Sunny Sunday 27th

Last weekends weather got me into daytime micro-search mode and first stop was the Clerkenleap bridge viewpoint car park to search tree trunks and lower branches for Norway Maple feeders. A few spiders were spotted lurking in the crevices but no moths. A worn Phyllonorycter harrisella was a false alarm in an early sweep of overhanging leaves and then finally on the very last sweep,  one of the targets - a superb almost mint Ectoedemia sericopeza, one of the easier Neps to ID by eye.

Ectoedemia sericopeza

Malvern Hills

The annual Malvern Hills Trust moth meeting organised by Beck Baker, took place at upper Castlemorton Common - Lower Swinyard Hill last Friday 25th August. Migrants recorded were Silver Y, Dark Sword-grass and Rush Veneer. Despite ideal cloudy and mild conditions, micros were in short supply but included amongst the many grass-moths a late but fresh Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix and a Euzophera pinguis. My best moths in the rushy hollow below car park were Tawny Speckled Pug and a Small Wainscot. My single trap total was 26 species before midnight. 
                                                                    

Small Wainscot

Dioryctria sylvestrella at Wolverley

Dioryctria sylvestrella   Photo S. Wright

Sue Wright trapped a Dioryctria sylvestrella in her Wolverley garden on the 17th August, the first record of this species in VC37. This conifer feeder is a migrant species and was taken at a time of migrant activity but it has been colonising some areas of the country so may be that conifer woodland at nearby Kingsford Country Park should receive some attention next year?

Patrick Clement

Hall Green

Wax Moth  Photo A. Prior

Alan Prior sent me this picture of a Wax Moth caught last night in his Hall Green garden, the first record there since 2011.
Alan added, "Have also had Phyllonorycter scopariella and Tuta absoluta recently, both new for the garden."

Patrick Clement

Side view of moth

Here is the side view.

More Migrants

I trapped three Small Mottled Willows over the weekend at Norchard, Worcs. Along with a Scarce Bordered Straw, 6 Rusty-dot Pearls, 2 Rush Veneer, a Diamond-back, Nephopterix angustella and my first garden Crescent this morning. The Crescent is also a possible migrant apparently. I had two Cypress Pugs on Saturday night which was unusual here. I am struggling with this small tortrix which looked do-able, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Spreading from the south

A nice surprise on Saturday morning (26th August) was a Cypress Pug on the outside of the trap - our first here in SE Worcestershire. This was followed on Sunday morning by quite a fresh, rufous form Scarce Bordered Straw - a species I'd been hoping for with multiple reports from surrounding Counties. The only other migrant of note was a Dark Sword-grass.

Seeing Red

Returning from holidays, I ran the moth trap last night for the first time in August here on Bringsty Common.  Pale Eggar (2), Black Rustic, Flounced Rustic, Centre-barred Sallow (7) and the usual late Summer/early Autumn fayre with Large Yellow Underwing topping the bill with 53 individuals followed by Square-spot Rustic on 34.  Migrants represented by a single Udea ferrugalis. Not too bad for a coolish night.  31 macros and 11 micros.  Hearing about all the Clifden Nonpareils turning up in the UTB region, it reminded me to look around the house walls this morning for Red Underwing and there was one initially disturbed by my movement, then settling again against the brick work.  Now is the time to check your house walls in the morning.  Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Red Underwing

 

Jersey Tiger and elm leaves

A quick look in through the Perspex hood of my garden Robinson Trap on Tuesday evening 21st, at 21:40 saw a moth flashing orange/black and white. No, not the long-awaited for Garden Tiger but a stripy Jersey Tiger - even better, a VC37 first ! It was on my radar - sort of, but thought I would be going well south in the county to see my first.

All the searching of elm leaves for leaf-mines at Tiddesley Wood NR during this summer months have paid off with a fine Phyllonorycter tristrigella emerging on the 27th July followed by a trio of the superb Phyllonorycter schreberella during the week of the 19th August. The photo below just does not do it any justice!

Just chased a Hummingbird Hawkmoth around both front and back gardens (Malvern) trying to get a decent shot. Best we could manage is this slightly demonic looking pic!

Pammene spiniana

In a vain attempt to sweep some Phyllonoryters off a long stretch of roadside elm between Croome and Defford, I was lucky enough, despite the wind to catch one moth late afternoon yesterday. A tiny dark grey tortrix with conspicuous white dorsal blotch came running up the net wall and was almost at the lip when I managed to pot it!

 A superb fresh Pammene spiniana. Exactly two years after the last VC37 record at Dodford and the first for south Worcs. I wonder how many more are lurking in bits of blackthorn and hawthorn by the wayside in rural Worcs. Only one other grass-moth was seen in this session...

Great Doward - 11/08/17

Hi,

A couple from last night that I haven't got id's for yet. A pug, which is maybe Golden-rod? and a Depressaria sp. I think...

Great Doward 11/08. poss. Golden-rod Pug

Great Doward 11/08. poss.. Depressaria sp.

Thanks for any pointers. I've kept both in case they are of interest and need further examination.

John

White-point, Hall Green

White-point, Hall Green. Photo A. Prior

Alan Prior sent me this photograph of a White-point trapped in his Hall Green garden on the 7th August. Not a great specimen so it had to be dissected for a positive I.D.

Patrick Clement

Alder Kitten

This Alder Kitten was in the Robinson trap at Norchard this morning. I usually see one or two in May, the 15th of May this year, but I have never seen one this late. Still a beautiful moth.

Feckenham Wylde Moor, Mon 31st July

I joined Steve Whitehouse and Oliver Wadsworth at Feckenham Wylde Moor last Monday for a last chance to trap before the meadows are cut and the cattle moved in.
Conditions were not great, cool with a slight breeze and intermittent light rain. My 3 traps recorded 63 species with another haul of Agriphila straminella estimated at 250 individuals and a handful of wetland moths such as Small Rufous, Silky Wainscot, Bulrush Wainscot and Gold Spot. Just two micros were photographed below.

Patrick Clement

Calybites phasianipennella

Aethes smeathmanniana

Urban Tiger

Another post on behalf of Alan Prior who has just recorded Garden Tiger for the first time in his Hall Green, Birmingham garden after running a trap there virtually every night for 15 years!
So if you are waiting for a particular moth to show in your own garden, never give up hope ........

Patrick Clement

Garden Tiger, Hall Green.    Photo A. Prior

Bringsty Common

With the car awaiting a new turbo, I've been restricted to home trapping.  But it's been cool, wet and rather windy, so last night was the first night in just under a week that I put a trap out.  It was still cool, windy with showers! The late summer lull seems to be arriving and I've gone from 2 pages per night in my notebook, to fitting them all easily onto one page.  Migrants are the usual fare of Silver Y and Nomophila noctuella.  47 macro-moth species last night and 17 micro-moth species.  I've kept back some likely candidate Lesser CR "Common Rustic aggs" for dissection.  Dotted Clay and yet another Angle-striped Sallow last night.  Poplar Hawk-moth have been continuous this year so I presume the broods overlapped.  Commonest macro-moth was Flame Shoulder with 26 individuals, followed by Large Yellow Underwing with 18, Straw Dot (15) then Common Rustic (agg.) with 14.  Commonest micro-moth was Agriphila straminella with 63 individuals. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Dotted Clay

Bringsty Common: Angle-striped Sallow