Brindled Pug? and a mystery moth?

 Help requested with both of these. The 'Brindled Pug?' has a touch of green which makes me doubt it, and the other image . . . . .HELP!!

Many thanks

David

Least Black Arches & Grey Pine Carpet?

 Least Black Arches this morning on the kitchen door, don't often get them.

 

 

I'm thinking this is a Grey Pine Carpet on the basis of the more rounded cross band.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

All sorts

Busy and varied here with a strongly-marked Pale Pinion. I'm still hunting the micro's ID and if a pug expert is passing...  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Coleophora lineolea

If you have the common hedgerow plant Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica growing in your garden or in shady corners locally, it is worth having a quick check now for one of those moth species which use it at their larval stage.  We have plenty in the garden at Westcott and it is home to both Coleophora lineolea and Endothenia nigricostana (as well as a colony of the smart little shield-bug Eysarcoris venustissimus).  I noticed the first feeding signs of Coleophora lineolea this morning on the upper surface of one young leaf (a mined area, with an obvious hole in the lower surface through which the larva feeds).  Sure enough, attached to the underside of the same leaf was the culprit in its case, the size of which suggests that it was almost fully grown.  This is a common moth in our area but, like many Coleophorids, is under-recorded because the adult generally needs dissection to get a species ID.   

Feeding signs of Coleophora lineolea, Westcott 18th April

Active larval case of Coleophora lineolea, Westcott 18th April

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks 

Emperor

I was forced to walk around Bicester Outlet Village today with the family, and was surprised to observe a male Emperor Moth flying weakly along the main walkway between the shops. 

This was actually my first encounter with this species in the South Midlands!

Advice needed!

I had a reasonably good night's trapping in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire last night; 17 individuals of nine species, several (Muslin Moth, Early Thorn, Pale Prominent) new for the year. Also my second Emperor Moth of the year - a rather battered female, who turned out to have laid eggs on one of the egg boxes. I've released her, but have cut out the bit of the egg box with her eggs - I'd like, ideally, to try to raise them to caterpillars, but have little idea how to do it. I think of the food plants listed in the Bible, bramble is the obviously easiest to acquire; but any suggestions as to where/at what temperature to keep the eggs, and what to do when they hatch, would be very welcome.

Female Emperor Moth, 16th April 2022

Steve Goddard

A poor night in Stoke Goldington

 Despite the warm days, the temperature has been dropping here at night, with the full moon also complicating things. Last night I ran two traps (MV and Actinic), and had a grand total of 6 moths of four species: Hebrew Character, Common Quaker, Brindled Beauty and Flame Shoulder (1st for year)! Despite trapping almost every night, struggling on 53 species this year so far, with virtually no micros.

On a more upbeat note, I had two Emperor Moths attracted to the EMP lure in the garden, in the late afternoon. Are there any tips on getting them to settle for a photo, as I spent a frustrating twenty minutes chasing them around without being able to fire off a single shot?

A bit more variety, but fewer moths

This much warmer period has given a boost to the garden list which is now getting close to 80 species for the year, although the overall number of moths each night has declined now that most of the Orthosias are well past their peak.  Newcomers on the 11th were Caloptilia semifascia, Phyllonorycter blancardella & Epiphyas postvittana, additions on the 12th were Scrobipalpa costella, Swallow Prominent, Muslin Moth, Shuttle-shaped Dart & Least Black Arches, while the 15th added Elachista canapennella, Red Twin-spot Carpet & Chocolate-tip.  A daytime sighting this morning was a smart male Incurvaria masculella which appears at this time every year, flying around our hawthorn when it is sunny.      

Caloptilia semifascia, Westcott 11th April

Scrobipalpa costella, Westcott 12th April

Shuttle-shaped Dart, Westcott 12th April

Chocolate-tip, Westcott 15th April

Incurvaria masculella, Westcott 16th April

Brindled Beauty seems to be having a very good year here.  Four on the 12th is the highest nightly total I've ever had in one trap in the garden of a moth which until the last four or five years wasn't even guaranteed to turn up annually.  Another pair followed on the 13th, while subsequent singletons have brought this year's site total up to eleven individuals so far.

