December Moths (1 Viewer)

[KenM]

A Magnificent Seven for moi last night/am-
3 December Moths, Feathered Thorn, Red-green Carpet, with Scarce and Mottled Umbers.

Remiss of me, just 2 Dec.moths and the two Umbers qualified for the Dec.inclusion.😮

 

[dwallace]

Scarce Umber is supposed to be common here in Hampshire, but I've never recorded it. I think our local mothing group has just one record.

Dave W

 

[KenM]

Scarce Umber is supposed to be common here in Hampshire, but I've never recorded it. I think our local mothing group has just one record.

Dave W

There appear to be many moths in the “Bible” Dave, that are described as broadly speaking common and widespread, that I’ve never had the pleasure of laying eyes on.😩

 

[Farnboro John]

Two Eudonia angustea overnight plus a single December Moth, a Grey Pine Carpet (but see below!) and an LBAM. Likely to be cold for the next few nights.

Edit: Luckily I didn't throw away the "Grey Pine Carpet" but later took a proper look at it. That'll teach me: it was a Winter Moth, now photographed on release.

John

 

[dwallace]

A member of our mothing group had Levant Blackneck in his trap over the weekend, the first Hampshire record since 1967. Needless to say I paid him a visit...

Dave W

 

[aeshna5]

The

A member of our mothing group had Levant Blackneck in his trap over the weekend, the first Hampshire record since 1967. Needless to say I paid him a visit...

Dave W

They're seem to have been quite a few of these found in the south/south-west in recent nights judging by the FB photos.

 

[Michaela11]

Your December Moths and the two Umbers are classic for this time of year, but seeing a Feathered Thorn and Red-green Carpet is quite a treat! If those were your catches during the night, kudos—mild nights seem to favor their appearance.

Interesting how December Moths and others respond to temperature changes. A cold snap followed by milder weather often triggers more activity. Stay alert on upcoming nights for similar surprises.

 

[Elijah22]

Your December Moths and the two Umbers are classic for this time of year, but seeing a Feathered Thorn and Red-green Carpet is quite a treat! If those were your catches during the night, kudos—mild nights seem to favor their appearance.

Interesting how December Moths and others respond to temperature changes. A cold snap followed by milder weather often triggers more activity. Stay alert on upcoming nights for similar surprises.

I couldn’t agree more about the magic of a mild night bringing out those unexpected treats like the Feathered Thorn and Red-green Carpet. It’s always such a delight to find something a bit rarer when you’re out monitoring the moths.

You’re spot on about the temperature fluctuations too. The December Moths, in particular, seem to thrive on those shifts, don’t they? A sudden cold snap followed by a warm spell definitely seems to trigger an uptick in activity. I’ve been noticing similar patterns around here, and it makes for some exciting nights of trapping. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for any more surprises! Looking forward to sharing observations with all of you.

 

[KenM]

Nights have been quite cold of late hence not used the trap, just relying on what lands on the white wall beneath the halogen (security light) and the patio glass doors.
A single Mottled Umber on the wall (last night) and a Winter Moth on the patio glass tonight.

 

[aeshna5]

One trap provided the goods this morning in a local nature reserve after a relatively mild, damp & drizzly night. Appropriately enough 4 December Moths & 4 Mottled Umbers, with 2 of the latter on the twigs around the trap.

 

[dwallace]

We ran 3 lamps in a local wood in south Hampshire last night and had 89 moths! But before anyone gets too excited they were:

Winter Moth 89 (88m,1f).

Dave W

 

[KenM]

We ran 3 lamps in a local wood in south Hampshire last night and had 89 moths! But before anyone gets too excited they were:

Winter Moth 89 (88m,1f).

Dave W

Might explain why I had just the one last night, on the patio door.🤣

 

[Farnboro John]

Trapped last night on the warm forecast, one December Moth, one LBAM, quite happy with that!

John

 

[dwallace]

I thought it was worth trapping last night:

3 December Moths ,2 Rusty-Dot Pearl and 1 Light-Brown Apple Moth.

Dave W

 

[KenM]

Santa came early last night with 2 Mottled Umbers, Red-green Carpet and a Winter Moth all beneath the Halogen security light.😊

 

[Paul Chapman]

Mottled Umber & a colony of Luffia lapidella seem likely to be my last two moths of the year...

Paul's British & Irish 2024 Moth List

A bit of catching up to do in due course but amongst them a Willowherb Hawkmoth (Britain's 4th) twitched from Folkestone, Kent on Sunday. :) My 18th British & Irish Hawkmoth of which I have my only sightings of four are twitches - Willowherb, Spurge, Death's-head & Oleander. All the best Paul

www.birdforum.net

All the best

Paul