All the leaves are brown ...

... and so are the moths. I think that's how the song went back in '65.

I've just noted that it's over a week since I posted a moth photo, so an easy opportunity for a lazy post right here right now. Here's some shades of brown from the last couple of traps (still not much yellow appearing!).

Brown-spot Pinion

Sadly fresh, rubbed and nicked at the same time. Only the 7th garden record, and first since 2011.

Setaceous Hebrew Character

Been getting a good few of these lately, and still fresh individuals arriving.

Common Wainscot

Always seem to get more of these in the autumn than earlier in year.

Dark Sword-grass

Another - lost count of how many this year now (and my MapMate not up to date).

I'm going to keep trapping through the autumn into the early winter this year - I'm still hoping to pick up one or two overdue species that I've had in years gone past.

Cor blimey Mary Poppins ....

... "chim chimney chim chimney chim chim cheroo, a moth in the garden is nice when it's new".

But .... what the hell was this doing in my garden moth trap!

Chimney Sweeper

A quick check on my garden habitat and the surrounding area confirm that there are no quality meadows within sight. Add to that, this is a pronounced day-flying species that rarely (ever?!) comes to light. So imagine my surprise when I saw that this morning and promptly added it to the garden list (673rd moth, 314th macro). Okay it's a bit knackered, not a nice pristine glossy black with shining white apex fringes - but all the salient features are there to see.

There was another potentially exciting species in the trap, not that I knew it when I potted it up. I thought it was a worn Momphid of some sort and almost ignored it, but decided I might as well get it detted. So when I grabbed a couple of quick shots this evening I was surprised to see that I'm actually photographing a gelechiid. I think it is Exotelia dodecella (which will be new for the garden as well) but I'm not confident enough to record it as that at the moment. (post-script - confirmed as Exotelia dodecella by gen. det.)

Exotelia dodecella

And there was yet another odd Acleris sp. - I've now got four for gen det, two large and well marked like this one and two smaller less distinctly marked individuals. (post-script - confirmed as Acleris hastiana by gen. det.)

Acleris hastiana

And here's a few others from last nights trap.

Mompha ochraceella

Brown China-mark

Common Wainscot - hindwings checked as forewings well marked

From the garden trap 22/09/2011

... but before that, a garden tick from yesterday evening in the form of a leaf-mine on a large cultivated rose that is actually growing in the neighbours garden although the branch that yielded this is overhanging the fence into my garden (good enough for me anyway!).

Stigmella anomalella

More than double both the individuals and species in the traps last night compared to Wednesday, with three more yearticks but nothing to get the adrenaline going (it's been a good five years now since any decent autumnal migrants landed in my garden traps). Sadly the Black Rustic was a bit too scuffed to bother photographing.

Total catch 63 of 27sp.
(125W MV 24 of 17, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 39 of 22)

0648 White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 3
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 1
0985 Carnation Tortrix (Cacoecimorpha pronubana) 1 (NFY)
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 1
1042 Rhomboid Tortrix (Acleris rhombana) 1
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 3
1138 Epinotia nisella 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 7
1760 Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 3
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 3
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 9
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 5
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 2
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 3
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 2
2232 Black Rustic (Aporophyla nigra) 1 (NFY)
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 2
2270 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 2
2272 Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) 1 (NFY)
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 3
2274 Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 3
2297 Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) 1
2306 Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) 1
2477 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1

Barred Sallow

Red-green Carpet (first since 13th January!)

Common Wainscot

And following a comment from Matt, here's the periodicity plots for my Common Wainscot records:

Some smart garden moths, and a Square-spot Rustic

Still haven't got around to updating my database with recent data, due to a combination of being busy, distracted or plain lazy, and playing a bit if online poker. So here's a few shots of some recent garden moths without the supporting detail .....

Square-spot Rustic

Common Wainscot

Centre-barred Sallow

Frosted Orange

Sallow

Sallow

Pink-barred Sallow

Gold Spot

More Garden Moths & Larval Life

Didn't get a chance to post the stuff yesterday, busy in the day and out having a few beers in the evening. So, this is all a day or two late, but with no trapping last night and nothing doing today it's all I have to share anyway!

First, let's get Firday nights garden trapping out of the way. I fully expected rain to be moving in through the night so I had no great expectations for the catch. As it turned out, the rain didn't appear until later in the morning so I managed to empty dry traps. Total catch was 58 of 22 sp (125W MV 37 of 19, 80W actinic 21 of 10).

