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2008:
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Saturday 31 May 2008

Weather: Mild, partly cloudy, light wind.

Day 313… Back from Dorset and curious to see what our, by now, terribly overgrown garden might have attracted but there was not much to write home about here, quite a few moths and a couple of firsts for the year, most irritatingly a Cinnabar which managed to escape my clutches before being photographed so we still don’t have a picture of this species. The other new for the year was the Middle-barred Minor, the one minor that can be reliably identified. We were a bit late out to the trap this morning too, which probably explains the almost total lack of "micros" that we found. The catch was as follows:

Oecophoridae

• 1 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella Stain.

Geometridae

• 2 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 1 Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata Haw.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Arctiidae

• 2 White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda Linn.
• 1 Cinnabar Tyria jacobaeae Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Heart and Dart Agrotis exclamationis Linn.
• 2 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 2 Small Square-spot Diarsia rubi View.
• 1 Middle-barred Minor Oligia fasciuncula Haw.
• 2 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica Hufn.
• 2 Rustic Hoplodrina blanda D. & S.
• 4 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.

Saturday 24 - Friday 30 May 2008: Dorset

On holiday in Dorset. I took the trap but have put the results on a separate page - here, mainly because there’s some photos of butterflies and caterpillars that we took while out and about and keeping it apart seems more appropriate. All the catches are in the database though.

Friday 23 May 2008

Weather: Mild, mostly overcast, a little light rain, very light wind.

Day 307… Almost perfect conditions have brought proceedings firmly back to how they should be. Lots of new species for the year, most notably Chocolate-tip and Poplar Hawkmoth but nothing entirely new.

Oh, and I should mention that the nettle patch at the bottom of the garden has been populated by a number of Common Nettle-tap, Lucas and I counted at least five yesterday afternoon, see the photo below. The catch was as follows:

Choreutidae

• 5 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana Linn.

Tortricidae

• 1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana D. & S.
• 1 Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana Retzius
• 1 Olethreutinae Sp. (?)

Pyralidae

• 1 Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus Zinc.

Geometridae

• 2 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 1 Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata Haw.

Sphingidae

• 1 Poplar Hawkmoth Laothoe populi Linn.

Notodontidae

• 1 Chocolate-tip Clostera curtula Linn.

Lymantriidae

• 2 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda Linn.

Noctuidae

• 3 Heart and Dart Agrotis exclamationis Linn.
• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 2 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Broom Moth Ceramica pisi Linn.
• 1 Shoulder-striped Wainscot Mythimna comma Linn.
• 1 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 2 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.

Common Nettle-tap Chocolate-tip

Broom Moth Shoulder-striped Wainscot

Thursday 22 May 2008

Weather: Mild, clear, very light wind.

Day 306… Somewhat milder last night and consequently a few more moths pitched up, nothing too spactacular but there was the first Pale Mottled Willow of the year. I’m having more luck in the garden during the daytime at the moment. Lots of Small Purple and Gold can be seen buzzing around and I also came across a Sharp-angled Carpet yesterday afternoon.

I’m not sure about how to record these sightings, as the database is supposed to be a record of catches in the trap, what I intend doing at some point in the future is to highlight those species or individuals that I’ve seen during the daytime in some way. In the meantime I'll put them in the database but not show them in the daily lists below. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch

Noctuidae

• 1 Heart and Dart Agrotis exclamationis Linn.
• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 2 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Dark/Grey Dagger Acronicta tridens/psi D. & S./Linn.
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.

Small Purple and Gold Sharp-angled Carpet

Wednesday 21 May 2008

Weather: Cool, clear, very light wind.

Day 305… Another staggeringly hopeless night was offset somewhat by the little beastie that Lucas and I tracked down in the garden yesterday evening, we saw it flying around , wondered what it was (even more so when it alighted on a tree trunk and we got a better look at it), then Loobi carried on following it while I rushed in and got the camera. The mad rushing around proved to be entirely successful, allowing us to add a new species to the list, the memorably named Brassy Twist, I think it’s fair to say that name will stick in my mind more than Eulia ministrana anyway. The catch was as follows:

Tortricidae

• 1 Brassy Twist Eulia ministrana Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Heart and Dart Agrotis exclamationis Linn.

