Pull out the Pin

Not much about the garden today. Warm during sunny spells, nippy during cloudy spells, and constantly blustery. Whilst out on a phone call though I noticed what appeared to be a small (c5mm) male hoverfly sitting doing nothing. I went in to grab a pot and refound it in the same area but now on a buttercup flower. Whilst it looked distinctly like a hoverfly, it wasn't acting like one and potting it was easy. No distinct markings as far as I could see, though it resolutely sat with wings folded over the abdomen. A quick flick through the guide make it clear that it wasn't going to get an ID without close scrutiny. Sorry fly.

I managed to pin it badly with a D3 when an A1 would have been better. No way of pulling out the pin and starting again, but still I could now check it out and seek confirmation on the facebook group. Wing venation, antennal structure and bits all looked at.

I reckoned it was Pipizella viduata, which is new for me, and Roger Morris agreed. I need to practise opening up the genital capsule and pinning it to dry in the future, but this was just about good enough.

No moth trap last night, but here's a selection from Saturday night's bumper catch - 84 of 34sp across the two traps (125W MV trap 33 of 23sp, synergetic/actinic combo trap 51 of 19sp) including 15sp NFY.

Gold Spot

Broad-barred White

Nutmeg

Knot Grass

Lime Hawk-moth

Pale Prominent

Scalloped Hazel

Seraphim

Spruce Carpet

Grey Pine Carpet

My traps are not usually bothered by the birds until there are fledgling Blackbirds and Robins knocking about. We've got at least three pairs of Blackbirds nesting somewhere nearby, and a couple of pairs of Robins, but until today no sign of any early fledglings. One of the Blackbird pairs were mating repeatedly yesterday, as they were about a month ago. I wondered if the nests have been predated, but today came the familiar squeeks and squawks of fledgling Blackbirds and at least two were in and out of the garden. Any trapping from now until later in the summer will mean extra egg-boxes around the outside and early mornings.

Tart's Tick Butterfly

I had a few days in Devon last week, and managed to point my camera at a few inverts whilst down there. Best of the bunch for me was a new butterfly at Heddon's Mouth (on the coast a few miles west of Lynton). There were a few flitting about but none settled to check them properly and no chance to get a proper shot, so I has to resort to netting and potting one and then grabbing a couple of phone shots in the pot before releasing it again.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Heddon's Mouth 31/05/2018

Whilst nosing about looking at coastal lichens and grabbing some abstract photos, I found a couple of other bits on the rocks ....

Knot Grass, Heddon's Mouth 31/05/2018

Salticus scenicus sl, Heddon's Mouth 31/05/2018

Most other bits I photographed were in the in-laws Guineaford garden.

Mint Beetle, 31/05/2018

Copper Underwing, 01/06/2018

Micropterix aruncella, 01/06/2018

Micropterix calthella, 02/06/2018

Speckled Bush-cricket nymph, 02/06/2018

Beautiful Demoiselle, 02/06/2018

Psychoides filicivora, 02/06/2018

Sugar, do do do do do do

Ah honey, honey, do do do do do do ....... sorry, is it just me that remembers the popular music hit by the manufactured band The Archies - loved that when I was a toddler.

I've not gone completely mad by the way, it's just that I've had the mothing sugar out a couple of times lately. It's not a new batch of sugar, in fact it's the same recycled batch that I've had going for years - the same batch I was using back in 2009 at least. I've re-heated it, given it a stir and added some more alcohol (Drambuie this time) which helps give it a lift as the alcohol evaporates and carries the scent. Anyway, it still works .....

Old Lady - two on 14/07/2017

Old Lady - one of three to the dried-up dregs on 15/07/2017

Both these shots were complete point, shoot and hope efforts with my phone - not too shabby I reckon. I'll keep trying the sugar through the autumn, leading up to the National Moth Night Ivy & Sugar theme. So far just the Old Ladies and one Large Yellow Underwing. And one mahoosive unidentified Teg.

