The mild weather has been good for early flying species like this Spring Usher.

What would be good is if someone could catch Small Brindled Beauty again. It is doing well in other parts of the country but is now much rarer here than in the early 1990s.

Now is a great time to look at Hart's Tongue Fern for feeding signs of the micro Psychoides filicivora. The larva feeds on the spore cases of the Hart's tongue Fern which at this time of year are rusty brown. Feeding signs are typically raised areas on the spore cases that look like the stuffing is being pulled out of a cushion. A picture of the larva is below, note the brown head and prothoracic plate. The closely related P. verhuella is also found in Somerset; the larva of that species has a blackish head, prothoracic plate and anal plate.

Psychoides filicivora larva

Face to face with a Clouded Drab. Two more unusual angles on a moth.

Why the Drab Face?

Feather Foot

A much quieter night so far, with the only moth of note being a single Tortricodes alternella.

Tortricodes alternella

Some pics of the common moths that are visiting at this time of year.

Oak Beauty

Common Quaker

Hebrew Character

Spring Usher

A better night in my garden, too - 5 Common Quaker, 3 Hebrew Character and a Chestnut as well as 3 Acleris which I can't ID from the UK Moths website. I have sent images to James.

James has come back very quickly with IDs - many thanks!

1050 Acleris boscana

1052 Acleris umbrana

4 Hebrew Characters, 3 Common Quakers, Dark Chestnut and a Chestnut in the trap last night.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - min temp 8 degrees

A better catch included our first Oak Beauty for the year - a lovely fresh specimen outside the trap and at an actinic light in a window an Oak Nycteoline which seems from the Somerset records to be a very early reappearance of this hibernator. Hope its a good omen for the season to come.

A better night last night with 7 Common Quaker, 1 Small Quaker, 6 Hebrew Character, 2 Spring Usher, 1 Oak Beauty and 1 Grey Shoulder Knot.

The first Small Eggar should be about soon, I shall probably trap for it this weekend to see if I can scrape in a February record.

Grey Shoulder Knot

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe

The spring season is slowly starting and over the week-end we had a Common Quaker, a Hebrew Character, a well-marked Dotted Border and of the hibernators a Red-green Carpet, several Chestnuts and Satellites.

No trap last night, but one Double-striped Pug on the kitchen window.

I've just (1240) seen a Peacock butterfly in the garden.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 3 degrees

Four firsts for 2009 - March Moth, Pale Brindled Beauty, Dotted Border and Acleris literana.

Despite a minimum temperature of 8˚C there were only 3 moths in the trap - 2 Dark Chestnut and 1 Hebrew Character.

New for the year last night were Hebrew Character, Satellite and Dark Chestnut. Out of 6 different species that I have caught so far this year, 3 of them, Satellite, Dark Chestnut and Pale Brindled Beauty were not seen by me last year.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - min temp 6 degrees

Five different species attracted to the trap last night made us feel that spring has arrived. Early Moth (3) Spring Usher and of the hibernators Satellite, Dark Chestnut and Grey Shoulder-knot.  The last named was, as is usual here, not in the trap but on the fence near it.

A much warmer day today and already this evening I have caught 1 Spring Usher.

My first trapping session of 2009 produced one moth, a Pale Brindled Beauty. This is only the second time I have recorded this species in my garden.

Pale Brindled Beauty

Whitefield Corner, Wiveliscombe - minimum 4 degrees

At last better weather encouraged us to put out the trap for the first time in February and we had our first Early Moth for 2009 and yet another Winter Moth - it has been a good season for them.

On an ornithological note - During the cold snap we have seen a number of Wrens going to roost in a House Martins nest under our eaves. Last night they started to arrive at 5.40 pm. and I counted a minimum of 12 and I probably missed some in the dusk.  Most fly directly into the nest but some climb labouriously up the pebble-dash wall - they must be squashed in there!

My second trapping of the year overnight 12th/13th February produced my 2nd and 3rd moths of the year. These were a Pale Brindled Beauty and an Early Moth. Last year I failed to record Pale Brindled Beauty for the first time since 2002 so it was good to fill in the gap again.

No trapping for a while now but hoping for warmer nights ...
Here are two male colour forms of Spring Usher, the first from North Wales (photographed in 1976) and the second from Surrey (photographed in 1992).

Saturday 28th March Identifying difficult moths by genitalia led by Jon Clifton. Burnham-on-Sea Community Infants School, Winchester Road, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, TA8 1JD. 10:30 - 16:00. Aimed at existing moth recorders with no experience of identifying moths by genitalia examination. Advanced booking essential: 01929 406009 or nmrs@butterfly-conservation.org

The usual itinerary for Jon’s dissection workshops is as follows:

1. Introduction and discussion to ‘why we have to dissect’.

2. Chemicals used and their safety.

3. Dissection of a male macro moth.

4. Making a slide prep from the above.

5. Dissection of a female macro moth.

6. Students turn to do their own dissection. Please bring along specimens.

7. Describing of other techniques.

8. Species that can be determined in situ such as the November moths.

8. Rounding up, questions and answers.

Saturday 28th March Identifying difficult moths by genitalia led by Jon Clifton. Burnham-on-Sea Community Infants School, Winchester Road, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, TA8 1JD. 10:30 - 16:00. Aimed at existing moth recorders with no experience of identifying moths by genitalia examination. Advanced booking essential: 01929 406009 or nmrs@butterfly-conservation.org

The usual itinerary for Jon’s dissection workshops is as follows:

1. Introduction and discussion to ‘why we have to dissect’.

2. Chemicals used and their safety.

3. Dissection of a male macro moth.

4. Making a slide prep from the above.

5. Dissection of a female macro moth.

6. Students turn to do their own dissection. Please bring along specimens.

7. Describing of other techniques.

8. Species that can be determined in situ such as the November moths.

8. Rounding up, questions and answers.