August Moths (2 Viewers)

[Farnboro John]

Angle Shades on one of the benches on the Scillonian III when we docked at Penzance yesterday evening.

John

 

[earthdragon64]

The temperature dropped to a low of 9.2C, so just 16 moths of 9 species. Canary-shouldered Thorn and Sallow were new for the year with quite a nice Lesser Yellow Underwing and a Rosy Rustic the best of the rest.

 

[Richard D]

First use of trap Sunday night: Oak Lantern, Square-spot Rustic, Straw Underwing, Vine's Rustic, The White Point, Small Dusty Wave, Turnip Moth, Flounced Rustic, Light Emerald, Large Yellow Underwing, Orange Swift, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Plume (Morning Glory?), Box Tree, Brimstone, Double-Striped Pug, Pale Mottled Willow, Veneer (Grass?), Something largish and white that escaped, another Pug I couldn't get a decent photo of and three micros that flew as soon as I opened the trap...

 

[aeshna5]

First use of trap Sunday night: Oak Lantern, Square-spot Rustic, Straw Underwing, Vine's Rustic, The White Point, Small Dusty Wave, Turnip Moth, Flounced Rustic, Light Emerald, Large Yellow Underwing, Orange Swift, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Plume (Morning Glory?), Box Tree, Brimstone, Double-Striped Pug, Pale Mottled Willow, Veneer (Grass?), Something largish and white that escaped, another Pug I couldn't get a decent photo of and three micros that flew as soon as I opened the trap...

Had to look up Oak Lantern as I'd never heard of it. Then I realised it was a moth I knew really well but as Carcina quercana. Trouble is most books don't use these newly invented vernacular names, so leaves many of us scratching our heads.

Seems like you had a productive first use.

 

[Richard D]

Had to look up Oak Lantern as I'd never heard of it. Then I realised it was a moth I knew really well but as Carcina quercana. Trouble is most books don't use these newly invented vernacular names, so leaves many of us scratching our heads.

Seems like you had a productive first use.

Sorry - I'm not sure what names are in common use and what aren't yet.

Yes very happy for less than ideal weather and time of year.

 

[aeshna5]

Sorry - I'm not sure what names are in common use and what aren't yet.

Yes very happy for less than ideal weather and time of year.

All the UK macros have standard English names but only a relatively small number of micros have long established vernacular names like Small Magpie, Mother of Pearl, etc. In recent years there's been a trend to invent English names for all manner of taxa, which never had them like mosses, hoverflies as well as most of the micro moths. The argument for this was to encourage more people to get into them who are daunted by scientific names. Trouble is many experts in these fields don't know (or possibly wish to learn) these new fangled names, which in some cases seem more complicated than the scientific ones.

I'm not criticising you for using these new names, but on the whole I need to look them up as I don't know them.

Enjoy your mothing sessions!

 

[Richard D]

All the UK macros have standard English names but only a relatively small number of micros have long established vernacular names like Small Magpie, Mother of Pearl, etc. In recent years there's been a trend to invent English names for all manner of taxa, which never had them like mosses, hoverflies as well as most of the micro moths. The argument for this was to encourage more people to get into them who are daunted by scientific names. Trouble is many experts in these fields don't know (or possibly wish to learn) these new fangled names, which in some cases seem more complicated than the scientific ones.

I'm not criticising you for using these new names, but on the whole I need to look them up as I don't know them.

Enjoy your mothing sessions!

Thanks

 

[KenM]

Just three of three in the pot this am.😩
Straw Underwing, Lesser BBYU, Box Tree Moth and not forgetting one Hornet + a Wasp.😮

 

[Farnboro John]

Quite a light catch last night but definitely ringing the autumn changes with 4 Flounced and 4 Square-spot Rustics the high counts among 18/10 spp. Oak Hook-tip perhaps the best moth of the night.

My first Hornet of the season was in the trap on the morning of 29th August along with 25 Vines Rustics, 10 Pale Mottled Willows, 7 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Setaceous Hebrew Characters all looking nice and fresh and another 4 Square-spot Rustics out of a total of 78/21 spp. Three Small Dusty Waves were good, normally only one a night and then only occasionally.

I quite enjoyed the Hornet, I find them placid compared to ordinary wasps and they are smart looking insects.

John

 

[Richard D]

Lunchtime find in field behind house

 

[Farnboro John]

I've noticed the change of month but others seem to count from the evening before so last night's catch is hereby filed under August.

Moth of the day was a NFY Old Lady, second best being a Gypsy Moth. Numbers among the 52/ 17 spp included 10 Large Yellow Underwing, 8 each of Flounced and Square-spot Rustics, 4 Vines Rustics and 3 each of Willow Beauty, Box Moth and Setaceous Hebrew Character.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Some pictures of the better August moths in my garden, I meant to do this every month but mostly I've been distracted by something else at the critical moment.

John

Gypsy Moth
Beautiful Plume
Double Lobed
Sharp-angled Carpet
Rosy Footman
Light Crimson Underwing - moth of the year so far!
Lesser Stag Beetle (I do know this isn't a moth but it was in the trap and it's smart)
Canary-shouldered Thorn

 

[Farnboro John]

And some more:

Black Arches
Birds Wing
Spectacle
Straw Underwing
Rosy Rustic
Dusky Thorn
Tawny-barred Angle
Pebble Hook-tip

 

[Farnboro John]

Last lot for August:

Bright-line Brown-eye
Agriphila tristella
Six-striped Rustic
Cypress Pug
Burnished Brass
Sharp-angled Carpet
Hornet (another non-moth but another smart insect)
Old Lady

 

[kennethwfd]

Hummingbird Hawkmoth seen today