Doubt it was actually imbibing!

Otherwise, here's a few recent noctuids from the garden traps .....

Knot Grass

Rustic

Nutmeg

Least Yellow Underwing

Lesser Common / Common Rustic agg.

Although I'd bet a large sum on this actually being Lesser if detted.

Dot Moth

Thursday 21st Round Three - Cossington Meadows Mothing

Yet more photos and news from yesterday .....

I headed over to Cossington Meadows and met up with Adrian in good time to drive in and down the track creating a massive dust cloud - it was like rallying through Dakar. It was still quite light as we started to deploy a few traps, and still very warm though we were under no illusions that the temps would cool off fairly quickly. In the event it had dropped to a mere 16°C at 20:30, and to 11°C by 23:00 when we left. A 125W MV light over a sheet and 3 x 125W MV traps should have yielded far more individuals, but the species tally wasn't bad - 64 of 26sp. Most importantly, as this site has hardly been trapped before we added 12 species dots to the map. Of less importance, but just a satisfying, I picked up a few yearticks.

Before I summarise the list and show a few shots, we had an unusual find when Adrian shone a torch up into a bat box that we fully expected to be empty. It was full of earwigs and woodlice and looked like no bat had ever been in it, but we could also see what appeared to be a couple of caterpillars. With deft use of one net below and the handle of another net to give one a poke, we soon had a noctuid caterpillar to look at. The bat box was fixed to an Ash tree, and I immediately recognised the caterpillar as I've seen this one before ...

Centre-barred Sallow

Also before I launch into the catch, I netted and potted up a micro that warranted a better look. It appears to be one of the smaller Depressaria spp., and possibly a new one for VC55 but we'll have to wait for a det to confirm. Post-script - looking increasingly likely that this is Depressaria ultimella as I suggested locally this morning. Will be a VC55 first when confirmed.

Depressaria ultimella

CONFIRMED - gen. det. by Jon Clifton Jan 2012

0006 Eriocrania subpurpurella 1
0609 Elachista maculicerusella 3 (NFY)
1651 Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata) 2
1722 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata) 1 (NFY)
1725 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe ferrugata) 6 (NFY)
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 2
1853 Oak-tree Pug (Eupithecia dodoneata) 5
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 4
1883 Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata) 1
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 1
1919 Purple Thorn (Selenia tetralunaria) 1 (NFY)
1979 Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae) 1 (NFY)
1997 Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula) 3 (NFY)
2003 Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) 1
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma) 1 (NFY)
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 3 (NFY)
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 1 (NFY)
2064 Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) 2 (NFY)
2078 Least Black Arches (Nola confusalis) 2
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 1 (NFY)
2186 Powdered Quaker (Orthosia gracilis) 5
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 2
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 1
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 11
2256 Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) 1
2289 Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis) 2 (NFY)

Elachista maculicerusella

Flame Carpet - sadly a dull/dark one

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet - we had a few of these that had us going as the central band looked odd and there were no twin-spots.

Lime Hawk-moth

Sallow Kitten

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Ruby Tiger

Knot Grass

Narborough Bog 23/05/2010 + Garden 24/05/2010

It was with a great sense of expectation that I headed out to Narborough Bog at stupid-o-clock on Monday morning to retrieve and empty the 3 x 125W MV traps I'd left running overnight. It was 20°C when I left the traps running at 22:15, and was already up to 13°C at 05:30.

Before I'd entered the reserve I was already pleased - a Sedge Warbler was manically singing on Sunday night and was still present. Whilst a common species, it was a first for me at this site and one that I had expected (though I was perplexed to find no previous records of it here over the last few years).

The first trap I checked had 2 Chocolate-tips sitting on the outside amongst others - I knew it was going to be a good overall catch. I gathered the 3 traps by the car and started the process of checking egg boxes and counting moths with pots at the ready for any goodies.

