From the garden trap - 30/03/2008

Put both garden traps out last night, fairly calm and still but clear and cold. No rain but residual damp in the garden from Saturday's downpour. I also decided for no particular reason to photograph the trap lights (no flash photography, just using the in-built 'twilight' camera mode).

The 80W actinic (double 40W U-tubes) gives off a fairly typical blue-white glow that makes your white trainer laces glow disco-style. This is very bright for an actinic, but doesn't actually light up much of an area visibly (although clearly fairly good UV output).

80W actinic

The 125W MV on the other hand, gives off a very bright white visible light that does act like a floodlight whilst still having a high UV content. I have to block off the direct light from shining on ours and our neighbours house using an old garden table top.

125W MV


Floodlit garden - notice my shed needs re-treating :-(

Both traps are the Adrian Russell patented home-made design using a clear plastic 'Really Useful' box with a cut-off medical funnel and a perspex bulb housing with vane assembly. The box has half egg trays arranged in a meticulously and anally-retentive fashion.

Anyway, enough nonsense - here's the catch:

Total catch 18 of 7sp
(80W Actinic 11 of 6sp, 125W MV 7 of 4sp)
Diurnea fagella 1
Agonopterix heracliana 2
Emmelina monodactyla 2
Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 1
Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 1
Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 4
Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 7


Very drab indeed