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2007:
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Sunday 30 September 2007

Weather: Mild, overcast, light breeze.

Day 157… The weather was probably as good as it’s ever likely to get at this time of year, as warm, if not warmer, than most nights during the past summer. Happily, Loobi and I found that the local moth-life seemed to be of similar mind and turned out in their droves (well, almost). Nothing new to report but there some species that we have not seen for some time, especially The Delicate, the fact that it was so fresh makes me wonder whether this one might be a locally grown one that bred from the ones we saw back at the beginning of July. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 5 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 3 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 2 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.
• 1 Pine Carpet Thera firmata Hb.
• 1 Grey Pine Carpet T. obeliscata Hb.

Arctiidae

• 2 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.

Noctuidae

• 1 Mouse Moth Amphipyra tragopoginis Cl.
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 1 The Snout Hypena proboscidalis Linn.
• 1 The Delicate Mythimna vitellina Hb.
• 2 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 25 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 11 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis Scop.
• 3 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 2 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 4 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Pyralidae

• 1 Scoparia subfusca Haw.

Local Delicate?

Saturday 29 September 2007

Weather: Mild, steady rain, heavy at times, breezy.

Day 156… Probably a little too wet to have been a particularly good night, but still preferable to cold and clear conditions. A moderate selection of moths turned up but nothing new. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 5 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 1 Grey Pine Carpet Thera obeliscata Hb.

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Silver Y Autographa gamma Linn.
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 1 The Snout Hypena proboscidalis Linn.
• 5 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 33 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 20 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 4 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 4 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Friday 28 September 2007

Weather: Cool, mostly clear, light showers early on, still, becoming windy by morning.

Day 155… As I set the trap up yesterday evening the wind had died down, the sky was completely overcast, there was a little very fine drizzle in the air and more importantly it was a lot milder than it’s been of late. Irritatingly, by about 20:00 the sky had cleared and the temperature was beginning to fall... ho-hum. Nevertheless, when Loobi and I examined our catch in the morning we found a better selection than we’ve had on the past couple of nights, including (drum roll and trumpet fanfare) a new species: a Large Ranunculus - if that’s not a bit of a head scratcher on the name front I don’t know what is - after all, what does this moth have in common with buttercups? The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 3 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.

Noctuidae

• 3 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 24 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 16 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Large Ranunculus Polymixis flavicincta D. & S.
• 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis Scop.
• 3 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.
• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Large Ranunculus

Thursday 27 September 2007

Weather: Cold, occasional cloud and showers, very windy.

Day 154… More horrid weather. I’m beginning to get a distinct feeling that things aren’t going to improve very much as the year goes on, the antithesis of those miserable nights in spring when at least you knew better weather and a trap-full of moths was only a matter of days away. I’m still relying on the fact that there’s still a few of the more common autumnal species that we haven’t seen yet - fingers crossed. Loobi and I braved the chill at 06:45 this morning to find yet another sparsely populated trap. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Grey Pine Carpet Thera obeliscata Hb.
• 1 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 15 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 11 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 2 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.

Tortricidae

• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Wednesday 26 September 2007

Weather: Cold, mostly clear, still.

Day 153… Another cold clear night - the bright, near full moon doesn’t help matters much either. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 2 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Grey Pine Carpet Thera obeliscata Hb.

Noctuidae

• 1 Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis Linn.
• 29 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 6 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 4 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.

Tuesday 25 September 2007

Weather: Cool, mostly clear, light breeze.

Day 152… What a difference a bit of cloud cover makes at this time of year. Really not much for us to see in the trap this morning. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 37 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 13 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 7 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 2 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Monday 24 September 2007

Weather: Mild, wet, windy.

Day 151… I dont’t think I would have put the trap out last night if I had paid any attention to the weather forecast, the rain started at about 19:00 and didn’t appear to stop at any point during the night. On the bright side, the moths didn’t seem to mind as Loobi and I found when we examined the very soggy trap in the morning - no new species though. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 2 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Maiden’s Blush Cyclophora punctaria Linn.
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 1 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.
• 1 Grey Pine Carpet Thera obeliscata Hb.