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks   

Pammene argyrana

 I think this is Pammene argyrana. If so it came to the correct lure (ARG).

Does it need gen det for verification?

Also from last night - this Caloptilia which looks as if it might not be rufipennella?

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon

Emperor

A nice  female Emperor to MV light here last night, the first I have seen here since 2013.  Also Early Tooth-striped which seems to be doing well this year, and my first Lesser Swallow Prominent for 2022.

Richard Ellis

Chorleywood

White-Marked, Chestnut, dead Pug and Hornet Moth question

 First, a White-marked Moth. Only the second one I've had.

I had this a week or so ago - is it too far gone to determine if it is a Chestnut or Dark Chestnut?

Next a pug that died after potting. Any chance of an ID?

Finally a question. The UTBC slides on Clearwings suggests the Hornet Moth isn't found in Oxfordshire - is that still so? Wondering if I'd be wasting my money buying a lure for it.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington (Just outside of Oxford)

Oak Tree Pug 2? -

 Seeking confirmation of Oak Tree Pug for this one. Again, discal spot fairly fat, and appeared to be intermediate in size between Double-striped and Brindled.

Stoke Goldington, Bucks.

oak tree pug?

 Hi

I don`t get much of a variety of pugs from my garden,but this one looked a little different from the usual double striped pugs i have trapped latley,at first i thought it might be brindled,but it appears to have a large discal spot which the guide shows as being oak tree,can anyone id it from my photo please.

Mike Higgs Banbury

Got me beat

The tiny moth, below, (about 1cm across) spent more time on its back playing dead, than its front, but eventually flew off. I'm afraid the Id has got me beat- don't even know if micro or macro!

I've had quite a few A. heracliana recently, but this one, below looks, broader in the beam, and more rounded. Is it a 'just' a Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella)?

 

Phyllonorycter blancardella

Yesterday, late afternoon, I hang out my new NIG lure in one of my garden apple trees. When I returned to the lure at 7pm, there were 4 of these tiny moths flying around inside the trap. I think they are Phyllonorycter blancardella, but I have retained one for dissection.

Steve Trigg, Cookham

A moth in the hand is worth......

 I went for a lunchtime walk over the fields behind my office in Langley. I took the Emperor Moth pheromone with me and hung it out to see what would turn up. Within a couple of minutes I had four of them flitting around. This one wouldn't believe I had put the lure away ( just like grandchildren)

Robert Payne

Langley
 

Westcott, Bucks

The light at Westcott was given a rest on 31st March and 1st April due to the very cold weather.  Catches since then have mostly been of Orthosia species but I've still managed to add a few more moths to this year's garden list, including Brimstone Moth & Dotted Chestnut (both 4th) and Nut-tree Tussock (5th).

Dotted Chestnut, Westcott 4th April

Nut-tree Tussock, Westcott 5th April

It became colder and windier again last night, the catch comprising only Small Quaker (2), Common Quaker (2), Clouded Drab (1), Powdered Quaker (1) & Hebrew Character (5), but the front door light managed to bring in another new species in the shape of a nice, fresh and rather early Yellow-barred Brindle.

Yellow-barred Brindle, Westcott 6th April

This isn't really an appropriately-named species!  Like many green geometers its colouring does fade with age and in this one's case it can turn to a creamy yellow, but I don't see that very often at all and you are far more likely to see one looking like the image here.  In 2012 and 2013 I religiously recorded the colours of those I saw and, out of 55 moths, only two could be described as "yellowish".  

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks 

Problem Pugs

I find Pugs a real problem. The top may be Brindled the bottom I'm not sure. So any help would be appreciated..... Thanks.

