30/8/17 - Very disappointing !  A chilly night, resulting in only 23 moths in two traps (3 actinic, 20 MV) Just 14 species, and nothing new.  Oh well, better luck next time.

I spoke to Robin Clatworthy today who confirmed my Cosmopolitan. He showed me a Mullein Wave that he had caught the previous night along with Ni Moth, Gem and Scarce bordered Straw.

Many thanks David. Not sure how I managed that; should've known it was L. littoralis as I have caught that species in the garden on three previous occasions (all in 2014)!

Nigel, I fear your picture of Eudemis profundana is not that but of a slightly smaller species: Lobesia littoralis. If you have thrift growing in the garden this may be the source.

Just 22 moths last night but my first Frosted Orange of the year and yesterday 2 Hedge Rustic ffy and Hedge Rustic ffy . In the past week I have had 2 Poplar Hawkmoth .

293 moths of 55 species.  Four FFY : Gold Triangle (1) ; Eudonia angustea (3) ; Mocha (1) ; Dark Marbled Carpet (1).  Others of note include : Beautiful Plume (1) ; Barred Hook-tip (1) ; Tawney Speckled Pug (1) ; Spectacle (4) ; Lesser Yellow Underwing (1) and Six-striped Rustic (2).

Another similar August night with lots of the more common moths . A frosted Orange was my first typically Autumn moth of the year.
Migrants included another Scarce Bordered Straw and what I believe is a Cosmopolitan. The reason I am not 100% confident despite it looking just like one is because I cannot see any recent records for them anywhere. I get a lot of migrants here but what I catch is normally reflected by similar catches on the South coast just before they reach me. I will have to have it confirmed before it can be my second garden record for this species with the last one coming in the great migrant year of 2006

Somewhat better last night, with 147 moths of 33 species (despite LYUs still making up the bulk of the count, 73 this time). FFY were The Vestal, Sharp-angled Carpet (first since 2009, my only other record) and Iron Prominent (first for two years). The Vestal had nice pink stripes so presumably came all the way from southern Europe. Blood-vein has done well here this year - 9 in all, my highest year count.

Well done, Nigel, for your perseverance with micros this year!

A surprisingly poor night, given the mildness amd the season.  Just 56 moths, 23 species.  Nothing new either., but 3 second-generation Light Emeralds slightly noteworthy.

20 species in the trap from Sunday night here in Middlezoy:

Willow Beauty, Brimstone, Small Dusty Wave, Burnished Brass, Garden Carpet, DuskyThorn, Straw Underwing, Large Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Vine's Rustic, Lilac Beauty, Poplar Hawkmoth, Light Brown Apple Moth, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Common Wainscot, Chinese Character, Snout, Flame Shoulder, Square-spot Rustic, Nutmeg.

The Sallow Moth has followed the Pink-barred Sallow in emergence.  This one was collected as a larva near Kilmersdon.

An adult Pink-barred Sallow emerged today from a larva collected from sallow catkins back in early April on Dunkery Beacon.  The sallow shrub it was on may be at the highest altitude the plant can be found in Somerset.

Busy night here. 350 macros 46 species. Mostly SHC(99) and LYU(105). Pale eggar, Orange swift, Gold spot(2), Small mottled willow, Marbled beauty, Marbled green(2) and the usual suspects. Micros 27,12 species including Ancylis achatana, Nephoterix augustella and Carcina quercana.

26/8/17 Numbers up a bit (but not a lot) - 100 moths, but only 30 species.  One FFG, an Oblique Carpet, and one FFY, a Six-striped Rustic.  Setaceous Hebrew Characters still the most numerous (19).

10.30 pm additional 11 moths, and 3 species in the round-up - nothing new.

A quiet night here too, only 28 spp, but a nice Six-striped Rustic, only the second here, Rosy, Vine's and Flounced Rustic, an Oak Eggar dropping eggs everywhere and a Cyclamen Tortrix. Apple Tree Miner mines found on crab apple in the hedge next door.

My tally last night was 111 moths of 28 species. FFY were Euzophera pinguis, Pebble Hook-tip, Copper Underwing, Flounced Rustic, Rosy Rustic (2) and Vine's Rustic (2). It was the Large Yellow Underwing show - 53 of them, almost half the catch!

