Carpeting The Trap

The 22W synergetic was not quite so busy last night, with cooler conditions and a spot of rain. I had the trap partly sheltered under a clear plastic roofed wood shed which may have additionally affected the catch, but the trap was bone dry.

There was another Horse Chestnut, but other highlights were more standard shaped geometrids ....

Scorched Carpet

Early Tooth-striped

Red Twin-spot Carpet (probably)

Streamer

Today has been distinctly cooler and wet. We headed south-west along the coast to Bude and a few other places along the north Cornwall coast where it was dryer, but it was a day of site seeing, cafes and pubs rather than any natural history.

The trap is out again tonight for the last time on this visit. But it is still cool and the skies have cleared so no great expectations.

Fox Covert 18/04/2019

Although it had been a great warm sunny day, and the forecast was for a dry night with mild temps, I knew that the reality would be that the big temperature swing from day to night coupled with an almost full moon would moderate any mothing catch. And given that it's mid-April, when there is often a lull between the early spring Orthosia boom and the first decent catches of the early summer, my expectations were not high. Nevertheless I was determined to get out with the gennie and traps last night, though I couldn't make my mind up where to go. To make sure I wasn't pushed for time setting up I eventually opted to stay on the west side of the city, albeit up in the Charnwood area. I decided to give Ulverscroft NR a try, staying along the Fox Covert section. I haven't trapped this area since February 2012, and I'm pretty sure no one has trapped there since.

As it happens, my thinking on when it was going to get dusky was well out and I was set-up and ready with plenty of time to spare. I was running a 125W MV over a sheet and 3 x 125W MV traps, but I wasn't planning on running late.

Whilst I waited for dusk, I had a mooch around poking fungi for beetles and looking out for any moths on the wing, but it was very quiet. Eventually it was time to light up and the new gennie ran smoothly.

Whilst I wasn't expecting much, I was hoping that I'd pick up a couple of species that I've not recorded in the county for a number of years. At least on that front I was in luck, as both turned up.

Lunar Marbled Brown - male

Lunar Marbled Brown - female

Early Tooth-striped

Otherwise the main interest was a procession of small-sized micros. I've got a handful in pots pending gen det, but at least this one was identifiable.

Bucculatrix ulmella

Amongst the shiny gold Dyseriocrania subpurpurella were a couple of different Eriocrania spp. At least I think they are different, both to subpurpurella and to each other. I think any that are generally purple, or purple with pale speckling are worth saving for gen det.

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella - despite the purple speckling it is predominantly gold, and this has the classic look of subpurpurella with a spiky crown and drooping head that looks like it's about to fall off.

Eriocrania sp. - head not so droopy, wing shape more rounded

Eriocrania sp. - smaller and wing shape more pointed

I will look forward to the verdict on these, along with a couple of Phyllonorycter spp. and a Stigmella sp. (though that may never get resolved).

I only ran until c22:30, as the sheet was only pulling in the odd moth in dribs and drabs - none of the usual bursts of activity that you'd normally expect. Total catch was 57 of 19sp. (plus 5 of 5sp. pending gen det). The catch included a few that I've not yet seen this year: V Pug, Early Thorn, Purple Thorn and Herald.

Aside from the moths, there was an interesting small beetle on the sheet which Graham Finch (our coleoptera CR) thinks is probably Xyloterus domesticus.

North Devon Moths

Whilst down in Devon last week I ran the 22W/20W Synergetic/Actinic trap on a few nights. I've moth-trapped at the inlaws house very sporadically over the last decade or so, but the last time was back in July 2011. I have trapped there in spring before so whilst I had some good catches last week, most species were either expected or at least previously recorded. I did manage to add three new species to the list though (in bold text). I tweeted some of the scores but my mental maths is crap - the real scores are here with a total of 245 of 27sp. over four nights.

