesses of IDs to myself this time!

1.

2.

3.

4.

Thanks, Jacqui
Speen, Bucks 

A couple of Brown ones

I'm probably missing the obvious with these two but can't decide. The first has a border to its hindwings.

Lightened picture added by DW

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Thorn and Micro confirmation please

While I got a few Sepember Thorns in my first few years of trapping it's been only Dusky Thorn since. It's now by much the commonest of all the Thorns.

This one though I think is a September Thorn again?

 Re the micro, not a great photo but I'm thinking Clavigesta purdeyi? Although it's not clear the head is grey rather than orange.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Beautiful "Leggy" plume

I think beautiful plume with interesting leg arrangement.

Alan Diver

Tackley.

Lime Mines

A half-hearted search of some of the lower leaves of our garden lime (Tilia x vulgaris) this evening, glass of wine in hand, produced plenty of the expected signs of Bucculatrix thoracella, the larvae of which spend the early part of their lives in a mine before starting to eat externally.  The adult moth is always a frequent sight in the trap and made its way onto this year's garden list back at the beginning of May.

Mines of Bucculatrix thoracella on lime, Westcott 8th July

By chance I also stumbled upon a vacated mine of Stigmella tiliae which is what I always hope to find on the tree but have done so only once before, back in 2013.  This seems to be quite an uncommon nepticulid in our area and today's find is, I believe, only the third record for VC24 after my original discovery then another near Denham by Andy King in 2014.  It seems to be an unusual species in that the frass pattern can be coiled (as here) or linear.

Mine of Stigmella tiliae on lime, Westcott 8th July

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks    

Some stuff for id help...

Having run traps in my garden, the burial park and the museum this week with varying degrees of success, I have a few id requests.

First from my garden:

Second, from the burial park and not quite matching a lot of things in my book:

And finally from the museum farm:

 Is this Calybites phasianipennella?

 ?Cochylis 

Just an Emmelina monodactyla or something more interesting?

Dave Morris
Seer Green & Chalfont St Giles

Westcott, Bucks

This month has seen a significant reduction in nightly catches.  Things started off well on the 1st with over 1,000 individual moths between the two garden traps (572 of 110 species to the MV and 449 of 71 species to the actinic) even though there was nothing new for the year list.  However, the subsequent decline has been quite rapid and on the night of the 6th the catch amounted to a mere 185 moths of 56 species shared between the two lights.  Last night's collection was slightly better at 70 species altogether, although none was new for the year.  The numbers of grass moths and Common/Lesser Common Rustics now seem to be on the wane and the next invasion to look forward to will doubtless be that of Square-spot Rustic (I had my first of the year at Olney in north Bucks on the 4th).  The garden year list currently stands at 538 species and the only new additions over the past week have comprised:

(3rd)  Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Oak Processionary, Jersey Tiger, Crescent
(4th)  Gypsy Moth
(5th)  Galleria mellonella, Rosy Rustic, Red Underwing
(6th)  Orange Swift

Galleria mellonella, Westcott 5th August

Rosy Rustic, Westcott 5th August

Red Underwing, Westcott 5th August

The Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) was a diminutive specimen with a wing length of only 12mm.  Red Underwing is a regular visitor to the garden trap (one appeared last night too) but it was a shame that it couldn't have been one of its crimson cousins which have been reported a number of times elsewhere!  Tree-lichen Beauty continues to appear regularly, although there was just the one last night, down from a high of 18 on the 1st.  A second Twin-spotted Wainscot visited on the 6th after the first ever garden record on 29th July. 

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Just a Clay or more exotic

Trapped Sibford Ferris last night

Is it weak marked Clay or something else

As always appreciate help

Iain Brown

Just adding this because it

Rather beautiful

Tree-lichen Beauty

My first Tree-lichen Beauty arrived on the night of 5/6th August, seen above with what I thought were two Marbled Greens. But is the lower one actually a Marbled Beauty? Sorry to be confused.

Also, although this is out-of-area, I'd be very grateful if anyone had any thoughts about the distinctive but extremely worn moth below, seen yesterday in my grandchildren's garden in Walthamstow - a very small patch which also played host during the day to Painted Ladies, Holly Blues and large dragonflies.  It's perched on a standard sash windowsill, which may be a guide to its (quite considerable) size. Thanks in advance, Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

ID help please

Here are a few moths from late June / early July that I'm not sure about.

1. Dingy footman?

2. Double-striped pug?

3. Hedya ochroleucana?

4. Short-cloaked moth?

5. Shoulder-striped wainscot?

6. Spruce carpet?

7. 

8. 

9. 

Thanks, Jacqui

Speen, Bucks

Monochroa palustrellus

Monochroa palustrellus in the moth trap on Sunday morning (record date 03/08/2019) and new for the garden at Wooburn Common, Bucks.