With both my MV and actinic in action I had hoped for more than the 162 moths of 43 species but clear skies put paid to that. On the positive side I did have six FFY including only my second Bulrush Wainscot (last one in 2014), Vestal, Cypress Pug, Brick (first in August), Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing (first for 2 years) and Flounced Rustic. I also had a very late Flame (migrant?).

Red-green Carpet adult emerged today - larva collected from fallen oak twig at Horner Wood, Dunkery , on 1 July.

Mines of Bucculatrix albedinella, a rare leaf-miner, at Bushey Norwood (Bath) today.

24/8/17 - A very quiet night, cooler than the last few, with only 65 moths of 24 species.  FFY were Brown China-mark and Cochylis atricapitana, the latter only recorded here once before, in 2014.  Maybe a few more to round up this evening.  Also of note, a second Lesser Treble-bar - found after the previous evening's round-up, so definitely not the same moth as the FFG on 22nd. which was released on 23rd.

Only another 6 moths to add, but including a second record this year of Nephopterix angustella.

Cydalima perspectalis, in its dark form; despite being a micro, it is bigger than most macro-moths.  John Bebbington tells me it is new to the county.  A most beautiful moth, particularly in this form with its wondrous purple sheen, though its caterpillars make a thorough nuisance of themselves defoliating box hedges.

The moth was extremely fluttery and refused to pose for photos.

A second Matilella fusca in the garden trap this morning; four years to the day after the first.

After eleven days without running the trap the weather finally relented and I was rewarded with 184 moths of 56 species (macros 138/39, micros 46/17). I was delighted to find three new garden species: Cataclysta lemnata (Small China-mark), Argyresthia goedartella and The Chevron. Other FFY were Six-striped Rustic (6), White-spotted Pug, Cabbage and Agriphila geniculea (4). Other moths of note was a second brood Heart and Dart, Yellow-barred Brindle (3, doing well here this year), and a Rusty-dot Pearl.


Argyresthia goedartella


The Chevron Eulithis testata

One extra moth for Monday night - FFG Bactra lancealana.

On the 6th August a Jersey Tiger laid some eggs on one of the perspex covers of the trap. I left them where they were and, to my surprise, discovered tiny caterpillars this afternoon! I have now transferred them to a suitable nettle patch.

I must admit I was expecting a very large number from last night as it was so mild, but in the end there were only 114 moths, of 44 species, plus a few more to round up this evening.  A pleasant surprise was the appearance of two FFGs, a Beautiful Plume (A. acanthadactyla) and a Lesser Treble-bar, and 4 FFY - Wax Moth, Cabbage Moth, Marbled Green and Catoptria falsella.  Most numerous Setaceous Hebrew Characters (23) and Large YU (17). 

I found a Jersey Tiger this morning, resting/basking on the white bumper of the car.  Quite how it thought it was invisible is a mystery !  Maybe it doesn't care.

9.45 pm The evening round-up has produced a further 21 moths, and 4 species. Totals now 135/48 - nothing of interest added.

Another night similar to the one before. I don't often trap on consecutive nights but I couldn't resist as we've had so few good weather nights in August. Perhaps I'm catching some of the same moths as last night but Large Yellow Underwing increased to 152 whilst Setacious Hebrew Character almost doubled to 92.
At last some migrant activity with 2 very dark Scarce Bordered Straws.

Last night produced 192 moths of 35 species. FFY were Orange Swift, Blastobasis lacticolella, Ringed China-mark, Currant Pug (3), Black Arches & Square-spot Rustic (3). It was a similar range of species to Ian. Most numerous were Large Yellow Underwing (61), Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (15, many now quite tatty), Flame Shoulder (15) and Light Brown Apple Moth (15). After a while without Pugs it was nice to get 3 Currant Pugs and 9 Double-striped Pugs, both my highest counts.

Same here, a good assortment of 79spp but all common, migrants- a Dark Sword-grass, first Rosy Rustic, others included Figure of 80, Peach Blossom, Spectacle, Sharp-angled Peacock, Swallow Prominent, 8 Dusky and 1 August Thorn, Straw Underwing, Cabbage, Jersey Tiger, Beautiful and Ringed China-Marks. We have an old cider orchard next door and are deluged with Apple/Orchard Ermines too.

