Trap Action

The garden MV has been pretty busy over the last couple of nights, relatively good numbers of moths (compared to recent weeks in any case), though nothing remotely exciting or unusual. I haven't had a chance as yet to sort out the lists as I've been late home from work, attending a 'your child has been successful' ceremony at Isabelle's school and watching some disappointing Iberian football. For the same reasons I haven't bothered to photograph any more than a couple of moths.

Blastodacna hellerella

Epiblema trimaculana

This morning though I was struck by the relative abundance of 'other stuff' in the traps, and made good use of the Lumix+macro conversion lens to get shots of very small stuff sitting on egg cartons. I'm sure most of this stuff has been regular in the traps over the last few years - I've just never noticed them whilst scrutinising the intended moths. Amazing how productive five minutes with a camera can be!

First up, a couple of Psyllids ....

Trioza remota

Psyllopsis fraxini

This is yet another new soldier fly for me ...

Green Gem [Microchrysa flavicornis] - note the yellow basal section to the antennae

And another picture-winged fly, plus a wood gnat ....

Rhagoletis alternata

Sylvicola punctatus

These have eluded ID though: the first one looks like something that should be identifiable and I feel sure I've seen a photo of this somewhere, the owl-fly is undoubtedly a lost cause ......

Unidentified fly

'Owl-fly'

Finally, this was in the garden this evening .....

Empoasca vitis

From the garden trap - 24/06/2008

Best night of the year so far for species numbers, including 12 garden yearticks. The MV well outperformed the actinic.

Total catch 146 of 54sp.
(125W MV 91 of 42sp., 80W actinic 55 of 29sp.)

First for year in garden:
Tinea semifulvella 1
Blastodacna hellerella 2
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 2
Eucosma cana 1
Bud Moth (Spilonota ocellana) 1
Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella) 2
Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 3
Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata) 1
Spinach (Eulithis mellinata) 1
Barred Yellow (Cidaria fulvata) 1
Flame (Axylia putris) 1
Rustic (Hoplodrina blanda) 1
Highest counts:
Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 24
Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 11
Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 8
Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella) 7
Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata) 7


Elephant Hawk-moth - do pink and olive go together?


Tinea semifulvella - small


Blastodacna hellerella - tiny


Codling Moth - a major pest of orchard apples