Beet(en) Generation

So that Scrobipalpa sp. that was in my last post: turns out that it is almost certainly S. ocellatella [Beet Moth]. What wasn't so clear, but became so very quickly, is that there appears to be a quite widespread dispersal/migration event going on for this species. It is predominantly coastal with very occasional inland records considered to be wanderers. There was a similar dispersal event in Sept 2020 with a flurry of records in Bedfordshire and a smaller number in Huntingdonshire. However it seems to have successfully transitioned from Sea Beet to cultivated sugar beet, and this year at least it appears to be very common in both Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire - perhaps not surprising assuming these areas support a lot of sugar beet farming as in East Anglia. But the dispersal is pushing it further north and inland. I e-mailed Steve Palmer [Gelechiid Recording Scheme organiser] to give him a heads up.

Within VC55 there are now records from:

Vale of Belvoir on 29th July and 14th August

My Whetstone garden on 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th August

Broughton Astley on 10th and 13th August

Groby on 10th August (photo only)

Anstey on 14th August (photo only)

As far as I can work out there have also been records in the following areas with no known populations (likely to be a far from complete picture):

Northamptonshire on 1st August and 11th August

Bedfordshire on 7th August

North Somerset on 13th August

Worcestershire on 13th August

Staffordshire on 14th August

I've got x4 individuals pending gen det from 9th, 10th, 13th and one from x4 last night. Here's a collection of hastily grabbed shots from egg trays and on the trap of the individuals not retained. There is a bit of variation but there are plenty of consistencies. Gen det is necessary to be sure, but clearly a one-off is not the same a a National dispersal event.

This could go on for a while, who knows. I really don't think we have a lot of sugar beet farmed in VC55 though so this generation is unlikely to establish here.

Aside from this, I've had three other new moths for the garden list in the last few days:

A less than pristine Tawny-barred Angle - perhaps an overdue addition.

A Twin-spotted Wainscot - though I was almost sure at c6am that this was already on the garden list

Monopis crocicapitella (per the pale grey hindwings). Despite appearances this scarpered into the kitchen a few seconds later. This is a new one for me too.

I've also had several Caloptilia semifascia, and further singles of Caloptilia cuculipennella and Nephopterix angustella that were all new to the garden around end of July. Otherwise the best micros have been ....

Phyllocnistis unipunctella - second garden record, first since 2001

Nemapogon koenigi - fourth garden record

I've not been so active in looking out for non-leps around the trap, though to be honest it's been surprisingly quiet on that front. This pair from last night though includes a new beetle for the garden:
 

Cryptocephalus pusillus

Lesser Earwig

I've just picked up that avian flu is rife at both Watermead CP and Abbey Park in Leicester - both areas where overfeeding is a persistent problem meaning higher density of some species than normal. Not so bad if it reduces the Canada's and hybrids but it will actually be wintering gulls and wildfowl that will bear the brunt of this.

"When you cast your eyes upon the skylines, of this once proud Nation, Can you sense the fear and the hatred growing in the hearts of its population"

Pickworth Great Wood 01/05/2011 - The List n Pics

The digital dictaphones have been transcribed (forgot to mention that tip for out-of-garden mothing, makes emptying traps a much smoother process), lists have been checked, verified and consolidated, and I can now hereby announce the results of the aforementioned 'ridiculous' venture into prime woodland in pants conditions. As I intimated, the overall result was a triumph for the theory that irrespective of the conditions trapping in decent habitat will yield some reward. The numbers taken were low (very low considering the number of traps), but we managed a decent species total with some goodies in a local context.

Before I launch into the summary, here's some vaguely interesting analysis that was prompted by Ben's comment yesterday. Firstly, despite me being slightly dismissive of its ability the 250W metal halide trap on this occasion came out tops with the highest number of both species and individuals. Added to that, no less than 7 of the 22 species it attracted were taken only in this trap. Of the 56 species so far confirmed, 3 were taken only at the sheet that we operated for a few hours. A further 22 species were taken only single traps, and only 2 of the 12 traps failed to attract anything that was not also in other traps. Underlining the conditions, 6 of the 12 traps failed to attract 10 or more species, and 3 of these also failed to muster 10 or more individuals. No species was present in all 12 traps, with Muslin Moth in 10 being the most widely taken. That's enough pseudo-science, here's the full list (231 of 57sp.) .....

