Bringsty Common this past week

Been a bit chilly so only ran the trap twice. 28 macro species and 2 micros. In addition to the usual stuff, there was White Marked still appearing, Silver Cloud, Iron Prominent, Blossom Underwing (that's 2 now), V-pug, White Ermine, Clouded Border, Brown Silver-line with Brindled Beauty topping the numbers.
I've had a mass hatching of Emperors and now have something like 50 females hanging upside down releasing their pheromones. I'm expecting to attract males from France and beyond! So far 10 wild males have arrived (I've just gone outside now to net another and introduce it to the harem), which is the most in a year for here and I guess still the chance of a few more. Hatching is definitely temperature triggered as cooler days, nothing hatches, but when it warms up a bit, males start hatching first and later on out come the females. I have to check them out every half hour otherwise the captive bred males will get in there first. Times for wild males to arrive? 2.55pm the earliest and latest just now at 6.05pm. Once I put a wild male in with the females, pairing takes place almost immediately. Eggs then get produced in the following days. There's less than 40 Herefordshire records for this moth, which is really surprising. If folk don't want to rear them through each year, there is an artificial pheromone available these days, although indications are it is slightly less effective than the real thing, although it does work. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Brown Silver-line

Bringsty Common: V-pug

Bringsty Common: White Ermine

Bringsty Common: Female Emperors at work

Bringsty Common: Success!