Another typical August night with a large number of moths but little variety. The most numerous macros amongst the 390 recorded were Large Yellow Underwing with 138, Setacious Hebrew Character with 59 and Flame Shoulder with 43. The most numerous moth was a micro that I've identified as Apple Ermine. Fortunately they are very small as a conservative estimate would put their numbers at at least a thousand. When I went out to the traps last night they covered the sheets and the nearby plants. I guess it is connected to the cider orchard that has been planted in the field out the back.
I hope the farmer doesn't read this otherwise he'll probably spray the trees even more than he already does.

Despite some heavy rain in the early hours, another large haul. 361 moths of 66 species - with a few micro's still to ID.  FFY were : Ypsolopha sequella (1) ; Tawny Speckled Pug (1) ; August Thorn (2) ; Canary-shouldered Thorn (1) ; Dusky Thorn (1) ; Svenssons Copper Underwing (1) ; Mouse Moth (1) and Frosted Orange (1). Also of note : Y.dentella -Honeysuckle Moth (5) ; Rusty Dot Pearl (6) ; Agriphila tristella (61) ; Pale Prominent (1) ; Pebble Prominent (1) ; Swallow Prominent (2) ; Ear Moth agg. (1) ; Flame Shoulder (33) ; LYU (69) ; LBBYU (22) ; Six-striped Rustic (2) ; Setaceous Hebrew Character (21).

Batia lambdella found at Hurlestone Point this morning. A new moth for me.

19/8/17 Another quiet night, just 54 moths of 29 species with one FFY, a Swallow Prominent.  13 Setaceous Hebrew Characters the most nimerous, with a Jersey Tiger and a Gold Spot the most interesting of a fairly ordinary collection.

I found an example of what I'm pretty sure is Dichrorampha acuminatana in the garden today. The verification guidelines say that this species needs gen. det. to confirm but I think that it is in fresh enough condition for the contrasting dorsal blotch and grey-and-white-banded cilia to be diagnostic.

Having been unable to do much trapping of late for various reasons, I decided to give it a go last night. It looked promising late evening but heavy rain at 1.00 a.m. didn't bode well! Nonetheless I managed 77 moths of 24 species, including FFG Monopis obviella. FFY were Spindle Ermine , Garden Pebble, Common Plume, Setaceous Hebrew Character (2) and Common Wainscot. Large Yellow Underwing numbers are now increasing, with 34 last night.

The offspring of the female Palpita vitrealis which I trappd in early July have begin to emerge - four so far. A stunning little moth.

63.048 Palpita vitrealis bred specimen newly emerged

It may still be worth getting out and looking for Small Ranunculus larvae - here are some found last week, by the side of the river in Bath and along Brassknocker Hill.

Zoë Randle (BC HQ) has emailed me as follows:
Dear All

Many thanks for your efforts in getting your refreshed datasets to us for incorporation into the forthcoming Atlas of Britain and Ireland’s Larger Moths. Les is busy uploading datasets to the NMRS, I am busy co-ordinating tasks, rooting through images and liaising with the publisher on content and layout. This is a really exciting project and we have a lot to do to reach our goal!

We are fund raising to help with the production and publication of the atlas. Most of you will be aware of the series of Moth Auctions that we are running, for details follow this link http://butterfly-conservation.org/15623/moth-auction.html.  The auctions are going pretty well, so far 121 moths have been reserved and 316 have been sold in the auctions. So just over half of the moths that will be featured in the atlas are still available for sponsorship. There have been some interesting bidding wars, at my last check the Waved Black had the most bids (17) with Chinese Character and Latticed Heath coming in second with 14 bids each! Moths that haven’t sold in previous auctions are still available, to find out more please email enquiries@butterfly-conservation.org.

Please can you let your recorders know that the auctions are still running, we’re halfway through August’s and have another two batches to go. Several Moth Groups have sponsored a or several species, it would be great if every moth group did this. Additionally, it would be absolutely fantastic for every species to be sponsored, even the most dingy looking ‘brown-job’, (I’m not mentioning any moth names here!).

