Westcott, Bucks

Last night the weather was potentially good for migrants and on 5th November last year I got a Gem, but this time yet another Dark Sword-grass was the only thing on offer even though for the time of year it was quite a good catch (67 moths of 16 species to the actinic).  The remainder comprised Blastobasis lacticolella (2), Epiphyas postvittana (1), November Moth sp (6), Feathered Thorn (17, including two females), Large Yellow Underwing (1), Black Rustic (3), Grey Shoulder-knot (1), Sprawler (24), Green-brindled Crescent (1), Dark Chestnut (1), Brick (2), Red-line Quaker (1), Yellow-line Quaker (1), Beaded Chestnut (3) & Barred Sallow (2).

Feathered Thorn female, Westcott 5th November

Dark Sword-grass, Westcott 5th November

The Sprawler count was down a little from the record 28 of the previous night and for the first time takes me past 100 in the garden in one season.  Additional species on the 4th included Plutella xylostella, Scrobipalpa costella, Red-green Carpet, Turnip & Merveille du Jour. 

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Late Broods

Alan Diver's Brimstone is very late but not unexpected these days. I had several in October and as it's a species that already has 2 broods and overwinters as a larva of any size or a pupa. These are the species likely to respond rapidly to the warmer climate.

Stranger though, was the Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing this morning hanging freshly dead in the web of one of the small spiders that lives in the fence near where my trap runs. It was quite faded and a second brood in this species would be more surprising, but ....

Vine's Rustic

Another, even later, Vine's Rustic here last night, amongst some more usual species for the time of year.

Richard Ellis
Chorleywood
Bucks

Oak Rustic?

I think it possibly is.

Mark griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Brimstone

Only one moth last night (4th/5th Nov) a brimstone.

Isn't that late for this species?

Alan Diver

Tackley

Moonlander moth traps

Does anyone have any experience of using Moonlander moth traps? I have been asked by someone who is keen to do some moth trapping but does not have a garden and is looking for a portable trap.
Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Battered moth query

Things have been quite busy with the milder weather, including six December moths last night along with a Sprawler, Feathered Thorn and Blair's Shoulder-knot inter alia.  There was also this moth, dead on the floor of the trap.  I fear it may be battered and unrecognisable but if it can be identified, I would be grateful.  Many thanks in anticipation.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon.

Westcott, Bucks

As expected, the warmer air last night brought an upturn in the number of garden moths and I was quite pleased to get more than 50 individuals of 17 species to the actinic light:  Blastobasis lacticolella (2), Eudonia angustea (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1), December Moth (2), Red-green Carpet (3), November Moth sp (4), Feathered Thorn (9), Turnip Moth (2), Large Yellow Underwing (1), Lesser Yellow Underwing (2), Sprawler (17), Merveille du Jour (1), Satellite (1), Dark Chestnut (1), Brick (2), Red-line Quaker (1) & Beaded Chestnut (2). 

December Moth, Westcott 3rd November

The Decembers were my first of the year, for once appearing at around their normal time.  The two Turnips may or may not have been immigrants but the wind direction for the next few nights certainly favours arrivals from across the Channel.  The numbers of Sprawler continue to amaze and the species could well be heading for a record year here (50 recorded so far, with 67 in 2013 to beat).

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Winter Moth

The first Winter Moth of the season turned up in the garden last night, alongside a November Moth sp, a Feathered Thorn and another four Sprawlers.  Hopefully Winter Moth will still be flying in early January to become, as usually happens, the first species seen in the New Year. 

Winter Moth, Westcott 1st November

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Pine Carpet

A bit past its best but I've sort of convinced myself that this moth, in the trap last night, is a Pine Carpet, the first I have seen at this site.  Would be grateful for confirmation and/or comments.

Richard Ellis
Chorleywood

Birthday moths confirmation

I think I have a Grey Shoulder-knot and a plain Yellow-lined Quaker. Beaded chestnuts made a reappearance as well as a Black Rustic.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Numbers Up

After a run of very cold nights since the 26th, with moth counts not getting beyond single figures, it was good to have a half-decent catch in the garden last night when more than 30 moths appeared thanks to the influence of some warmer (if very wet) southerly air.  There were no migrants, but it did tempt out several of the local species:  Phyllonorycter messaniella (1), Agonopterix arenella (1), Emmelina monodactyla (2), Red-green Carpet (1), November Moth sp (5), Feathered Thorn (3), Black Rustic (3), Sprawler (10), Green-brindled Crescent (1), Brick (2), Beaded Chestnut (4) & Barred Sallow (1).  I've had adults of Phyllonorycter messaniella into November here in past years.  Its food-plant requirements are less specific than some others of that family and here it will use either our apple tree or our hornbeam hedge.  The Sprawler count was the garden's first ever double-digit catch on one night, surprising really as eight of them arrived after 11pm when the rain started here in earnest.

Phyllonorycter messaniella, Westcott 31st October

Tonight and tomorrow look to be chilly once more but from Saturday onwards there seems to be the promise of some slightly warmer air again for a few nights.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Vine's Rustic

11 moths here last night (in spite of the temperature falling to zero C), one of which was a Vine's Rustic, the latest I've seen this species here.