Noctuidae

• 2 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 1 Small Square-spot Diarsia rubi View.
• 1 Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae Linn.
• 1 White-point Mythimna albipuncta D. & S.
• 4 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 59 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 15 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 10 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 2 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.
• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Pyralidae

• 1 Scoparia subfusca Haw.

Sunday 23 September 2007

Weather: Cool, clear early on becoming foggy towards dawn, still.

Day 150… Ah-ha! the sesquicentennial - time to celebrate! Trouble is, I don’t think the moths will be in a particularly celebratory mood when the weather has been like this. Loobi and I found this early morning pessimisim to be entirely justified - definitely two steps back after the past couple of night’s foreward paces. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 2 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 42 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 15 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic Xestia sexstrigata Haw.
• 6 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Saturday 22 September 2007

Weather: Warm, mainly overcast, breezy.

Day 149… A fine mild night, probably well above average temperature for the time of year, the forecast was for 15° C. In the morning we found the trap contained another good selection of moths but the only new species was what I suspect is the gracillariid Caloptilia stigmatella. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 6 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Maiden’s Blush Cyclophora punctaria Linn.
• 2 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.
• 2 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.
• 3 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Turnip Moth A. segetum D. & S.
• 1 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 2 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 1 Frosted Orange Gortyna flavago D. & S.
• 2 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 1 Flounced Rustic Luperina testacea D. & S.
• 1 Smoky Wainscot Mythimna impura Hb.
• 1 Common Wainscot M. pallens Linn.
• 2 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 53 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 12 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 2 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Esp.
• 7 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 2 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 7 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Gracillariidae

• 1 Caloptilia stigmatella Fabr.

Pyralidae

• 1 Scoparia subfusca Haw.

Caloptilia stigmatella

Friday 21 September 2007

Weather: Warm, slightly damp, breezy.

Day 148… The Autumn Equinox - I guess this is the point where the moths gain the upper hand. An even warmer night than the last but still a little too windy to be ideal, good enough for the time of year though. Loobi and I were out in the gloom at about 06:45 again to see what we had caught and gladly, there seemed to be another reasonable selection. Two new species too: a Brindled Green and an Oak Lutestring the latter took me some time to identify having first assumed it to bee an old and tatty spectacle, luckily I took a photo just in case and it wasn’t until I looked at that that I realised it was something new, but I still first assumed it was a noctuid of some sort… I think I got there in the end though. The catch was as follows:

Thyatiridae

• 1 Oak Lutestring Cymatophorima diluta Reiss.

Geometridae

• 7 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Maiden’s Blush Cyclophora punctaria Linn.
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 1 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata Haw.
• 3 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.
• 1 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Small Square-spot Diarsia rubi View.
• 1 Brindled Green Dryobotodes eremita Fabr.
• 1 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens Linn.
• 5 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 52 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 6 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Esp.
• 5 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 8 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Oecophoridae

• 1 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella Stain.

Tortricidae

• 2 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Pyralidae

• 1 Orthopygia glaucinalis Linn.

Oak Lutestring Brindled Green

Thursday 20 September 2007

Weather: Mild, mostly overcast, windy.

Day 147… A vast improvement in conditions, mild almost to the point of being warm but maybe a bit too windy to be perfect. Loobi and I were up (and out) with the lark again and found a reasonably varied selection of moths in the trap. As well as eleven Lesser Yellow Underwings there were eleven Lunar Underwings this morning giving a great opportunity to see the enormous variety of colours they seem to come in - even greater than that of Large Yellow Underwings - everything from a pale beige-grey through various shades of mustard yellow to dark chocolate brown. It would appear that Setaceous Hebrew Characters and Square-spot Rustics have been knocked off silver and bronze places in the commenest moth stakes. We had another new species too: a Orthopygia glaucinalis, an attractive, velvety little pyralid. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 3 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Rosy Rustic Hydraecia micacea Esp.
• 1 Frosted Orange Gortyna flavago D. & S.
• 2 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 1 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens Linn.
• 11 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 39 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 11 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 5 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 2 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 7 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana Scop.
• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Pyralidae

• 2 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella D. & S.
• 1 Orthopygia glaucinalis Linn.

