They Were All Yellow [Horned]

Last night, for the first time in well over a year thanks to [lack of] health etc, I ventured out with traps into woodland. I headed to Gisborne's Gorse, what is essentially mixed woodland within the Charnwood Lodge LRWT reserve. It's not 'real' woodland though, it was created in the late 19th century and part of it is more like a large-scale landscaped garden (there are a couple of old houses within the planted area). With such a long hiatus, it meant it was also the first time my 'new' car has been loaded up with traps. I've had it [Cupra Born EV] since Jan 2024, and the x3 traps, gennie and cable reels easily fitted in though I had folded the seats down just in case.

I had no great expectations for the night, although I had a couple of hoped-for species. I was only intending to run the traps for three hours or so - no point going overboard so early in the season.

And so it was that I lit up around 18:15, and ran the traps until packing the last one around 21:45. There were still moths coming in to the traps and it was still c7°C at that time, but I wasn't seeing any increasing diversity. I'm sure if I'd run for longer I would have had more Noctuids and maybe one or two more species, but the eventual total was 204 of 18sp. which is pretty fair for this early in March.

The couple of hoped-for species were Spring Usher which I'd not seen since 2012, and Yellow Horned that I'd not seen since 2013. Mottled Grey was also on the radar, though I was sure I was too early for that. No sign of any Spring Usher to the traps though, quite possibly too late this year. But Yellow Horned was bang on, I ended up with x51 of them and all box-fresh. Other highest counts were x42 March Moth and x36 Oak Beauty.

Given the abundance of fallen and felled wood alongside the track, I opted to photograph a few whilst out using the ever-reliable TG-6 and light guide. Smaller micros came home though, including a couple for dissection.

Yellow Horned

Engrailed

Satellite

Tortricodes alternella

Oak Beauty

March Moth

Pale Brindled Beauty

Brindled Pug

The only surprise as such was not the species, but the context. This female Dotted Border was sat on top of one of the traps basking in the glow of the light. The trap was not directly underneath the canopy, so the only way it could be there would be being 'flown in' whilst in-cop with a male or simply walking towards the light and crawling up. Given I only saw one male Dotted Border, and that it was in a different trap, the latter explanation seems more likely but of course it's a guess.

Dotted Border

Not too many micros aside from several T. alternella.

Ypsolopha ustella

Agonopterix ocellana

Acleris ferrugana/notana [dissection pending]

In compiling this post, I've reminded myself what an absolute pain in the arse it is to keep editing image sizes etc on Blogger. I think I'd realised this before and stuck to uploading at 'view size' only, but Bluesky seems to screw images up that are not already sized up. So going forward, it's going to be quicker and less of a pfaff to just save the images in two sizes. It will mean that anything on here will revert to what you see is what you get - no bigger image when you click on one.

I imagine one or two read the blog title and were delighted horrified that I might include a Coldplay track. Fear not.

Classic Brindled

Another nice day here in the middle of the midlands. One that I've not been able to make the most of for one reason or another.

Not much in the trap last night, but this was NFY ....

Brindled Pug - 24/03/2019

The passing of Scott Walker reminded me of another occasional theme I used to post about, and this certainly is a classic track.

I discovered that you can add little feedback buttons at the bottom of posts, so I've added some. If you don't feel the need or inclination to comment, you can let me know what you thought with these. You may be able to click multiple buttons, I have no idea.

LCD +

A brief, cold and breezy session at Launde Park Wood with Adrian last night brought a pretty modest catch. I'll post the list later, but the clear highlight and the main target for the session was this:

Lead-coloured Drab - not exactly a fresh or well marked individual, but look at the antennae on that

The only other yeartick from the session was a smart Purple Thorn. I thought I'd nab another couple of things to point the camera at anyway.

Brindled Pug

Engrailed - this one refuses to sit in a more classic pose

Garden trapping last night was pants.

30/03/2012 : 17 of 8sp.
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 1
1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 3
1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 2
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
2182 Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda) 2
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 4
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 3

Light Brown Apple Moth - rapidly becoming a garden rarity

Weather is crappy this morning, but a smart silent Chiffchaff was in the garden flitting about the over-hanging sallow blossom looking for breakfast.

01/04/2011 Mothing

Following on from the post this morning, here are the summaries and photos from mothing on Friday night.

