A few moths at last (1 Viewer)

Surreybirder · Mar 9, 2005

I put the trap on until 10 pm last night (when temp about 5 deg C) and actually caught 13 moths--the first for about 3 weeks.
As far as I can tell I had:
3 The Satellite
1 Common quaker
1 clouded drab
2 oak beauty
3 March moth
3 small brindled beauty.
+ Phyllonorycter leucographella in our pyracantha bush (though nothing like as many as last year).
The 'small brindled beauties' were quite variable in size but I don't think any of them were brindled beauties.
I'll attach a couple of pix.
Ken

CJW · Mar 9, 2005

That March moth looks very green Ken, or is it a photographic effect?

Surreybirder · Mar 9, 2005

CJW said:
That March moth looks very green Ken, or is it a photographic effect?

I think it's just the effect of the artificial light. Sorry :C
Ken

Brian Stone · Mar 9, 2005

Are they adult Firethorn Leaf Miners Ken?

I failed to attract a single moth last night, but it was rather chillier than I was expecting

Surreybirder · Mar 9, 2005

brianhstone said:
Are they adult Firethorn Leaf Miners Ken?

I failed to attract a single moth last night, but it was rather chillier than I was expecting

No, just leaf blisters.
The forecast looks quite promising until the weekend down here. 10 deg C forecast for Friday.
I'm sure spring will reach you soon, Brian.
Ken

Angus T · Mar 9, 2005

Ken,
I have my doubts about your Clouded Drab. I know they are variable, and perhaps yours is a form I've never seen. Was it smallish, if so I'd be tempted to call it a Small Quaker.

I'm not positive though, just asking others to look.

I ran trap for first time in weeks, though I should have had it on previous night.
It remained cloudy and temp held up at 6C for the night.
3 Traps run. The 15w actinic had most species but fewest overall numbers. Brindled Pug is earliest on record but only by 2 days and Diurnea fagella is also earliest on record by 7 days

Farmyard MV 5 species 54 moths
Garden MV 8 species 52 moths
Garden 15w actinic 10 species 25 moths.

Edit: Not sure what is wrong, but the format of list is not holding

Edit: Got there

13 species 131 moths

0663 Diurnea fagella 1
1044x Acleris ferrugana/notana 2
1663 March Moth (Alsophila aescularia) 4
1852 Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) 1
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 2
1926 Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pilosaria) 1
1930 Oak Beauty (Biston strataria) 1
2187 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 53
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 20
2190 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) 36
2237 Grey Shoulder-knot (Lithophane ornitopus lactipennis) 2
2243 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola) 7
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 1

Pete Haynes · Mar 9, 2005

Hi Ken,
Thank goodness its warming up and the moths are becoming active again. The temperature forecast for Sunday night was not reached, ie not much above freezing here in Holmbury St Mary, so only ended up with 1 Small Brindled Beauty. However, Monday night it ranged from 4.2 deg C to 2.4 deg C and it brought out a few:
SBB(7), PBB(1), Spring Usher(1), Yellow Horned (1 - my first), Common Quaker(1), Satellite(5), Chestnut(8) - total 24, 7 species.
Last night was even better with the temperature ranging from 7.4 deg C to 2.9 deg C. Put two Robinson traps out, one in my usual place and the other in the middle of the back lawn, only about 30 feet away but obscured from the first by the garage. The totals for the two were 32/10 and 8/5 respectively with aggregate catch as follows:
SBB(13), Chestnut(11), March Moth(3), Dotted Border(2), Common Quaker(2), Acleris cristana(2), Agonopterix heracliana(2), Yellow Horned(1), Spring Usher(1), Clouded Drab(1), Satellite(1) plus an unknown micro(photo attached). Any ideas on the micro would be appreciated.
Here's to some even warmer weather.

Pete H

Pete Haynes · Mar 9, 2005

Hi Angus/Ken,
I must admit I thought the Clouded Drab looked very much like a Small Quaker from the pattern of the spots and curvature of the wing tips. It is quite dark for a Small Quaker, all mine have been quite light coloured. See attached.
Pete H

Angus T · Mar 9, 2005

Pete Haynes said:
Any ideas on the micro would be appreciated.