Brassy Twist

Tuesday 20 May 2008

Weather: Cool, clear, very light wind.

Day 304… Well, I’d say that last night’s catch fell just a little short of spectacular… The catch was as follows:

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.

Monday 19 May 2008

Weather: Cool, clear, breezy.

Day 303… The moth trapping equivalent of a slap in the face with a wet halibut, all the variety of recent nights has suddenly evaporated. The outlook for the next few days doesn't look that great either. The catch was as follows:

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.

Sunday 18 May 2008

Weather: Cool, showery rain at first, clearing later, breezy.

Day 302… Bit too cool to be really ideal and maybe a bit too wet as well. Still the night produced a small but interesting catch which, excepting the Shuttle-shaped Dart and Flame Shoulder contingent, bore very little resemblance to previous catches which, very much, seems to be theme for this month. Our first Sharp-angled Carpet (of which I still failed to get a decent photo) and Flame Carpet of the year and our first ever Pebble Hook-tip. The catch was as follows:

Drepanidae

• 1 Pebble Hook-tip Drepana falcataria Linn.

Geometridae

• 1 Flame Carpet Xanthorhoe designata Hufn.
• 1 Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata Haw.

Noctuidae

• 5 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 6 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Dark/Grey Dagger Acronicta tridens/psi D. & S./Linn.

Pebble Hook-tip Flame Carpet

Thursday 17 May 2008

Another night where the predicted heavy rain didn’t show up. Hugely irritating as it would probably have been a good night, the conditions were just about spot on if, maybe a little on the cool side.

Friday 16 May 2008

Weather: Mild, overcast, breezy.

Day 301… The fab weather that we’ve been enjoying for the past week or so has finally broken and normal service has been resumed. Nevertheless it wasn’t a bad night with a slightly more than half decent selection of moths pitching up. One new species, a Broken-barred Carpet and a selection of firsts for the year: a wonderfully easy to identify (for a Pug) Foxglove Pug, a (not quite so obvious) May Highflyer, a White Ermine, a Heart and Dart and finally, with the time of the Orthosias now seemingly over, we’ve now entered the age of Hoplodrinas with the first Vine’s Rustic of the year. The catch was as follows:

Yponomeutidae

• 1 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella Curt.

Tortricidae

• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Geometridae

• 2 Small Phoenix Ecliptopera silaceata D. & S.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Broken-barred Carpet Electrophaes corylata Thunb.
• 1 May Highflyer Hydriomena impluviata D. & S.
• 1 Foxglove Pug Eupithecia pulchellata Steph.

Arctiidae

• 1 White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Heart and Dart Agrotis exclamationis Linn.
• 4 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 7 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.

Broken-barred Carpet May Highflyer

Foxglove Pug Heart and Dart

Vine’s Rustic

Thursday 15 May 2008

The weather forecasters predicted heavy rain which didn’t really materialise but I was dumb enough to believe them.

Wednesday 14 May 2008

Weather: Mild, mostly clear, windy.

Day 300… Loobi’s birthday and our 300th day too, what a coincidence! I wasn’t expecting too much from last night’s catch and as it happened I was right. We did get a couple more firsts for the year: a Codling Moth and a Cabbage Moth (this one shouldn’t technically be included in the catch as it was captured after having woken Phoebe up with its crashing and banging in her bedroom last night). There was also a fine, fresh Bright-line Brown-eye which if you ignore the ridiculously early one back in February was a sort of first. We also caught what I believe might be another Olethreutinae Sp. of some sort (the Codling Moth being the other), any more than that I haven't been able to establish. The catch was as follows:

Tortricidae

• 1 Codling Moth Cydia pomonella Linn.
• 1 Olethreutinae Sp. (?)

Geometridae

• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 2 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch

Noctuidae

• 4 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 4 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae Linn.
• 1 Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea Linn.

Olethreutinae Sp.?

Tuesday 13 May 2008

Weather: Mild, mostly clear, breezy.