06/04/2015
45 of 13sp.
0464  Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella)  1
0663  Diurnea fagella  1
1663  March Moth (Alsophila aescularia)  4
1881  Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata)  1
1917  Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria)  1
1927  Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria)  3
1930  Oak Beauty (Biston strataria)  1
2187  Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)  11
2188  Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)  5
2189  Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda)  1
2190  Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)  13
2243  Early Grey (Xylocampa areola)  2
2258  Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii)  1

Brindled Beauty

07/04/2015
75 of 17sp.
0663  Diurnea fagella  1
1524  Emmelina monodactyla  1
1663  March Moth (Alsophila aescularia)  2
1746  Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata)  4
1775  Mottled Grey (Colostygia multistrigaria)  1
1852  Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata)  2
1917  Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria)  2
1927  Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria)  3
1930  Oak Beauty (Biston strataria)  2
1934  Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria)  4
2139  Red Chestnut (Cerastis rubricosa)  1
2187  Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)  18
2188  Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)  2
2190  Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)  22
2243  Early Grey (Xylocampa areola)  8
2258  Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii)  1
2259  Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula)  1

Mottled Grey

Red Chestnut

08/04/2015
62 of 18sp.
0288  Caloptilia stigmatella  1
1524  Emmelina monodactyla  1
1663  March Moth (Alsophila aescularia)  1
1746  Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata)  1
1750  Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata)  1
1852  Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata)  1
1881  Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata)  1
1917  Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria)  1
1930  Oak Beauty (Biston strataria)  1
1934  Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria)  2
2139  Red Chestnut (Cerastis rubricosa)  1
2187  Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)  13
2188  Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)  10
2189  Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda)  1
2190  Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)  14
2243  Early Grey (Xylocampa areola)  9
2258  Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii)  2
2425  Nut-tree Tussock (Colocasia coryli)  1

Early Tooth-striped

Water Carpet

Nut-tree Tussock

09/04/2015
63 of 18sp.
0663  Diurnea fagella  1
1524  Emmelina monodactyla  1
1663  March Moth (Alsophila aescularia)  1
1746  Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata)  2
1747  Streamer (Anticlea derivata)  1
1750  Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata)  2
1852  Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata)  1
1917  Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria)  5
1927  Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria)  1
1947  Engrailed (Ectropis bistortata)  1
2102  Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)  1
2139  Red Chestnut (Cerastis rubricosa)  1
2182  Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda)  4
2187  Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)  11
2188  Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)  8
2189  Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda)  1
2190  Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)  20
2243  Early Grey (Xylocampa areola)  1

Streamer

Twin-spotted Quaker f. immaculata

Despite the very ad-hoc nature of my trapping down there, I've built up quite a decent list versus the effort with some excellent species.The list total is now 274 species (83 micros, 191 macros), with macro highlights (VC55 context) such as Chevron, Sharp-angled Carpet, Ash Pug, Barred Umber, Brussels Lace, Great Prominent, Four-spotted Footman, Triple-spotted Clay, Marbled Green, Small Mottled Willow and Dark Spectacle. Not sure if I'll be able to add to the list now though, as the house is on the market and my inlaws are likely to have moved before the summer when I'm next likely to go down. Still - may be the start of a new list.

20/04/2013 - Busy

Yesterday was busy on the natural history front, with a decent foray into the square, some patch birding in between taking and collecting Alex from Karate, and a mothing excursion last night.

I've managed to see a few spring migrants on the patch and in my home square now, though nothing too exciting. Wheatear at Grove Park in the week, and Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap all at Jubilee Park. Also had a pair of Oystercatchers there, and a second LRP for the patch this year. No hirundines on the patch yet though, and just the odd Swallow seen around my home square. Willow Warblers and Blackcaps singing around the square, but no Chiffchaffs as yet - seems a bit odd. Whitethroat overdue now.

Had a short mothing trip to Charnwood Lodge last night with Adrian Russell and Keith Tailby. It quickly turned cold so we didn't stay out late, but we managed 99 of 16 sp. so not too bad. Early Tooth-striped was, perhaps surprisingly, new for the site.