The total catch was a splendid 311 of 76 sp., with a gelechiid still to confirm (which could be the best moth of the night for me) plus a Gold Swift lekking at dusk. Aside from the obvious personal highlight below, 26 May Highflyers in one session is the highest ever count in VC55.

County Tick
0310 Callisto denticulella 1

Yearticks
0266 Bucculatrix nigricomella 2
0305 Parornix scoticella 1
0333 Phyllonorycter salictella viminiella 2
0696 Agonopterix propinquella 1
0883 Mompha raschkiella 1
0947 Aethes smeathmanniana 1
0993 Cyclamen Tortrix (Clepsis spectrana) 1
1501 Platyptilia gonodactyla 1
1682 Blood-vein (Timandra comae) 1
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 8
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 1
1808 Sandy Carpet (Perizoma flavofasciata) 2
1830 Wormwood Pug (Eupithecia absinthiata) 1
1874 Dingy Shell (Euchoeca nebulata) 5
1955 Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) 1
1994 Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) 1
2145 Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii) 1
2278 Poplar Grey (Acronicta megacephala) 1
2289 Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis) 2
2326 Clouded-bordered Brindle (Apamea crenata) 1
2387 Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus) 1
2492 Small Fan-foot (Herminia grisealis) 1

Highest Counts (>5)
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 35
1778 May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata) 26
1076 Celypha lacunana 23
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 17
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 12
0986 Syndemis musculana 10
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 10
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 9
1174 Epiblema cynosbatella 8
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 8
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 8
2123 Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi) 8
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 6
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 6
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 6

Other Highlights
0293 Caloptilia syringella 4
0357 Phyllonorycter stettinensis 2
1979 Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae) 2
2019 Chocolate-tip (Clostera curtula) 5

Dingy Shell

Knot Grass

Poplar Grey

Agonopterix propinquella

Cyclamen Tortrix

Ancylis badiana

The garden traps were not quite so busy last night, unsurprising with the slightly cooler temps and light breeze. Still not a bad night though, with the total catch being 73 of 30sp. (125W MV 36 of 21, 80W actinic 37 of 20). The actinic held its own again.

0266 Bucculatrix nigricomella 1 [first for year in garden]
0294 Aspilapteryx tringipennella 1 [first for year]
0332 Phyllonorycter corylifoliella 1
0409a Argyresthia trifasciata 3
0544 Coleophora albicosta 2
0697 Agonopterix arenella 1
0892 Mompha subbistrigella 1
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 2
1136 Epinotia immundana 1 [first for year]
1176 Epiblema trimaculana 1 [first for year]
1376 Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata) 1
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 2
1727 Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) 2 [first for year]
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 1 [first for year in garden]
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 7
1778 May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata) 1
1817 Foxglove Pug (Eupithecia pulchellata) 1
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 10
1825 Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata) 1
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 15
1835 White-spotted Pug (Eupithecia tripunctaria) 2
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 2
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 2
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 2
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 4
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 2
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 1
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 1
2302 Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea) 1 [first for year]
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1

I'm leaving the traps off tonight - the conditions have turned and it has been run over a fair few consecutive nights so time for a rest! When I do re-start, I'm going to back off the trap reports to just the highlights rather than endless lists of anywhere between 30 - 100 species.

We had our first juv Robin in the garden this morning, obviously picking up habits from the parents by loitering around the trap position. Also Woodpigeons actively rebuilding their nest for another brood on the embankment, Common Whitehroat singing away up there (though the Lesser seems to have departed), and Blackbirds still carrying food all over the place.

One unusual thing yesterday evening was a Blue Tit dropping purposefully into the aperture at the top of the kids basketball net stand. This is only c2" diameter and only drops to c6" depth before there is a threaded 'stop' going through the post. I can't believe the tits would use this for nesting, and it seems an unlikely place to forage for insects, but what else could it have been doing? I haven't noticed them going in before or again today.