Lazy

A quick post today, a bit of a lazy pre-meat aperatif. Not been anywhere and not intending to do anything other than fire up the barbie, enjoy the evening and crack open some bottles of Doombar. Oh, and then fire up the moth trap.

First up though, I spotted and potted this beetle yesterday and although I recognised it I checked it out. I then realised that whilst I recognised it, and think I've seen it before, it's not on my list so happy days!

Poecilus cupreus

There were a couple of these in the moth trap last night, though they can't be taken to species from a photo ....

Psallus varians sl

And otherwise here's a few moths taken over the last few days ....

Maiden's Blush

Siver-ground Carpet

Heart and Dart - first of the year was abberant, and I've had three or four like this over the week

Scorched Wing

Freyer's Pug

Small Phoenix

Coronet

Hell, I can't even be arsed to think of a musical interlude that matches the post.

Not Overdue - Small Phoenix

Back in 2017 I posted about Small Phoenix being overdue, and how that was odd as it is such a common species. Last year I had the third garden record at just around the time when a brief spell of blogging enthusiasm waned .......

Anyway, I had another one last night which triggered the memory. I should be pleased that as it has turned up in consecutive years it may becoming a garden regular. Then I realised that the first two garden records were in 2001 and 2002. But it really should be on every yearlist I've ever generated here!

Small Phoenix - 14/05/2019, fourth garden record

Small Phoenix - 20/05/2018, third garden record

New Macros

So, I'm down here in North Devon staying with the in laws. We're down here for a couple of days without the kids, so that means there was room for a moth trap in the car. Can't remember when I last trapped here and can't check until I'm home, but it would of been a while ago. I ran the 22W synergetic last night, and the prospects were pretty good with mild and overcast conditions. I ended up with 113 of 34sp., markedly better than recent catches at home. Oddly though there was only one micro in this catch, a single Bee Moth.

Absolute stand out highlight was a macro tick, albeit not the most showy moth you could imagine.

Horse Chestnut

Nut-tree Tussock was the other highlight, and otherwise it was good to see a number of species for the first time this year, such as: Pale Tussock, Pebble Prominent, Flame Carpet, Green Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Small Phoenix, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Common Pug, Spruce Carpet, Brimstone Moth, Powdered Quaker and Lychnis.

Nut-tree Tussock

Small Phoenix

Brindled Beauty

Powdered Quaker

Today we had a quick walk around Ilfracombe like proper grockles. I've got some hemiptera and a weevil potted to check out another day, but otherwise it was just refreshing to get some sea air and a pastie. The controversial Verity still stands over the harbour questioning truth and justice, but looks like she needs a decent jet wash to clear the gull shit from her head.

Looking back to Ilfracombe town from the harbour

Verity

This Herring Gull had a knackered leg, allowing a close approach, this is an uncropped phone shot.

Later in the afternoon I headed to the edge of Exmoor, actually just over the border into Somerset near the Pinkery outdoor pursuits center. I was intent on proving once and for all that the EMP lure does actually work. I found a suitable looking place with some heather, though otherwise it looked a bit dry and bleak. Not ideal conditions with a bit of a breeze and no sunshine, though it was still warm.

Well, the lure went out and within five minutes I had the first male in. Then over the next five minutes or so I had at least 8 males before I pulled the lure in. I'm sure if I'd actually walked further into the moor I would have recorded lots more.

I netted one for a proper shot. I say proper, I mean a quick snap with my phone.

This is the first time I have recorded Emperor Moth myself, so effectively another macro tick as I have only seen a female from a group trapping session and adults from captive rearing.

The moth trap is out again tonight, though we are expecting rain so the trap is slightly protected under a wood shed canopy. Let's see what comes in.

