What a Ride

On Saturday night I headed out with a couple of light traps, something of a rarity in recent years for all the obvious reasons (cancer / chemo / surgeries / covid restrictions ....). Checking back, I managed four nights out in 2019, none in 2020, two in 2021 and just the one last year. Most pertinently, only two of these were nights out on my own setting up and recording and they were in 2019. I am absolutely going to be out a bit more this year.

Aside from the paucity of nights out around a light, it has just occurred to me that in all that time my current car has been the most under-utilised vehicle I've ever had. Weeks parked up whilst I was unable to drive, long periods off road during lock-downs, and we've not been up and down to Devon with any regularity either. Coincidentally: it very much looks like the this outing will be the last mothing effort in this car anyway, as I'm expecting a changeover in the next week or so (though dealership delays may scupper that), and the last mothing trip I made in the previous car was to the same site - Fox Covert at Ulverscroft.

My next car will not be mistaken for an Uber everywhere I go.

Even more under-utilised than the car, good to know it still runs.

I ran a 125W MV over a sheet ....

.... and a couple of 125W MV traps along the main track.

I really wasn't expecting a lot, as garden catches have continued to be poor and anecdotally the mothing up and down the country has been relatively poor. There really does seem to have been a major entomological crash, perhaps more due to the prolonged drought and searingly hot period last summer. Time will tell if anything picks up or recovers. So it was no surprise really that things were a bit slow, at least for the first hour. I ended up with a pretty respectable total of 174 of 50sp. running the lights from dusk until 00:30. Most pleasingly though I saw quite a few species that I haven't seen for a long while, and some that are either rare or have never turned up in my garden.

I had the TG-6 to hand, which meant I was able to snap quite a lot on the sheet rather than bringing stuff home. Very serviceable snaps, albeit not the most aesthetically pleasing background! I did take a few micros to check. So in no particular order, here's a load of moth photos from the night ....

Green Silver-lines

White-pinion Spotted

Barred Hook-tip

Scalloped Hook-tip

Grass Rivulet

Marbled Brown

Brown Silver-line

Orange Footman

Coxcomb Prominent

Scorched Wing

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Dwarf Pug

Swammerdamia caesiella [probably, pending dissection]

Capua vulgana

Eulia ministrana

Epinotia tetraquetrana

Epinotia tetraquetrana

Argyresthia conjugella

Argyresthia conjugella f. maculosa

There were numerous Netelia/Ophion type Ichneumons on the sheet, a number of Melanotus sp. click beetles, but by far the most numerous thing were Cockchafers. Loads of them. Initially, the first ten or so were unceremoniously chucked away, only to come bumbling back like six-legged boomerangs. I then started collecting them in the plastic tub that the light bulb goes in, more successful but I can assure you that two hours or so of writhing incarcerated Cockchafers stinks.

There were at least 80 or so spread across the lights. I rarely get these at home - thankfully - and had forgotten how much I loathe these getting in the way. I thought I'd done a great job of containing them and then getting shot of them all. However, much to my surprise given that I cleared out the gear yesterday and used the car, today there was one sitting on the parcel shelf. How the hell it avoided setting off the alarm for two nights I'll never know. It prompted a further check, during which I found a much less offensive weevil which I can only assume came home on Saturday as well ....

Bumbling hairy twat Cockchafer

Strophosoma melanogrammum

The outing yesterday was to go and watch LCFC win majestically whilst being relegated. Wow, it's been a ridiculous few seasons that we could never have imagined possible, and which makes this drop even tougher than any we've suffered previously. We played shite all season, were badly managed and the Club made decisions too late. Totally avoidable. Back to a 46-game season in the toughest league to get out of. If we don't bounce straight back up (and I'm not sure we will) I suspect a long period of frustrating play offs. Still, we won more in our short stint than some other clubs (Spurs, Everton ....).

All your hopes and dreams, all you need to know, joy ride ....

I was happy with two Nuts, then I got a nice Pussy .....

Don't know what you were thinking about, I meant these ...

I ran a couple of traps at the in-laws North Devon garden over the weekend - with some excellent results. Apart from the two above, I also picked up a completely unexpected Great Prominent - one I've only ever seen in excellent mature woodland before.

The garden is pretty big, in a rural valley. A stream runs through, and there is a decent sized wood not to far from the garden. Also plenty of mature trees in and around the garden. I ran two 125W MV traps - one positioned by the wood shed and one at the top of the garden on the other side of the stream next to a compost pile. I avoided running a trap by the Badger latrine under some conifers .....

Considering how infrequently I have trapped here over the years, and given that most trapping is around the same time of year, the garden list is up to an amazingly respectable 245 species now, with 8 added on these two nights (marked FFG and in bold yellow). The two nights trapping also provided 17 yearticks, including one or two that do not currently occur in VC55.