Early Tooth-striped

Total list:
0663  Diurnea fagella  1
0688  Agonopterix heracliana  1
1054  Acleris cristana  1
1659  Yellow Horned (Achlya flavicornis galbanus)  1
1852  Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata)  7
1881  Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata)  2
1917  Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria)  1
1930  Oak Beauty (Biston strataria)  7
1947  Engrailed (Ectropis bistortata)  31
2139  Red Chestnut (Cerastis rubricosa)  1
2182  Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda)  22
2187  Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)  6
2188  Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)  10
2189  Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda)  1
2190  Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)  1
2258  Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii)  6

I also mooched around a few fallen trees and stuff whilst there, finding a new centipede and some unidentifiable beetle larvae ..

Banded Centipede

Larva in dead birch

Some sort of click beetle I think

Trapping in the garden last night wasn't too good, with just one new for the year and small numbers than earlier in the week. Too cold to both tonight.

Taxa
1054  Acleris cristana  2
1862  Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata)  1 (NFY)
2187  Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)  5
2188  Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)  6
2190  Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)  7
2243  Early Grey (Xylocampa areola)  2

 Acleris cristana

I was happy with two Nuts, then I got a nice Pussy .....

Don't know what you were thinking about, I meant these ...

I ran a couple of traps at the in-laws North Devon garden over the weekend - with some excellent results. Apart from the two above, I also picked up a completely unexpected Great Prominent - one I've only ever seen in excellent mature woodland before.

The garden is pretty big, in a rural valley. A stream runs through, and there is a decent sized wood not to far from the garden. Also plenty of mature trees in and around the garden. I ran two 125W MV traps - one positioned by the wood shed and one at the top of the garden on the other side of the stream next to a compost pile. I avoided running a trap by the Badger latrine under some conifers .....

Considering how infrequently I have trapped here over the years, and given that most trapping is around the same time of year, the garden list is up to an amazingly respectable 245 species now, with 8 added on these two nights (marked FFG and in bold yellow). The two nights trapping also provided 17 yearticks, including one or two that do not currently occur in VC55.

23/04/2011
94 of 22sp.
0436 Pseudoswammerdamia combinella 1 (FFG)
0986 Syndemis musculana 1 (FFG)
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 8 (NFY)
1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 1
1750 Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata) 2 (NFY)
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 2 (NFY)
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 5
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 1
1927 Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) 1
1957 White-pinion Spotted (Lomographa bimaculata) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
1995 Puss Moth (Cerura vinula) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 1
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 4 (NFY)
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 26
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 8
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 6
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 5
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 26
2425 Nut-tree Tussock (Colocasia coryli) 1 (NFY)
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1 (NFY)

24/04/2011
130 of 30sp.
0436 Pseudoswammerdamia combinella 1
0608 Elachista rufocinerea 1 (FFG)
0672 Parsnip Moth (Depressaria heraclei) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 6
1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 2
1750 Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata) 1
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 4
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 1 (NFY)
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 1
1881 Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata) 1 (NFY)
1888 Scorched Carpet (Ligdia adustata) 1 (NFY)
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 8
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 2
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 1 (NFY)
1927 Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) 5
2003 Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) 3
2005 Great Prominent (Peridea anceps) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
2007 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 1
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 6
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 10
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 5
2173 Lychnis (Hadena bicruris) 2 (NFY)
2186 Powdered Quaker (Orthosia gracilis) 5
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 9
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 5
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 43
2425 Nut-tree Tussock (Colocasia coryli) 1
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1 (NFY)

Both night also brought around 10 Cockchafers - one which is still firmly on my mothing villains list ..

Aside from the excellent garden mothing, we had a great time down in Devon with some absolutely glorious hot sunshine and associated sunburn. I'll post a few photos separately when I get them sorted. But as a taster (click for big)..

We had a great day on Woolacombe beach

Superb scenery around the Valley of the Rocks near to Lynmouth

Flickr Me!

I've had a Flickr account for nearly 3 years - no idea why, never used it. However I've also got 1000s of digital images that are badly archived etc, and I'm not sure how much of my blogger account webspace is left to abuse. So - I'm going to try using the Flickr account and then pasting the embed code. So, you'll see the photos here but they will actually be there. You probably knew that anyway.

My Flickr photostream is here. Though not much point looking yet as there are only two images uploaded, which are these from Devon a few years ago:

Could do with one of those here in VC55!