0017 Common Swift (Hepialus lupulinus) 1 [first for year]
0409a Argyresthia trifasciata 6
0648 White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 1
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 3
1376 Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata) 1
1727 Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 5
1773 Broken-barred Carpet (Electrophaes corylata) 1 [first for year]
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 3
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 6
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 8
1835 White-spotted Pug (Eupithecia tripunctaria) 1
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 1 [first for year]
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 4
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 3
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 1
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 5
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 3
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 1
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1 [first for year]
2334 Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens) 1
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1 [first for year]

Common Swift

Common Wainscot

Common Marbled Carpet

- a slightly asymmetric individual that doesn't appear to be wear-related

Broken-barred Carpet

Also in the trap was this bloody big stupid Cockchafer - I still don't like these!

Moving on, I had a couple of walk along the lane on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, mainly to collect more sallow to feed the greedy Emperor cats but also to have a swish with the net. Not a lot to write about on the flying moths front, with the only real interest being plenty of Cock's-foot Moths and an Acrolepia autumnitella. Of more interest was the larval life.

I found a number of interesting Coleophorid cases feeding on the underside of elm leaves, with a very clear serrated keel to the case from the edge of an elm leaf. I'd convinced myself they must be Coleophora limosipennella which feeds on elm (and would be new to VC55), but a posting to UK Micros soon put me right thanks to John Langmaid. I'd neglected to check if the cases were bi-valved or tri-valved. As they are tri-valved, and on the small side at 6-7mm, they can't be limosipennella and are more likely to be extreme examples of Coleophora serratella (which has a paler case when feeding on elm). This makes sense as I also found a couple of more typical serratella type cases positioned on the upper surfaces and which after collection are not feeding (so presumably pupated on the elm but not fed on it).

Presumed Coleophora serratella - pronounced serrated keel

Presumed Coleophora serratella - typical keel

Tri-valved case (basically they are the flaps that the caterpillar pokes it's back end out of to pass frass)

I found this wacky looking sawfly larva on oak - I think it's Periclista lineolata?

I also found a couple of micro (tortrix?) larvae on white clover - one in a leaf spinning and one on a flower bud. No idea what they could be as yet.

Other larvae I have in my increasing number of rearing boxes are:

An early instar Vapourer caterpillar that I found when it was absolutely tiny on sallow I collected back on 20/05/2010. Note the shed skin left on the leaf.

A Copper Underwing on the hawthorn I collected back on 11/05/2010 (which I thought may be Sprawler when very small - much more obviously patterned/shaped now).

A Red-line Quaker that I found on the sallow overhanging my garden fence on Friday night.

The garden traps are going back out tonight, and whilst not the best conditions with a very stong breeze I'll be out trapping at Watermead CP South as part of a Bio-Blitz event.

From the garden trap - 16th to 19th September

More warm sunny days, clear cool nights, and low numbers in the traps. 16th Total catch 38 of 15sp. (125W MV 19 of 10sp., 80W actinic 19 of 11sp.) Ypsolopha sequella 1 Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) 1 White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 1 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 8 Acleris sparsana 1 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 2 Emmelina monodactyla 1 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 2 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 4 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 2 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 5 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 6 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 2 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1 17th Total catch 53 of 19sp. (125W MV 24 of 13sp., 80W actinic 29 of 10sp.)

Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella) 1

White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella) 1

Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 6

Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 4

Epinotia nisella 1

Rusty-dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis) 1

Emmelina monodactyla 2

Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 2

Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 3

Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1

Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 13

Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 10

Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1

Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 1

Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri hesperica) 1 [First for year]

Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 1

Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) 2

Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1

Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1 Blair's Shoulder-knot 18th Total catch 24 of 16sp. (125W MV 7 of 5sp., 80W actinic 17 of 13sp.) Ypsolopha sequella 1 Acleris sparsana 1 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 4 Emmelina monodactyla 1 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 2 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 3 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 3 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 1 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1 Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) 1 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 1 [First for year] Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 1 Frosted Orange (Gortyna flavago) 1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) 1 Pink-barred Sallow 19th Total catch 25 of 14sp. (125W MV 15 of 9sp., 80W actinic 10 of 9sp.) Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 8 Acleris sparsana 1 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 2 Emmelina monodactyla 1 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 1 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 2 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 2 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 2 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1 Black Rustic (Aporophyla nigra) 1 [First for year] Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 1 Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis) 1 Common Wainscot - often more of the darker reddish/brown individuals in autumn Black Rustic