Autumnal

No, I've not given up already! I have had a couple of busy weeks at work though, and the weather has been generally crappy so not been able to do a lot to post about. I've been out today looking at/for fungi so I'll post about those sometime soon, and the garden traps have been back out a few nights recently, bringing in more autumnal moths. Like these.

Pink-barred Sallow

Beaded Chestnut

Barred Sallow

Lunar Underwing

Lunar Underwing

Frosted Orange

Burnished Brass

From the garden trap 21/09/2011

Another rare outing for the garden traps so far this September. The conditions were mild but blustery, so I had low expectations and was therefore not too disappointed with the relatively low catch. Two more new for the year species bring the garden total up to 370 species (with an additional 6 pending confirmation once inspected under the microscope). Not too many dead-certs left for the year, so it's looking very likely to be a few less than last year's record total of 390 but still well above the average for the preceding years (c324).

Total catch 28 of 13sp.
(125W MV 10 of 6, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 18 of 10)

0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 3
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 10
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 1
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 2 (NFY)
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 2 (NFY)
2274 Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 3
2364 Frosted Orange (Gortyna flavago) 1
2389 Pale Mottled Willow (Paradrina clavipalpis) 1

Pink-barred Sallow

Frosted Orange

Beaded Chestnut

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

Hop-dog +

A few bits from the last few days, starting with this wacky caterpillar that Josh & Alex found on our front garden on Sunday: Pale Tussock I reckon it fell out of the cherry tree on the front, but I'm rearing it on lilac at the moment. Really smart caterpillar this one, in days gone by it used to be very common in hop fields and gained the common name of Hop-dog. Here's a couple of micros I've identified from Dungeness: Celypha cespitana - a new one for me. Feeds on thyme, sea-lavender and other similar herbaceous plants Agonopterix scopariella - another new one for me. Feeds on broom, loads of that at Dungeness Gelechiid pending ID confirmation - jury is out on this one. Possibly Teleiopsis diffinis but will be gen detted to confirm (there were c450 of them across the traps!) The garden traps have been rubbish over the last few days, the only interesting species both turned up last night: Pink-barred Sallow Dark Sword-grass Red sky at night, I'm not bothering with the traps ....

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