23/04/2011
94 of 22sp.
0436 Pseudoswammerdamia combinella 1 (FFG)
0986 Syndemis musculana 1 (FFG)
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 8 (NFY)
1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 1
1750 Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata) 2 (NFY)
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 2 (NFY)
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 1
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 5
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 1
1927 Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) 1
1957 White-pinion Spotted (Lomographa bimaculata) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
1995 Puss Moth (Cerura vinula) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 1
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 4 (NFY)
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 26
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 8
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 6
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 5
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 26
2425 Nut-tree Tussock (Colocasia coryli) 1 (NFY)
2450 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) 1 (NFY)

24/04/2011
130 of 30sp.
0436 Pseudoswammerdamia combinella 1
0608 Elachista rufocinerea 1 (FFG)
0672 Parsnip Moth (Depressaria heraclei) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 6
1746 Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) 2
1750 Water Carpet (Lampropteryx suffumata) 1
1759 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 4
1776 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) 1 (NFY)
1834 Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) 1
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 1
1881 Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata) 1 (NFY)
1888 Scorched Carpet (Ligdia adustata) 1 (NFY)
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 8
1917 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria) 2
1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) 1 (NFY)
1927 Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) 5
2003 Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) 3
2005 Great Prominent (Peridea anceps) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
2007 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 1 (FFG) (NFY)
2028 Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 1
2060 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 6
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 10
2102 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) 5
2173 Lychnis (Hadena bicruris) 2 (NFY)
2186 Powdered Quaker (Orthosia gracilis) 5
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 9
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 5
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 43
2425 Nut-tree Tussock (Colocasia coryli) 1
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1 (NFY)

Both night also brought around 10 Cockchafers - one which is still firmly on my mothing villains list ..

Aside from the excellent garden mothing, we had a great time down in Devon with some absolutely glorious hot sunshine and associated sunburn. I'll post a few photos separately when I get them sorted. But as a taster (click for big)..

We had a great day on Woolacombe beach

Superb scenery around the Valley of the Rocks near to Lynmouth

Narborough Bog - 09/05/2008

After a very early start and a long day working in Kent yesterday, I got home just before seven feeling in need of fresh air and recreation. I decided with only a couple of hours before dusk to drag the mothing gear out of the shed, service the gennie and get over to my nearest local reserve, Narborough Bog. However, as I was completely knackered I intended to just leave the gear overnight.

The gennie is a cheapo 2-stroke that I've had for 5 years or so now. For the money (c£70 at the time but they've gone for c£40 since) this gennie is second to none. It's loud, heavy and smelly when it starts but you can chain it up and leave it overnight without worrying about risk. It has been in the shed since National Moth Night 2007 (August) as I either couldn't be arsed to go out mothing or the weather was too crap in the intervening months. A quick spark plug clean (no oily shit I'm pleased to say) and an air filter check and time to fire up. Not quite first pull, but only 3 more and it was running - superb, another season in it yet.

I had already sorted the traps out with new bulbs and various vane repairs before storing for the winter, so I thought they would be okay. Everything piled into the boot and I was at Narborough bog in time to get the traps and gennie set-up.

The only target as such was Early Tooth-striped. This is a favourite of mine, but I knew it may be too late in the season as I normally trap here in mid April. Otherwise, I was just keen to prove the gear and see what turned up.

I chained the gennie up on the footbridge, with the traps positioned c100M into the damp woodland, c5M from the bridge and c50M along the track running past the allotments. No point in targeting the reedbed at this time of year. All of the traps had a white(ish) sheet underneath - helps to make finding moths around the trap easier in the morning.


Gennie security

Trap & sheet in the dark damp wood.

I fired up at 20:55, waited a few minutes and then left it to fate. At 06:00 this morning, I arrived back to find the gennie still running and all traps still on. Only annoyance was that some shambolic fuckwit had decided to trample on one of the sheets, move the trap and dispose of a cigarette into the box. What a cunt on casters. And also what a fucking lame attempt at vandalism - they could've hoyed the trap into the reedbed or at least unplugged everything. It was still running and still had moths in (although some were dead from passive smoking).

What the fuck?

Not the usual trap detritus.

I'd already let John know I would be trapping and he joined me just in time to start going through them. Not a bad catch in total, with 82 of 44sp. The absolute highlight was 2 Chocolate-tips - I think a site first record (which considering the amount of work done here is some feat). There was also a single Early Tooth-striped. Overall, the best moths were:

Phyllonorycter salictella viminiella 1
Elachista apicipunctella 1
Acleris hastiana 2
Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 1
May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata) 3
Early Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx carpinata) 1
White-pinion Spotted (Lomographa bimaculata) 2
Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 2
Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) 1
Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) 3
Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 2
Chocolate-tip (Clostera curtula) 2
Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) 1
Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) 1
Poplar Grey (Acronicta megacephala) 1
Knot Grass (Acronicta rumicis) 4

A full list can be downloaded from here if you are registered on the VC55 Moths Yahoo Group.

As ever (except when blogger fucks up), all of the following photos are clickable for larger size viewing.


Chocolate-tip - these tend to flap themselves stupid once disturbed, and this on the egg-tray shot was the best I managed.


Early Tooth-striped


White-pinion Spotted


Small Phoenix


Pebble Prominent


Knot Grass


Red-green Carpet