Premonitions?
As the alarm went off this morning, I awoke from a dream having just composed my blog for this morning commencing: "Not to be left out, I have just added the Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera to my list". So imagine my surprise when there he was in the trap. I suppose it might have been expected - probability and all that.
Scarce Bordered Straw
Many years ago I went on a mothing trip with a friend to the New Forest. Having set up camp in the dark we were just about to strike up the light and he said: "OK, predictions for the first moth to the light". Immediately, the Great Prominent Peridea anceps came to mind and I put my money on that. And what was the first moth to plop on the sheet? Yep, P. anceps. Again, this is perhaps a combination of desire, timing, habitat and a bit of luck thrown in - but amusing all the same.
Last night didn't look at all promising and the group meeting to Dunkery Beacon was cancelled. However, as I'm only getting an opportunity to trap at weekends, I put the Robinson out in the garden and of cause I'm pleased I did. [But I am getting increasing conscious/guilty of the fact that I'm not adding any Somerset records!]
Late summer moths like the Flounced Rustic on a cold but dewy morning give me an "it'll soon be autumn" feeling. The catch is already looking quite different and was dominated by second generation Setaceous Hebrew Character. I did have several new species for the garden though including Pale Mottled Willow together with another Small Mottled Willow. These two species have often been confused (alongside all the other rustics for that matter) but are really quite different beasts.
Full trap list (Robinson 125W, ST5715, VC9, Dorset):
- 1304 Agriphila straminella 1
- 1305 Agriphila tristella 6
- 1309 Agriphila geniculea 1
- 1398 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella 1
- 1682 Blood-vein Timandra comae 2
- 1738 Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata 1
- 1752 Purple Bar Cosmorhoe ocellata 1
- 1906 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata 1
- 1913 Canary-shouldered Thorn Ennomos alniaria 1
- 1937 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria 1
- 1956 Common Wave Cabera exanthemata 2
- 2007 Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula 1
- 2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta 1
- 2102 Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta 5
- 2107 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba 6
- 2110 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua fimbriata 1
- 2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe 5
- 2123 Small Square-spot Diarsia rubi 2
- 2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum 26
- 2134 Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa 3
- 2154 Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae 1
- 2199 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens 5
- 2293 Marbled Beauty Cryphia domestica 1
- 2343x Common Rustic agg. Mesapamea secalis agg. 1
- 2353 Flounced Rustic Luperina testacea 4
- 2384 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua 7
- 2385 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua 1
- 2389 Pale Mottled Willow Paradrina clavipalpis 1
- 2400 Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera 1
- 2441 Silver Y Autographa gamma 1
- 2450 Spectacle Abrostola tripartita 2
- 2474 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis 2
95 moths of 32 species.