Has it been so long?

This weather has really had a dramatic effect on my mothing. Probably not the moths, they've no doubt been getting on with it, but the rain and cool temperatures have kept my trap firmly locked in the shed. I gave it a few hours on the 21st when it was slightly drier (only a couple of light showers) and managed a year first Early Thorn and a Hebrew Character.

The 24th seemed fairly warm, so despite the threatening clouds I put the trap out, and glad I did too! There were a few little beasts falpping around at a few points up to 2300hrs, and I managed to pot up a Double-striped Pug and year first Brindled Pug. Some sort of Carpet sp. came and dropped into the trap at 2230 so I'd have to wait till morning to check that one. At this time of year it was most likely going to be a Garden and indeed on emptying the trap there it was sitting patiently on one of the egg boxes. There was also a supporting cast of another DS Pug, Hebrew Character and an Emmelina monodactyla. Certainly the best catch in a long time.

The planned trapping session at Carr Wood has been put off for a second time, but hopefully I'll get out to the wood one night next week, and then do a proper session in early May. There should be something worth the effort by then!!

March marches on

All this warm weather has been lovely, but comparing this years data with last years March records it appears that there is little to choose between them. The number of individual moths is actually down a little on last year despite the same number of traps but the number of species caught is up by 1 this year. Hopefully they'll turn up in April?

	2012			2011
	Number caught	No of traps	Avg	Number caught	No of traps	Avg
March	88	8	11	132	8	16.5

2011		2010
Agonopterix heracliana	7	Agonopterix heracliana	2
Amblyptilia acanthadactyla	1	Amblyptilia acanthadactyla	1
Chestnut	1
Clouded Drab	13	Clouded Drab	20
Common Quaker	21	Common Quaker	45
Diurnea fagella	1	Diurnea fagella	1
Double-striped Pug	7
Early Grey	8	Early Grey	12
Early Thorn	1	Early Thorn	1
Emmelina monodactyla	7	Emmelina monodactyla	2
Grey Shoulder-knot	1
Hebrew Character	12	Hebrew Character	38
Herald	1
March Moth	1	March Moth	5
Oak Beauty	1	Oak Beauty	1
		Oak Nycteoline	1
		Shoulder Stripe	1
Small Quaker	2	Small Quaker	1
Twin-spotted Quaker	3	Twin-spotted Quaker	1

And now the results of the trap from last night 29th March 2012
Two new for years came in the form of Diurnea fagella and Early Thorn, both cracking moths in their own special ways!

 

 

16 moths in total were caught - 6 potted last night, 2 potted from sheds this morning and 8 actually in the trap, so at least my new trap design is working fairly well.

A good hatch of Hebrew Character appeared to be evident with 5 individuals caught, also had a return of two Common Quakers.

Moth yearlist = 22

This moth is always Poplar

Getting a Hawk is always a heart-thumping moment, so it was great to see the year's second Poplar Hawk in the trap this morning. And a lovely fresh one at that. This is only the 3rd for the garden too, so a nice surprise to find. I do love it's fantastic anti-predator colouration which doesn't quite go as far as the brazen Eyed Hawk but remains subtle and matches the rest of it's delicate grey smokiness. I was pleased at capturing its 'face' in the photo of it perched on my finger. A real classy moth!

I have to report the sad demise for a new garden micro I'm afraid. I got so excited at seeing a Caloptilia species land on the perspex that I was a bit too heavy handed in potting him up...and managed to squish him slightly. As the photo shows it was only minor body damage but it was enough to finish the poor guy off! Still he goes down with the great accolade of being a Ripley garden first - you may be gone, but you will always be in our thoughts Caloptilia stigmatella...RIP.

Other good moths for the night were year firsts of Small Phoenix, Common Rustic and Mother of Pearl in addition to the second Ruby Tiger of the year (albeit rather battered) and Early Thorn.
There was also a distinct lack of the terrible twosome - Heart and Dart & Dark Arches.










The full list consists of 58 moths of 35 species (16 Micros/19 Macros)

Agriphila straminella x4
Bee Moth x2
Blastodacna hellerella
Brown House-Moth x2
Cabbage Moth
Caloptilia stigmatella (New for me)
Campion
Celypha lacunana x2
Celypha striana
Chrysoteuchia culmella x3
Clepsis consimiliana
Common Footman
Common Rustic agg x3 (NFY)
Dark Arches x5
Dipleurina lacustrata x3
Double Square-spot
Dun-bar
Early Thorn
Eudonia mercurella x2
Heart and Dart
Large Yellow Underwing x3
Marbled Beauty
Marbled Minor agg.
Mother of Pearl x2
Neosphaleroptera nubilana
Poplar Hawk-Moth
Ruby Tiger
Scalloped Oak
Scarce Footman
Scoparia ambigualis x3
Small Phoenix (NFY)
Smoky Wainscot
Twenty-plumed Moth
Uncertain x2