Day 299… I wasn’t expecting too much from last night, the night felt cooler and fresher and a fairly strong breeze blew throughout. Nevertheless, the catch was as good and as varied as we’ve had in recent nights. There were two firsts for the year, a Common Wave and a Small Square-spot, the former was terribly tatty, looking like it had been in a fight with something. We had a Streamer again too, this one was entirely in shades of brown, all its purple coloration having faded, and lastly, we had our first Scalloped Hazel, a moth I was surprised not to see last year.

On Sunday (11 May) we caught a Pug which I didn’t list, having failed to identify it, but after consulting with Professor B. it has been identified as probably a Freyer’s Pug. On the basis of that identification, I feel fairly confident in saying that we had another today. The catch was as follows:

Tortricidae

• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Geometridae

• 1 The Streamer Anticlea derivata D. & S.
• 2 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 1 Freyer’s Pug Eupithecia intricata Zetter.
• 2 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata Haw.
• 1 White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria H-S.
• 1 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.
• 1 Scalloped Hazel Odontopera bidentata Cl.
• 1 Common Wave Cabera exanthemata Scop.

Notodontidae

• 1 Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarius Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 6 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Small Square-spot Diarsia rubi View.
• 1 Powdered Quaker Orthosia gracilis D. & S.
• 1 Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta Hufn.
• 3 Early Grey Xylocampa areola Esp.
• 1 Nut-tree Tussock Colocasia coryli Linn.

Scalloped Hazel

Monday 12 May 2008

Weather: Warm, clear, very light breeze.

Day 298… More of the same really, we did get only our second Yellow-barred Brindle though (the last one being back in October ’07), and this time I managed to get a photograph I’m pleased to be able to say. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Grey Pine Carpet Thera obeliscata Hb.
• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 2 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata Haw.
• 1 White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria H-S.
• 1 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 1 Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata Hb.
• 4 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Notodontidae

• 1 Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarius Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 6 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta Hufn.
• 2 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica Linn.
• 1 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Linn.

Yellow-barred Brindle

Sunday 11 May 2008

Weather: Warm, clear, very light breeze.

Day 297… Yet another warm and humid night and another reasonable selection of moths. No new species to report but we did get two Small Phoenix, which were firsts for the year. The catch was as follows:

Tortricidae

• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Geometridae

• 2 Small Phoenix Ecliptopera silaceata D. & S.
• 1 Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata Hufn.
• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 1 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata Haw.
• 1 White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria H-S.
• 1 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 4 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Notodontidae

• 1 Pebble Prominent Eligmodonta ziczac Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 6 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Knot Grass Acronicta rumicis Linn.
• 1 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Linn.

Saturday 10 May 2008

Weather: Warm, clear, very light breeze.

Day 296… Although the weather conditions stay more or less the same the catches never seem to and last night was no exception. Only one new species to report, a Bird’s Nest Moth (well, at least I think it is - I can’t find anything similar, but it does appear to have one spot too few). The catch was as follows:

Tineidae

• 1 Bird’s Nest Moth Tinea trinotella Thun.

Geometridae

• 1 Red Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe spadicearia D. & S.
• 3 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata Haw.
• 1 White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria H-S.
• 4 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 1 Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata D. & S.
• 3 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 4 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 2 Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi D. & S.
• 1 Clouded Drab Orthosia incerta Hufn.
• 3 Early Grey Xylocampa areola Esp.
• 3 Knot Grass Acronicta rumicis Linn.
• 1 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Linn.
• 2 Nut-tree Tussock Colocasia coryli Linn.

Bird’s Nest Moth

Friday 09 May 2008

Weather: Warm, thin cloud, still.

Day 295… Another warm night that brought in a good selection of species but again, not many moths, this time it was nineteen species and twenty seven individuals. Stranger still, only five species from yesterday reappeared today and over the past three days the total number of species stands at thirty two.

Some more firsts for the year again too, including a V-Pug, which this time I managed to get a shot of (unlike before). We also had only our second Waved Umber. The only entirely new species were a (and I’m really sticking my neck out here) Feathered Bright - if it is it has to be a female as the males have feathered (thus the name) antennae and an as yet unidentified little beastie - I’m not even sure I know where to start looking either… any suggestions anyone? The catch was as follows:

Incurvariidae

• 1 Feathered Bright Incurvaria masculella D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 2 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Geometridae

• 1 Maiden’s Blush Cyclophora punctaria Linn.
• 1 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata Linn.
• 1 White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria H-S.
• 4 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 1 V-Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata Haw.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.
• 1 Waved Umber Menophra abruptaria Thunb.

