NE Worcester Micros

Now its cooled down and time to reflect on the last 10 days of activity. A well-marked Mompha in the Warndon garden trap on the 15th looks good for divisella which has only been recorded from four VC37 sites, although from stats Feckenham Wylde Moor may have a colony.


possible Mompha divisella

 A last minute dash to Trench Wood on the 18th seemed very slow by 22:30 when Frosted Green seemed the best moth. Then in the last 30 minutes a fine Carpatolechia proximella arrived, followed by a very skittish Elachista apicipunctella.


Carpatolechia proximella

Elachista apicipunctella

Apicipunctella was new for the reserve. The only other micros were 8 Dyseriocrania subpurpurella.

9.003 BF136 Raspberry Moth, Lampronia corticella

An adult has emerged from the raspberry stems collected a couple of weeks back at Broadway Wood.

Patrick Clement

Raspberry Moth, Lampronia corticella

Brockhampton Estate April 22nd

Last night the weather was optimal for moth trapping I think. It stayed mild all through the 3 hour session on the National Trust Brockhampton Estate here in Herefordshire. It's never "busy" at this time of year, but there was a steady influx to the 2 Robinsons running. List below, for those who know their timings, the Common Footman was a larva! 40 species I think and around 238 moths. The garden trap was similar species wise at 39 but fewer moths (1 trap running). My first Alder Kitten, May Highflyer, Grey Birch and Silver Cloud of the year. I'm off abroad this evening to Blenheim Palace in  Oxfordshire so it will be interesting to see how that is comparing Peter Hall

Brockhampton Estate: White Pinion-spotted

Brockhampton Estate: Orange Footman

Brockhampton Estate: Oak Nycteolene

 

SpeciesName	OtherName	Quantity
Brindled Pug	Eupithecia abbreviata	59
White-spotted Pug	Eupithecia tripunctaria	1
Brimstone Moth	Opisthograptis luteolata	4
Waved Umber	Menophra abruptaria	10
Common Quaker	Orthosia cerasi	7
Red-green Carpet	Chloroclysta siterata	3
V-Pug	Chloroclystis v-ata	3
Lesser Swallow Prominent	Pheosia gnoma	5
Early Thorn	Selenia dentaria	1
Least Black Arches	Nola confusalis	1
White-marked	Cerastis leucographa	1
Lobster	Stauropus fagi	1
Small Quaker	Orthosia cruda	1
Nut-tree Tussock	Colocasia coryli	2
Chinese Character	Cilix glaucata	1
Streamer	Anticlea derivata	1
Water Carpet	Lampropteryx suffumata	13
White-pinion Spotted	Lomographa bimaculata	2
Purple Thorn	Selenia tetralunaria	11
Lunar Marbled Brown	Drymonia ruficornis	69
Frosted Green	Polyploca ridens	14
Hebrew Character	Orthosia gothica	5
Twin-spotted Quaker	Anorthoa munda	1
Common White Wave	Cabera pusaria	1
Orange Footman	Eilema sororcula	3
Oak Nycteoline	Nycteola revayana	1
Chestnut	Conistra vaccinii	3
Clouded Drab	Orthosia incerta	1
Oak Hook-tip	Watsonalla binaria	1
Red Twin-spot Carpet	Xanthorhoe spadicearia	1
Double-striped Pug	Gymnoscelis rufifasciata	1
Brindled Beauty	Lycia hirtaria	2
March Moth	Alsophila aescularia	1
Pale Tussock	Calliteara pudibunda	1
Adela reaumurella		2
Aphomia sociella	Bee	1
Common Footman	Eilema lurideola	1
Buttoned Snout	Hypena rostralis	1
Dyseriocrania subpurpurella		3
Alucita hexadactyla	Twenty-plume	1

Phyllonorycter sp.

I have just potted this micro from my actinic in the garden at Norchard, Worcs, and think it might be Phyllonorycter platini?

New Arrivals

Alder Kitten and Silver Clouds were among a host of new arrivals to my Worcestershire garden at Norchard last night, including Cinnabar, Common Wave and Spectacle.

