Heathland trapping

Martin Albertini, Neil Fletcher and I trapped at Stoke Common, Bucks on Monday night (4th), mainly to check up on the only established colony of Heath Rustic in the county.  Sure enough, two individuals came to light, as did good numbers of Neglected Rustic (in both colour forms) and True Lover's Knot which are also heathland specialists.  More than 90 moth species were recorded altogether and other macro-moths of interest included Oak Lutestring, Pine Carpet, Cypress Pug, Oak Processionary, Jersey Tiger, Antler Moth, Hedge Rustic, Clifden Nonpareil (which unfortunately suffered wing damage from  an angry Hornet in the trap) and a late Blackneck.  As you'd expect at this time of year, there were not that many micro-moths around but it was good to see Agonopterix nervosa, Aristotelia ericinella, Agriphila inquinatella & Dioryctria simplicella.    

Agonopterix nervosa, Stoke Common 4th September

Agriphila inquinatella, Stoke Common 4th September

Heath Rustic, Stoke Common 4th September

Neglected Rustic, Stoke Common 4th September

Clifden Nonpareil, Stoke Common 4th September

Last night (6th) the three of us visited similar habitat at nearby Black Park, a site that hasn't been trapped properly for well over a decade.  Although there was no sign of Heath Rustic, the restored heathland there produced even better numbers of Neglected Rustic (this time 80+ individuals) and a double-digit count of True Lover's Knot.  With similar species numbers to the Stoke Common total, Oak Lutestring, Cypress Pug, Oak Processionary, Jersey Tiger & Clifden Nonpareil were again amongst the other macros.  A fully-grown caterpillar of Fox Moth wandered up to one of the traps, while a couple of early examples of Brindled Green suggested that the mothing season may be drawing to a close!  On this very warm night it was migrant species which made a noticeable impact in our notebooks, with Vestal (6) and singletons of Delicate and Pearly Underwing being shared between the lights.  As at Stoke Common, micros were in relatively short supply but a single example of the fern-loving antipodean crambid Musotima nitidalis was a very nice record for Bucks.

Oak Lutestring, Black Park 6th September

True Lover's Knot, Black Park 6th September

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks        

D-Day in Merton too.... plus a query

 On the night of 5th Sept, another very worn Delicate arrived in my garden trap in Merton, accompanied by my first ever Dewick's Plusia and a moth I feel I should know but can't place, unless it's a form of Yellow Shell?

A few micros

 A few micros from last night.

The second looks like a Leucoptera species. About 3mm in length. I would guess that laburnella is the most likely but I am not sure.

The first Nemapogon clematella is a new garden record.

The third Scrobipalpa ocellatella is the first this year. Is it still necessary to have specimens checked after the numbers recorded in 2022?

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Westcott, Bucks

Even though the garden year-list is now well past 600 species, I doubt that 700 will be achieved in 2023.  We were away for just over a week at the end of August as well as the first couple of days of September so there was a gap of nearly two weeks in garden trapping, but the following have been added to the year-list since the last report in mid-August:

     (17th)  Clavigesta purdeyi

     (18th)  Agriphila geniculea, Oak Processionary

     (19th)  Vestal

     (20th)  Pammene populana, Cypress Pug

     (2nd)   Hellinsia carphodactyla, Pale Eggar, Centre-barred Sallow, Feathered Gothic

     (3rd)    Epinotia ramella, Frosted Orange

     (5th)    Acleris rhombana, Four-spotted Footman, Beautiful Marbled

Hellinsia carphodactyla, Westcott 2nd September

Epinotia ramella, Westcott 3rd September

Four-spotted Footman, Westcott 5th September

Beautiful Marbled, Westcott 5th September

Noticeable since we returned was a significant reduction in nightly catches, a change to autumnal species and Large Yellow Underwing is now providing the highest counts (anywhere between 50 and 100 each night).  Hellinsia carphodactyla (2nd) was Westcott's 14th plume species.  It is the sixth completely new addition for the site in 2023 and takes the garden moth list to 1,071 species.  Epinotia ramella (3rd) is generally restricted to woodland locally but it has made occasional appearances in the garden although this was the first since 2018.   

