Bananafishbones
Incoherently Rambling .....
6 species last night with Pale Tussock and Clouded Bordered Brindle the best.
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May Moths - 2015 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter smokenack
- Start date
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Not updated the leps yearlist since getting to 28 on 3rd April 2015.
Early April continued with Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone (butterfly), Shoulder Stripe, Brindled Beauty, Early Thorn, Muslin Moth and Herald taking the list on to 35.
A few days on Scilly were punctuated by a day walking around on 16th April failing to find the Great Blue Heron but seeing Speckled Wood, Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Green-veined White, Rusty-dot Pearl and Silver Y so 40 leps before a return trip the next day saw the heron fall!
Then April ran out with the garden traps adding Red-green Carpet, Cabbage, Bee Moth, Mompha divisella, White-shouldered House Moth, Brimstone Moth, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Agonopterix arenella, Pebble Prominent, Pale Prominent, Powdered Quaker, Flame Shoulder, Bright-line Brown-eye and Brindled Pug so April ended on 54 leps.
The pace has picked up in May despite remaining very hard work with initially Small Elephant Hawkmoth and Tachystola acroxantha from the gardens and then Small White and Holly Blue whilst attending Brentford FC's final game of the season on 3rd May - which set up their ill-fated play off campaign.
Since then garden traps added with Sallow Kitten, Heart and Dart, Spectacle, Grey Dagger, Oak-tree Pug, Dark Sword-grass, Red Twin-spot Carpet and Ruby Tiger taking the list on to 66 leps before Adela reaumerella from a swarm around a hawthorn bush.
In the last week or so, the garden traps have added Lime Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth, Pale Tussock, Garden Carpet, Common Swift, Buff-tip, Mullein, Celypha lacunana, Gold Spot, Iron Prominent, Peppered Moth, Buff Ermine, White Ermine, Brown House Moth, Vine's Rustic, Common Pug, Freyer's Pug, Parsnip Moth and Swallow Prominent.
A trip into habitat by a friend with a couple of lights on 11th May produced year ticks with Scalloped Hazel, Square Spot, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Lunar Marbled Brown, Spruce Carpet, Treble Lines, White-pinion Spotted, Coxcomb Prominent, Waved Umber, Blomer's Rivulet, Capua vulgana, Syndemis musculana, Caloptilia syringella and Acleris kochiella.
With a phyllonorycter and a bucculatrix to consider further, Crambus lathionellus and Micropterix calthella from limestone grassland at the weekend took the yearlist through 100 and then a site in the bottom of the valley added Grapholita compositella and Glyphipterix simpliciella. This week Common Marbled Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet and Oak Hook-tip have moved me on to 107. Time to dig out a spreadsheet before I lose count.
All the best
Early April continued with Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone (butterfly), Shoulder Stripe, Brindled Beauty, Early Thorn, Muslin Moth and Herald taking the list on to 35.
A few days on Scilly were punctuated by a day walking around on 16th April failing to find the Great Blue Heron but seeing Speckled Wood, Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Green-veined White, Rusty-dot Pearl and Silver Y so 40 leps before a return trip the next day saw the heron fall!
Then April ran out with the garden traps adding Red-green Carpet, Cabbage, Bee Moth, Mompha divisella, White-shouldered House Moth, Brimstone Moth, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Agonopterix arenella, Pebble Prominent, Pale Prominent, Powdered Quaker, Flame Shoulder, Bright-line Brown-eye and Brindled Pug so April ended on 54 leps.
The pace has picked up in May despite remaining very hard work with initially Small Elephant Hawkmoth and Tachystola acroxantha from the gardens and then Small White and Holly Blue whilst attending Brentford FC's final game of the season on 3rd May - which set up their ill-fated play off campaign.
Since then garden traps added with Sallow Kitten, Heart and Dart, Spectacle, Grey Dagger, Oak-tree Pug, Dark Sword-grass, Red Twin-spot Carpet and Ruby Tiger taking the list on to 66 leps before Adela reaumerella from a swarm around a hawthorn bush.
In the last week or so, the garden traps have added Lime Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth, Pale Tussock, Garden Carpet, Common Swift, Buff-tip, Mullein, Celypha lacunana, Gold Spot, Iron Prominent, Peppered Moth, Buff Ermine, White Ermine, Brown House Moth, Vine's Rustic, Common Pug, Freyer's Pug, Parsnip Moth and Swallow Prominent.
A trip into habitat by a friend with a couple of lights on 11th May produced year ticks with Scalloped Hazel, Square Spot, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Lunar Marbled Brown, Spruce Carpet, Treble Lines, White-pinion Spotted, Coxcomb Prominent, Waved Umber, Blomer's Rivulet, Capua vulgana, Syndemis musculana, Caloptilia syringella and Acleris kochiella.
