May Moths (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

I know not everybody thinks (perhaps only I do) last night was May but I checked my trap this morning - May 1 - and I don't know what time the moths flew in, so to me they are May moths.

That out of the way, it was a good night, not big numbers but ringing the changes on content. Two Brindled Beauties and a very worn Small Quaker were already familiar this year but Knot Grass, Bright-line Brown-eye, two Tachystola acroxantha, a Common Carpet and a Dark Sword-grass were all NFY. Finally when I came back in an Oak-tree Pug had sneaked in through the door while I was going through the trap (it had probably been on the outside of the door and fluttered to the kitchen wall after I passed).

Cheers

John

Pix added:

 

[KenM]

Yes, with at least double digits temps (almost) overnight, I felt confident that something other than a single pug sp (previous night) would grace my halogen wall.
Ended up with 2 pug sp (high) on the wall + a Double-striped pug!….”Things were really taking off!
Thus I unleashed my UV at bedtime (turning off the halogen) having added Green Carpet, Red-green Carpet and Brimstone to the wall.
An early am trawl of my pot revealed just a single Early Grey😩with my Red-green Carpet having moved to the window pane.
Looking forward to even warmer evenings.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

A tick! Mullein! What a corker! A few other nice bits too, Pebble Prominent, Flame Shoulder & July Highflyer amongst the NFY, also a dozen plus Pugs on the back wall which have been photographed for perusal later, but the all looked like Brindled, Oak-tree or aggs thereof.

 

[KenM]

With just an Early Grey and Brimstone on the wall beneath the halogen (probably last nights) and rain forecast in the early hours…I decided no UV tonight.😩

 

[Richard D]

Put trap out last night only to have torrential rain and lightning. Still managed 3 Brimstone, 2 Shuttle shaped darts and singles of Least Arches, 20 plume, Muslin and LBAM.

 

[Steve Lister]

May 1st but only 5/5 for me on what seemed a good night - my earliest ever Silver Y by a fortnight the only thing worth mentioning.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Very few moths this morning, but some quality in the form of Muslin Moth & Waved Umber.

 

[Farnboro John]

Few moths again this morning but further change in the catch with NFY White Ermine and Shuttle-shaped Dart: the only two other moths were both micros that had already turned up this year, Tachystola acroxantha and Epinotia immundana.

The T. acroxantha has very little left of its diagnostic yellow back end: if it had all gone I would certainly have struggled to identify it.

With both micros found outside the actual trap a bird dropping on one of the perspex covers may indicate why I don't find more of these small moths!

John

 

[Allen]

Nothing in my trap this morning which is odd/concerning.

 

[Richard D]

Nothing in my trap this morning which is odd/concerning.

I only had one Shuttle Shaped Dart, four Pale Mottled Willows and a single Brimstone despite what seemed reasonable conditions.

 

[Farnboro John]

Nothing in my trap this morning which is odd/concerning.

The forecast was for warm early but temperature dropping through the night so you might have a microclimate issue. Four is not many moths in my trap!

John

 

[KenM]

Nothing in my trap this morning which is odd/concerning.

Comforting to know I’m in good company.😩

 

[Allen]

The forecast was for warm early but temperature dropping through the night so you might have a microclimate issue. Four is not many moths in my trap!

John

Yes I think you're right John. I've started to notice that just the 18 miles from Farnborough to the Surrey Hills around Haslemere where i mostly trap brings a noticeable cooling in temp that I can feel.

 

[earthdragon64]

After a really poor start to the Garden Moth Scheme year, 1 week with 4 Hebrew Characters, 1 week when the weather was too bad on any night to trap and 7 weeks with nothing, I finally caught some moths on Friday night! 12 moths of 9 species, 2 Hebrew Characters, 1 Common Quaker, 1 Clouded Drab, 1 Foxglove Pug, 3 Double-striped Pugs, 1 Engrailed, 1 Early Tooth-striped, 1 Least Black Arches and 1 Beautiful Plume.

 

[Atropos]

I know not everybody thinks (perhaps only I do) last night was May but I checked my trap this morning - May 1 - and I don't know what time the moths flew in, so to me they are May moths.

That out of the way, it was a good night, not big numbers but ringing the changes on content. Two Brindled Beauties and a very worn Small Quaker were already familiar this year but Knot Grass, Bright-line Brown-eye, two Tachystola acroxantha, a Common Carpet and a Dark Sword-grass were all NFY. Finally when I came back in an Oak-tree Pug had sneaked in through the door while I was going through the trap (it had probably been on the outside of the door and fluttered to the kitchen wall after I passed).

Cheers

John

Pix added:

View attachment 1576821View attachment 1576822View attachment 1576823View attachment 1576824View attachment 1576825View attachment 1576826

I was always told that you put everything under the date the trap was set rather than the morning you empty it but I am not sure where that has come from or even if that is the currnt way of thinking

 

[loiner]

I was always told that you put everything under the date the trap was set rather than the morning you empty it but I am not sure where that has come from or even if that is the currnt way of thinking

When I first started trapping I asked my County Recorder (Yorkshire) and he said the correct date was the evening the trap was put out not the morning after but, especially if you don't submit records, it is entirely your own choice.

 

[Farnboro John]

Ran the trap overnight and Maz woke me up at 0520 to tell me it was raining, so I scooted downstairs and brought it into a hastily isolated kitchen to examine the contents in the dry. There were four moths, none new for the year: Knot Grass, Flame Shoulder, Oak-tree Pug and Hebrew Character. Looking out of the window later I found a Tachystola acroxantha on the outside for a total score of 5/5.

Cheers

John

 

[JWN Andrewes]

There's definitely a theme developing here, of low numbers and diversity but some pretty decent individual moths therein. I suspect that I may need a new bulb to increase numbers, I just hope it doesn't jinx the quality. This morning's star was a cracking Puss Moth. The supporting cast? Least Black Arches, Twenty-plumed Moth and 3 LBAMs. Pathetic.

 

[KenM]

There's definitely a theme developing here, of low numbers and diversity but some pretty decent individual moths therein. I suspect that I may need a new bulb to increase numbers, I just hope it doesn't jinx the quality. This morning's star was a cracking Puss Moth. The supporting cast? Least Black Arches, Twenty-plumed Moth and 3 LBAMs. Pathetic.

Only ever had a single Puss Moth when I was running a 130w Mercury, what bulb are you using?

Cheers

 

[JWN Andrewes]

One of these. My second Puss Moth. More would be welcome!