July Moths (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

Time for a bit of a catch up after a difficult week as my unit has been disbanded and I start at a new place on Monday - fortunately even closer to home. Managed to trap each night even though yesterday I was marking the end of the old gang with very considerable amounts of alcohol - just left it set up for Maz to just plug it in.

Found on the morning of 29 July:

18 moths of 13 species with a peak of 4 Shuttle-shaped Darts and only the second Lime-speck Pug of the year being the main so far identified interest. I do have photos of one moth I simply can't sort out, I'll put them up when my hangover is gone (mid-afternoon 31/7 it hasn't quite!) Edit: identified as Toadflax Brocade - tick! Thanks guys.

30/7 produced 24 individuals of 14 species. A Yellow Shell was unusual for me, Shuttle-shaped Darts reached 8, well ahead of everything else - the usual suspects in ones and twos.

Today (31/7) I checked the trap a good deal later than usual as I was trying to sleep through the worst of the results from the previous' day's excess. So some stuff may have figured a way out - only 19 individuals of 15 species were in it, with Common Rustic agg's 4 beating off all opposition. My first Copper Underwing (sp, though looking at the underwing it seemd to me it ought to be straight Copper Underwing) of the year was immaculately turned out, as was my first Marbled Beauty of the year, and a Ruby Tiger was nice as well.

John

 

[Rubia]

Last night was far more disappointing than it looked at the beginning of the week. The sky went clear at times with a large moon. 128 moths of 49 species by the end (03:00). Catoptria pinella, Agriphila tristella, Dusky Thorn and Tree-lichen Beauty all new for garden. 1 Straw Underwing. Quite low numbers of some really common stuff eg 2 Common Footman. 24 Riband Waves though, top scorer.
1559 moths of 178 species recorded in July.
A new month - fingers crossed.

 

[Andy Adcock]

At the risk of repeating myself, it's bloody crap here!

Seven moths last night, after the scorching day we had, I'd hoped, indeed expected, much better.

 

[Steve Lister]

At the risk of repeating myself, it's bloody crap here!

Seven moths last night, after the scorching day we had, I'd hoped, indeed expected, much better.

There must be some underlying reason why you don't catch much Andy.

It seemed a pretty decent night, though numbers were not as high as I hoped. But I did finally join the Straw Underwing club, a complete lifer, plus I had five others NFY: Oegoconia quadripuncta (agg),Pandemis corylana, Pyrausta aurata, Phycita roberella (first for seven years) and Dusky Thorn.

Steve

 

[KenM]

Last night probably my best night of the year so far, with Oak Processionary(6), Tree-Lichen Beauty(9), Black Arches (4) and my (FOY) Small Elephant Hawk, circa forty+ without the weenies.

Cheers

 

[birdboybowley]

My dad caught a Boathouse Gem in his Littlehampton, West Sussex garden 2 nights ago - 2nd UK record. Well done old boy

 

[KenM]

My dad caught a Boathouse Gem in his Littlehampton, West Sussex garden 2 nights ago - 2nd UK record. Well done old boy

Now that’s a real find!....a 2nd for the Uk...6 years after the 1st! :t:

 

[aeshna5]

My dad caught a Boathouse Gem in his Littlehampton, West Sussex garden 2 nights ago - 2nd UK record. Well done old boy

Saw the photos elsewhere- smart moth! Congrats to him!

 

[JWN Andrewes]

A bit more from me from July, just to cover my first venture away from home with the moth trap, to our annual Pembrokeshire family holiday. First session started on 26th, and proved pretty successful, with 53 macros of 27 species. Highest numbers were 10 Large Yellow Underwing and 6 Marbled Beauty. And as had been hoped, a range of stuff that we don't get at home. Best of these, in the sense of unlikely that I'll ever catch up with them in the garden, were Crescent Dart & a rather beat up Brussels Lace. Four other ticks were on offer, but all species that I could conceivably get at home, Dot Moth, Clay, Buff Footman and (probable) Red Twin-spot Carpet, although I suspect I might not get that last one past a County Recorder, given similarity with Dark-barred Twin-spot, but it's good enough for me, for now, rank amateur hobbyist that I am! Other stuff that I don't get at home, but that I have had before in Pembrokeshire included Rosy Footman and Lackey. A Willow Beauty had me scratching my head for a bit, very different from the much plainer, darker, greyer, smaller looking ones we get at home, and I do wonder when I'll start seeing the paler variations of Common Rustic aggs without thinking "Oooh, that looks interesting, wonder what it is?"

Crescent Dart
Brussels Lace
Dot Moth
Clay
Buff Footman

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Red Twin-spot Carpet
Rosy Footman
Lackey
Willow Beauty
Common Rustic agg

 

[Andy Adcock]

I Can see why you were scratching your head, anyone tell me why the above Willow Beauty isn't a female Feathered?

The most obvious feature is the pale band on the thorax.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

I Can see why you were scratching your head, anyone tell me why the above Willow Beauty isn't a female Feathered?

The most obvious feature is the pale band on the thorax.

Looks like a good shout Andy, cheers. I got three more later in the week, I might queue jump working my way through photos to have a look....

 

[Andy Adcock]

Looks like a good shout Andy, cheers. I got three more later in the week, I might queue jump working my way through photos to have a look....

If you can confirm the ID, it may be a very good, County record?

I'm not sure how current this website info is?

https://ukmoths.org.uk/species/peribatodes-secundaria

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Just had a quick look at the other pics (first three attached), and I don't think they really show features of Feathered. Would seem to be a pretty big claim for Pembrokeshire. Also attached are a couple of Willows from back home, which should give a notion of why the Pembrokeshire ones gave me pause.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

27th July - Cool & breezy, just 12 macros of 9 species, but two ticks, Engrailed & Dark Sword-grass, so pretty pleased. Further quality provided by Buff-tip & Poplar Hawk.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Just had a quick look at the other pics (first three attached), and I don't think they really show features of Feathered. Would seem to be a pretty big claim for Pembrokeshire. Also attached are a couple of Willows from back home, which should give a notion of why the Pembrokeshire ones gave me pause.

You're probably right.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

29th July - Cool & breezy again, and a bigger crop than 27th, 35 of 16 species, but apart from a Clay there was nothing I hadn't had at home. A couple of nice bits over the following couple of days though, attracted to other external lights - a few Garden Tigers, a Lackey and a rather worn Drinker at the toilet block on Whitesands beach (moths seen here have come to be referred to as "Bog Moths" - also found here was the mortal remains of a Ruby Tiger - would have been a tick), and a Chinese Character (a tick) on an outside light by our digs in St Davids.

 

[Andy Adcock]

29th July - Cool & breezy again, and a bigger crop than 27th, 35 of 16 species, but apart from a Clay there was nothing I hadn't had at home. A couple of nice bits over the following couple of days though, attracted to other external lights - a few Garden Tigers, a Lackey and a rather worn Drinker at the toilet block on Whitesands beach (moths seen here have come to be referred to as "Bog Moths" - also found here was the mortal remains of a Ruby Tiger - would have been a tick), and a Chinese Character (a tick) on an outside light by our digs in St Davids.

A pity George Michael didn't try the 'I was mothing officer' defence.......

 

[JWN Andrewes]

A pity George Michael didn't try the 'I was mothing officer' defence.......

Indeed. I should mention, one of the problems with Bog Moths is that they will sometimes offer up less than photogenic surrounds, and one is often far from comfortable picking them up to move them somewhere nicer!

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Final session on 31st July, with 87 of 24, Large Yellow Underwing, Marbled Beauty & Dark Arches the most numerous at 34, 7 & 7. New species were represented by a couple of Twin-spot Carpets, neither of which co-operated with the camera (rather shabby best attempt attached), Least Yellow Underwing and Small Blood-vein. Other highlights were a couple of Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (which along with regular Lesser brought the day's Yellow Underwing score up to 4 species), and a smart velvety Coronet (much more piebald than the moss-coloured one I had in the garden).

Over the week we got 194 macros of 43 species, 12 ticks. We're booked into a different house for next year, with a much bigger garden, backing onto nice wild scrubby meadows & hedgerows. In the mean time, it's been the longest hiatus of trapping the garden since I got the trap back at the end of May, so it was set up and turned on last night within 10 minutes of getting home. Results on the August thread in due course....