Birds, Leps, Observations & Generalities - the images and ramblings of Mark Skevington. Sometimes.

Friday 25 February 2011

Garden Tick

After the excitement of seeing loads of moths in wood last night, I was most disappointed to find nothing - literally - in or around my garden traps before I headed off to bed. So when I got up this morning to empty them I had low expectations.

In terms of numbers, it was a lot poorer than I would have hoped given the promised conditions - a total catch of just 7 of 5 species + an Agonopterix heracliana on the front window at dusk. There's always a twist though - all five species were firsts for the year, and one of them is a garden tick.

80W/100W Actinic/Tungsten
Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1
Emmelina monodactyla 2
Clouded Drab 1
Common Quaker 1

125W MV
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Acleris kochiella 1



Both the above photo, and the Charnwood Lodge selection that follow, were taken under poor indoor lighting with crappy outdoor light though the window. They were then processed on my work laptop as it's the only thing I have at the moment with any sort of working Photoshop software. They're all a bit dark but you get the gist. I've got a couple from the garden to photograph aswell, but they can wait until tomorrow.

Tortricodes alternella

March Moth

Female Dotted Border

Dotted Border - like the way this one is half dark and half light

Spring Usher

And another

Ditto

Pale Brindled Beauty

Oak Beauty - love these

Yellow Horned

Satellite - nice orange dot form

Chestnut

3 comments:

Stewart said...

Hi Mark, Love that female Dotted Border. Its from another planet. How did you manage to find it, its hard to find even in your photo...

Skev said...

Ah - it's all in the method. The skill and method. Er. And the luck. To find apterous female geometrids you need:
1. Bright torch
2. Tree trunks and/or twiggy shrubs to search
3. Good eyesight
4. Patience of a Saint
5. Luck of a really lucky thing

What you are really looking for are the winged males, and then hopefully they are engaged in their business with the much less obvious female. Sometimes though, like with this Dotted Border, you just get realy lucky! It was on it's own on a tree trunk and just happened to be on a paler bit of bark than itself so it stood out.

It's in a pot with a male at the moment - not sure if trying to force-mate moths is a bit pervy but there you go ....

Bennyboymothman said...

Yep looks good for Acleris schalleriana see one I had last year

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33398884@N03/4393071935/

looks spot on to me