Pete H

Pete
Consider 1025 Tortricodes alternella

http://cgi.ukmoths.force9.co.uk/show.php?id=2582
http://www.gardensafari.net/english/picpages/tortricodes_alternella.htm

Brian Stone · Mar 9, 2005

Pete Haynes said:
Hi Angus/Ken,
I must admit I thought the Clouded Drab looked very much like a Small Quaker from the pattern of the spots and curvature of the wing tips. It is quite dark for a Small Quaker, all mine have been quite light coloured. See attached.
Pete H

There is a pretty good match for Ken's on Mike's site:
http://www.bike2nature.co.uk/moths/moth_2182.htm

Angus T · Mar 9, 2005

Pete Haynes said:
Hi Angus/Ken,
I must admit I thought the Clouded Drab looked very much like a Small Quaker from the pattern of the spots and curvature of the wing tips. It is quite dark for a Small Quaker, all mine have been quite light coloured. See attached.
Pete H

Like most species they can show some variability. Some of mine do have the dark stigmata as in Ken's picture.

Size is usually a good indication and usually Small Quaker is noticeably smaller than the other Orthosia species.

Pete Haynes · Mar 9, 2005

Consider 1025 Tortricodes alternella

Hi Angus,
It probably looks good for T. alternella. I had several in February before the snow put a stop to things, most of which were much more tightly rolled up than mine last night. Some of the February ones showed reddish patches too in among the worn areas (see attached).

Pete H

Surreybirder · Mar 9, 2005

Pete Haynes said:
Hi Angus/Ken,
I must admit I thought the Clouded Drab looked very much like a Small Quaker from the pattern of the spots and curvature of the wing tips. It is quite dark for a Small Quaker, all mine have been quite light coloured. See attached.
Pete H

thanks for your comments. It was very small; and it appeared rather more sandy-buff in life than on my photo (I'm operating in our utility room with normal light-bulbs at the moment as we've got building work going on).
I'll attach an unedited pic, which is probably truer in terms of colour but shows less detail. (The egg box is the usual greyish off-white sort of colour, so perhaps the moth would have looked greyer in daylight!)
Ken

Angus T · Mar 9, 2005

Surreybirder said:
thanks for your comments. It was very small; and it appeared rather more sandy-buff in life than on my photo (I'm operating in our utility room with normal light-bulbs at the moment as we've got building work going on).
I'll attach an unedited pic, which is probably truer in terms of colour but shows less detail. (The egg box is the usual greyish off-white sort of colour, so perhaps the moth would have looked greyer in daylight!)
Ken

Small Quaker it is then

Surreybirder · Mar 9, 2005

Thanks, Angus.
Let's see what tonight brings.
Ken

Surreybirder · Mar 10, 2005

Only six moths to my 25W Actinic last night
3 March moths
1 Common quaker
1 Chestnut
and 1 small one (about size of March moth) which l'm not sure of (another chestnut, though it looked small???)
Ken

Angus T · Mar 10, 2005

About the size of March moth, because it is one, and I would go without Chestnut for the other.

Surreybirder · Mar 10, 2005

Angus T said:
About the size of March moth, because it is one, and I would go without Chestnut for the other.

Thanks, Angus. (It was the chestnut I wasn't sure of!)--but why would you go 'without' it??

Ken

Brian Stone · Mar 10, 2005

Managed a couple to a 15W actinic light last night: Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria) and Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi). Also another Dotted border at my son's school lights, a really intensely coloured individual. I'll try for a photo if I get chance.

Angus T · Mar 10, 2005

Surreybirder said:
Thanks, Angus. (It was the chestnut I wasn't sure of!)--but why would you go 'without' it??
Ken

me make note, to read my posts before submitting, lost count the amount of times I've made that note.

It's a mild night here, 9C, seems to be plenty moths about.

A few moths at last (1 Viewer)

Ken Noble

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