Moths in November 2007 (1 Viewer)

From last night, 1st November:

Feathered Ranunculus (7)
Flame Brocade (2)
Mallow (3)
Red-line Quaker
Silver Y (2)
Large Yellow Underwing (2) - I thought I'd seen the last of these.
Pale Mottled Willow

A couple of pics attached including the most good-looking of the Mallows.


Nerine

Wicklow Ireland trap list 31st Oct & 1st November

I had a single MV Robinson and 3 15w Actinic traps out 2 nights running. All traps were run in different locations the 2nd night.

Very mild weather for November.
The oddest one was a Shoulder-striped Wainscot last night.
I just had to put up a photo of last night's Merveille du Jour in this thread :-O


31st Oct 26 species
0461 Ypsolopha ustella 1
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 3
0985 Carnation Tortrix (Cacoecimorpha pronubana) 1
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 5
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 5
1768 Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata) 4
1769 Spruce Carpet (Thera britannica) 1
1795x November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.) 50
1923 Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria) 1
1935 Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria) 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 1
2232 Black Rustic (Aporophyla nigra) 3
2245 Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) 10
2247 Merveille du Jour (Dichonia aprilina) 1
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 4
2259 Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula) 1
2262 Brick (Agrochola circellaris) 2
2263 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota) 10
2264 Yellow-line Quaker (Agrochola macilenta) 4
2265 Flounced Chestnut (Agrochola helvola) 1
2267 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) 2
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 6
2361 Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) 1
2375 Large Wainscot (Rhizedra lutosa) 1
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1


1st Nov 20 species
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 2
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 3
1048 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) 1
1342 Eudonia angustea 1
1395 Rusty-dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis) 1
1760 Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 3
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 4
1768 Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata) 6
1795x November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.) 50
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 3
2205 Shoulder-striped Wainscot (Mythimna comma) 1
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri) 1
2245 Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) 9
2247 Merveille du Jour (Dichonia aprilina) 1
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 1
2263 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota) 5
2264 Yellow-line Quaker (Agrochola macilenta) 2
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 6
2361 Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) 1
2375 Large Wainscot (Rhizedra lutosa) 2

Epirrita

Friends

Last night I caught my first Epirrita sp of the autumn - illustrated below.

I would like to try and identify it, which I've never attempted before, so could you explain to me how to do it? I put it in the fridge for a couple of hours, lie it on its back, and then use a paint brush to move the hairs to one side to see the clasper? Have I got it right? Just two questions: - how do I hold the moth still while I use the piant brush on it without crushing it? how long have I got before it will start to revive?

Unless someone wants to be brave enough to identify it from the photos? Frankly, I'm betting on E. dilutata......

Best

David

You won't get any time at all using the fridge. Unless you have ethyl acetate you will need to use the freezer. It's a risky process. Try one minute to start with and keep increasing the time until it goes into torpor. Too long in the freezer and it will die.

I've never been that successful with removing the scales so I'll let someone else advise there.

It was almost like summer here yesterday (I was lucky as I took a few hours out to do the BTO TTV for my home tetrad - I realise that that will be Greek to some!) so I actually got some moths last night.
red-line quaker - nfy
silver-Y
E postvittana
feathered thorn (2)
chestnut (I'm pretty sure though it's quite dark)
red-green carpet
Epirrita sp. (5)
Ken

Surreybirder said:

It was almost like summer here yesterday

Click to expand...

Here as well. I also had some fine moths in the trap this morning, the highlights being:

White-speck (nfy) and a Thorn. I suspect it is a Canary-shouldered but I've not seen one before. Pix to follow.

Nerine

Angus T said:

I just had to put up a photo of last night's Merveille du Jour in this thread :-O

Click to expand...

You monkey!

Here's my list from last night:
19 moths, 10 species.

Flame Brocade (4)
Lunar Underwing
Feathered Ranunculus (7)
Garden Carpet
Mallow
White-speck (nfy)
Large Yellow Underwing (only one!)
Red-line Quaker
Shuttle-shaped dart
Canary-shouldered Thorn (I think) NEW!

Nerine

ps Yes, Ken your BTO stuff is Greek to me but I'm glad you got some moths!
Hope your electrics are sorted now, Brian.

It is a canary-shouldered thorn, Nerine.
My red-line quaker attached. I've not had yellow-line for two or three years now.
Saw a migrant hawker today which shows how mild it still is.
Ken

Surreybirder said:

It is a canary-shouldered thorn, Nerine.

Click to expand...

