Argyresthia semitestacella

a day and 23 years after Tony had his at Piper’s Hill, I went early evening thinking there may be some good visibility for netting with the sun low in the west, illuminating lots of flying creatures. Although not that confident it only took me 25 minutes to net 5 and see another escape. I parked on the east side of the road by the imformation board ‘car park’. Crossed that busy road on foot and headed for the open area of beech where there is only leaf litter on the ground. There are about 15 trees in that area where the branches either hang to waste level or at least are reachable to ‘sweep’ with net. This was 18:45 to 19:15 only. Also netted 2 Phyllonorycter maestingella,  an Ypsolopha ustella and an Acleris sparsana. Last years negative triple trap effort in the same place now seems a waste of time and perhaps even more evidence that many micros are best looked for during the day. There may be some images in due course.

 

Whitchurch moths

Hi,

Numbers of moths holding up quite well here, though many are small brown noctuids. A bit of variety provided by the first record of Cypress Pug (28th) and the second of Vestal (30th). Rush Veneer found most nights and a couple of Rusty Dot Pearl in the last week. Dusky Thorn having a great year, max. 22 so far.

John

Vestal

 

Rush Veneer

Cypress Pug

Bringsty Common update

Here seems to be a typically migrant-free zone although this week 1 Nomophila noctuella and one Udea ferrugalis. Catches are dropping by the day. Last night 27 macros and just 9 micros adorned the single trap put out. Back in front was Large Yellow Underwing (33), followed by Brimstone (28), then Setaceous Hebrew Character (17), Flame Shoulder (15) and Small Square-spot (13). There was a single Angle-striped Sallow, rather worn which is my second this year, the first being quite a while earlier. I was down to 1 Agriphila tristella and also just one Blastobasis adustella. Good numbers of Dusky Thorn (7). Crane fly numbers are building nicely! Peter Hall

More migrants

Scarce bordered Straw in the trap last night. Many more Yellow Underwings-at least 40 Large and 5 Lesser. Both have been rather thin on the ground until now.

Halesowen WI

A distinctly autumnal feel this morning with far fewer moths but 5 Old Ladies. Patrick Clement

Hybridella and Vestal

We had hybridella also, a few night's ago, plus littoralis...and a Vestal last night! Would love to trap a Cypress Pug for the garden!

Reading Mike's moths, we had Hybridella a few night's ago...and Vestal last night! Would love to trap a Cypress Pug for the garden...maybe tonight!

Cochylis hybridella

Quite a pretty little tortrix.

Vestal

Vestal

After reading that there was some migration happening on the internet I put the trap out and caught a Vestal. Two Rush Veneer, a Silver Y and four Diamond-backs were the only other migrant species.
 Also recorded  my second Cypress Pug for the garden here at Norchard Worcs, the first being in 2007, and Cochylis hybridella exactly three years after the first one arrived.
26 Brimstones, and 130 Large Yellow Underwings

Cypress Pug

Chaddesley Wood netting

I went to Chaddesley Wood yesterday pm to look for Argyresthia semitestacella without success but netted 10 Elachista bisulcella off the beech plus perhaps 25 Neps, a few were retained and some still to be determined but tityrella or hemargyrella confirmed so far. It was very warm work so I stopped for a pint of Butty Bach on the way home, what a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Also, last night at home, I had my second record of Nemopogon koenigi, formally wolffiella, thanks again to my wood piles!   Patrick Clement

Stigmella tityrella

Elachista bisulcella

Stigmella hemargyrella

Stigmella carpinella, new to Worcestershire.

Despite the generally low numbers of moths around this year new county records are still to be found, Stigmella carpinella being the latest from my garden at Halesowen. The food plant is Hornbeam and I planted 10 trees in 2007 so I'm hoping the moth may breed though no mines for the species have yet been confirmed.
Patrick Clement

Kinver Edge 12th August

After failing to see Ypsolopha lucella at the July meet I was pleased to see two individuals at this session. Unfortunately, the specimen I borrowed to photograph was not playing ball and I eventually returned it to site of capture without a single image. Typically, when I tapped it out on to the trunk of an oak, it stayed put as if super-glued!
On a warm but breezy night we had decent haul of other moths but nothing really unexpected.
Patrick Clement

Stigmella roborella

Phyllonorycter trifasciella

Eudonia truncicolella

Catoptria pinella

White-line Dart

Bringsty Common August 22nd

It seems very quiet out there, no-one reporting anything. Last night I ran one trap in the garden and recorded 284 moths split between 35 species of macro and 20 species of micro. I don't think I have ever had Brimstone as the commonest moth before, but it topped the bill with 31, followed by Flame Shoulder at 28, Agriphila tristella (26), Large Yellow Underwing (24). Square-spot Rustic numbers continue to build up and Flounced Rustic also. Centre-barred Sallow must be imminent. Each evening there is a gathering of Acentria ephemerella in the grass around the trap, but I have only seen one inside this year. The anticipated explosion in numbers of Plutella xylostella hasn't happened after the mass immigration in early June, with 1 in the trap last night. Overall rather unexciting.

Bringsty Common August 23rd: Centre-barred Sallow

Bringsty Common August 23rd: Large Yellow are back!

