July Moths (1 Viewer)

JWN Andrewes · Jul 22, 2020

Quiet here too, 18 of 13 species, but 3 of them new for the garden, so no complaints! First up was a Smoky Wainscot (pictured here with what I am pretty sure is a Common Rustic agg.), followed by a Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, really nicely marked, but awkwardly sat on the side of the box inside. Transferred into a pot very calmly, so after a couple of photos I attempted to coax it onto the slab for better pics and it suddenly woke up and bolted! Should have given it a spell in the fridge, but not to worry, there’s always a next time. Third new one was high up on next door’s wall, right by their window, so I had to be careful not to get busted getting photos; Pebble Prominent (one of the few species I had seen prior to getting the trap, on the bog wall at Whitesands beach in Pembrokeshire last year).

Andy Adcock · Jul 22, 2020

JWN Andrewes said:
Quiet here too, 18 of 13 species, but 3 of them new for the garden, so no complaints! First up was a Smoky Wainscot (pictured here with what I am pretty sure is a Common Rustic agg.), followed by a Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, really nicely marked, but awkwardly sat on the side of the box inside. Transferred into a pot very calmly, so after a couple of photos I attempted to coax it onto the slab for better pics and it suddenly woke up and bolted! Should have given it a spell in the fridge, but not to worry, there’s always a next time. Third new one was high up on next door’s wall, right by their window, so I had to be careful not to get busted getting photos; Pebble Prominent (one of the few species I had seen prior to getting the trap, on the bog wall at Whitesands beach in Pembrokeshire last year).

Looks like a Common to me?

Rustic aggregate is correct.

JWN Andrewes · Jul 22, 2020

andyadcock said:
Looks like a Common to me?

Rustic aggregate is correct.

Ah, yes, the darker background with the pale vein against it wrong-footed me, looks different from my previous Common, school-boy error, thanks for the correction, and for the Rustic agg confirmation.

Definitely underlines the benefit to someone starting out on moths of getting plenty of pics and sharing them here. At least the other two new ones went easy on me by being nice and distinctive!

Rubia · Jul 22, 2020

I thought it was going to be very good as the conditions looked right but it rather faded at 01:00 so I stopped at 01:30 last night. Not as much as hope for but 105 moths of 42 species so far.
I did get a couple of new ones for the garden - Small China-mark and Acrobasis advenella.
3rd Pine Hawk-moth of the year, 2 Elephants (nightly now), 2nd Buff-tip of year, a Coronet, 2 Cloaked Minor, a Yellow-tail, an Oak Hook-tip, a Barred Hook-tip, a Ruby Tiger in the nicer lookers section. I know Box Tree Moth is a pest to keen topiarists but they really are beautiful in the light.
A very fresh Common Wainscot shot into the light about 6 inches in front of a Pipistrelle bat thereby avoiding being dinner in a rather spectacular piece of flying.

Rubia · Jul 23, 2020

In terms of good nights, last night was better than the night before. Probably more cloud cover. I had to stop at 01:30 - "work is the curse of the mothing class". 120 moths of 46 species

I had 5 new ones for me last night - Blastobasis adustella, Olive, Phylllonorycter harrisella, Meal Moth and Oncocera semirubella.
Olive is rather nice and subtle. Oncocera was on the kitchen window and when I potted it looked very like a Footman so I was surprised when I saw the pink side; I then couldn't find it under Footmen and noticed it had streaks like a Grass Veneer so checked micros. A very pretty little moth. My Meal Moth was disappointingly faded, as they can be very purple.

Runners up included Pale Prominent, Small Emerald, Small Waved Umber, Common Carpet, Dusky Sallow, Clouded Silver, Mottled Beauty, Fern, 3 types of Yellow Underwing.

Steve Lister · Jul 23, 2020

53 moths of 28 species for me this morning, with it definitely being a micro session, five NFY = Acleris forsskaleana, Ditula angustiorana, Yponomeuta rorrella, Y. evonymella and Euzophera pinguis.

The only new macro was a Dingy Footman that never actually went in.

Steve

Andy Adcock · Jul 24, 2020

A wet and windy July here, continues to underwhelm and my total catch last night was five moths. The saving grace came in the form of my first ever Oak Nycteoline which I almost wrote off as a Tortrix.

This is my fifth new species this year and I now stand just two short of 250 Macro species for my urban garden.

Rubia · Jul 24, 2020

Turned on the light at 21.50 and the first moths in, within 20 minutes, were 11 Ruby Tigers. 3 new for garden included Catoptria falsella, Pyraustra aurata and July Highflyer (thought I'd missed that one this year, 'better late than never'). Found an Argyresthia geodartella from night before's micros in fridge, new too. First year advantage, still stuff to keep on adding.
74 moths of 31 species by 00:40 when I stopped as it slowed down.

JWN Andrewes · Jul 24, 2020

Highest number of moths so far for me last night, 108, exactly half of which were Large Yellow Underwings! Light Arches, Dark Spectacle, Buff-tip & July Highflyer all garden newbies, the iconic Buff-tip being particularly pleasing. Best of the rest was quite a nice variety, and included three each of Yellow Shell & Swallow-tailed, two each of Dingy Footman, Marbled Beauty and Single-dotted wave, and singles of Small Rivulet, Light Emerald, Buff Arches, Poplar Hawk and Dun-bar. Common Marbled & Flame Carpets each put in their first appearances for 4 and 5 weeks respectively.

Edit - Beginning to have doubts about the Spectacle being Dark. I'm sure Mr Adcock will be along to put me right at some point!

JWN Andrewes · Jul 24, 2020

JWN Andrewes said:
Edit - Beginning to have doubts about the Spectacle being Dark. I'm sure Mr Adcock will be along to put me right at some point!

