Pussy / Gold

I've had a busy couple of days which I'll need to try and post about another time: an excellent few hours of real solitude at Ketton Quarry, and an excellent couple of hours amongst thousands of others in that there London yesterday. In the meantime though, here's a few moths from the garden trap and a couple from Ketton Quarry.

Puss Moth - only the second for the garden (first 2011) and actually only the 6th I've trapped anywhere. I also bred one through from a larva I found a few years ago

Bright-line Brown Eye

Burnet Companion - loads on the wing at Ketton Quarry

Gold Spot - one of two in the same trap, the other looked worn and pale

Buff Ermine

Cauchas fibulella - found at least 20 at Ketton Quarry.

Despite the foodplants (speedwells generally, but especially Germander Speedwell) being everywhere, there are few current records of this from VC55. This almost feels as good as a full tick; I saw one, briefly but unmistakeably, at Ketton Quarry in May 2015 but it evaded the net and was lost.

From The Garden Trap - Belated Update

Every now and then you see a bird in some odd out of context place. A few weeks ago I managed to add Red-legged Partridge to the garden list when I could hear one singing in the evening. It sounded close and I assumed it was in the nearest fields to us (out of sight behind other houses though). Tonight I went out for a quick cycle down the lane, and coming home I was confronted by the very odd sight of a Red-legged Partridge singing from the apex of a house roof in the middle of the estate. Still out of sight from the garden mind. I also heard a Yellowhammer much closer to the housing than usual, but sadly not audible from the garden above the M1 road noise.

I haven't run the garden traps since Friday night, mainly due to the high winds and a bit of apathy following the excellent Charnwood Lodge session. Here's a belated summary. The traps are out tonight as the wind has dropped almost completely, though it is clear and likely to be very cool later on.

19/05/2011
Total catch 41 of 24sp.
(125W MV 20 of 15, 80W/11W actinic/compact fluorescent combo 21 of 15)
0648 White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 1
0822 Scrobipalpa acuminatella 1
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 1
1174 Epiblema cynosbatella 1
1334 Scoparia ambigualis 1 (NFY)
1376 Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata) 2
1742 Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata) 1 (NFY)
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 5
1773 Broken-barred Carpet (Electrophaes corylata) 1
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 3
1817 Foxglove Pug (Eupithecia pulchellata) 1
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 2
1827 Freyer's Pug (Eupithecia intricata arceuthata) 1
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 3
1835 White-spotted Pug (Eupithecia tripunctaria) 2
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 1
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 6
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
2326 Clouded-bordered Brindle (Apamea crenata) 1
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens) 1
2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 2
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 1

20/05/2011
Total catch 40 of 23sp.
(160W blended 15 of 11sp, 80W/11W actinic/tungsten combo 25 of 15)
0017 Common Swift (Hepialus lupulinus) 7
0409a Argyresthia trifasciata 3
0610 Elachista argentella 1
0647 Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) 1
0822 Scrobipalpa acuminatella 1
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 1
1176 Epiblema trimaculana 1
1727 Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) 1
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 1
1742 Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata) 1
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 1
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 2
1860 Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata) 1
1883 Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata) 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 2
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 1
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 1
2061 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) 1 (NFY)
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 6
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens) 2
2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 1
2387 Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus) 1

The only other thing to update is this Green Oak Tortrix which I reared from a larva on oak from Pickworth Great Wood on 01/05/2011 (emerged 20/05/2011).

Narborough Bog Pics 1 of 2 - Macros

Ruby Tiger

Buff Ermine

Phoenix - couldn't resist a shot of a smart fresh one

Small Angle Shades

Footmen

Fen Wainscot

Smoky Wainscot

Blurry revving Southern and Smoky Wainscots

Note the lighter, cleaner appearance of Southern and the more pointed apex to the forewing. The 'headband' of Southern is also just about visible.

Southern Wainscot - if you're really not sure, look at the underside of the wings

No Southern Wainscots were harmed in the production of this blog post!

From the garden trap - 14/06 to 17/06

A bit delayed as I've been busy, distracted or completely wasting my life watching the England game. Here's trapping summaries from the last few nights including a garden tick Argyresthia curvella from last night.

14/06/2010
77 of 35sp (125W MV 47 of 25, 80W actinic 30 of 15)

First for year in garden:
0937 Agapeta hamana 1
1011 Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 1
1302 Crambus perlella 1
1682 Blood-vein (Timandra comae) 2
1742 Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata) 1
1941 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata) 1
2087 Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum) 1
2434 Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis) 1

Highest counts:
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 26
1376 Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata) 5
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 3
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 3

Best of the rest:
1778 May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata) 1
1817 Foxglove Pug (Eupithecia pulchellata) 1
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 1

Burnished Brass

16/06/2010
45 of 24sp (125W MV 25 of 14, 80W actinic 20 of 15)

First for year in garden:
0970 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana) 1
1115 Ancylis achatana 1
1334 Scoparia ambigualis 1
2128 Double Square-spot (Xestia triangulum) 1

Highest counts:
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 15
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 3

Double Square-spot

Large Nutmeg

17/06/2010
114 of 48sp (125W MV 48 of 29, 80W actinic 66 of 31)

FIRST FOR GARDEN:
0414 Argyresthia curvella 1

First for year in garden:
0409b Argyresthia cupressella 1
0989 Timothy Tortrix (Aphelia paleana) 1
1175 Bramble Shoot Moth (Epiblema uddmanniana) 2
1293 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 1
1392 Udea olivalis 2
2330 Dusky Brocade (Apamea remissa) 2
2389 Pale Mottled Willow (Paradrina clavipalpis) 1
2473 Beautiful Hook-tip (Laspeyria flexula) 1

Highest counts:
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 31
0970 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana) 5
1076 Celypha lacunana 5
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 5
1083 Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana) 4
1860 Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata) 4

Best of the rest:
1808 Sandy Carpet (Perizoma flavofasciata) 1
1991 Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) 1

Bramble Shoot Moth

Buff Ermine

Sandy Carpet

Elephant Hawk-moth

And here's one of the Dichrorampha spp. from Wednesday evening. Given the profusion of Oxeye Daisy at Huncote Embankment where I netted it, I expect it will turn out to be Dichrorampha alpinana.

From the garden trap - 14/06/2008

Things looked promising earlier in the day, when I was lucky enough to pot a garden first Bryotropha affinis whilst knocking about in the garden. However the cool night produced nothing exciting.

Total catch 52 of 24sp.
(125W MV 24 of 14sp., 80W actinic 28 of 15sp.)

First of the year for garden:
Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 1
Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) 1
Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 1
Dusky Brocade (Apamea remissa) 1
Highest counts:
Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 13


Dusky Brocade - albeit an unusually coloured individual for my garden.


Buff Ermine left, White Ermine right. Very difficult to get these mixed up really; even though Buff Ermine can be a very pale creamy colour the spot distribution and jizz is very different.