Any assistance you can offer in promoting the auction and the atlas is much appreciated. Thank you for all that you have done so far.

Best wishes

Zoe

Another cold night, with small numbers.  Just 37 moths, 20 species, including FFY Orange Swift.  Also one late and lonely Water Veneer male (Acentria ephemerella).

A bit of a disappointing night given the conditions,39 spps, with Straw Dot and Lesser BBYUW the commonest, nice to see Coxcombe, Pale, Iron and Swallow Prominents, Lychnis and Snout back, Gold Spot, Mocha, Scalloped Oak and Bloods vein, no Darts.  Rusty Dot Pearls and Rush Veneers only migrants, Garden Rose Tortrix and Lathronympha strigana. Silver Y and Jersey Tigers in the garden today.

At last a more typical August night after a number of very poor catches. By typical I mean lots of moths but very little variety. In total I had 394 macros of 48 species nearly half of them (182) were Large Yellow Underwing with Setacious Hebrew Character (27), Flame Shoulder (28), Brimstone (21), and Lesser BBYU (23) making up most of the rest. Of the 48 different species 25 of them were recorded as singletons.

I ran a moth event at WWT Steart Marshes for their volunteers and members of the public on Saturday night and Sunday morning. I had 2 MV Robinson traps and 1 Heath trap out at the site. We ran the MV traps from 9pm until midnight and the Heath trap stayed out all night. 8 people came to the Sat night session and 5 to the Sun morning bit. A nice group of people who all enjoyed their introduction to the world of moths.

There was nothing spectacular in the traps, particularly as we did not trap all night. 31 species in total. Highlights were: Dog's Tooth, Ruby Tiger, Brown China Mark, Chilo phragmitella, Magpie, Gold Spot, Burnished Brass, Rosy Rustic, Southern Wainscot, Pebble Prominent, Blood-vein, Orange Swift, Shaded Broad-bar, Calamatropha paludella.

The MV trap has been pretty dire over the last week althugh I have recorded 3 Nomophila noctuella and 1 Udea ferrugalis. Numbers have been very low withonly one or two Jersey Tigers per night.
This micro landed next to me while I was trimming the hedge yesterday - many thanks to James McGill for the ID.

28.012 Borkhausenia fuscsescens

Too cold for the little dears - just 23 moths, 14 species, including three FFY, Straw Underwing, Marbled Beauty and Aethes smeathmanniana (only my secind record here, the other one in 2011).

141 moths of 41 species. Two FFG : Lime-speck Pug (1) and Sallow Kitten (1).  Two more FFY :September Thorn (1) ; Six-striped Rustic (2).  During the day I disturbed a Herald, roosting on my Black and Decker Workmate (other brands are available). This is the third time in the three years I've been here that the workmate has been chosen - an indication of how often I do any DIY !

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 10.2 degrees

77 moths of 17 species including FFY - a Copper Under-wing.

A better night at last, 28 macro and 17 micro spp. FFY Least Yellow Underwing, Orange Swift, Flounced Rustic and Straw Underwing, Yellow-barred Brindle, another Oak Eggar, 2 Jersey Tigers, Dusky and August Thorns, but no migrants, Micros- Ypsolopha scabrella, Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix, Nephopterix angustella, Ag, selasella and geniculea and FFG Caloptilia semifascia.

25 species in the trap here in Middlezoy last night. Highlights were: Magpie, Dark Sword Grass, Dusky Thorn, Dog's Tooth, Flame Shoulder, Yellow-barred Brindle.

Despite the persistent drizzle I had 133 moths of 49 species (macro 36, micro 13). The best was my first Four-spotted Footman here - I would assume a migrant? Also 5 FFY: Sallow Kitten, Small Phoenix, Toadflax Pug, Orange Swift (2) and Nephopterix angustella. Other migrants were Silver Y, Rusty-dot Pearl (2).


2051 Lithosia quadra (Four-spotted Footman)

Another quiet night, just 65 moths, 25 species, with just the one FFY - a Dusky Thorn

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 11 degrees

63 moths of 18 species including FFY - Canary-shouldered Thorn and a Mouse Moth.