Orthopygia glaucinalis

Wednesday 19 September 2007

Weather: Cold, clear to start, overcast later, light breeze.

Day 146… Slightly less cold than last night, most probably because of the cloud cover. When Loobi and I went to inspect the trap this morning there was a really grim, damp feel in the air. Inside the trap, there really wasn’t much of any interest to be seen, nothing new at any rate. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Rosy Rustic Hydraecia micacea Esp.
• 1 White-point Mythimna albipuncta D. & S.
• 39 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 3 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Esp.
• 1 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 2 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tuesday 18 September 2007

Weather: Cold, clear, windy.

Day 145… Seemingly the worst possible combination of conditions, yet contrary to all expectation, as Loobi and I discovered, there was not only a reasonably descent selection of moths in the trap but two new species too (the first for a week): the first was, appropriately, an Autumnal Rustic, and the other was a White-point. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 2 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 1 Centre-barred Sallow Atethmia centrago Haw.
• 1 Rosy Rustic Hydraecia micacea Esp.
• 1 Common Rustic Mesapamea secalis Linn. (or Poss. Lesser Common Rustic Mesapamea didyma Esp.)
• 1 White-point Mythimna albipuncta D. & S.
• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 56 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 2 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Autumnal Rustic Paradiarsia glareosa Esp.
• 2 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Esp.
• 4 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 7 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

White-point Autumnal Rustic (and mite)

Monday 17 September 2007

Weather: Mild, damp, windy start, becoming still.

Day 144… A much milder night with the occasional light shower which resulted in a very gloomy and dull morning. Loobi and I were cheered though, by the much improved number and variety of moths in the trap, still nothing to write home about and nothing new but still better than the past few nights. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 4 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.

Noctuidae

• 1 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 1 Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis Linn.
• 1 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 1 Flounced Rustic Luperina testacea D. & S.
• 1 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens Linn.
• 7 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 69 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Esp.
• 11 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 3 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 9 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.
• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Sunday 16 September 2007

Weather: Cool, clear, light mist by morning, still.

Day 143… Another cool night - not the sort of conditions to instil any sense of optimism. Hmmm… six species made up this morning’s tally and unsurprisingly, nothing new to report. The catch was as follows:

On the bright side though, the identity of last week’s Lesser Yellow Underwing ab. sagittifer has been confirmed by the combined powers of Sam B. and Colin Pratt. It was, apparently, the first record of this particular variant in Sussex for ten years and only the eighth time it has ever been recorded in Sussex. I can’t help feeling slightly disappointed that if we were to catch something quite that unusual it wasn’t something just a little more spectacular than a Lesser Yellow Underwing - oh well, shouldn’t complain.

The catch was as follows:

Noctuidae

• 2 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 19 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 6 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 2 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 6 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Saturday 15 September 2007

Weather: Cool, partly overcast at first clearing later, still.

Day 142… Not as cold as it has been over the past few nights but still not exactly warm, cool enough to keep expectations low. Loobi and I were out at about 08:00 this morning to see what we had caught and we found a minor improvement in variety but still nothing spectacular, no new species either. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.

Noctuidae

• 1 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum D. & S.
• 2 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 1 Common Rustic Mesapamea secalis Linn. (or Poss. Lesser Common Rustic Mesapamea didyma Esp.)
• 3 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 27 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 9 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 2 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 12 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.

Pyralidae

• 1 Pyrausta aurata Scop.

Friday 14 September 2007

Weather: Cold, clear start, fog by dawn, still.

