Actinic out in the garden last night with 47 species. Not a bad night: cloudy and fairly still with a temperature of 17°C at midnight. The ground was wet this morning so it must have rained at some point but the trap contents managing to keep dry. The trap was dominated, as might be expected, by Common Rustic agg. and Large Yellow Underwings.
The highlight has to be the Striped Hawk-moth. I saw the tail end of this whilst looking down the funnel and rushed off to get the camera...
Spot the Hawk-moth!
Striped Hawk-moth
Seven Straw Dot, all huge and immaculate and most probably 'home grown' from migrants arriving earlier in the year. However, with the continued migrant activity they could still be immigrants.
More of those confused moths to watch out for: the Peacock/Sharp-angled Peacock. We believe that all Somerset specimens are Sharp-angled Peacock. If you get one and really think this is Peacock then keep the specimen and let our David Evans know (Contacts). The first I've seen this year was in the trap last night - a particularly dark example:
Sharp-angled Peacock
Another Bulrush Wainscot. This is (surprise, surprise) associated with Great Reedmace or Bulrush and my garden is only a few hundred metres from the River Yeo where this grows in abundance.
Bulrush Wainscot
Full trap list (Actinic 40W, ST5715, VC9, Dorset):
- 0648 Endrosis sarcitrella 1
- 0695 Agonopterix alstromeriana 1
- 0998 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana 1
- 1036 Acleris forsskaleana 1
- 1304 Agriphila straminella 3
- 1305 Agriphila tristella 3
- 1356 Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis 1
- 1361 Pyrausta aurata 5
- 1398 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella 3
- 1405 Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis 1
- 1470 Euzophera pinguis 1
- 1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2
- 1682 Blood-vein Timandra comae 3
- 1728 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata 2
- 1738 Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata 2
- 1777 July Highflyer Hydriomena furcata 1
- 1825 Lime-speck Pug Eupithecia centaureata 2
- 1834 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata 1
- 1884 Magpie Moth Abraxas grossulariata 1
- 1890 Sharp-angled Peacock Macaria alternata 1
- 1906 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata 2
- 1914 Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria 1
- 1919 Purple Thorn Selenia tetralunaria 1
- 1921 Scalloped Oak Crocallis elinguaria 1
- 1981 Poplar Hawk-moth Laothoe populi 1
- 1990 Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica 1
- 2037 Rosy Footman Miltochrista miniata 1
- 2044 Dingy Footman Eilema griseola 2
- 2049 Buff Footman Eilema depressa 1
- 2061 Buff Ermine Spilosoma luteum 2
- 2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta 6
- 2102 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta 4
- 2107 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba 18
- 2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes 1
- 2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe 1
- 2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum 10
- 2199 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens 1
- 2289 Knot Grass Acronicta rumicis 1
- 2342 Rosy Minor Mesoligia literosa 1
- 2343x Common Rustic agg. Mesapamea secalis agg. 62
- 2361 Rosy Rustic Hydraecia micacea 1
- 2369 Bulrush Wainscot Nonagria typhae 1
- 2441 Silver Y Autographa gamma 2
- 2443 Plain Golden Y Autographa jota 1
- 2450 Spectacle Abrostola tripartita 2
- 2474 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis 7
168 moths of 47 species.
Plus one other unconfirmed noctuid. Later... now confirmed as:
2385 Small Mottled Willow
Tonight looks like it may be very good - so get those traps out.