Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 10 degrees

With the rise in temperature an excellent nights trapping including firsts for the year , Shoulder Stripe, Early Grey (2) Small Quaker, March Moth, Double Striped Pug and like Paul I also had Acleris literana.

I have added a new page - there is a list of moth nights organised by Mike Ridge in MOTH NIGHTS 2012

Only 5 moths last night 3 Hebrew Characters, 1 Chestnut (first this year) & 1 very beautifully-marked Acleris literana - my first ever record.

After 15 years without any sighting of a Spring Usher I have now caught my second in two weeks. I was unaware how variable they are and it is easy to see that the one I caught last night is a new one rather than the original returning to the light. Early Thorn was my only first for the year last night.

We launched the new Atlas on Saturday and it is already selling well. Copies cost £15 to paid-up SMG members and £18 to non-members. They are available by post (P&P £4 per copy) from:

John Bebbington, Quantock View, Newtown, Langport, Somerset TA10 9SE. Please make cheques payable to Somerset Moth Group.

Whitefield Wiveliscombe - Min temp 7 degrees

Only four moths - Early Moth, Hebrew Character , Satellite and a first for the year Clouded Drab.

Whitefield. Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 2 degrees

Despite the lower temperature we had two firsts for the year - a Pale Brindled Beauty and a Dotted Border. The last DB we had was a remarkable out of season record on December 2nd.

Garden Moth Survey on Friday evening, otherwise I wouldn't have put the trap out - but a great improvement. 1 Early Moth, 1 Spring Usher, 2 Common Quaker, 1 Grey Shoulder-knot. Doug Miller also brought a male Pale Brindled Beauty over from Westonzoyland.


1926 Phigalia pilosaria Pale Brindled Beauty

[snap:Spring Usher male]]
1932 Agriopis leucophaearia Spring Usher


1960 Theria primaria Early Moth male


2237 Lithophane ornitopus Grey Shoulder-knot

Despite calm, warm & overcast conditions last night an empty trap this morning.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 7 degrees

A first for the year ! An Early Thorn.

Not quite as warm last night as Thursday at 8°C. Just 3 moths -

670 Depressaria daucella - 1 & 2187 Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi - 2

John Connolly

6 moths in the traps, 5 species.  1 Pale Brindled Beauty (first since 2009 ), 2 Hebrew Characters, 1 Early Moth, 1 A.heracliana, & 1 Grey Shoulder Knot (second record since 2007, and 5th ever here). Quite an interesting haul.

Best night of the year so far. 15 moths of 10 species. New for the year were Dotted Border and Oak Beauty.

much better trapping last night, 5 Hebrew Characters, 2 Common Quakers, 1 Chestnut and first March Moth

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 9 degrees

First for the year Oak Beauty (2).

The first night the trap was set gave one Common Quaker, Hebrew Character and a possible Acleris Rufana.

Still not very many moths in the trap, in spite of the mild damp night - 4 Hebrew Characters, 1 Common Quaker, and 2 Spring Ushers - the first here since Feb.2007.  Also lots of flies !!

Looking back, I was checking to see if this year was exceptionally poor, as I felt that there have been very few moths about so far, but I see that every new year since 2006 after I first came to Lydford, I have had only about a dozen records in January & February combined, except for 2007 when I had over 40, including some very odd ones, e.g. out-of-season Peppered Moth & Bright-line Brown-eye.

After the hot Summer of 2006, I remember thinking then that perhaps we were going to have a bumper year in 2007, but in the event it was a dire year for many species after all. It just goes to show that a good start isn't always maintained, so perhaps a quiet period is not so bad. We will see.

Just a single Grey Shoulder-knot on the fence by the trap this morning but the frogs in the pond were in full chorus and a Blackcap was singing. Things are looking up!

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 6 degrees

In the trap our first Common Quaker for the year and at the window our first Hebrew Characters along with a Chestnut and a Dark Chestnut

First 2 Common Quakers at kitchen window tonight

The new macro moth distribution atlas for Somerset (VCs 5&6) will be available from Saturday 25th February.
I will be launching it at the Butterfly Conservation get-together at Ruishton Village Hall on Saturday 25th. The event starts at 2pm and the atlas will be on sale during the tea break.

250pp, A4 wire bound, with date-banded distribution maps for 650 species.



Cost to SMG members £15, to non-members £18. P&P £4.00

Details of postal ordering will be available early next week.

The SMG Committee is grateful to SERC for financial support for this project.

At last - a few moths in the traps.  2 Early Moths and 4 Hebrew Characters. Also 1 Early Moth & 1 A.heracliana on the kitchen window the night before. Things are looking up !! With mild weather forecast for the next few days, and a new moon, who knows ?

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 6 degrees

In the trap our second Early Moth for the year and at an actinic light in a window our first Spring Usher.

Trap produced 1 Hebrew Character but 1st Spring Usher and 2 Argonopterix heracliana at kitchen window

Two nights' trapping in reasonably good conditions produced nothing.

The first trap of the year produced just one Chestnut.

A mere 3 singletons last night, but this is the first time of trapping for 3 weeks and I'd hoped for more as the weather is kinder - 1 each Agonopterix heracliana, Hebrew Character & Dotted Border. Nothing unusual.

The first decent conditions of the Spring produced 11 moths of 9 species.  Highlight for me was my first ever Spring Usher. Despite the cold spell the season seems very early as I also had my earliest ever Clouded Drab and Double-striped Pug.

The drought is over, with luck.  After nothing for weeks, a deluge of three moths last night - Common Quaker, Dark Chestnut and Pale Brindled Beauty

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe

Excitement ! After three weeks without a single moth we had one Winter Moth at a lighted window.

Hear Hear - well done Keith !!

Keith Brown, our President, has been awarded Honorary Life Membership of the British Entomological and Natural History Society. I'm sure that you will join me in offering warmest congratulations to Keith.