Xexan the Younger

Driving home from work this evening, in snow and sleet, it hardly feels like spring is going to be sprung any time soon. The moth trap has resolutely stayed in the shed, the garden is still sodden to the point that traversing it is precarious, and the floodplains around the Rivers Soar and Sence either side of the road near the roundabout at Jubilee Park have been perpetually flooded for a fair while now. The latter I ought to try and get some photos of as some Agency or other have started work there - it almost looks like they were trying to create some sort of channel or culvert to take up some of the excess but their works and base are, ironically, flooded.

Back on the 13th when sieving grasses at Huncote Embankment, I found a couple of early-instar noctiud larvae. I've retained them to try and rear through, and so far one has doubled in size whilst one has stayed about the same. I think they are both the same species, and I think they are Square-spot Rustic. The large one, which is more distincly marked, has some odd-looking damage to the rear end. I would not be surprised if both turned into bundles of parasitic cocoons but we'll see.

Square-spot Rustic = Xestia xanthographa - or 'xexan' as I enter it into MapMate for expediency.

I've been listening to a lot of Yes just lately. Yes, that's right - Yes. They were my Dad's favourite band and I think it must have seeped in; he's not here playing it loudly so I've felt the urge to do so.

Bits from the Bog

Yesterday I nipped back over to Narborough Bog for a couple of hours in the morning before heading to the LCFC game in the afternoon. Armed with a bit more info, I was intent on properly sorting out the Phyllocnistis saligna mines and I think I was successful, but I'll save that for another day.

Whilst there I pointed the camera at a few bits, but with variable cloud cover and brief sunny spells, coupled with intense wind, it was all a bit hit and miss. Luckily I managed a hit with what has turned out to be a new sawfly for me ...

Athalia rosae

I also found some funky small beetles on umbelifers, that I have seen before but not in Leics. ...

Anthocomus rufus

And the docks were busy with both adults and nymphs of the aptly named bug ...

Dock Bug

Whilst looking for leafmines, I had another look for Bedelia somnulentella and found quite a few more mines than on Wednesday, but better than that I found a couple of adults loitering around on the underside of bindweed leaves.

Bedelia somnulentella

The garden moth trap was out last night for the first time in over a week, and the catch was fairly brown and grey. Not much excitement or colour at this time of year, though it will pick up again in a week or two.

Square-spot Rustic

Vine's Rustic

Small Square-spot

Flame Shoulder

Pale Eggar

Atishoo

Ran the garden traps last night, against my better judgement considering the conditions, but all turned out okay with a nice fresh one of these ...

Tissue

Otherwise, nothing beyond the ordinary and relatively low numbers.

Total catch 80 of 34sp.
(125W MV 30 of 21, 22W/18W Synergetic/CFL combo 50 of 22)

First for year in garden:
1790 Tissue (Triphosa dubitata) 1
2133 Six-striped Rustic (Xestia sexstrigata) 1

The rest:
0015 Orange Swift (Hepialus sylvina) 3
0420 Cherry Fruit Moth (Argyresthia pruniella) 1
0647 Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) 2
0658 Carcina quercana 2
0819 Scrobipalpa costella 1
0868 Helcystogramma rufescens 1
0873 Blastobasis adustella 2
1036 Acleris forsskaleana 1
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 1
1076 Celypha lacunana 1
1138 Epinotia nisella 2
1294 Crambus pascuella 1
1304 Agriphila straminella 11
1313 Catoptria pinella 2
1424 Endotricha flammealis 1
1439 Trachycera advenella 2
1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 2
1838 Tawny Speckled Pug (Eupithecia icterata subfulvata) 1
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 6
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 1
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 1
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 8
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 3
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 2
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 3
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 11
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 1
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1

Six-striped Rustic

Square-spot Rustics - expecting these very outing for the next few weeks now. These go down in the notebook as XEXAN - much easier to type into the database for speed.

The only other thing to mention is that the Phyllonorycter kleemannella from 01/08 is indeed a first for VC55. Sadly it croaked before I got a decent shot, but here it is on the other side of life.

8mm wing-span

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 Sugar Shots, 21/08/2009

Gave the sugaring a miss yesterday, but tonight I've tried again despite the conditions (clear and cool). Final tally is 10 individuals of 8 species: 2 Square-spot Rustic 2 Brimstone Moth 1 Old Lady 1 Silver Y 1 Svensson's Copper Underwing 1 Willow Beauty 1 Large Yellow Underwing 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Can't fathom why, but using the same camera, torch and settings as on previous nights every shot is too burnt out - almost like the flash unit is working more powerfully! Ended up taking shots by torch light alone which was not ideal but you get the gist. Square-spot Rustic Brimstone Moth Willow Beauty No Gold Spots at the sugar though I can see a few in the actinic trap at least. The 80W Actinic The 125W MV