Yes, increasingly sure this is Spectacle, rather than Dark....

Andy Adcock · Jul 24, 2020

JWN Andrewes said:
Yes, increasingly sure this is Spectacle, rather than Dark....

Agree, I get dark occasionally so relatively well placed to advise, you'll know one when you get one.

Paul Chapman · Jul 24, 2020

Yes. I had a relatively rufous tinged normal Spectacle this week & I would agree with that. I do not think the illustration in Warning & Townsend does Dark Spectacle justice really.

All the best

JWN Andrewes · Jul 24, 2020

Paul Chapman said:
Yes. I had a relatively rufous tinged normal Spectacle this week & I would agree with that. I do not think the illustration in Warning & Townsend does Dark Spectacle justice really.

All the best

Excellent, I'll grasp onto that as an excuse, thank you! Will have to make sure I don't use that excuse again though. That puts the garden list on 130 (all bar 2 since the end of May).

Farnboro John · Jul 24, 2020

19th July seems to be the last time I posted news on here, so a catch up is overdue. Bear in mind the date for me is the date I open the trap.

20/7 44 moths of 25 species. Shuttle-shaped Darts most numerous, but still only 6 of them.Other multiples included 3 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 4 Riband Waves and 3 Garden Carpets: moth of the day was a Pebble Prominent.

21/7 37 moths of 23 species with Heart and Dart dead level with Shuttle-shaped Dart on 4 each. A Maiden's Blush and another Pebble Prominent vied for honours.

22/7 44 moths of 30 species somehow managed not to have much new or interesting! Double Lobed was NFY and a Birds-wing was something I don't get very often. A practically transparent Poplar Hawk-moth was a bit of a shock.

23/7 Not much owing to the fact that I left Maz to switch the trap on at dusk while I went to the pub and she forgot. Two Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings claimed the prize of most clumsy moth name to date.

24/7 31 moths of 21 species. Two NFY: Lime-speck Pug and August Thorn. Most numerous shared between Common Footman, Flame and Mother of Pearl: other interest provided by a nice Oak Hook-tip and a Tree-lichen Beauty.

John

Farnboro John · Jul 25, 2020

And straight into this morning's trap, which I completed just ahead of the drizzle.

Taking a leaf from Rubia's book I had a quick look at the trap just before retiring for the night and found a Ruby Tiger sitting on top of it. It's now sitting in the fridge along with a Scarce Silver-lines from this morning: both are NFY but the Scarce Silver-lines is a tick and very nice too!

35 moths of 19 species in all, one of which I have no idea about and will be appearing in the ID section at some point. It's perhaps a large micro. 8 Shuttle-shaped Darts were the biggest single-species group followed by 4 Common Footman; best of the rest included a Sallow Kitten, 2 True Lovers Knots and a Single Dotted Wave, though I also have one Noctuid to ID (may well be Common Rustic agg).

Edit: it wasn't. According to the book illustrations it was a classic Large Ear, and I'll put a photo up to argue about. I hear the arguments about genitalia and I'll just say I remember the exact same things being said about Sympetrum darters in traditional literature: there's nothing like an entomologist (as opposed to a field birder) for failing to see wood for trees.

John

Andy Adcock · Jul 25, 2020

Farnboro John said:
And straight into this morning's trap, which I completed just ahead of the drizzle.

Taking a leaf from Rubia's book I had a quick look at the trap just before retiring for the night and found a Ruby Tiger sitting on top of it. It's now sitting in the fridge along with a Scarce Silver-lines from this morning: both are NFY but the Scarce Silver-lines is a tick and very nice too!

35 moths of 19 species in all, one of which I have no idea about and will be appearing in the ID section at some point. It's perhaps a large micro. 8 Shuttle-shaped Darts were the biggest single-species group followed by 4 Common Footman; best of the rest included a Sallow Kitten, 2 True Lovers Knots and a Single Dotted Wave, though I also have one Noctuid to ID (may well be Common Rustic agg).

Edit: it wasn't. According to the book illustrations it was a classic Large Ear, and I'll put a photo up to argue about. I hear the arguments about genitalia and I'll just say I remember the exact same things being said about Sympetrum darters in traditional literature: there's nothing like an entomologist (as opposed to a field birder) for failing to see wood for trees.

John

I have a ton of 'Ear' shots from Russia, many of which seem to fit exactly, Warings images of one or the other but, were I to submit them here, our recorder would be having none of it without dissection.

As you don't submit any records, you are the sole arbiter so if you're happy, tick it.

Farnboro John · Jul 25, 2020

andyadcock said:
I have a ton of 'Ear' shots from Russia, many of which seem to fit exactly, Warings images of one or the other but, were I to submit them here, our recorder would be having none of it without dissection.

As you don't submit any records, you are the sole arbiter so if you're happy, tick it.

Sole arbiter but always interested in others' opinions and in sharing, so here are this morning's Scarce Silver-lines and "presumed" Large Ear.

Cheers

John

Andy Adcock · Jul 25, 2020

Agree, I can't dissent on it's appearance.

Large seems to have that 'hook' below the kidney mark.

Farnboro John · Jul 25, 2020

andyadcock said:
Agree, I can't dissent on it's appearance.

Large seems to have that 'hook' below the kidney mark.

Exactly. Cheers mate, appreciated! :t:

John

Steve Lister · Jul 25, 2020

My trap was out during last night's short downpour but miraculously the contents, both boxes and moths, remained dry.
NFY were the very smart Ypsolopha sequella, the not so smart Acentria ephemerella (just one, and still alive for a change), and Mouse Moth.
The second brood of Shuttle-shaped Darts is well underway, with nine in my catch of 64.

Steve

July Moths (1 Viewer)

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