Day 141… Ah! The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Well it was certainly misty and the orchards and hedgerows may well be fruitful, but the moth trap failed the fruitfulness test in almost every way. Loobi and only found seven species of moth when we examined the it’s contents this morning. Irritatingly, the weather forecast seems to be suggesting things are going to get worse over the next few days too.

At least we’ve got a photo to brighten things up though, a Grey Dagger caterpillar that Loobi found on one of the apple trees yesterday evening.

By the way, the inestimable Sam B. has homed in on the identity of the toricid we caught on 11 September: it was an Epinotia ramella f. costana, another one for the list - jolly good.

Catch (if you can call it that) as follows:

Noctuidae

• 1 Centre-barred Sallow Atethmia centrago Haw.
• 1 Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis Linn.
• 16 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 6 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 12 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.

Grey Dagger Caterpillar

Thursday 13 September 2007

Weather: Cold, clear, still.

Day 140… Another of these cold clear nights, maybe not quite as chilly as last night and the predicted mist failed to materialise. When Loobi and I went out to see the night’s catch we found a very meagre selection of moths and certainly there was nothing new to report. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.

Arctiidae

• 1 Scarce Footman Eilema complana Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis Linn.
• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 29 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 11 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 6 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Wednesday 12 September 2007

Weather: Cold, clear, still.

Day 139… Even colder than last night and Loobi and found that except for a few hardy Large Yellow Underwings, Setaceous Hebrew Characters and Six-striped Rustics there was very little else in the trap. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata Hufn.

Arctiidae

• 2 Scarce Footman Eilema complana Linn.

Noctuidae

• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 1 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 30 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 10 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 8 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 2 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.

Tuesday 11 September 2007

Weather: Cool, clear, still.

Day 138… A much chillier night than of late and when I went out to see what was occurring last night everything was very quiet - one or two Large Yellow Underwing and that was about it. When Loobi and I went to see what we had caught in the morning though we were surprised to find quite a few moths lurking in the trap. The only new thing we had was another yet to be identified tortricid - looks a bit like an Ancylis Sp. but it has to be said the photo doesn’t really help (See entry for 14 Sept). The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 6 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.

Arctiidae

• 2 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.
• 2 Scarce Footman E. complana Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Centre-barred Sallow Atethmia centrago Haw.
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 3 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 1 Rosy Rustic Hydraecia micacea Esp.
• 39 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 11 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 9 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 2 Cydia splendana Hb.
• 1 Epinotia ramella f. costana Linn.
• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Pterophoridae

• 1 Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla Hb.

Epinotia ramella f. costana

Monday 10 September 2007

Weather: Mild, occasional cloud, breezy.

Day 137… A little cooler than of late but still mild nevertheless. As the year goes on and the nights get longer, it’s not going to be long before it will be still dark at our usual weekday inspection time, it seemed quite gloomy at 06:45 when Loobi and I went out this morning. We found similar numbers of moths in the trap as on the past couple of nights and yet again we had a new species to report, this time it was (two) Centre-barred Sallow (the unidentified tortrix that we saw on 06 Sept. returned too). The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata Linn.
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 1 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.

Arctiidae

• 2 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.
• 1 Scarce Footman E. complana Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 2 Centre-barred Sallow Atethmia centrago Haw.
• 2 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 1 The Snout Hypena proboscidalis Linn.
• 2 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens Linn.
• 3 Common Rustic Mesapamea secalis Linn. (or Poss. Lesser Common Rustic Mesapamea didyma Esp.)
• 2 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 1 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing N. janthe Borkh.
• 78 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis Scop.
• 9 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 11 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.
• 1 Unidentified Tortricid

Pyralidae

• 1 Trachycera advenella Zinck.

Gelechiidae

• 1 Gelechia sororculella Hb.

Centre-barred Sallow

Sunday 09 September 2007

Weather: Warm, partly overcast, light breeze.

Day 136… More of the same really on the weather front, it seems summer has finally arrived and appears to be here to stay. Loobi and I were out at about 07:45 to inspect the trap only to find it filled with pretty much the same as we had yesterday. Only one new species today though, a Heath Rustic - which according to the books is a "a moth of heath and moorland" …? The catch was as follows:

Drepanidae

• 1 Chinese Character Cilix glaucata Scop.