 

White-marked?

 A White-marked I think from last night.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

A warmer night

With the temperature set to stay in double figures overnight I decided to try again in Bernwood Forest yesterday evening.  There was still no sign of Scarce Prominent but it shouldn't be too long before it appears now because I did get my first Swallow and Great Prominents of the year.  Other new species included Dyseriocrania subpurpurella, Semioscopis steinkellneriana, Acleris logiana, Scalloped Hook-tip & Grey Birch.

Semioscopis steinkellneriana, Bernwood 4th April

Acleris logiana, Bernwood 4th April

Scalloped Hook-tip, Bernwood 4th April

Grey Birch, Bernwood 4th April

Great Prominent, Bernwood 4th April

Small Quaker was still the count leader with 493 individuals but they're definitely in decline now.  Rather surprisingly the Frosted Green total came to just two moths.  Having seen 16 fresh individuals there only a week ago, perhaps many of them didn't survive the recent freezing temperatures.  

I had hoped that Acleris logiana would be new to the Bernwood species list but in fact it has been seen there once before, trapped by Peter Hall in July 2018.  This moth is a fairly recent arrival in Bucks (first recorded in the county in 2009) and, while fairly widespread now, is still relatively uncommon with only about 30 sightings altogether.  Having just been preparing a report for the Forestry Commission on last year's trapping at the site I'm fairly well up-to-date with Bernwood's moths and it is very pleasing to see that the cumulative species list since Peter and I started surveying there regularly in 2009 comes to 908 species.  There are previous records of a further 123 species from the site, 109 of them macro-moths of which many will unfortunately be extinct there now, but I'm sure further concentrated effort especially on the micros should be able to push the current list past the 1,000 mark.        

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks

Micro ID

Two Agonopterix moths from last night. The top I think is arenella and the bottom

looks like yeatiana, although this seems unlikely as it appears to mainly be a coastal species. Any help appreciated.....

And this was trapped at North Leigh Common, which has a lot of birch trees so I presume is Heringocrania unimaculella.

Grey Ermine, Yponomeuta sedella

I found a small moth flying upstairs in the house this afternoon.  My initial concern was that it might be one of "clothes" moths.  

However, on closer inspection it turned out to be the Grey Ermine, Yponomeuta sedella.  

I don't know for certain where it might have come from.  I last emptied the moth trap in our utility room 3 days ago, so my guess is that it is one that (almost) got away from the garden trap on 28 March.

The foodplant is Orpine (Sedum telephium) and related garden cultivars, of which there are several in the garden.  Although I've had them in the garden for 10 years or so, I've not recorded the moth here before. 

The flight period is given as April/May and July August.  

The distribution is given as very local.  There are only 20 or so previous records in Bucks (VC24).

Neil Fletcher
Walter's Ash, VC24

A parting gift

 Last spring a ragged female Emperor left some eggs behind in the trap. After a summer of feeding them blackthorn,  three males emerged today.

Close up of an Emperors head

3/4/22

I don't often find any of the good species that others turn up,  living as I do surrounded by over fertilised farmland but just occasionally something nice says hello. 

Here's hoping for a female out of the five remaining pupae.

Phil Cutt

Grendon Underwood 

Out-of-date moth

Dave Carter has just sent me this photo of a "December" Moth that he caught in Windsor on 17 March! Not quite sure what is going on here, I can't find any other records of December Moth later than January. Has anyone else ever encountered on this late? (We did have another late record in Berkshire that was not supported by a photo and that I had to reject, but perhaps it could have been genuine.)

 

December Moth by Dave Carter

Phenology chart from the Upper Thames moth atlas

Dark Plume

I think this plume is perhaps a rather dark E. monodactlya, rather than a candidate for an out of season Stenoptilia pterodactyla (Brown Plume). One of only three moths to two traps on a rather cold night in my frost hollow of a Stoke Goldington garden.