Last evening's round-up of strays produced an additional 20 moths and 3 species, totals now 82 & 28 respectively. Additional FFY were Currant Pug, and Acrobasis (on MapMate as Trachycera) advenella. This moth seems to have its Generic name changed on a regular basis, as it was formerly labelled Numonia advenella (in Goater's 1986 book on Pyralid moths). At least the Specific name stays the same.  All potentially very confusing, and nearly as bad as what goes on in botany !!

Not too bad last night, 86 moths of 26 species. FFY were Rusty Dot Pearl, Yellow-barred Brindle and The Magpie. Of note were 6 Jersey Tigers, one of which was laying eggs on the perspex cover of the trap! As a a sign of things to come, Large Yellow Underwing (13) shading Common Rustic agg (12) as the most numerosue species.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe, Min Temp 11.4 degrees

FFY - Gold Spot, Six-Striped Rustic and a Jersey Tiger.

Not much of interest over the last week but last night did produce the only NFG, Hypatima rhomboidella and many FFY including: Wax Moth, Skin Moth, Agriphila tristella (2), Cochylimorpha straminea (2), Square-spot Rustic, Least Yellow Underwing, Cloaked Minor (2), Pebble and Pale Prominent.

My stand of hemp agrimony is now attracting a good number of moths with 19 species recorded to date.


Hypatima rhomboidella

A very quiet night, probably due to the full moon.  Only 62 moths of 25 species, including FFY Common Plume (Emmelina monodactyla) and Canary-shouldered Thorn (one of my favourite moths).  Still lots of Dingy Footmen, but no Commons for some time.

A cooler, breezier night with a moon, produced a reduced haul of 242 moths of 66 species. One FFG : Cloaked Minor (1).  A further seven FFY : Cherry Fruit Moth (1) - subject to confirmation : Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix (2) ; Rusty-dot Pearl (1) ; Agriphila straminella (5) ; Shaded Broad-bar (1) ; Magpie (2) ; Engrailed (1) .  Other migrants included Diamond-back Moth ; Rush Veneer and Dark Sword-grass.

A belated report for Thursday night, with 53 moths of 25 species. FFY were Agriphila tristella, Yellow Shell, Dusky Thorn and Purple Thorn. I agree with Sue about Mother of Pearl having a good year.

First session for a while, wind abated at last. Just 30 Macro and 12 Micro spp. Straw Dots still the most numerous. Mother of Pearl seem to be having a good year. FFY Oak Eggar, August Thorn, Garden Rose Tortrix and Ypon. plumbella. Migrants, 5 Rush Veneers and 2 Silver Y.

Delighted to find 8 Small Ranunculus larvae on Prickly Lettuce on the B3110 verge near Hinton Charterhouse today; it is good to find them spreading out into the wider countryside.

I checked for them in an industrial estate in Radstock as well - a few small plants and no larvae, so too small a population of host plants to support a colony (yet?  the plant is spreading).

The first, trapping for a week, what with the weather and visitors, produced a mere 102 moths of 35 species.  FFY were one each Least Yellow Underwing, Purple Bar, and Scoparia ambigualis.  Also a FFY Hornet, very dopey and harmless as always.

After seeing Jenny's post below I decided to check-out the Field Maples at Netherclay for Ectoedemia louisella mines and it didn't take too long before I came across some. Whilst there I also found Bohemannia pulverosella on Apple.

Ectoedemia louisella

Bohemannia pulverosella

Today I managed the somewhat unusual sight of a female Silver-washed Fritillary sharing a buddleia bloom with a Hummingbird Hawk-moth, in a small copse just outside Bath.  The first HBHM I have seen for some weeks.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 11 degrees

I did not put the trap out but was delighted to find on a window an FFY - a Red Under-wing.

I found the mine of Ectoedemia louisella on the keys of Field Maple (Acer campestre) on my local nature reserve the other day.  On the SMG website its status is down as 'rare and very local'. So one well worth looking for right now.

Ectoedemia louisella on the keys of Field Maple.

A Jersey Tiger (FFY) basking on a hazel bush leaf first thing this morning.