August 2009 moths (1 Viewer)

[birding maniac]

i havnt had time to do another since. Might get one done tonight

 

[Tri-Counties Birder]

A productive night last night, in terms of individual numbers at least, with 70. Had the most of a single species since I started in July with 18 Large Yellow Underwing. Also my first Lesser Yellow Underwing and Double-striped Pug for the garden.

Sean

 

[aflickering]

last night i had my first ever flame carpet (3 of them actually), and a first small phoenix for the garden. less LYUs than i was expecting (only 43), but the willow beautys seem to be out in force again at the moment.

i've noticed that i've had just 1 dark arches in each of the last 6 catches, and every single time it's been in the same eggbox (a long greenish one). anyone else noticed any other interesting habits like this for certain species?

 

[Surreybirder]

last night i had my first ever flame carpet (3 of them actually), and a first small phoenix for the garden. less LYUs than i was expecting (only 43), but the willow beautys seem to be out in force again at the moment.

i've noticed that i've had just 1 dark arches in each of the last 6 catches, and every single time it's been in the same eggbox (a long greenish one). anyone else noticed any other interesting habits like this for certain species?

I wonder if the same dark arches is coming back each time.
I had two small phoenixes (phoenices?) at our back-door light last night, along with brimstone, garden carpet and small rufous. The SPs were quite different in size - I suspect a male and a female as one rested with its abdomen raised (the smaller one). I had to dash off to work so I released them but I should have tried putting them together in one pot to see if I got any eggs.
I don't know if that's an 'interesting habit' but they were very attractive moths!
Ken

 

[Tri-Counties Birder]

I wonder if the same dark arches is coming back each time.
I had two small phoenixes (phoenices?) at our back-door light last night, along with brimstone, garden carpet and small rufous. The SPs were quite different in size - I suspect a male and a female as one rested with its abdomen raised (the smaller one). I had to dash off to work so I released them but I should have tried putting them together in one pot to see if I got any eggs.
I don't know if that's an 'interesting habit' but they were very attractive moths!
Ken

Indeed they are. Here are three I caught last night. Not a very good photo, but they were slightly different sizes also.

I notice that almost all the Dark Arches I catch are underneath the very bottom eggbox.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Surre...ode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc

 

[antshrike69]

looking at my photo it is a Rustic and not Common Quaker, its going to be a big learning curve but fun as I go

Mark C

You're not alone there! It's incredibly satisfying to become familiar with each new species as it appears in turn though.

Last night was great here - a good variety of macros and several new micros which I've actually been able to ID with web help!

290 Caloptilia semifascia
695 Agonopterix alstromeriana
2298 Svensson's Copper Underwing

 

[aflickering]

I notice that almost all the Dark Arches I catch are underneath the very bottom eggbox.

a few other things i've noticed:
most waves tend to be on the lid or the inside walls.

large yellow underwings all huddle into the underside of eggboxes, whereas lesser broad-bordered tend to prefer being up the inside near the lid.

yellow-tails prefer the outside of the trap or nearby walls. so do carpets most of the time. pugs tend to like sitting on the lid best.

fan-foots like to be up near the lid. so do magpies.

heart & darts like to be down on the bottom.

swifts like to sit in the eggboxes.


part of what i love about mothing is the way they all seem to have different inclinations and personalities. everyone agree with these, or have some of you had different experiences?

 

[aflickering]

You're not alone there! It's incredibly satisfying to become familiar with each new species as it appears in turn though.

i have a feeling both common quakers and rustics will still be a pain in the arse even when i've been doing this for several years. but yep, that's all part of the fun!

 

[Surreybirder]

common quakers are one of the easy ones as they appear in the early spring when not too much else is about.
On aflickering's points, many Geometrids like to rest in a vertical plane, so you often find them on the trap rather than in the egg-boxes. Large yellow underwings seem to like each other's company - you often find three or four in a little huddle at the bottom of one of the egg slots. In my experience they are some of the most mobile moths and often disturb the ones that you want to examine in detail.
I often find yellow-tails perched conspicuously on vegetation or the greenhouse - but the birds don't seem to find them so it must work for them.
Ken

 

[antshrike69]

common quakers are one of the easy ones as they appear in the early spring when not too much else is about.
Ken

I started mothing late April, and was really glad the diversity of species was so low otherwise I would have found it even harder. Even so, I struggled with Quakers and the like. Hopefully next spring will be easier!

 

[Davebutterflyman]

Early finish tonight but turned out quite productive in terms of NFY's including my first Old lady for three years.

Old lady
Flounced rustic
Orange swift
Sallow kitten

Dave.

 

[antshrike69]

Funnily enough I had my first Old Lady last night, albeit a very battered individual with wing damage (presumably bat-related). I ran some sugar next to the light so maybe this helped? The sugar itself brought in a few underwings and the odd micro.

Also new from the last few nights were 843 Aproaerema anthyllidella (identified after seeing David's on his Earith blog - cheers David!) and Rosy Rustic.

Also some huge bizarre leaf hoppers - big with dished snouts. I think they might be Horned Leafhoppers but I've never seen these before. I might take some photos later. When I saw the first on the trap, I mistook it for a Minor or something!

 

[Davebutterflyman]

Quite a number of bugs here as well in the trap Jonathan including 3 Orange ladybirds,Seven spot ladybird,Nut weevil and a most peculier looking parasitic wasp sp which i'm yet to identify....all good stuff!.

Dave.

 

[antshrike69]

I had a whole array of icheumon types last night including some very attractive ones. I must resist getting into a whole (even harder) group while I'm still so green with moths...

 

[Nick Tanner]

I caught a Cypress Pug at Berrylands Station, Surrey yesterday, does anyone have any up to date information on the status of this moth in south east England, and can anyone post the email address for the Surrey moth recorder?

thanks Nick

 

[Davebutterflyman]

It's very tempting to get involved with new groups of species Jonathan and i have just this year started doing macro photography with Hoverflies and if i'm totaly honest i am completely hooked!.I started out twitching about 20 years ago (a friend kindly suggested i see a doctor about my twitching!...you need friends like that!) and after years of heavy listing along with my lifelong love of butterflies i needed a new challange....and along came the moths...followed by dragonflies....then orchids... then reptiles and so on.You get to the point where you are out in the field and end up trying to identify everything that moves! and if nothing else it keeps your mind active and your body in tune....or is that creaking in my case

Dave.

 

[Surreybirder]

I caught a Cypress Pug at Berrylands Station, Surrey yesterday, does anyone have any up to date information on the status of this moth in south east England, and can anyone post the email address for the Surrey moth recorder?

thanks Nick

Nice one, Nick.
Are you a member of the Surrey-moths Yahoo group?
According to 'Larger Moths of Surrey' CP is 'vagrant not yet established' but it may have increased since that was written. The author, Graham Collins, is also the CR for VC17.
I'll PM you his email address.

Ken

 

[Oleander]

Last night was not good for mothing. About 9m/s wind. But today I found 3 Coxcomb Prominent caterpillars, a Pale Tussock caterpillar and my 5th Poplar Hawkmoth caterpillar

 

[antshrike69]

Here's some rather dark pictures of last night's leafhopper.

 

[davidg]

Here's some rather dark pictures of last night's leafhopper.

I've been getting these as well - never seen them before, and I think I'd remember! Ledra aurita, I think.

David