Last night (5th) brought some migrant activity with Plutella xylostella and Dark Sword-grass in addition to the two nice macros illustrated above.  Hopefully there will be more to come over the next few warm nights.  

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks

grey Yponomeuta

 Not sure that I can get any further with this one but it was quite grey and the spots very small compared with other ermines in the same haul from 2 September in Oxford. Same size as the others that I recorded as orchard/apple. Any thoughts welcome. Andrew

Beet Moth?

Not very good images I'm afraid, and unfortunately it departed before I could pot it up, but based on last year's experience I believe this is a Beet Moth Scrobipalpa ocellatella, in my MV trap last night. There don't seem to be any records on iRecord for 2023 though... 

However, no doubts about the identity of this one!

Worminghall, Bucks Update

The garden moth year list is now on 432 with several highlights below from the last couple of weeks.

Dark Crimson Underwing with Red Underwing 

A few more migrants appearing recently with Delicate (above) and Vestal (below) 

A couple to check. Closest I can get is Brown Mompha, Mompha miscella? (above) and Maple Midget, Phyllonorycter acerfoliella ?  (below) 

and a nice fresh Gold Spot 

Yponomeutidae

 Can size difference help narrow down these Yponomeutidae?

Came to garden in Tackley 20 Aug.

Alan Diver

D-Day!

 Delicate (NFG) and Dewick's Plusia (2nd record) to MV last night. The Plusia was caught in exactly the same part of the garden as the first a couple of years ago, so perhaps breeding here?

Delicate, Stowe 

Dewick's Plusia , Stowe

Square-spotted Clay?

Is this a candidate for Square-spotted Clay, which I believe would be a good record for North Bucks. Came to actinic light last night:

Cloaked carpet

Cloaked carpet?

Tackley SP483204

20 August

Alan Diver

 

Queries from end of August

 These two moths were in my  garden trap in Merton on 31st August. Sorry the photos aren't great. I think the first may be a Pinion-streaked Snout?  The second might be Cochylis molliculana, or hybridella, or.... ?

(Neo)cochylis dubitana?

 I think this is (Neo)cochylis dubitana? White face, black thorax. Caught 24/8/2023.

 

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Mental Block

 This little tortrix-like chap in North Buck appears to have reasonably distinct markings, but I'm struggling to assign an Id. 

Shade of Pale

 

Just to add my Pale Eggar - last night - to Tom's at Benson. I had my first here on 7 September 2015 and then another on 28 August 2020. This one is the first since then. A cautious guest.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Webb's Wainscot, plus?

Last night's catch in my garden in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire, was pretty uninspiring - I've been away for a few days, and will be off again for a week from tomorrow, so the year-list is languishing. However, I had an NFG lifer on 21st August in the form of a Webb's Wainscot which, judging by the Atlas, isn't terribly common hereabouts, though it seems to be increasing.

Webb's Wainscot, 21/8/23

On the same night, I had the moth below which I haven't pinned down to my satisfaction; any suggestions would be very welcome. I strongly suspect it'll prove to be something perfectly familiar which I should know very well, but I can't seem to spot anything terribly similar in the book.

Unknown macro, 21/8/23

Steve Goddard

Sitochroa palealis?

Very worn, but is this Sitochroa palealis? Trapped in the garden here at Stowe last night. Shape looks right, plus there is a hint of dark veins, but FL of 11-12 mm is below the quoted range of 13-16 mm, and we are on clay not chalk, so I suspect I am missing something obvious... 

Pale Eggar in Benson

Thought it worth reporting as there don't seem to be many in South Oxon, at least in the atlas
 

Orthotaenia undulant?

 ..as opposed to Celypha lacunana,given absence of horizontal pale feature in central dark band?

Unfamiliar Pyralid in Stoke Goldington, North Bucks

Could this be a dark Cryptoblabes bistriga?