Notodontidae

• 1 Lesser Swallow Prominent Pheosia gnoma Fabr.
• 1 Lunar Marbled Brown Drymonia ruficornis Hufn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 2 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Lead-coloured Drab Orthosia populeti Fabr.
• 3 Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi D. & S.
• 1 Dark/Grey Dagger Acronicta tridens/psi D. & S./Linn.
• 1 Knot Grass Acronicta rumicis Linn.
• 1 Nut-tree Tussock Colocasia coryli Linn.

Not a clue… Feathered Bright

V-Pug

Thursday 08 May 2008

Weather: Warm, clear, light wind.

Day 294… …and still more of this fabulous weather. Not many moths again, twenty three, fourteen species. Today’s highlight was an Alder Kitten, seemingly the least common of the Kittens, and certainly the easiest to identify. That’s the full set of Kittens complete too. Besides moths, the trap was swarming with life this morning, mayflies, various parasitic wasps, the first Cockchafer of the year, other beetles and literally hundreds of little black flies of some sort. The catch was as follows:

Tortricidae

• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Pterophoridae

• 1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla Linn.

Geometridae

• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 2 White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria H-S.
• 6 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 1 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata Haw.
• 2 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Notodontidae

• 1 Alder Kitten Furcula bicuspis Borkh.
• 1 Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarius Linn.
• 1 Pebble Prominent Eligmodonta ziczac Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 2 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica Linn.
• 1 Nut-tree Tussock Colocasia coryli Linn.

Alder Kitten

Wednesday 07 May 2008

Weather: Warm, clear, light wind.

Day 293… The very warm and settled weather continues by day and night. Even though there was a good variety of moths in the trap the actual numbers remain low, eleven species but only twenty individuals (and that includes seven Plain Gold). Two highlights though, the first Hawkmoth of the year, a Lime Hawkmoth and a Small White Wave which took me an age to identify as it’s not included amongst most of the other "Waves" taxonomically, even though at first (and more careful second) glance it looks like it should be - I got there in the end though! The catch was as follows:

Micropterigidae

• 7 Plain Gold Micropterix calthella Linn.

Yponomeutidae

• 1 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella Curt.

Geometridae

• 3 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 1 Small White Wave Asthena albulata Hufn.

Sphingidae

• 1 Lime Hawkmoth Mimas tiliae Linn.

Arctiidae

• 1 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica Cl.

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Lead-coloured Drab Orthosia populeti Fabr.
• 1 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica Linn.
• 1 Early Grey Xylocampa areola Esp.

Small White Wave Lime Hawkmoth

Tuesday 06 May 2008

Weather: Warm, mainly clear, light wind.

Day 292… Slightly cooler than last night but warm nevertheless as the fabulous daytime weather continues. Another good night’s catch which I managed to get out to a little earlier this morning. Nothing new but some firsts for the year, a Green Carpet and two White-spotted Pug, I also managed to get a half decent shot of a Diamond-back Moth though I think I'm going to have to invest in some better macro equipment to get really good shots of the very tiny ones. The catch was as follows:

Micropterigidae

• 2 Plain Gold Micropterix calthella Linn.

Yponomeutidae

• 1 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella Curt.

Tortricidae

• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Pterophoridae

• 1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla Linn.

Geometridae

• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 2 White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria H-S.
• 3 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi D. & S.
• 5 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica Linn.
• 3 Early Grey Xylocampa areola Esp.
• 1 The Chestnut Conistra vaccinii Linn.
• 1 Nut-tree Tussock Colocasia coryli Linn.

Diamond-back Moth White-spotted Pug

Monday 05 May 2008

Weather: Very warm, partial cloud, light wind.