Overdue - Small Phoenix

Here's an odd overdue moth, not odd in the nature of the species but odd in that it really should be turning up a lot more than it has. You'd struggle to refer to it as anything but common, and it feeds on willowherbs that are everywhere. So why do I only have two garden records of Small Phoenix!? In fact when I looked back, it's so common that I didn't even bother to photograph either of my garden records despite them appearing when digital photography was new to me and I was grabbing shots of everything. I've seen this species all over the place, sometimes in numbers, so it's not one I'd feel obliged to get a shot of.

My two garden records came on 26/07/2001 and 15/05/2002. It's double-brooded (at least) and my overall VC55 records show that it could turn up anytime between mid-April and late August. So when will it pop up again here!

I at least tried to dig up an old photo of one in VC55 - from Skeffington Wood on 23/04/2004.

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

Narborough Bog - 09/05/2008

After a very early start and a long day working in Kent yesterday, I got home just before seven feeling in need of fresh air and recreation. I decided with only a couple of hours before dusk to drag the mothing gear out of the shed, service the gennie and get over to my nearest local reserve, Narborough Bog. However, as I was completely knackered I intended to just leave the gear overnight.

The gennie is a cheapo 2-stroke that I've had for 5 years or so now. For the money (c£70 at the time but they've gone for c£40 since) this gennie is second to none. It's loud, heavy and smelly when it starts but you can chain it up and leave it overnight without worrying about risk. It has been in the shed since National Moth Night 2007 (August) as I either couldn't be arsed to go out mothing or the weather was too crap in the intervening months. A quick spark plug clean (no oily shit I'm pleased to say) and an air filter check and time to fire up. Not quite first pull, but only 3 more and it was running - superb, another season in it yet.

I had already sorted the traps out with new bulbs and various vane repairs before storing for the winter, so I thought they would be okay. Everything piled into the boot and I was at Narborough bog in time to get the traps and gennie set-up.

The only target as such was Early Tooth-striped. This is a favourite of mine, but I knew it may be too late in the season as I normally trap here in mid April. Otherwise, I was just keen to prove the gear and see what turned up.

I chained the gennie up on the footbridge, with the traps positioned c100M into the damp woodland, c5M from the bridge and c50M along the track running past the allotments. No point in targeting the reedbed at this time of year. All of the traps had a white(ish) sheet underneath - helps to make finding moths around the trap easier in the morning.


Gennie security

Trap & sheet in the dark damp wood.

I fired up at 20:55, waited a few minutes and then left it to fate. At 06:00 this morning, I arrived back to find the gennie still running and all traps still on. Only annoyance was that some shambolic fuckwit had decided to trample on one of the sheets, move the trap and dispose of a cigarette into the box. What a cunt on casters. And also what a fucking lame attempt at vandalism - they could've hoyed the trap into the reedbed or at least unplugged everything. It was still running and still had moths in (although some were dead from passive smoking).

What the fuck?

Not the usual trap detritus.

I'd already let John know I would be trapping and he joined me just in time to start going through them. Not a bad catch in total, with 82 of 44sp. The absolute highlight was 2 Chocolate-tips - I think a site first record (which considering the amount of work done here is some feat). There was also a single Early Tooth-striped. Overall, the best moths were:

Phyllonorycter salictella viminiella 1
Elachista apicipunctella 1
Acleris hastiana 2
Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 1
May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata) 3
Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata) 1
White-pinion Spotted (Lomographa bimaculata) 2
Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 2
Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) 1
Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 3
Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 2
Chocolate-tip (Clostera curtula) 2
Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 1
Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) 1
Poplar Grey (Acronicta megacephala) 1
Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis) 4

A full list can be downloaded from here if you are registered on the VC55 Moths Yahoo Group.

As ever (except when blogger fucks up), all of the following photos are clickable for larger size viewing.


Chocolate-tip - these tend to flap themselves stupid once disturbed, and this on the egg-tray shot was the best I managed.


Early Tooth-striped


White-pinion Spotted


Small Phoenix


Pebble Prominent


Knot Grass


Red-green Carpet