May/June Moths (2 Viewers)

Steve Lister · May 19, 2020

Farnboro John said:
Hoping for a good total tonight!

John

Yes, the temperature here is supposed to stay above 12C all night.

Another modest catch for me this morning, with just Treble Lines and HCLM new for the year amongst 20 moths of 13 species.

Steve

Surreybirder · May 19, 2020

Rubia said:
Think Burnt Umber is a paint colour and not a moth.

Toadflax Brocade is certainly increasing around Herts. I've had a couple and a friend gets lots in his garden trap now.

I said I was rusty... for burnt umber read scorced wing |

|

Andy Adcock · May 19, 2020

Last night was chilly with an unpleasant, blustery wind, one, single, solitary moth, Garden Carpet.

The wind, is more fatal to your chances than the temperature in my experiece.

JWN Andrewes · May 19, 2020

A nice afternoon stroll in lovely sunny weather yielded up two day-flying moth ticks this afternoon - Burnet Companion and Mother Shipton.

KenM · May 19, 2020

Rubia said:
Think Burnt Umber is a paint colour and not a moth.

Toadflax Brocade is certainly increasing around Herts. I've had a couple and a friend gets lots in his garden trap now.

Ok will cross it off my “rare” list then.

Cheers

aeshna5 · May 19, 2020

KenM said:
just a single Chocolate-tip in my 15w UV pot on Sunday night (my 2nd ever), and again last night a single Toadflax Brocade. A lifer for me, assume they are increasing in the London area?

Cheers

Think Toadflax Brocade have been pretty widespread in the London area for quite a few years. I've been seeing the larvae on my self sown Purple Toadflax for up to 10 years.

aeshna5 · May 19, 2020

A few moths today walking around London's top butterfly site today where had 17 butterfly species.

Cinnabar 3
Burnet Companion 3
Mother Shipton
Common Marbled Carpet
Silver-ground Carpet
Common Carpet
Silver-Y
Mint Moth 3
Cauchas fibulella

Rubia · May 19, 2020

Ref Toadflax Brocade-
Middlesex Notes: Recent colonist - now a widespread and very common resident. The leap from the shingle beaches of Sussex and Kent to 'brownfield' sites in London was made from 2002 onwards, although there was an earlier report from Highgate Wood in 1986. Within five years it had colonised almost every site where either the native yellow Toadflax Linaria vulgaris or garden varieties of Purple Toadflax can be found. - Plant, Terry, Honey & Freed (2018)
This from the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Moth Group website.

Rubia · May 19, 2020

Just finished last nights moths.39 moths of 24 species, plus a Marbled Minor agg. 6 micros beyond my abilities too. Carpets were especially abundant with Spruce, Broken-barred, Green, Common and Garden.

aeshna5 · May 20, 2020

Rubia said:
Ref Toadflax Brocade-
Middlesex Notes: Recent colonist - now a widespread and very common resident. The leap from the shingle beaches of Sussex and Kent to 'brownfield' sites in London was made from 2002 onwards, although there was an earlier report from Highgate Wood in 1986. Within five years it had colonised almost every site where either the native yellow Toadflax Linaria vulgaris or garden varieties of Purple Toadflax can be found. - Plant, Terry, Honey & Freed (2018)
This from the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Moth Group website.

I wonder how much it is found on Common Toadflax? I don't doubt it is used but I've only ever found it on Purple Toadflax. I do see both plants quite regularly.

I remember before it was a London resident being down at Pagham Harbour where this was then described as a rare species found usually on Purple Toadflax that grew on the coastal shingle there.

Farnboro John · May 20, 2020

Definitely a better night last night, 25 moths of 13 species, two of which were ticks: Orange Footman (which I almost dismissed as a micro!) and Alder Moth.

Peak moth Heart and Dart with 10, second Shuttle-shaped Dart with 4. Best of the rest Green Pug NFY plus another Lime Hawk-moth and a Buff Tip.

8 May Bugs.

John

Rubia · May 20, 2020

I hadn't finished going through mine before going to bed but the strangest moment was a seven minute period where 6 Pale Tussock males came in one after the other. They fly like bullets and seem to prefer the wall to the trap. I only ever seem to get males.
I haven't been doing this mothing for too long but does anyone else share my absolute joy at opening the trap and seeing pugs flying out and thinking 'Thank Heavens, I won't have to look at those faded bloody nightmares'?

