Silver Cloud

Hi. Hoping someone can confirm what this moth is please? Trapped in Malvern back on 7th May this year. Someone suggested it might be a Silver Cloud, but neither he nor I was sure. So any help much appreciated. Thanks

Elegia similella

This small pyralid came to the garden light at Norchard, Worcs this morning. Hopefully I have identified it correctly as Elegia similella. Formerly Microthrix similella, the small thickening at the base of the antenna suggests this is a male. Not sure of its status in the county,but said to be an occasional migrant. Silver Y and three Diamondback moths were also present. A few, first for year, included a Large Yellow Underwing.

Fond of bananas?

During my daily dog walking sessions over at Burlish Top, I was lucky to net the gorse-loving micro Grapholita internana (hence title of post!). This is the first I have seen in the county although it must be present at other sites like Devil's Spittleful and Hartlebury Common. The only other one I have seen was one caught at Kinver Edge by Darren Taylor several years ago.
Also at Burlish Top yesterday evening there were 3 or 4 male Emperor Moths whizzing around adjacent to the new pipeline development.
Another micro-Spuleria flavicaput-was netted from Hawthorn in Hop Pole Lane, Wyre Forest yesterday morning. This is the first I have recorded in this vicinity.
Here's hoping for more goodies in the net over the next few warm days!

Bringsty Common

Ran 2 mv traps in the garden last night (15th), although it was quite breezy at least for the early part of the night.  50 species, of which 43 were macros.  The Common is covered in large tracts of bracken, so it is no surprise to find Bown Silver-line the most plentiful with 20 individuals.  I recorded (2) Seraphim also, a species I don't often see here, despite a large Lombardy Poplar close by and a rapidly growing Aspen planted in the garden too.  Other species of interest were Grey Birch (1),  Alder Kitten (2), Buff-tip (1), Silver Cloud (1) and the first Scoparia ambigualis of the season.  Hawk-moths are on the increase with (6) Poplar-hawk and (1) Lime-hawk in the traps. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Alder Kitten

Bringsty Common: Seraphim

 

Slow but picking up in Dodford

The last few weeks have been a bit slow but with the current spell of warm weather number of species is increasing but the clear nights mean it cools down fairly quickly I am mainly getting singles of most species.

This morning I was delighted to find my second ever Puss Moth just over 3 years since the last one and also my first female Muslin although the male Muslins are one of my commonest species at the moment.

Not too many micros around yet but yesterday I had a new for the garden Elachista rufocinerea.

Puss Moth

Muslin

Elachista rufocinerea

Pete Smith
Dodford

Trench Wood Monday

Last Monday night was certainly worth a field trap, so 2 MV Skinners were put at the northwest end of Trench. The track is just drying out but wellies were still needed.


Trench Wood NR

There were probably more flies than moths to start with but things did improve. The highlight was a Pinion-spotted Pug which appears to be the most northerly record in VC37 and a site first. An Ochreous Pug was only the second there and a Pine Beauty was more evidence that conifer feeders often move on warm nights.



Pinion-spotted Pug

Ochreous Pug

Pine Beauty

A total of 46 species included early Small White Wave, Figure of 80 and Dingy Shell, late Grey Shoulder-knot and the micros Pammene argyrana, Pammene giganteana, probable Caloptilia alchimiella, Elachista humilis and potential Stigmellas lapponica and or confusella TBC.

Small Yellow Underwing

One that I took in 2010 on Lady's Smock, on the farm at Norchard ,Worcs.

Small Yellow Underwing

Saw one today on Forget-me-not in the garden here on Bringsty Common.  Peter Hall

Lunar Marbled Brown

A Lunar Marbled Brown in the garden moth trap laid eggs while confined. I'll keep them until the larvae can be released on the food plant.
 Patrick Clement

Bank Holiday warmth bonanza

After several rather chilly evenings, last night (Monday) provided 85 macros of 27 species and some welcome 12 species of micros.The latter included oxyncanthae, grisella (Lesser Wax Moth), oehlmanniella, trinotella, badiana and two steinkellneriana. Macro highlights were Oak Hook Tip, Early Tooth Striped, Nut Tree Tussock, Powdered Quaker, Streamer and Ochreous Pug.
There were at least 40 Brindled Pugs last night-so far this year I've trapped 134 of these. The previous best was 56 in 2010! It's also nice to record good numbers of  V and Oak Tree Pugs, while both Dwarf and Currant have made appearances this week.

Haugh Wood

With the warm spell set to end,  last night I decided to go and run 2 mv traps in Haugh Wood.  Rob Hemming decided to join me and he also ran 2 traps a little further down the track in the north section of the wood.  It was very pleasantly warm for the 3 hour session.  Slow and steady might describe it well.  Topping the bill for my 2 traps at least was Brindled Pug with 129 individuals counted (unless you include Cockchafer!!).  It was like a transition session with Spring species like Common Quaker, Hebrew Character, Chestnut and even one Grey Shoulder-knot mixed with early Summer species like Orange Footman (11), Mocha (1), Grey Birch 2), Square Spot (17), Silver Cloud (3) and so on.  First Hawk-moth too - a Lime Hawk.   And the Peppered-moth (1) season kicked off with form insularia. I recorded exactly 60 species from my 2 traps (52 macro and 8 micro) and a total of 462 individual moths.
Back home in the garden,  the female Emperors continue to attract males, with 3 coming to the netted cage yesterday late afternoon. The overnight trap run in the garden didn't fare quite so well as Haugh, with 29 species recorded, 28 macro and 1 micro.  Topping the bill again was Brindled Pug (20) followed by Muslin (15).  Small Phoenix (1) made an appearance (at Haugh too), plus Pale Tussock (1), Cinnabar (1) and White Ermine (1) Peter Hall

Haugh Wood: Barred Hook-tip

Haugh Wood: Clouded border

Haugh Wood: Grey Birch

Haugh Wood: Lunar Marbled Brown

Haugh Wood: Mocha

Haugh Wood: Square Spot

Emperors

Females hanging up emitting pheromones

Wild male pairing up (once allowed in)

Each year I raise a colony of captive bred Emperor moths and use any males attracted by virign females as gene pool diversity for future generations.  It's quite nice watching the larva change from black to orange-black to green and black and then pupate.  So by mid-summer it's all done and dusted and they are in the cool garage for over Wintering.  Very successful last year and I had rather more pupae than ideal, so the sudden warming up produced a mass hatching.  Males don't hang around and will couple with females in minutes if allowed.  I did find some un-molested females and hung them up in a net cage and left them outside to see what happens. Male interest peaks between 2pm and 4pm, and I was delighted to see a large male flying around the net when I returned from a foray over the nearby Bringsty Common. Success!  I netted the male and put it in the cage and within a minute it had coupled. Peter Hall