Anyway, as I duly emptied the traps this morning I could think of mothing else than how good an extra half hour in bed would have been. Just as I'd finished and went to put the traps away, a previously unseen Caloptilia sp. flew up from the outside of MV trap and landed on the shed door. I potted it up, expecting it to be elongella or stigmella. It wasn't, and I was puzzled as it didn't look familiar at all. Duly fridged, I thought nothing more of it until I got home to photograph it ....
A quick review of web images and books, and I had the ID - Caloptilia falconipennella, albeit a worn one. Possibly rare, possibly overlooked. Mines Alder - like the big tall tree on the neighbour's front overhanging the embankment. It's a British, County and Garden tick all in one for me - and better still it's a first for VC55. Glad I bothered!
The rest of the catch was rubbish (apart from a yeartick Twenty-plume Moth and another spring Dark Chestnut - you wait for years and then ....).
Total catch 15 of 8 sp.(125W MV 11 of 7sp., 80W/100W actinic/tungsten 4 of 4sp.)
0289 Caloptilia falconipennella 1 (NFG)
1288 Twenty-plume Moth (Alucita hexadactyla) 1 (NFY)
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 3
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 3
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 3
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 1
2259 Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula) 1
6 comments:
Don't really understand moths & creepy crawlies but any county first has to be good no matter what the species, well done mate!
Yeah, well done Mark. Caloptilia along with many other micros are a nightmare at staying still, even after being fridged.
Well done on a County first Mark! a pretty non-descript moth other than that, bless it!
Thanks all,
Paul - the county firsts have been few and far between in the last couple of years. It's not so long ago that I could add a few new micros every year.
Dean - I find the Caloptilia spp. can be a pain like other micros, but once they are sat/stood still they can be okay for a few minutes.
Ben - big or small, dull or gawdy, always good to see something new (but I would prefer big and gawdy to small and dull!).
Nice one Mark, I like those Caloptilias. Must keep a look out...
Nice one Mark!
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