.

Britseye · May 20, 2020

Rubia said:
I hadn't finished going through mine before going to bed but the strangest moment was a seven minute period where 6 Pale Tussock males came in one after the other. They fly like bullets and seem to prefer the wall to the trap. I only ever seem to get males.
I haven't been doing this mothing for too long but does anyone else share my absolute joy at opening the trap and seeing pugs flying out and thinking 'Thank Heavens, I won't have to look at those faded bloody nightmares'? .

Ha ha! Yes.

I trapped extensively three years ago on a 110-acre Cornish Farm and had a fantastic season. The following two years, I didn't trap, but spent a lot of time watching the porch and garage lights. I had several nights when Pale Tussocks were acting just as you describe, usually for an intensive short period around midnight. The nights I didn't stay to watch the lights, I'd often find 2-3 clinging to the wall next day.

honeym · May 20, 2020

aeshna5 said:
I wonder how much it is found on Common Toadflax? I don't doubt it is used but I've only ever found it on Purple Toadflax. I do see both plants quite regularly.

I've certainly seen it on both but as Purple is by far the most frequently encountered species I also see more larvae on Purple. Also just across the river in N Surrey.

Martin (one of the authors of the above mentioned paper)

Farnboro John · May 20, 2020

Quick photo catch-up:

Maiden's Blush on the window
Small Magpie (honorary macro)
Lime Hawk-moth
Treble Lines
Poplar Hawk-moth sitting wide open: they usually tuck the forewings back so you can't see the rich brown on the hind-wings

Steve Lister · May 20, 2020

Another lifer for me this morning, Seraphim: still quite a scarce moth locally apparently. Cydia pomonella and Udea olivalis also NFY.

And to chip in on Toadflax Brocade, I caught two last week which turns out to be just the ninth Leics record. There are hardly any records further north, one at Spurn the most northerly. Somebody caught one near Derby last week, even scarcer there than here.

Steve

Andy Adcock · May 20, 2020

Steve Lister said:
Another lifer for me this morning, Seraphim: still quite a scarce moth locally apparently. Cydia pomonella and Udea olivalis also NFY.

And to chip in on Toadflax Brocade, I caught two last week which turns out to be just the ninth Leics record. There are hardly any records further north, one at Spurn the most northerly. Somebody caught one near Derby last week, even scarcer there than here.

Steve

Never had either here in Notts.

A couple of Common Pugs, 1 Scalloped Hazel and an Elephant Hawk was my lot last night.

Jabberwocky · May 20, 2020

74 Macros and 13 micros last night, 30 and 9 species. New for year were Figure of Eighty, Chocolate Tip,Buff Ermine, Common Swift,Light Brocade,Turnip Moth,Clouded Border, Common Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, Shoulder-striped Wainscot and Dark/Grey Dagger. From the micros, NFY were Sitochroa verticalis, Cydia pomonella, Agapeta hamana, and Notocelia cynosbatella. Eulia ministrana was new for the garden.

I won't have the trap out tonight as I have too much other stuff to do tomorrow. With any luck I'll try tomorrow if the forecast thunder storms have passed.

Lew

Rubia · May 21, 2020

19/05 produced 43 moths of 22 species, with additional 4 Marbled Minor agg.
6 Pale Tussocks (male) 4 Common Wainscot, 5 Brimstone, 5 LBAM, 1 Small Elephant H-m and more usual suspects in lower numbers
Oak Hook-tip & 2 Yellow-barred Brindle were garden ticks.
Still a few from last night to do, but 4 Small Elephants was a surprise. Female Pale Tussock was nice given all the boys that turn up.
Fingers crossed for a different Hawk to come in.

Farnboro John · May 21, 2020

40 moths of 11 species in the trap this morning (and 6 May Bugs). Peak numbers Heart and Dart again (they are soooo boring!) with 21; Shuttle-shaped Darts (not much less boring) second with 8.

Otherwise, Common Rustic (is that another agg thing?) NFY, another Lime Hawk-moth - I checked the markings against the previous one and they are definitely different moths - and a Willow Beauty best of the rest.

John

May/June Moths (2 Viewers)

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Ken Noble

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