Day 291… There is a lesson to be learnt here and that is: "don’t leave it too late to examine the trap in warm weather" - I didn’t look in the trap until gone 08:00 by which time the temperature felt like it was already nudging 20 °C, the moment I approached two or three interesting looking moths took flight and a tortricid that was sitting on one of the covers scarpered before I could get it in a pot. What remained was still a reasonable selection, including what I think might be a Leek Moth, it seems to make sense as we have large numbers of both culinary and ornamental Allium growing in the garden, so not all was lost. Strangely no Emperors emerged today. The catch was as follows:

Micropterigidae

• 6 Plain Gold Micropterix calthella Linn.

Yponomeutidae

• 1 Leek Moth Acrolepiopsis assectella Zell.

Pyralidae

• 1 Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis Treit.

Pterophoridae

• 3 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla Linn.

Geometridae

• 3 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 5 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Notodontidae

• 2 Lunar Marbled Brown Drymonia ruficornis Hufn.

Arctiidae

• 1 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica Cl.

Noctuidae

• 2 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 3 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica Linn.
• 1 Early Grey Xylocampa areola Esp.
• 1 The Chestnut Conistra vaccinii Linn.
• 1 Nut-tree Tussock Colocasia coryli Linn.

Leek Moth

Sunday 04 May 2008

Weather: Warm, partial cloud, light wind.

Day 290… The improvement continues, I could tell that things were going to be busier when I was looking to see what was around the trap yesterday evening. I was hugely irritated though, by my inability to "pot" a carpet of some description that had settled on the outside of the trap itself, just as I was about to snaffle it, the torch slipped and so did I and it flew off into the undergrowth. I was fantastically chuffed when Jo flushed it out again this afternoon and it settled on a nearby nettle for me to photograph and identify as a Scorched Carpet. The other new species (which stayed in the trap) was a White-shouldered House-moth, a reasonably distinctive little job. Two firsts for the year as well, a Flame Shoulder and a Nut-tree Tussock.

The day was capped though, by the first emergence of last year’s Emperor Moths, 368 days after the eggs were laid in the trap. We had 7, one female and 6 males in the first showing. The female managed to avoid the initial attentions of the newly emerged males and when she was ready I placed here in some undergrowth at the bottom of the garden. Some time later we started to be "buzzed" by a male (probably one of the ones to have emerged at the same time I’d have thought) which circled the female getting progressively closer until after what must have been an hour finally managed to find her, superb to watch but at times incredibly frustrating, he must have actually brushed her with his wings four or five times before finally pin-pointing her.

The catch was as follows:

Micropterigidae

• 1 Plain Gold Micropterix calthella Linn.

Oecophoridae

• 1 White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella Linn.

Pterophoridae

• 1 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla Linn.

Geometridae

• 2 Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata Steph.
• 1 Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata D. & S.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Arctiidae

• 1 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica Cl.

Noctuidae

• 1 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 4 Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi D. & S.
• 3 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica Linn.
• 1 Early Grey Xylocampa areola Esp.
• 1 Nut-tree Tussock Colocasia coryli Linn.

White-shouldered House-moth Scorched Carpet

Nut-tree Tussock Emperor Moth and friend

Saturday 03 May 2008

Weather: Mild, partial cloud, light wind.

Day 289… A slight improvement in numbers - four, not exactly Earth-shattering but there was something new at least, an appropriately named Tufted Button, it is the tufts that are diagnostic apparently. The catch was as follows:

Yponomeutidae

• 1 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella Curt.

Tortricidae

• 1 Tufted Button Acleris cristana D. & S.

Arctiidae

• 1 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica Cl.

Noctuidae

• 1 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica Linn.

Tufted Button

Friday 02 May 2008

Weather: Cool, clear, windy.

Day 288… Not hoping for too much after the recent weather. I think it’s going take a little while for things to start picking up. Did get the first Muslin Moth of the year, not bad considering there were only two moths in the trap! The catch was as follows:

Arctiidae

• 1 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica Cl.

Noctuidae

• 1 Early Grey Xylocampa areola Esp.

Muslin Moth

Thursday 01 May 2008

Similar cold wet and windy conditions to those of last night.

2007:
December | November | October | September | August | July | June | May | March & April

2008:
Back to most recent entry. | January | February | March | April | May → Dorset | June | July | August | September | October