Wigmore Rolls April 20th

Wigmore Rolls: Great Prominent

Wigmore Rolls: Lunar Marbled-brown

I chose the well wooded hilly section of the forest to shelter from the moon. It worked as it never appeared until pack up time at midnight after a 3 hour session. However, the forecast minimum of 11 was wrong (as per usual) and it had touched 7 at pack up time, so moth activity was curtailed this time by temperature. Tonights excursion has been postponed for a night as it should get milder from Monday for a few nights. The traps were set up about 60 yards apart ann not in line of sight as per usual. Interestingly one trap recorded 16 Great Prominent, the other had none, so it maybe shows how local species can be and how important chosing the trap location is too. Lunar Marbled-brown topped the numbers list with 51, Great Prominent next, otherwise it was much as you would get in the garden. Just 18 species. Peter Hall

Haugh Wood April 19th

It's nice to get warm nights in April, so it was with a tinge of excitement that I went off for my first outing of the year to Haugh Wood. At swtich on it was still 15 degrees and just as I sat down (having positioned a trap wisely right next to a bench), the biggest moon I have ever seen became visible just above the horizon. So I had about 45 minutes of moth activity then it became so bright that it almost shut down any moths arriving at all. Very disappointing. Lack of leaves in the woods didn't help. Of the 3 hour session, the last hour was largely spent reading my book. 18 species of macro and so far 3 micro, with 3 more to id when I get a moment. The range of moths is changing now to include late Spring/early Summer species. So apart from the usual crew I also recorded Mocha, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Lobster, Least Black Arches, Purple Thorn, Great Prominent and what I think is the earliest ever Tawny-barred Angle for Herefordshire. In recent days my garden has turned up Clouded Silver and Maidens Blush. I'll try again tonight elsewhere, but will remember to take my book again, and maybe sunglasses too. Peter Hall

Werewolves about perhaps

Haugh Wood: Mocha

Haugh Wood: Tawny-barred Angle

 

Google +

You will notice that anyone who registered with a Google+ option on the blog is now listed as "Unknown" on the right hand side. I can still see e-mail addresses in the Settings but I have no idea if you can post anything still. Can someone have a go? It's rather annoying! Peter Hall

Recent observations

I've had quite a lot of species so far this year, largely by trapping in Whitchurch, in the south of VC36. The highlight so far from there came in on Sunday night, a Red Sword-grass, which laid a lot of eggs in the pot. These are getting sent off to be reared by someone with more experience than me in these matters.
My garden trap in Hereford has been quiet so far, with a couple of Scarce Tissue on Tuesday the highlight so far. One of these was very pale, but not worn at all. I've not seen this illustrated.
John

Scarce Tissue (pale individual)

Scarce Tissue (typical)

Red Sword-grass

Lampronia corticella (Raspberry Moth) Local searches bear fruit.

I was keen to photograph this attractive but scarce little moth but the only recent Worcs. records were from Broadway Wood (Oliver Wadsworth), an hours drive for me from Halesowen. I decided to make the effort and last Saturday travelled down to look for larvae in the stems of raspberry plants hoping to rear pristine, freshly emerged specimens to photograph. I fairly quickly located one larva plus 3 or 4 stems with feeding signs which are now in containers at home, the larva having spun up beneath a leaf for pupation.
A throwaway remark by Steve Whitehouse this morning, "I wonder how widespread this species is?" prompted me to visit some raspberry growing on the Clent Hills, close to home, and after 10 mins searching I found a stem with feeding signs in two shoots. Carefully breaking one of the shoots apart revealed the bright red larva of corticella, bingo, a new site.
Returning home I remembered there was ample raspberry growing just 300 metres from my back gate, with the moth present not far away at Clent, could it also be even closer to home? You guessed it, yes, 7 wilting shoots with frass indicating feeding larvae, one of which was again removed for confirmation - what a result!
Patrick Clement

Clent Hills (feeding signs not always as obvious as this)

Broadway Wood larva spun up for pupation.

Clent Hills larva exposed in shoot.

Depressaria albipunctella

Although just outside both Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Laura Padley at Bromsberrow Heath (Glos) kindly sent me an image of an unknown 'flatbody' potted up on her back house door, under a conveniently placed soft light. Depressaria albipunctella had been distantly on my radar as it occurs vary sparingly at nearby Staunton, Berrow and the southern Malvern Hills ridge. However the only record this century in VC37 was at Carpenters Farm on 12th May 2006. So I was delighted to confirm the live moth on Tuesday evening and Laura has provided a record shot of what is a very scarce Na status species!


Depressaria albipunctella

Lunar Marbled Brown and Kinver

Never had a March record of this before so two on Saturday the 30th is another early milestone for the Warndon Trap.

Lunar Marbled Brown

Just a reminder that the first 2019 effort of the Kinver Moth Group will take place at Kingsford CP this Friday 5th April. This is located on the west side of the NT property, probably best accessed via Wolverley and Drakelow. We meet at the car park near the toilet block in Kingsford Lane at SO824821. Sunset is 19:50, so interested parties are invited to meet there at 19:15 to give everyone time to set up. Remember, you don’t need to bring a trap and are just as welcome to join us to improve mothing identification skills or to help with identifications.