First up, the result from 3 x 125W MV traps operated at Gisborne's Gorse within Charnwood Lodge from dusk till dawn. The mild conditions with partial cloud cover and no rain were good, with most of the wood sheltered from the strong breeze that was in force in open areas. It was just about constant at 11°C from lighting up until first light this morning. The total catch was 1075 of 23sp. Not bad eh? The catch included 8 yearticks as indicated in the list.

0006 Eriocrania subpurpurella 4 (NFY)
0461 Ypsolopha ustella 1 (NFY)
0663 Diurnea fagella 31
1044x Acleris ferrugana/notana 4
1054 Acleris cristana 2
1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 1
1775 Mottled Grey (Colostygia multistrigaria) 11 (NFY)
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 406 (NFY)
1930 Oak Beauty (Biston strataria) 8
1934 Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria) 1
1947 Engrailed (Ectropis bistortata) 5
2139 Red Chestnut (Cerastis rubricosa) 5
2179 Pine Beauty (Panolis flammea) 2 (NFY)
2182 Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda) 171
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 226
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 19
2189 Twin-spotted Quaker (Orthosia munda) 60
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 47
2236 Pale Pinion (Lithophane hepatica) 1 (NFY)
2237 Grey Shoulder-knot (Lithophane ornitopus lactipennis) 1 (NFY)
2256 Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) 5
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 61
2423 Oak Nycteoline (Nycteola revayana) 3 (NFY)



Most numerous moth of the night - Brindled Pug


Mottled Grey - a species I've only ever seen at Charnwood Lodge


Pine Beauty - Ben's favourite .....


Pale Pinion - nowhere near as rare as it used to be


Grey Shoulder-knot - ditto the above


Red Chestnut - not sure why but this is a favourite of mine


Oak Nycteoline - another favourite


Once I got around to emptying the garden traps it highlighted how different the results can be when trapping in the garden versus trapping in prime habitat in the same general conditions. The garden is not sheltered from the wind, but was maybe a degree warmer. The total catch was pants - just 22 of 11sp. This did however include a couple of garden yearticks, including an Acleris hastiana. It was only last week that I mentioned to Adrian that I hadn't seen one in the garden for a few years (last one was 2006).

0663 Diurnea fagella 2 (NFY)
0688 Agonopterix heracliana 1
1053 Acleris hastiana 1 (NFY)
1054 Acleris cristana 1
1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 1
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 2
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 1
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 2
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 9
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 1


Acleris hastiana

More migrants and the moth photos

This morning as I left the house, just after posting the trapping summaries, the first garden Chiffchaff of the year was in song. Not actually in the garden, but viewable on the scrubby embankment that runs adjacent to us. Much later on, on the way home from work, I dropped past Grove Park again. The pair of LRPs were still milling about, but I was really pleased to find a superb bright male Wheatear knocking about close to the pathway with a few Meadow Pipits and Linnets. Typically the camera was at home - I'm going back again tomorrow with the DSLR, when no doubt nothing will be in range.

As promised, here's a selection of photos from last nights efforts:

All of the Brindled Pugs were superbly fresh, like these two

Red-green Carpet - nice

Mottled Grey - subtle

Pine Beauty - superb

Oak Nycteoline - you'd look knackered if you lived in the woods overwinter

Acleris cristana - ditto the Nycteoline

When out and about, it's always good to double-check you have everything you need in the car before setting off ...

Gennies - check
Cable reels - check
Traps - check
Tripod light - check
Catch box - check
Net & pots - check
Torches - check
Coffee - check
Folding seat ... bollocks




And from the garden:

Garden Tick

and a slightly smarter variant of Shoulder Stripe

I've not bothered with the garden traps tonight - crystal clear skies and plummeting temps after a good previous night generally means poor results.

From the garden trap - 26/04/2008

Total catch 32 of 15sp.
(125W MV 10 of 7sp., 80W actinic 22 of 13sp.)

One of those nights when the actinic almost 100% beats the MV on both numbers and species. Once the total catch is getting up to say 25+ species I'll just give summaries and highlights.

Caloptilia elongella 1
Phyllonorycter blancardella 1
Semioscopis steinkellneriana 1
Agonopterix heracliana 1
Scrobipalpa acuminatella 1
Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 4
Emmelina monodactyla 2
Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 1
Oak-tree Pug (Eupithecia dodoneata) 2
Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 5
Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 1
Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 7
Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 3


Caloptilia elongella - I like this quirky group of micros


Semioscopis steinkellneriana - if ever a moth needed a vernacular name ...


Brindled Pug


Shuttle-shaped Dart