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 1 Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata Haw.
• 1 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata Haw.
• 1 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.
• 1 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata Linn.

Arctiidae

• 3 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.

Noctuidae

• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta Hb.
• 2 Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis Linn.
• 1 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens Linn.
• 1 Common Rustic Mesapamea secalis Linn. (or Poss. Lesser Common Rustic Mesapamea didyma Esp.)
• 1 The Gothic Naenia typica Linn.
• 70 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 1 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Heath Rustic Xestia agathina Dup.
• 6 Setaceous Hebrew Character X. c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 17 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.
• 3 Cydia splendana Hb.

Pyralidae

• 1 Agriphila geniculea Haw.
• 1 Scoparia ambigualis Treit.

Gelechiidae

• 1 Gelechia sororculella Hb.

Heath Rustic

Saturday 08 September 2007

Weather: Warm, mostly overcast, still.

Day 135… Another night with highly promising conditions, though the trap’s contents in the morning would seem to suggest otherwise (in quantity terms at least). In amongst what we did get though, there were three new species (which makes up for a lot!): the first was a Purple Bar (dreadful photo - hopefully we’ll get another one and get a better photo some other time), there was also The Gothic (the identity of which was confirmed by Mr Bayley) and Garden Rose Tortrix (I think). The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 4 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 1 Purple Bar Cosmorhoe ocellata Linn.
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 1 Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata Haw.
• 1 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata Haw.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 2 Marbled Beauty Cryphia domestica Hufn.
• 2 Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis Linn.
• 1 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens Linn.
• 1 The Gothic Naenia typica Linn.
• 45 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 5 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 8 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana D. & S.
• 1 Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana Scop.
• 1 Cydia splendana Hb.

Pyralidae

• 2 Agriphila geniculea Haw.
• 1 Trachycera advenella Zinck.

Purple Bar The Gothic

Garden Rose Tortrix

Friday 07 September 2007

Weather: Warm, occasional cloud, still.

Day 134… A fine warm night, warmer than it’s been for some time and humid too. When Loobi and I went out to inspect the trap this morning we found it to be stocked with a wide variety of moths one of which was a Poplar Hawk-moth. At the time this struck me as being rather late in the year to be seeing one of these (or any other native Hawk-moth for that matter) but I was even more surprised to read on the Butterfly Conservation - Sussex Branch website of Colin Pratt's sighting on 4 September being the latest recorded for this species in Sussex.

We had two (possible) new species too: a Rosy Rustic and a what is probably a Rush Veneer - it had the normal wing patterns but the colouring seemed too well defined and the moth’s outline didn’t appear as elongated one would normally expect - usefully, there was a typical and easily identifiable specimen in the trap as well for comparison. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 3 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata Linn.
• 2 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 2 Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata Haw.
• 1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata ab. remutata Linn.
• 2 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.
• 1 Pine Carpet Thera firmata Hb.
• 2 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata Linn.

Sphingidae

• 1 Poplar Hawk-moth Laothoe populi Linn.

Arctiidae

• 1 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.

Noctuidae

• 3 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 2 Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis Linn.
• 3 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 1 Rosy Rustic Hydraecia micacea Esp.
• 1 Common Rustic Mesapamea secalis Linn. (or Poss. Lesser Common Rustic Mesapamea didyma Esp.)
• 50 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 3 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 8 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 3 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 16 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Blastobasidae

• 1 Blastobasis lignea Walsingham.

Tortricidae

• 2 Cydia splendana Hb.
• 1 Carcina quercana Fabr.
• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Pyralidae

• 2 Agriphila geniculea Haw.
• 1 Agriphila tristella D. & S.
• 2 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella D. & S.
• 1 Scoparia ambigualis Treit.

Pterophoridae

• 1 Emmelina monodactyla Linn.