Thanks Ken, I thought it was. Nice red-line quaker.
In this mild weather patches of my Hebe have burst into flower again attracting a Red Admiral or two!

Nerine

Nerine said:

Thanks Ken, I thought it was. Nice red-line quaker.
In this mild weather patches of my Hebe have burst into flower again attracting a Red Admiral or two!

Nerine

Click to expand...

A Red Admiral in my moth trap this morning! :eek!:

More later...

The only butterfly I've ever had in the trap.

Here's a shot of the assymetric Silver Y from the other day. Not so clear on this shot but the right wing is considerbly shorter.

Wicklow Ireland trap list 3rd November

4 traps, single MV Robinson and 3 15w actinics, in or around my garden. Mild but 4mm fell early in night drenching everything.
One of the species being a Red Admiral and another being a VC first with Diurnea lipsiella.
The Square-spot Rustic is actually latest in MothsIreland database

0664 Diurnea lipsiella 1
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 3
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 7
1041 Acleris sparsana 2
1342 Eudonia angustea 1
1590 Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) 1
1760 Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 9
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 14
1767 Pine Carpet (Thera firmata) 2
1768 Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata) 5
1769 Spruce Carpet (Thera britannica) 5
1795x November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.) 89
1923 Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria) 4
1935 Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria) 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 4
2134 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 1
2232 Black Rustic (Aporophyla nigra) 7
2245 Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) 8
2256 Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) 1
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 3
2259 Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula) 1
2262 Brick (Agrochola circellaris) 3
2263 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota) 5
2264 Yellow-line Quaker (Agrochola macilenta) 5
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 6
2306 Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) 1
2375 Large Wainscot (Rhizedra lutosa) 2

Not the right sort of weather for moths here at the moment with very strong winds. However, last week I spent a few days in North Brittany, France, no moth trap but I found, by the light, this lovely furry one! It is very unlikely I would see one of these in Guernsey so this was a thrill for me.
I've also put in a couple of pics of some of the many butterflies I saw during the last few days in France. The Red Admiral has one wing in shade and the other in sunlight making the colours appear quite different!

Nerine

Are any of you still running moth traps? I put mine out earlier this week and caught a single Silver Y and a Double-striped Pug.
Last night, as there wasn't much wind I used the trap again. Temp was just below 7 degrees and it rained in the early hours.

1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Flame Brocade
4 White-specks

soggy egg boxes.

I'm curious to know what might still turn up as the year draws to an end.

Nerine

I haven't trapped for a couple of weeks, Nerine. We've been having hard frosts, though it had warmed up to about 3 deg C by dawn this a.m. with rain. If we have another mildish night I'll try again. Still to see December moth this winter.
Ken

Last night in West Cumbria

Red Sword-Grass (1)
Winter Moth (1)
December Moth (4)
Feathered Thorn (1)

Cheers,
Derek

14th Nov Wicklow list Ireland

Last trapping 14th. 1 MV, 2 15w actinic. Quite a wet day and night 20mm in all with 10mm overnight, but it was calm and mild.
I will continue to trap occassionally. I have mature tress around and its unusual to have an empty trap. There are a few species only on the wing throughout winter such as December Moth. Some of the Autumn species such as REd-line Quaker can still appear towards end of Dec and some Spring species such as Common Quaker start appearing then as well. Then one can never discount the npossibility of hibernating species appearing during the mildest winter weather.
The key to what I've just typed is the "mature trees" One can near enough pack away the traps till March if you don't have wooded habitat nearby, as extremely few moths if any moths appear at light traps.

0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 2
1041 Acleris sparsana 2
1044x Acleris ferrugana/notana 4
1395 Rusty-dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis) 3
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 2
1769 Spruce Carpet (Thera britannica) 2
1795x November Moth agg. (Epirrita dilutata agg.) 17
1923 Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria) 1
1935 Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria) 1
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1
2256 Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) 2
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 3
2262 Brick (Agrochola circellaris) 1
2263 Red-line Quaker (Agrochola lota) 1
2264 Yellow-line Quaker (Agrochola macilenta) 2
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 1
2306 Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) 1
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 2

Last night: 1 feathered thorn.
Ken

Interesting info, thanks, Ken, Derek and Angus. I'm going to carry on trapping on calm nights at least until the end of the year. We do have mature trees around to the south, east and north, although not densely wooded. Being in a coastal area we seldom have frosts but we do have gales and storms. It's southerly gale force with gusts to F8 at the moment, and raining. :eek!:

Nerine