0005 Micropterix calthella 1 (NFY)
0140 Nematopogon swammerdamella 2
0150 Adela reaumurella 1
0287 Caloptilia robustella 3
0449 Ash Bud Moth (Prays fraxinella) 6 (NFY)
0602 Elachista apicipunctella 1
0649 Esperia sulphurella 1
0764 Pseudotelphusa scalella 3 (NFY)
0770 Carpatolechia proximella 8 (NFY)
0986 Syndemis musculana 6
1061 Acleris literana 1 (NFY)
1136 Epinotia immundana 1 (NFY)
1648 Pebble Hook-tip (Drepana falcataria) 1
1655 Poplar Lutestring (Tethea or) 1 (NFY)
1680 Maiden's Blush (Cyclophora punctaria) 3 (NFY)
1693 Cream Wave (Scopula floslactata) 13 (NFY)
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 5
1747 Streamer (Anticlea derivata) 1
1750 Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata) 1
1752 Purple Bar (Cosmorhoe ocellata) 1 (NFY)
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 3
1760 Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 1
1773 Broken-barred Carpet (Electrophaes corylata) 3 (NFY)
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 1
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 2
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 19
1853 Oak-tree Pug (Eupithecia dodoneata) 4
1879 Seraphim (Lobophora halterata) 26 (NFY)
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 4 (NFY)
1888 Scorched Carpet (Ligdia adustata) 1
1893 Tawny-barred Angle (Macaria liturata) 1 (NFY)
1902 Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata) 4 (NFY)
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 1
1919 Purple Thorn (Selenia tetralunaria) 1
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 14
1944 Pale Oak Beauty (Hypomecis punctinalis) 1 (NFY)
1950 Brindled White-spot (Parectropis similaria) 1 (NFY)
1956 Common Wave (Cabera exanthemata) 1 (NFY)
1957 White-pinion Spotted (Lomographa bimaculata) 3
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 1 (NFY)
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 3 (NFY)
2000 Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius) 2
2003 Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) 2
2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma) 4
2007 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 6 (NFY)
2019 Chocolate-tip (Clostera curtula) 5 (NFY)
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 7
2043 Orange Footman (Eilema sororcula) 5 (NFY)
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 30
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 2
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 2
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 6
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 1
2289 Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis) 1
2422 Green Silver-lines (Pseudoips prasinana britannica) 1 (NFY)
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1 (NFY)

The are also 3 x Phyllonorycters to check. In addition, whilst wandering around on trap patrol and emptying the traps I found several larvae either on overhanging branches, in traps or on the sheets around traps. Of these, I have so far identified the following:

1777 July Highflyer (NFY)
1797 Autumnal Moth (TBC, though looks spot-on to Porter)
1799 Winter Moth
2182 Small Quaker
2189 Twin-spotted Quaker
2190 Hebrew Character
2248 Brindled Green (NFY)
2335 Slender Brindle (NFY)

Poplar Lutestring - rare in VC55, this is the only site where it has been reliably recorded

Pseudotelphusa scalella - one I've only ever seen at Pickworth

Acleris literana f. flavana

Brindled White-spot - scarce in VC55, though recent increase

Pale Oak Beauty - ditto the above

Scorched Carpet - scarce and local in VC55

Carpatolechia proximella - seems not that long ago we recorded the first for VC55 (though probably 10 years) now more widespread

Cream Wave - good to see this in numbers, refused to sit on anything but a Primrose leaf

Maiden's Blush - nice!

Tawny-barred Angle - impossible to photograph well

Broken-barred Carpet - a smart fresh one

All of the following are a selection of Seraphims - amazing variability, and a species that I would normally be pleased to see one during the year let alone 26 in one session.