With a phyllonorycter and a bucculatrix to consider further, Crambus lathionellus and Micropterix calthella from limestone grassland at the weekend took the yearlist through 100 and then a site in the bottom of the valley added Grapholita compositella and Glyphipterix simpliciella. This week Common Marbled Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet and Oak Hook-tip have moved me on to 107. Time to dig out a spreadsheet before I lose count.
All the best
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You are doing well Paul. In Norfolk its pretty dire for the the past month.4 Actinic traps caught a total of 13 moths on a mild night.
Pale oak beauty, scalloped hazel and marbled brown were new for the year. The remainder of the catch was made up with;
Red twin spot carpet
Great prominent
Nut tree tussock
5 traps set tonight , its mild and cloudy again so we will see what the morning shows.
Pale oak beauty, scalloped hazel and marbled brown were new for the year. The remainder of the catch was made up with;
Red twin spot carpet
Great prominent
Nut tree tussock
5 traps set tonight , its mild and cloudy again so we will see what the morning shows.
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Tideliner
Still Early Grey and Clouded Drab in the trap this morning. It's slow going.
Yearlist was 221 leps at this point last year but I had fitted in a Scottish trip!
All the best
Still Early Grey and Clouded Drab in the trap this morning. It's slow going.
Yearlist was 221 leps at this point last year but I had fitted in a Scottish trip!
All the best
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Bananafishbones
Incoherently Rambling .....
only three for me this morning best being Knott Grass
Still using the 2 x 30 actinic, maybe time to bring out the 125MV
Still using the 2 x 30 actinic, maybe time to bring out the 125MV
I quite like this time of the year. 9 species on Thursday night 21.05.15, 8 of which were micros and 3 of them new for the garden. I can spend some time identifying them at the moment before asking for help. At the height of the season in July/August with all the moths in and around the trap I just don't have enough time for all the micros and have to pass on them.
Last night it was quite mild and set 5 actinic traps . 3 blanks for moths , but they took 20 cockchafers , 7 burrying beetle N Humator and 22 large blackclick beatles. The other two traps caught 44 moths including 9 orange footman , a fairly new species for this part of Norfolk and the first hawkmoth of the year. It was interesting that three of the traps were within 40 yards of each other all under a oak canopy well into a wood and only one caught any moths ( 24 ).
Poplar hawk
Pebble Prominent
Great prominent
Marbled Brown
Choclate Tip
Red twin spot carpet
Water Carpet
Brown silver lines
Pale oak beauty
White pinion spotted
Flame shoulder
While not trapped saw my first silver ground carpet of the year while doing a butterfly survey this afternoon.
Poplar hawk
Pebble Prominent
Great prominent
Marbled Brown
Choclate Tip
Red twin spot carpet
Water Carpet
Brown silver lines
Pale oak beauty
White pinion spotted
Flame shoulder
While not trapped saw my first silver ground carpet of the year while doing a butterfly survey this afternoon.
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MSA
I may be relaxed but I'm not drunk....
Another step up last night - 27 moths of 21 species, with one lifer (White-pinion Spotted), one new for garden (Least Black Arches) and a few year-ticks (Maiden's Blush, Scalloped Hook-tip, Treble Lines, Scalloped Hazel, Diamond-back Moth, Common White Wave, Knot Grass and Codling Moth), also May Highflier and Pale Tussock.
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
A friend had a Striped Hawkmoth last night on The Lizard. A few macros and micros ticking over for me. I'll check the forecast. I'd like to get the battery-operated actinics out tonight.
All the best
All the best
The catches are still poor for the time of year, but during recent dawn bird surveys I have noticed good numbers of carpets ( silver ground , garden , water and red twin spots, plus pale oak beauty) flying around sun rise. I suspect the nights are too cold at the moment and several species are delaying flying until the sun has warmed the air a little.
That's 4 more than I had Martin. Just one Heart and Dart
Sounds as though the lack of moths is pretty general across the country. I set 6 traps last night in an acient woodland and caught 35 moths.
Poplar Hawk
Great Prominent
Marbled Brown
White Ermine
Buff Ermine
Common Pug
Pale Oak Beauty
Scalloped Hazel
Plain Wave
Common Marbled Carpet
Small Square Spot
Flame Shoulder
Nut Tree Tussock
Stacks of beetles though with 70 cockchafers and 21 N Humator. Got the traps out again tonight , but not very hopeful , it looks like its going to be much colder than last night.
Poplar Hawk
Great Prominent
Marbled Brown
White Ermine
Buff Ermine
Common Pug
Pale Oak Beauty
Scalloped Hazel
Plain Wave
Common Marbled Carpet
Small Square Spot
Flame Shoulder
Nut Tree Tussock
Stacks of beetles though with 70 cockchafers and 21 N Humator. Got the traps out again tonight , but not very hopeful , it looks like its going to be much colder than last night.