Narborough Bog & Garden Tick

Yesterday was mostly spent drinking a few refreshing ciders at the Tigers Rugby (hosted by my work), so it wasn't until late in the evening that I decided to take a few traps out to a couple of local sites (and even later in the night when I got around to posting the photos from Friday night).

I hadn't actually checked the weather - it just felt like a reasonable night with cloud cover holding the temps up until dusk. The first site turned out to be a non-starter as the gated entrance to Enderby Quarry had been fitted with a new padlock - quite possibly by the adjoining timber frame business without consent from the quarry owners. This will be followed up as I wanted to get in there again a few times this year.

With this setback, I headed back over to Narborough Bog and set about carting the cheapo 2-stroke gennie, a couple of traps and three cable reels down to the reserve from the main track. I usually drive up but a new gate has been installed .....

Everything was running without issue at 20:50, and I left the site at 21:15 with every intention of being back at first light. At least that was the plan. This morning I was suddenly aware of my phone alarm going off at 06:20 - it had been self-snoozing for almost an hour without me stirring. I needed to get going quickly, and was concerned when I opened the front door to see that it had rained in the previous couple of hours or so. Now I was very cynical about my chances of enjoying the catch - the gennie would almost certainly have run out of fuel if not died though the rain, and the traps would be full of water surrounded by soaking wet sheets.

I got there at 06:40 and all concerns were immediately allayed when I could hear the rough-arse chuntering of the gennie and see the lights still on. What a superb bit of kit - almost 10 hrs running with 2 x 125W MV traps and cable reels plus resiliance to rain. The traps were wet and the sheets were soaking, but still plenty of moths.

The wood at Narborough Bog is damp and shady at the best of times, so I was not expecting the sort of variety and numbers that I'd get in a more typical broadleafed wood. I was therefore pleased with the overall catch of 166 of 21sp. The main highlights were what I think is a site-first Pale Pinion, Early Tooth-striped and an early Chocolate-tip.

0288 Caloptilia stigmatella 2 [yeartick]
0667 Semioscopis steinkellneriana 8
1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 1
1750 Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata) 2
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 8
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1881 Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata) 5 [yeartick]
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 2
1919 Purple Thorn (Selenia tetralunaria) 2 [yeartick]
1927 Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) 21 [yeartick]
1947 Engrailed (Ectropis bistortata) 2
1957 White-pinion Spotted (Lomographa bimaculata) 1 [yeartick]
2003 Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) 1 [yeartick]
2019 Chocolate-tip (Clostera curtula) 1 [yeartick]
2186 Powdered Quaker (Orthosia gracilis) 2 [yeartick]
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 5
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 20
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 69
2236 Pale Pinion (Lithophane hepatica) 1
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 1
2469 Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) 1

Chocolate-tip

Early Tooth-striped

Purple Thorn

Brindled Beauty

I also found a large noctuid caterpillar - possibly Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, retained to rear - and also a fresh noctuid pupa attached to the back of some bark I collected for photographic backgrounds.
Slightly less welcome was a fecking huge queen Hornet in one of the traps - don't remember seeing Hornets here before. The other trap was free of Hornets, but surprisingly had a good few Common Carder Bees in it plus a huge queen White-tailed Bumblebee. Both traps had a couple of wasps and one or two Yellow Ophion. I was handling every tray carefully!

Common Carder Bee

The garden traps also did well last night, including another garden tick micro. The total catch was 38 of 14sp. (125W MV 21 of 10, 80W actinic 17 of 10).

0602 Elachista apicipunctella 1 [FIRST FOR GARDEN]
0688 Agonopterix heracliana 1
0695 Agonopterix alstromeriana 1 [first for year]
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 2 [first for year]
1288 Twenty-plume Moth (Alucita hexadactyla) 2
1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 1 [first for year]
1760 Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 1
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 5
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 3
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 5
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 10
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 3

Elachista apicipunctella - smarter in life than I can capture

Light Brown Apple Moth

Twenty-plume Moth

Agonopterix alstromeriana

The garden traps were emptied with the regular Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Lesser Whitethroat in competition. Later this afternoon, I picked up my first Swifts of the year as two soared over the garden.