Seriously late Poplar Hawk-moth Rosy Rustic

Rush Veneer

Thursday 06 September 2007

Weather: Mild, mainly overcast, still.

Day 133… That’s better: a bit more warmth in the air. Loobi and I didn't find much in the trap to write home about though. Two new species to report: a Garden Pebble and an as yet unidentified tortricid Sp. which looks something like Celypha striana or a Cnephasia Sp - possibly?. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Small Phoenix Ecliptopera silaceata D. & S.
• 1 Small Emerald Hemistola chrysoprasaria Esp.

Arctiidae

• 1 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.

Noctuidae

• 1 The Spectacle Abrostola tripartita Hufn.
• 1 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 4 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 1 The Snout Hypena proboscidalis Linn.
• 46 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 1 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis Scop.
• 11 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 13 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 2 Cydia splendana Hb.
• 1 Unidentified Tortricid

Pyralidae

• 1 Agriphila tristella D. & S.
• 1 Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis Linn.

Pterophoridae

• 1 Emmelina monodactyla Linn.

Garden Pebble Unidentified Tortricid

Wednesday 05 September 2007

Weather: Cold, clear start, cloudy later, still.

Day 132… Another night that, frankly, was a little too parky for its own good. Not only did Loobi and I only find eight different species of moth in the trap, there was not a single "macro" that wasn’t a noctuid. Unsurprisingly we didn’t get any new species but we did get a possible curiosity; what looks suspiciously like a Lesser Yellow Underwing ab. sagittifer but apparently these are only found on the Isles of Scilly or Lundy so I'm very far from certain. (Now confirmed as ab. sagittifer - see 16 Sept.)

Oh, and by the way, the inestimable Mr Bayley has pointed out that the Beaded Chestnuts of the past couple of days are in fact Lunar Underwings - Ta Mr B. The catch was as follows:

Noctuidae

• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb. (ab. sagittifer Cockayne)
• 25 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 1 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 1 Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa Esp.
• 7 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 11 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Codling Moth Cydia pomonella Linn.

Pyralidae

• 1 Agriphila tristella D. & S.

Lesser Yellow Underwing ab. sagittifer

Tuesday 04 September 2007

Weather: Cold, predominantly clear, still.

Day 131… Really quite a chilly night, the minimum temperature was about 5° C according to those that know these things (allegedly). When Loobi and I examined the trap this morning we found one of the smallest catches we’ve had in some time - not too surprising. Nothing new though we did get a Small Emerald for only the second time. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria Knoch
• 1 Maiden’s Blush Cyclophora punctaria Linn.
• 1 Cypress Pug Eupithecia phoeniceata Rambur.
• 1 Small Emerald Hemistola chrysoprasaria Esp.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.
• 3 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria D. & S.

Noctuidae

• 1 Mouse Moth Amphipyra tragopoginis Cl.
• 1 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Scop.
• 2 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 41 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 1 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 2 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 8 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Cydia splendana Hb.

Pyralidae

• 1 Agriphila tristella D. & S.

Monday 03 September 2007

Weather: Mild, mostly overcast, windy.

Day 130… Very similar conditions to those of last night except for the wind which was really quite strong at times. Loobi and I were out at about 07:15 to see what we had caught and it would seem the wind had had little effect on the moths as the trap was very well populated. There were another two new species: a Frosted Orange and a female Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing. The catch was as follows:

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Scalloped Oak Crocallis elinguaria Linn.
• 1 Maiden’s Blush Cyclophora punctaria Linn.
• 1 Cypress Pug Eupithecia phoeniceata Rambur.
• 1 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata Haw.
• 1 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata Linn.

Notodontidae

• 1 Iron Prominent Notodonta dromadarius Linn.

Arctiidae

• 1 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.