Update! The very next night a Centre-barred Sallow turned up. Autumn is here. Also the temporary top moth (Brimstone) was replaced by a more typical one. Large Yellow Underwing, whose numbers are going up with each session. 54 last night. The trap must have been very active with so many bashing about. Peter Hall
 

Bringsty Common August 11th

It seems we are stuck in a strong breeze these days and the garden is bone dry too. On suitable nights I have been running one, occasionally two mv lights in the garden. Numbers seem to be dropping by the night as we head into the late Summer lull period. Last night I recorded 40 macro and 23 micro species. The night before 40 macro and 18 micro species. Lots of second broods appearing. Most unusual was a second brood Notocelia cynosbatella. Not a lot of note,  a Gold Spot, a nice female Orange Swift, plenty of Dusky Thorn, Canary-shouldered and also August and September Thorns. Topping the frequency lists are Flame Shoulder and Straw Dot and moving ahead of Agriphila straminella is tristella into number 1 micro slot. The "Scoparids" are now almost exclusively Eudonia mercurella.

Bringsty Common: Nicrophorus investigator with a heavy load

Bringsty Common: Orange Swift (female)

Bringsty Common: Common Wave

Bringsty Common: Gold Spot - fresh from the fridge before it wakes up lined up against the drawings in Skinner

Ashwood Nurseries Meadow, 5th August

Left, Tom Woodhall, Right, Patrick Clement.
Photo Joy Stevens

A session to obtain moths for a public event the following day at this South Staffordshire site. A cool clear night but some good moths nevertheless with at least a couple of  'crowd pleasers'  for the following day in the form of Gold Spot and Black Arches!

The Crescent reflects the presence of a canal alongside the meadow and two good micros were Cnephasia genitalana and Trifurcula immundella.

The Acleris was taken in the hope, rather than anticipation, that it might be Strawberry Tortrix as it was trapped by a bank of wild strawberries, but of course it was laterana .........

Patrick Clement

Acleris laterana

The Crescent

Cnephasia genitalana

Warndon early August

Two new macros in the garden last week include a well overdue Campion (only the second ever in Worcester 10km square on MM) on the 4th, and 43 years after the first at Comer Gardens!

A Twin-spotted Wainscot on the 6th on the same night as this years first Small Ranunculus.

 Good micros included another Gelechia scotinella on the 2nd,  a third county Chrysoclista linneella on the 4th on the same night as a site first Coleophora lineolea. A lazy week at home pays off.

Blackhouse Wood. 05/08/2016. A Wildlife Trust public event.

On Friday evening the Trust organised an 'Introduction to moths' event for the public. This consisted of a talk at the education centre at the Knapp reserve followed by light trapping at nearby Blackhouse wood.
Tony Simpson gave the talk and I joined him later at the wood to help with the traps.
The night was initially very warm and muggy, but cleared quite early on taking the temperature down to a rather average 11 or 12 degrees by midnight. At least it was calm so there were a fair few moths for the enthusiastic attendees to see.

Inevitably, the star find did not appear until the public had gone home. White-line Snout is new for VC37 and was quite a surprise.

White-line Snout Schrankia taenialis

There were a few other good records including Barred Rivulet, Scoparia subfusca and Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana.

Barred Rivulet Perizoma bifaciata

The local speciality Blomer's Rivulet was common but most were quite worn.
The most common moth of the night was Buff Footman. Easily over 100 were shared between 6 traps.

Oliver Wadsworth

Ptocheuusa paupella

Ptocheuusa paupella

         An adult emerged yesterday from the Fleabane flower heads I collected at Castlemorton Common last Monday.

                                                               Patrick Clement

Bringsty Common August 2nd

Moth numbers are still very hit or miss depending on the weather. I was supposed to be trapping in the Chilterns, but persistent heavy showers in that area meant I cancelled my involvement at least. Back home it looked drier, so I put out 2 traps in the garden. I was rewarded with 71 macro species and so far 48 micro species and rather large numbers of some species too. The traps were quite busy. Of interest was my first Rosy Rustic of the year, my first Copper Underwing (hindwings checked) and the first Olive for the garden. Numbers of Flame Shoulder, Dingy Footman, Common Rustic dominated the macros whilst Blastobasis adustella topped the micros. Other species of interest: September Thorn, Bordered Beauty, Dotted Clay, Magpie and Dusky Thorn. There were also very good numbers of Lyonetia clerkella, presumably coming off of the apple trees, where the mines are prevalent. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Lyonetia clerkella

Bringsty Common: Magpie

Bringsty Common: Olive

Bringsty Common: Rosy Rustic

Bringsty Common: Acleris forsskaleana

Bringsty Common: Blastobasis adustella

 

Last Weekend

A weekend camping trip into Herefordshire found us close to Haugh Wood and although our mothing activities were fairly relaxed we did run a 15 watt actinic on the  campsite and carried out some daytime netting.

After 12 years moth recording I finally trapped not one, but two Garden Tigers, both a bit worn but great to see nevertheless. Brussels Lace was another good macro I don’t often see and the actinic recorded over 60 species, almost certainly a campsite record for us.

Daytime netting was less productive but I did have Pammene gallicana in Haugh Wood, a new species for me and fairly scarce in the county.

Seeing Fleabane in flower at Broadmoor Common, I looked for feeding signs of Ptocheuusa paupella but without success. However, as we were passing close to Castlemorton Common on the way home we stopped off to search there, a known site for the species. The distinctive feeding signs, raised florets in the flower head, were very easy to find and a few were taken to hopefully rear through to adults. Sam did well to also pot a small micro she saw on the Fleabane, a pristine Apodia bifractella.

Patrick Clement

Campsite with Haugh Wood behind.

One of two Garden Tigers

Brussels Lace

Pammene gallicana

Ptocheuusa paupella, feeding signs.

Apodia bifractella