August 2016

Dissections from August:

                                0445 Ocnerostoma friesei

Caught on 13th August, a garden first and 3rd for the county.

                                1738 Common Carpet

Also taken on 13th August was this unusually dark Common Carpet.

July 2016

Dissections from July:

                                1045 Acleris notana

Trapped on 7th July, a first garden record.

                                0290 Caloptilia semifascia

Trapped on 19th July, a garden first

                                2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character

From general appearance I thought this moth was a good candidate for Triple-spotted Clay. Both the CR and me were very surprised to find it was an abberant SHC.

June 2016

Several micros were retained over the year for identification/confirmation by gendet. The county recorder for VC31, Barry Dickerson, has returned the dissection results with the following identified for June 2016:

                                0397 Glyphipterix thrasonella

Trapped on 7th June, the black markings on the wings are distinctive. A garden first and the 5th county record.

                                1275 Dichrorampha flavidorsana

Caught on 11th June this was a second garden record (fourth for the county) after a rather battered individual in 2013.

                                0584 Coleophora alticolella

Trapped 21/6. The third garden record but the first since 2010.

7th October 2016

Just one micro in the traps overnight proved to be just the second garden record of Acleris sparsana - the first was back in 2005.

15th September 2016

The last in a series of very warm nights and sunny days produced the first of a number of the autumn species, the third Crombrugghia distans of the year and the first Bedellia somnulentella for 10 years.

24th August 2016

A warm and wet night produced a good crop of moths including this first for the garden Cochylis molliculana. Just the second record for Hunts.

And this Yellow Shell had me puzzling for a while:

5th August 2016

A warmer night brought back fair numbers of moths following a couple of very poor catches. One micro was unfortunately lying dead at the bottom of the trap but was at least in identifiable condition - Bucculatrix ulmella, a new garden tick. A beautifully marked Tissue was the third garden record as was a very small (about 12mm wing span) Crombrugghia (formerly Oxyptilus) distans.

28th July 2016

The first Recurvaria nanella here for 9 years and the second garden record of Whte-line Dart were the highlights of a somewhat quieter session than over the past few days and cooler nights are forecast over the next few days.

21st July 2016

Peach Twig Borer, Anarsia lineatella, was the highlight of a very busy night with over 100 species in the traps. Looks like being the second Hunts record following one last year.
Edit: I was contacted by the Hunts county recorder Barry Dickerson to say that this is actually the newly discovered and closely related species Anarsia innoxiella.

19th July 2016

It's been a disappointing July to date with poor weather and low numbers of moths. That changed last night with warm and humid weather attracting close to 100 species to the traps with Dotted Fanfoot and Small Fan-footed Wave turning up for the first time in 4 years and a dark-phase Gypsonoma dealbana causing ID problems.

9th July 2016

Nothing particularly rare or exciting in the traps last night as the poor weather continues - warm and muggy but with a strong wind. However several moths in the catch were the ones that make it worth getting up at 4am:

Garden Tigers

The Coronet

Peach Blossom

Not in this league but the first record here since 2009:

Plodia interpunctella

7th July 2016

A very disappointing summer so far with lots of rain, wind and chilly nights. Some improvement in the last few days but still few moths worth getting up at 4am for. One such was the third garden record of Goat Moth and the first attracted without the use of a pheromone lure.

7th June 2016

The recent influx of Diamond-backed Moths continues with over 300 in the two traps and many more flying in the garden. Overnight there were thunderstorms and some heavy rain but over 100 moths of 42 species were still attracted to the traps. Amongst several new for the year was this attractive tort, Ptycholoma lecheana, a new garden record.

 

5th June 2016

Another non-moth visitor  - a female Broad-bodied Chaser visited the garden pond briefly this afternoon looking more like a giant wasp than a dragonfly.

8/9th May 2016

Amongst a good catch for early May the first Incurvaria masculella since 2012.

Nothing to do with moths but this fellow was terrorising the newts and frogs in the garden pond yesterday:

1st May 2016

A game of two halves last night with 11 moths of 9 species in the MV trap and absolutely nothing in the actinic - I'm not sure if that has happened before. Highlight of the catch was a Chamomile Shark which is new for the garden. Slightly smaller than the very similar Shark which is common here later in the year, the black lines extending into the fringe of the wing are clearly visible in the photos but difficult to see in the hand.

19th April 2016

Between 1 and 3 male Emperor Moths in the garden this afternoon attracted to the EMP pheromone lure. This is the first time I've been successful with the lure the only previous record of EM here being of 2 males attracted to a 'singing' female a few years ago. It all seems a very hit and miss affair with the male hurtling around the garden rarely going anywhere near the lure. I netted one and, after taking some rather poor photos, released him onto the lure. He immediately flew off.