Rearing success

Yesterday evening after dark, I noted a single A. hercaliana at the window. I had to nip out to pick the boys up from Cubs and saw that the temperature according to the car dash was still 9C. I had mentally quashed any notion of getting the traps out as it was still very breezy, but seeing as it was mild and expected to be dry I got the actinic/tungsten trap out. Nothing ventured etc. This morning, the massive reward for this optimism was .. just 2 Common Quakers and a Clouded Drab.

This evening when I got home from work, I nipped into the garden to put the kids bikes away. No idea what prompted it but I had a quick look in my rearing box. One thing I am excellent at is dumping full grown larvae in that are ready to pupate, and then completely forgetting about them. I wasn't expecting to find anything but was surprised to find what appeared to be a recently vacated pupal exuviae. A quick look around the various bits of bark and twigs and there it was ...

There is a photo of the larva that produced this here.

Tonight - another A. heracliana on the window but the trap is staying in the shed - even more windy and a bit nippy.