Quick and Snappy

I've not got the energy at the minute to think of a neat title or chose a themed track.

I emptied the moth trap this morning to the chirpy repetitiveness of a Chiffchaff on the embankment next to the garden. I wonder if any other early warblers had arrived, so between medical appointments and other tasks I nipped to both Jubilee Park and Everards Meadows for a quick walk through.

Jubilee Park was quiet, no sign of the Oystercatchers and nothing else new in. A quick look at the new 'scrape' gave up nothing but wagtails. Everards Meadows was busy around the car park/cafe area, but as ever it doesn't take much to walk away off the main paths and avoid people. The scrubby cover between the meadows were alive with birdsong, but aside from another couple of Chiffchaffs no other warblers. Not surprised as it's early, but this will be the best chance on my patch of picking up Garden Warbler I reckon.

Who doesn't like a smart Pied Wagtail in spring though? I also found a fallen dead ash tree covered in Cramp Balls. You would be amazed what I found on that. 

Back at home, the garden Snakes-head Fritillaries have pushed through and not far from full flowering, so it can only be a matter of days before the first Scarlet Lily Beetles show up.

The moth trap incidentally was devoid of anything new, but this Red-green Carpet is from Sunday night.

Itchy Cats

Just time for another post before I hit the road heading south to North Devon.

Yesterday afternoon I managed to get out and enjoy some quality solitude over at Huncote Embankment. I had a good walk around the site, heading all the way along the 'plateau' and then down the steep steps at SP5197296354 and back round along a board walk to the pond at SP5174796795. All the way around I was sweeping and beating and filling pots to keep me busy.

Here's a few shots from my walk around.

I managed to beat and sweep a few larvae, including Green-brindled Crescent, Drinker, Acrobasis advenella and Winter moth, plus a couple that I haven't been able to ID yet. However the best larvae were found all over a small hawthorn bush with a big larval web where they'd accumulated for the winter.

Brown-tail

These larvae are notorious for causing itchy rashes and irritations. Brown-tail was first recorded here in VC55 in around 2005, and though there has been an increase in records since then it is still relatively scarce and as far as I know this is the first larval record. These are not in the final instar yet, so I've potted a couple to try and rear.

Sweeping also produced quite a few hemiptera, with the best being a couple of Blue Shieldbugs that I've only seen once before. Also Stenocranus major, Javesella pellucida, Rhopalus subrufus and loads of macropterous European Cinchbugs. Other interesting inverts included Red-girdled Mining Bee and Ashy Mining Bee. Sadly no time to try and photograph all of these, but I had a quick go this morning at a couple.

Red-girdled Mining Bee

Blue Shieldbug

Rhopalus subrufus

When I got to the pond, I stopped to gaze into the shallows and soon noticed a Smooth Newt. As I tried to get the camera sorted it disappeared. I waited patiently for it or another to appear, and then noticed a toad loafing about on the surface next to a support post for the boardwalk I was on. Eventually the newts started showing themselves, though getting photos through even a few inches of water was a bit hit and miss.

Common Toad

Smooth Newt

I'll round off with a couple from the garden moth trap last night.

Swallow Prominent

Red-green Carpet

Semioscopis steinkellneriana

2019 Garden Moth Catchup

The garden traps have been out quite a bit more than I usually manage/bother in the first couple of months of the year, helped by being at home and February weather being generally excellent. Things have dropped off markedly over the last couple of windy wet weeks though. Mostly expected stuff, some a little earlier than usual, with one completely unexpected arrival ....

Rush Veneer - 28/02/2019

This turned up on the back of a pretty strong period of immigration into the UK, though far from the excitement that Crimson Speckled must have brought to a couple of recorders up and down the country. This is the earliest arrival on record for VC55.

So far the yearlist is up to 17 species, +4 in the larval stage and 2 leaf-mines. Here's all the macros:

Oak Beauty - 19/02/2019

Good to see this is now annual here.

Dotted Border - 14/02/2019

This has had a remarkably good year here.

Early Moth - 03/01/2019

15 of these to an outdoor light fitting with a 12W blacklight LED bulb up to mid-Feb.

Pale Brindled Beauty - 15/02/2019

March Moth - 12/02/2019

Red-green Carpet - 19/02/2019

Chestnut - 22/02/2019

Common Quaker - 17/02/2019

Clouded Drab - 22/02/2019

Satellite - 17/02/2019

Satellite - 16/02/2019

Dark Chestnut - 01/03/2019

Hebrew Character - 27/02/2019

Twin-spotted Quaker - 01/03/2019

End of Season

The moth trap is still going out occasionally, and there are still a few species that could/should appear, but we are definitely heading fast towards the end of season. I always reckon that when I start seeing Juniper Carpet there is not much garden mothing left to do - and I reckon that will appear any time soon. I'll keep on going though, apart from next week when I'll be lapping up late season sun in Zante.

Here's a couple from the end of September ....

Common Marbled Carpet

Swallow-tailed Moth

This is the first second-brood individual for the garden since 2011.

And three from last night ...

Red-green Carpet

Green-brindled Crescent

November Moth agg.

All the garden individuals I've ever had detted have been November Moth, and there is nothing about this one to make me feel inclined to get it checked out. November Moth = fat lady warming up vocal chords.

Garden Mothing

I've had both garden traps out every night this week so far - but no great catches, all a bit slow compared to Devon last week. Highlights were these .....

Acleris cristana

Red-green Carpet

Brindled Beauty

Least Black Arches

I also found this larva near my MV trap on Wednesday evening. It looked vaguely familiar, but I just bunged it in a tub with some weeds and grass to check it out later.

Usually any moth larvae I find in the garden are either generalists that I can rear on pretty much anything, or I find them on a particular plant anyway and use that to rear. This one though was not touching anything. I checked it in Porter this evening and remembered what it is, one that I have seen before but a new breeding record for the garden - Centre-barred Sallow. It must have fallen or got blown out of the ash tree in my garden as it should be feeding on the buds at the moment. I've released it back on to the tree to fend for itself.

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: