Hawk Moths and More

More moths caught at the weekend, including Small and Large elephant Hawk Moths and Cloaked Minor, another new species.

Small & Elephant Hawk Moth

#219 Small Magpie Moth (Anania hortulata)

#676 Coronet (Craniophora ligustri)

#778 Cloaked Minor (Mesoligia furuncula)

Finally a Still, Dry Night

It wasn’t warm, but at least there was no rain and it wasn’t blowing a gale, so I was able to put out the moth trap for the first time in a few weeks. This year it seems you have to take your chances when they arrive. It was not a great haul of moths, but a couple of new species. Muslin moth (Diaphora mendica) is a May flier, there were four of these grey/brown males in the trap, but none of the white coloured females. The Puss Moth (Cerura vinula) also flies in one generation from May-July - I have found it’s impressive-looking caterpillars around the village, but not in the garden. Other trapped species were the Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) caught in the moth trap, and a Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobaeae), caught in a nearby spider’s web.

#745 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica)

#596 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita)

#746 Puss Moth (Cerura vinula)

November Moth

Okay, it’s not quite November, but moth trapping this week, after a small gap, we had some new autumnal species.

First of the new species is the November Moth itself (Epirrita dilutata agg.), actually one of 3 very similar & closely-related species flying at this time of year, the others being the Pale November and Autumnal Moths, which in most cases require dissection to definitively identify. These moths fly now, laying eggs in the leaf buds of various deciduous trees, which duly hatch the next summer. The Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) also flies a single generation at this time of the year. The larvae live in rough grass, with the adults attracted to Ivy blossom. The second generation of the Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata) is another September-October moth.

The other moths caught included Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum), a Silver Y Moth (Autographa gamma) and a couple of Light Brown Apple Moths (Epiphyas postvittana). The latter species is an accidental introduction all the way from Australia, which since arriving in Cornwall in 1930’s has expanded its range to become a common species in much of UK.

#705 November Moth (Epirrita dilutata)

#706 Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata)

#707 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis)

#661 Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum)

#317 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)

#111 Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

700 Species

Getting a moth trap has been a game-changer in terms of adding new species to my list this summer - also a lot of fun. I brought up my 700th species in some style with a bevy of beautiful moths this morning after a perfect warm & still September night.

#696 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria)

#697 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)

#698 Large Ranunculus (Polymixis flavicincta)

#699 The Mallow (Larentia clavaria)

#700 Light Emerald (Campaea margaritata)

Swallow Tail and Gold Triangle

There are some more moths from earlier in the week, pushing my garden list closer to 700 species. The Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) was a particularly beautiful one; also quite a late record for this species, which is commoner in July.

The Gold Triangle moth (Hypsopygia costalis) has two postures, this one with its wings splayed out and tail in the air and a more normal moth-like v-shape. It’s larvae live in dried vegetation, like hay stacks or my neighbour’s thatched roof. The other two moths are also typical for the season; the Pale Mottled Willow’s (Paradrina clavipalpis) larvae live in cereal grain, while those of the Rosy Rustic’s (Hydraecia micacea) live underground mostly in the roots of plants of the dock family.

#690 Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria)

#691 Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis)

#688 Pale Mottled Willow (Caradrina clavipalpis)

#693 Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) with Large Yellow Underwing

September Moths

After a bit of a break during the holidays, it was good to get my moth trap back out and see what was about. Among the Large Yellow Underwings there were a few new species. This Black Rustic and a couple of prettily veined Lunar Underwings were my favourites. I nearly missed the Small Dusty Wave altogether as it is more or less perfectly camouflaged against egg box grey.

#683 Black Rustic - Aporophyla nigra

#682 Square-spot Rustic - Xestia xanthographa

#685 Lunar Underwing - Omphaloscelis lunosa

#688 Pale Mottled Willow - Caradrina clavipalpis

#684 Garden Rose - Tortrix Acleris variegana

#92 Small Dusty Wave - Idaea seriata

Moth Bonanza

It’s taken me a few days to identify all the moths I caught on Friday night, with 15 new species added to the list. There were many moths in the trap and even more all around on the house wall and surrounding plants. Some of the highlights below. Without the moth trap you only see a fraction of what is out there.

#666 Magpie moth - Abraxas grossulariata

#236 Garden Carpet - Xanthorhoe fluctuata

#667 Lesser Swallow Prominent - Pheosia gnoma

#674 Carcina quercana

#245 Yellow-tail - Euproctis similis

#675 Water Veneer - Acentria ephemerella

#546 Ruby Tiger Moth - Phragmatobia fuliginosa

#673 Iron Prominent - Notodonta dromedarius

#671 Nutmeg - Anarta trifolii

#664 Lesser BB Yellow Underwing - Noctua janthe

#672 Straw Underwing - Thalpophila matura

#676 The Coronet - Craniophora ligustri

Moth Trapping in Winchcombe

For a change last night I was trapping in my Dad’s garden in Winchcombe. He’s always reminiscing about how many more insects there were back in the old days, and he’s for sure correct. Even so it was great to catch a pretty decent selection of moths, several that i didn’t yet catch at my place. I took some photos of a few of the more colourful ones and ones I didn’t recognise, including a Marbled Green (Nyctobrya muralis) which seems pretty unusual this far from the coast. A rather impressive Sexton Beetle had dropped into the trap; this is a carrion beetle that searches out dead small animals and raises its larvae in a burrow under the corpse.

Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)

Gold Spot (Plusia festucae)

Maiden's Blush (Cyclophora punctaria)

Marbled Green (Cryphia muralis)

Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula)

Common Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides)

Five New Moths

Monday night was my best night’s trapping for quite some time, including five new species. The Brimstone Moth was not new, but the light drew in several of these and I didn’t get a photo the previous time I recorded them. Scalloped Oak, Single-dotted Wave, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Straw Underwing and Turnip Moth were all new, reflecting a shift in the season and new generations of these moths appearing. I caught several Shuttle-shape Darts, Straw Underwings and also Riband Waves, plus individuals of several other species.

#657 Scalloped Oak (Crocallis elinguaria)

#606 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata)

#658 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata)

#659 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta)

#660 Straw Underwing (Thalpophila matura)

#661 Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum)

Trio of New Moths

No rain last night, so the moth trap was out and catching a fair number of moths, the Heart & Dart being the most numerous, with a couple each of Vine’s Rustic and Uncertain moths. With these there were three new species: a Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea), a twig-like Flame moth ( Axylia putris) and a Barred Straw (Gandaritis pyraliata). The Barred Straw is an unusual looking moth as it rests with its fore-wings completely covering its hind-wings, and in this case fluttered off before (unfortunately) I could get a better photo.

#619 Bright-line Brown-eye - Lacanobia oleracea

#620 Flame - Axylia putris

#621 Barred Straw - Gandaritis pyraliata

More Marvelous Moths

After a couple of fruitful trapping evenings I had a bit of a backlog of photos and a few identification challenges I was still working on. I’m impressed how many moths I’ve caught, and the variety of species - I had no idea there were so many around. I particularly love the birch twig imitating Bull Tip and the pattern on the Grey Dagger, neither of which I’ve ever seen before. As the weather has turned a little wet and it looks like it will be windier too I’ll give it a rest until the weekend and see if there’s anything else around I should take notice of.

#612 Buff Tip (Phalera bucephala)

#603 Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica)

#611 Grey Dagger (Acronicta psi)

#607 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens)

#605 Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus)

#602 Heart & Dart (Agrotis exclamationis)

#604 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua)

#601 Treble Brown Spot (Idaea trigeminata)

#219 Small Magpie Moth (Anania hortulata)

Mothing for the Weekend

My moth trap arrived, and even though the weather was not great - cold and quite windy - what the Hell, I had to give it a go. Not many species caught, but at least on the plus side I have to spend the whole day identifying moths! A single Heart & Club (Agrotis clavis) was the sole catch on Friday night, but it was a new species - one that is apparently very readily attracted to light. Saturday night was still and a little warmer after some rain, so I woke up to a moth trap with a dozen or so moths in it, including White and Buff Ermines, Setaceous Hebrew Character, an Uncertain, Willow Beauty, Riband Wave, Spectacle, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Olive Pearl (Udea olivalis), Barred Marble (Celypha striana) and three more Heart & Club moths. Several of those caught were new species for my garden list, and I’m very happy with my new purchase.

#592 White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda)

#593 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lutea)

#596 Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita)

#594 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum)

#597 Shoulder-striped Wainscot (Leucania comma)

#591 Heart & Club Moth (Agrotis clavis)

#622 Uncertain (Hoplodrina octogenaria)

#132 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)

#595 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)