Some torts

By far the best way to photograph moths is in natural light on natural substrates. But given that it's usually too bright, too dull, too windy or (sometimes) the moth is too valuable to lose, then often you're forced to photograph indoors with compensatory lighting. I've tried a few things over the years, and some were better than others. Currently, I'm trying out a couple of lamps with 45W 5500K compact fluorescent 'daylight' bulbs'. It's a far from ideal set-up, but certainly better than nothing and I'm getting used to it. The trick as always is getting the white balance set right (with photographers 'grey' card), using a tripod, selecting a suitable photography prop, putting the camera on self-timer mode and having the patience of a saint. It looks something like this (except with the camera on the tripod!).

Upturned mug to get the subject up to right height is optional .....

Here's some tortrixes from the garden traps - one thing I'm still guilty of is zooming in too far and losing some depth on the subject.

Epinotia bilunana

Notocelia trimaculana

Codling Moth

Notocelia cynosbatella

Marbled Orchard Tortrix

And this one's not a tortrix ....

Bryotropha affinis

From the garden trap, 30/05/2010

Today was mainly spent involved with the BioBlitz at Watermead Country Park South, but I'll update on all of that tomorrow. First I'll clear up the garden trapping from Sunday night and a couple of other bits.

The garden traps last night were reasonably productive despite the strong wind that prevailed until well after midnight. The total catch was 101 of 31sp. (125W MV 52 of 25, 80W actinic 49 of 21).

First for year in garden:
1083 Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana) 1
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 1
2098 Flame (Axylia putris) 1
2164 Broad-barred White (Hecatera bicolorata) 1

Highest counts:
0409a Argyresthia trifasciata 13
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 13
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 11
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 11
1835 White-spotted Pug (Eupithecia tripunctaria) 5
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 5
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 5

Other highlights:
1778 May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata) 4

Marbled Orchard Tortrix

Broad-barred White

Flame

Also later in the day, I found the first garden Esperia sulpurella of the year:

After posting the Copper Underwing caterpillar photo yesterday, I had a request from Keith Tailby as to whether he could nab it for some photos for his collection. No problem of course, but just before sorting it out I noticed it was in the characteristic resting posture for this species and couldn't resist another shot before letting it go.

Copper Underwing - meditating

One of the things that new moth recorders often get hung-up on is the potential for 're-traps' and a desire to keep the trap lists pure. You soon get to learn that this is largely a non-issue as the catches vary quite a bit day-to-day irrespective of how much effort you put into the release of the catch. One thing I always do though is dislodge any moths from bushes and the fence by the trap, but today before I had done this one of the other garden inhabitants had made sure that at least one May Highflyer was not going to be re-trapped ....

I had a couple more rearing successes today. A pupa that I found at Narborough Bog on 25/04/2010 in a loose cocoon on the soil surface underneath a piece of bark (that I was collecting as a photographic prop)emerged - a nice Clouded Brindle. The other emergence was the Pistol Case-bearer collected on hawthorn on 11/05/2010.