Mothing 30.04.20

Garden mothing VC12 ~ 29-30/04/20 ~

The forecast for last night was rather wet and windy conditions, but something about the promise of spring made me risk it and set the trap up. Upon checking the trap at around 21.30, I was disheartened to see that the rain had started early, but a Great Prominent Peridea anceps hiding away on the back of the sheet was some consolation. Given that the rain was due to remain steady for an hour or so rather than getting any heavier, I decided to brave it and leave the trap out until the morning.

Despite getting to sleep around 2am, I somehow woke up before my 06.30 alarm and was out to check the trap at 06.00. The sheet next to the trap was soaking and the Great Prominent was nowhere to be seen, but a Poplar Grey Subacronicta megacephala was a nice surprise. Inside the trap was - as expected - pretty quiet, with two Red-green Carpets Chloroclysta siterata, a battered Oak-tree Pug Eupithecia dodoneata and a single Triple-barred Argent Argyresthia trifasciata. Right at the bottom, under the very last egg box was the highlight of my mothing year so far, and possibly the best moth to grace my garden since I began trapping in 2015... a beautiful Lime Hawk-moth Mimas tiliae! It's my first one in Hampshire, and only my second one ever (the other being at Upton Fen, Norfolk last year). A real treat and a very unexpected one too!

Species		Count
Great Prominent	Peridea anceps	1
Lime Hawk-moth	Mimas tiliae	1
Oak-tree Pug	Eupithecia dodoneata	1
Poplar Grey	Subacronicta megacephala	1
Red-green Carpet	Chloroclysta siterata	2
Triple-barred Argent	Argyresthia trifasciata	1

Lime Hawk-moth Mimas tiliae

Great Prominent Peridea anceps

Poplar Grey Subacronicta megacephala

Mothing 24.04.20

Garden mothing VC12 ~ 23-24/04/20 ~

A last minute decision at ~21.00 last night saw me putting the moth trap out once again. The weather was warm (~9°C) and fairly overcast... pretty much as good as it's going to get for this time of year! By the time I went to check the trap at ~23.30, there were already a number of moths around, including a Waved Umber, Seraphim, two Brimstones and a handful of pugs.

Upon checking the trap at ~07.00 this morning it was encouraging to see a number of moths still on the vertical sheet that I hang next to the trap, as well as the perspex lid of the trap itself... always a good sign! It didn't take too long to go through the traps' contents as it was all fairly straightforward.  The total catch came to 61 moths of 29 species - not bad for April. A number of species were quite surprising to see, especially Nutmeg, Sharp-angled Carpet, Yellow-barred Brindle and a superb Poplar Hawk-moth.

Hopefully the weather stays favourable over the next few things as things really start to pick up!

Species		Count
Brimstone Moth	Opisthograptis luteolata	6
Brindled Beauty	Lycia hirtaria	2
Brindled Pug	Eupithecia abbreviata	13
Brown Pine Ermine	Cedestis subfasciella	1
Chocolate-tip	Clostera curtula	3
Clouded Drab	Orthosia incerta	2
Common Oak Purple	Dyseriocrania subpurpurella	1
Common Quaker	Orthosia cerasi	1
Fern Smut	Psychoides filicivora	1
Least Black Arches	Nola confusalis	1
Light Brown Apple-moth	Epiphyas postvittana	1
Many-plume Moth	Alucita hexadactyla	1
Muslin Moth	Diaphora mendica	1
Narrow-winged Grey	Eudonia angustea	1
Nut-tree Tussock	Colocasia coryli	1
Nutmeg	Anarta trifolii	1
Oak Nycteoline	Nycteola revayana	1
Oak-tree Pug	Eupithecia dodoneata	8
Poplar Hawk-moth	Laothoe populi	1
Red-green Carpet	Chloroclysta siterata	1
Ruddy Streak	Tachystola acroxantha	1
Seraphim	Lobophora halterata	1
Sharp-angled Carpet	Euphyia unangulata	1
Shuttle-shaped Dart	Agrotis puta	2
Spruce Carpet	Thera britannica	1
Triple-barred Argent	Argyresthia trifasciata	2
Waved Umber	Menophra abruptaria	1
White-shouldered House Moth	Endrosis sarcitrella	3
Yellow-barred Brindle	Acasis viretata	1

Poplar Hawk-moth Laothoe populi

Close up of Poplar Hawk-moth antennae

Chocolate-tip Clostera curtula

Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica

Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata

Nutmeg Anarta trifolii

Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata

Garden moths 22.04.20

Garden moths VC12 ~ 21-22/04/20 ~

I put the moth trap out again last night as the forecast was for it to be ~9°C and cloudy. This was not the case however, and the cloud didn't materialise, causing it to be a rather chilly night instead! The moths weren't completely deterred though, and when I checked the trap at about 7am, I found 13 moths of 10 species. 

Three of these species were new for the year: Early Grey Xylocampa areola, Frosted Green Polyploca ridens and the delightful Pine Beauty Panolis flammea. The highlight of the catch came in the form of a melanistic (all black) Brindled Beauty Lycia hirtaria. It was a real stunner and not a form I'd heard of before, so it was pretty cool to see.

Species		Count
Brindled Beauty	Lycia hirtaria	3
Common Slender	Gracillaria syringella	1
Early Grey	Xylocampa areola	1
Frosted Green	Polyploca ridens	1
Grey Pine Carpet	Thera obeliscata	1
Hebrew Character	Orthosia gothica	1
Pale Mottled Willow	Caradrina clavipalpis	1
Pine Beauty	Panolis flammea	1
Shuttle-shaped Dart	Agrotis puta	2
Sulphur Tubic	Esperia sulphurella	1

2x Brindled Beauty Lycia hirtaria, including the melanistic form

Melanistic Brindled Beauty Lycia hirtaria

Pine Beauty Panolis flammea

Frosted Green Polyploca ridens

First trap of the year

Moth Trapping - NE Hants ~ 16-17/04/20 ~

Last night I put the moth trap out for the first time since I left for Australia back in June 2019. The weather was reasonably calm and overcast for most of the night, dropping to around 4℃, and with a bit of light rain in the early hours.

The catch consisted of 27 moths of 17 species; highlights were 2 Grey Birch, 1 Great Prominent & 1 Purple Thorn. Prior to this morning, I had only seen one Grey Birch before, so they were a particular surprise! See the table below for a full species breakdown:

Species		Count
Brimstone Moth	Opisthograptis luteolata	1
Light Brown Apple-moth	Epiphyas postvittana	1
Satellite	Eupsilia transversa	1
Brown-spot Flat-body	Agonopterix alstromeriana	1
Purple Thorn	Selenia tetralunaria	1
Ruddy Streak	Tachystola acroxantha	1
Common Quaker	Orthosia cerasi	2
Hebrew Character	Orthosia gothica	2
Nut-tree Tussock	Colocasia coryli	1
Brindled Beauty	Lycia hirtaria	4
Oak-tree Pug	Eupithecia dodoneata	5
Brindled Pug	Eupithecia abbreviata	1
Great Prominent	Peridea anceps	1
Clouded Drab	Orthosia incerta	1
Grey Birch	Aethalura punctulata	2
Iron Prominent	Notodonta dromedarius	1
Pale Mottled Willow	Caradrina clavipalpis	1

Grey Birch Aethalura punctulata

Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarius

Brindled Beauty Lycia hirtaria

Great Prominent Peridea anceps