Richard Ellis

Chorleywood

Micro found in kitchen

I found this small moth flying around the kitchen last evening. The fw length is 6mm.

I feel I should know what it is, but have drawn a blank looking through the field guides. Can anybody help?

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Two Unsuitable Nights

The last two nights seemed particularly unsuitable for moths but there were still a few hardy individuals out there.  On Friday I turned off the actinic light at 11pm as by then we already had our first proper frost of the season here, but Brick (2), Red-line Quaker (1) & Sprawler (1) were found in the trap.  Last night was dismal and damp after a cold wet day.  However, by dawn this morning Common Marbled Carpet (1), Black Rustic (1), Satellite (1), Brick (1) & Beaded Chestnut (1) had ventured out to be caught by the trap.

Satellite, Westcott 27th October

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks 

Winter is coming!

First December Moth Poecilocampa populi of the year in an otherwise small catch that included
Acleris sparsana
Red-green Carpet
November (det.gen.)
Merveille du Jour
Yellow-line Quaker
And a very nice ichneumon  which was new for the garden Absyrtus vicinator

Neil Fletcher
Walter's Ash

Twin-spot plume?

Only one moth last night. I think Twin-spot plume a possibility.

Grateful for help.

Alan Diver

Tackley

Wrong Pinion

With the temperature remaining just into double figures last night the garden actinic produced a reasonable catch of 73 moths from 17 species although, as is only to be expected, there does seem to be a general downwards trend towards winter now that Beaded Chestnut and Lunar Underwing are almost at an end.  Last night's most numerous moth was Brick with a record 19 individuals.  Brick numbers fluctuate wildly from year to year here but this season it has now surpassed the highest total ever achieved in the garden (156 in 2015).  No other moth got into double digits last night but the Novembers, Feathered Thorn and Green-brindled Crescent did get close.  Dark Chestnut has been doing well here over the past few weeks and five turned up last night, while it was also good to see another Dusky-lemon Sallow (13th of the season).  A rather dark Pale Pinion in the catch was the third this autumn but the chances of seeing its cousin Tawny Pinion here this year seem to be fading fast now.  Neither species is guaranteed to turn up in the garden.

Pale Pinion, Westcott 23rd October

Finemere Wood received another visit last night with a couple of MV traps.  HS2 workers have now set up shop along the track leading to the entrance and their massive floodlights will probably draw a lot of moths out of the wood!  18 species appeared at my lights, with Figure of Eight (33) the most numerous and a single Epinotia maculana the only thing of interest.  Everything else was very much as expected, with no sign of the hoped-for Clifden Nonpareil.  As in the garden, species such as December Moth, Scarce Umber and Mottled Umber have yet to get going here.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

White Ermine second generation

I was expecting my granddaughter's White Ermine chrysalises, bred in her kitchen in London from eggs laid here by an arrival on the last day of May, to over-winter. But yesterday, one hatched, prompting anxious 'phone calls from my daughter-in-law about what the new arrival might want in the way of food. Explanations about the inadvisability of keeping adult moths as pets are under way, but the moth is being kept until Grandpa trundles down tomorrow; let's hope it stays calm.

Waring, Townend and Lewington note in last year's edition that the smaller, partial second generation in September and October has recently increased in numbers. So here is another morsel of evidence. My own - second picture - slumber on. I hope they stay that way, as I plan to give them next week to a friend in Salisbury who wants to take up light-trapping and specifically mentioned the White Ermine as a draw.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Westcott, Bucks

Considering that the temperature was hovering around 4C under clear skies when I secured the trap at 6am this morning, last night's catch by the garden actinic was quite impressive with 93 moths of 28 species even though there was little of particular note:  Agonopterix alstromeriana (1), Blastobasis lacticolella (1), Clepsis consimilana (1), Epiphyas postvittana (1), Eudonia angustea (2), Pleuroptya ruralis (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1), Red-green Carpet (7), Common Marbled Carpet (2), November Moth sp (15), Feathered Thorn (3), Figure of Eight (1), Dark Sword-grass (2), Large Yellow Underwing (2), Square-spot Rustic (1), Black Rustic (8), Green-brindled Crescent (9), Merveille du Jour (5), Satellite (1), Dark Chestnut (1), Brick (7), Red-line Quaker (1), Yellow-line Quaker (3), Beaded Chestnut (10), Lunar Underwing (2), Barred Sallow (1), Sallow (3) & Angle Shades (1).  I imagine most must have arrived during the early part of the night when there was some cloud cover.

Pleuroptya ruralis, Westcott 21st October

This is the second October example of Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis I've trapped in 2018 (the other being in the garden on the 15th) and is the latest I've ever seen it.  In fact a check of my own records showed only two other October sightings (on the 9th in 2006 and 15th in 2014).  Black Rustic is still going strong and the season's garden count is currently only three short of 400, significantly better even than last year's record total of 305.  As for Merveille du Jour, 2017's count of 12 was the first time it had ever reached double figures here and this year I've had 40 so far - quite an achievement when there's only one quite juvenile oak tree anywhere near the garden!

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks