June 2009 Moths (1 Viewer)

[dantheman]

Apart from a single Diamond-backed on Friday night I have not caught any migrants yet this year: how are other people doing? I thought all the easterlies and the numbers of Painted Ladies augured well, but not yet.

Back on 30th May I had Silver Y and Dark Sword Grass in the trap down in Cornwall. I understand these are usually immigrants. Good numbers of Silver Y in the field too.

 

[martinf]

Small Ranunculus has been recorded a few times in the VC32 part of Peterborough so you are probably in a good place to add more VC31 records. I'm still waiting for one out here to the west.

Possibly a very stupid question but where does VC31 derive from, not a post code or grid ref?

 

[Surreybirder]

the Watsonian vice-counties were devised as standard recording areas that don't change when the government fiddles around with the county boundaries. For example, I live in Surrey VC17, but VC17 is not 'modern' Surrey - it doesn't include bits around Staines which are now regarded as Surrey and it does include parts of inner London which are no longer in Surrey (e.g. Croydon).
Ken-

 

[Brian Stone]

Vice County. Used for a lot of recording. See here:
http://www.brc.ac.uk/vcList.asp

 

[martinf]

Cheers, so I'm in VC29.......
good to know

 

[antshrike69]

Well, last night's catch took some sorting. 518 moths of almost 115 species with a few left to identify.

NFY so far

Carcina quercana
Batia unitella
Udea prunalis
Small China-Mark
Crambus pascuella
Perinephela lancealis
Phlyctaemia coronata
Small Emerald
Dwarf Cream Wave
V Pug
Mere Wainscot
Black-neck

A few species starting to reappear also - my first Ruby Tiger for weeks and an Early Thorn too.

 

[Davebutterflyman]

Thats some sorting out for you Jonathan!!.Good luck with your id's.No trapping here last night due to thunder storms so hoping to make up for it tonight.

Dave.

 

[Nerine]

Well, last night's catch took some sorting. 518 moths of almost 115 species with a few left to identify.

That's an amazing number of moths, Jonathan, well done! I found it hard going this morning with 240 odd in the trap, about 50+ species. I ran the trap for two hours from Murray's win to 1am. I don't think I could have coped with a whole night's catch. I had some nice hawks: two small elephants, one pine (new in my garden), three privets and one poplar. I tried to photo them together without success! Still sorting out the others ......

NFY's are:
Lesser Yellow Underwing (2)
Broad-barred White
Marbled Green

New in the garden are:
Pine Hawk-moth

Some I have yet to id.

Highest number were Dark Arches (22) followed by 19 Large Yellow Underwings and 17 Heart and Darts. I had 15 Buff Arches. All these are from the MV Robinson trap. Below some pics of the hawks which I tried but failed to assemble together.

I may use the actinic tonight.

Nerine

 

[Brian Stone]

A bit further up the A605 I had c.370 moths of 80+ species. Nothing new but another E. dodecea and some that are very scarce in the garden: Beautiful Golden Y (only 2nd record), Broad-barred White (also 2nd), Blue-bordered Carpet, Brown Scallop, O. glaucinalis and, the star of the show, my second Catoptria pinella, of which I shall post a photo in due course as it is such a striking beast.

Commonest were C. culmella (65), Dark Arches (29) and Common Footman (27). Still very few hawks this year.

Only possible migrants were the 3 Diamond-back Moths.

Well, last night's catch took some sorting. 518 moths of almost 115 species with a few left to identify.

NFY so far

Carcina quercana
Batia unitella
Udea prunalis
Small China-Mark
Crambus pascuella
Perinephela lancealis
Phlyctaemia coronata
Small Emerald
Dwarf Cream Wave
V Pug
Mere Wainscot
Black-neck

A few species starting to reappear also - my first Ruby Tiger for weeks and an Early Thorn too.

 

[Bennyboymothman]

The hot weather looks set to continue, yipee!
About 110 Moths of 50 species last night and nfy's included Brown-tail, Scarce Footman, Short-cloaked Moth, Lilac Beauty & Mother of Pearl.
I like this time of year for Moths! some great catches by people and i'm looking forward to my next field trip on friday....

 

[aflickering]

last night i had:
swallow-tailed moth NFY
scalloped oak NFY
latticed heath NFY NFG

 

[antshrike69]

Commonest were C. culmella (65), Dark Arches (29) and Common Footman (27). Still very few hawks this year.

Interesting how catches can vary in composition over a short distance. Commonest here were C. culmella (24), Water Veneer (50+), Riband Wave (60), Heart and Dart (22) and Triple-spotted Clay (24). Only 10 Dark Arches, for example.

3 species of Hawks again last night- 3 Privet, a Poplar and an Elephant. No Oleander yet...

 

[Brian Stone]

20 Riband Waves here of which 18 were ab. remutata - by far the commonest form. I haven't hit the Water Veneer plague as yet this year.

I've never recorded Triple-spotted Clay - unless I'm overlooking them among the Double Square-spots. Can't tell me ditrapeziums from me triangulums.

 

[antshrike69]

Triple-spotted seems to far outnumber Double Square-spot here which is strange.
Most ribands here are remutata too, in similar proportions to you.
Water Veneers seem very kamikaze - they congregate under the trap and flail around on their backs. Makes you feel quite guilty when you check the trap in the morning and there's a sea of dead Veneers.
Btw, thanks Brian and all others involved for the excellent 'micros ID' thread.It's made big catches much easier to deal with when so much is new. Scanning the posts there have saved me lots of time on several new species.

 

[luke]

Had a few good ones last night amongst the commoner species. Galium Carpet and Smoky Wave being the best and also a few map winged swift.

 

[aflickering]

my most common just recently have been the magpie moth, bee moth and riband wave

 

[martinf]

Last night was good for me (can't compete with most of you with MVs) in my little urban garden. 80 odd moths of 28 spp

V Pug NFG
Grey Dagger NFY

plus these two

is the first just a Brown China-mark?

 

[antshrike69]

The first is Phlyctaenia coronata - the reason I know is that I recorded my first last night too!

The second looks like Lozotaenoides formosanus.

 

[Nerine]

The first is Phlyctaenia coronata - the reason I know is that I recorded my first last night too!

The second looks like Lozotaenoides formosanus.

Yes I agree with these two. I also had a P.coronata last night.

Nerine

 

[oldgiteggy]

Favourite of the last week, Oak Eggar, dark for a female, large as well, 40mm and I thought it may be Northern, but not probable in our area of SE Wales