Noctuidae

• 2 Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea Linn. (or Poss. Svensson’s Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera Fletcher)
• 1 Mouse Moth A. tragopoginis Cl.
• 1 Frosted Orange Gortyna flavago D. & S.
• 1 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 3 The Rustic H. blanda D. & S.
• 1 Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae Linn.
• 2 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens Linn.
• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing N. fimbriata Schreb.
• 98 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 3 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 8 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 1 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 7 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Tortricidae

• 1 Celypha lacunana D. & S.
• 1 Codling Moth Cydia pomonella Linn.
• 2 Cydia splendana Hb.

Pyralidae

• 2 Agriphila geniculea Haw.
• 1 Agriphila straminella D. & S.
• 3 Agriphila tristella D. & S.
• 1 Dioryctria sylvestrella Ratzeburg
• 1 Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis Scop.
• 1 Pyrausta aurata Scop.
• 2 Trachycera advenella Zinck.

Frosted Orange Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Sunday 02 September 2007

Weather: Mild, overcast, light breeze.

Day 129… A milder night than last night and Loobi and I found that the slight improvement in conditions was reflected by a better catch. Our first new species for the month too: a Lunar Underwing. The catch was as follows:

Drepanidae

• 1 Chinese Character Cilix glaucata Scop.

Geometridae

• 2 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria Haw.
• 1 Cypress Pug Eupithecia phoeniceata Rambur.
• 1 Common Pug E. vulgata Haw.
• 1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata ab. remutata Linn.
• 1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata Linn.

Notodontidae

• 1 Iron Prominent Notodonta dromadarius Linn.

Arctiidae

• 1 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.
• 1 Scarce Footman Eilema complana Linn.

Noctuidae

• 2 Vine’s Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua D. & S.
• 4 The Rustic H. blanda D. & S.
• 1 Smoky Wainscot Mythimna impura Hb.
• 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes Hb.
• 78 Large Yellow Underwing N. pronuba Linn.
• 4 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 1 Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa Haw.
• 10 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 3 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 3 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Oecophoridae

• 1 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella Stain.

Tortricidae

• 1 Cydia fagiglandana Fabr.
• 1 Cydia splendana Hb.
• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker
• 1 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis corylana Fabr.

Pyralidae

• 1 Agriphila geniculea Haw.
• 1 Agriphila straminella D. & S.
• 4 Agriphila tristella D. & S.
• 1 Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis Scop.
• 2 Pyrausta aurata Scop.
• 3 Scoparia ambigualis Treit.

Gelechiidae

• 1 Gelechia sororculella Hb.

Lunar Underwing

Saturday 01 September 2007

Weather: Cool, occasional cloud, still.

Day 128… The Met Office’s designated first day of autumn and it rather felt like it too. Nothing new to report. We did have a lovely, pristine Red Underwing which as soon as it was disturbed flew absolutely vertically until both Loobi and I lost sight of it, bearing in mind what a large moth it is I guess it must have risen at least 150 metres or more - why? The catch was as follows:

Drepanidae

• 1 Chinese Character Cilix glaucata Scop.

Geometridae

• 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata Linn.
• 1 Cypress Pug Eupithecia phoeniceata Rambur.
• 1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata ab. remutata Linn.

Arctiidae

• 1 Hoary Footman Eilema caniola Hb.

Noctuidae

• 1 Red Underwing Catocala nupta Linn.
• 1 Marbled Beauty Cryphia domestica Hufn.
• 1 The Snout Hypena proboscidalis Linn.
• 1 Flounced Rustic Luperina testacea D. & S.
• 1 Smoky Wainscot Mythimna impura Hb.
• 57 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba Linn.
• 2 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Linn.
• 7 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Linn.
• 2 Six-striped Rustic X. sexstrigata Haw.
• 5 Square-spot Rustic X. xanthographa D. & S.

Oecophoridae

• 1 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella Stain.

Tortricidae

• 1 Codling Moth Cydia pomonella Linn.
• 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker

Pyralidae

• 1 Agriphila geniculea Haw.
• 2 Agriphila tristella D. & S.
• 1 Scoparia ambigualis Treit.

Cat

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