Clearwings again

I only put the VES lure out today here on Bringsty Common, busy with other things and I hung up the trap about 400 yards from my house in some light woodland/scrub out of the wind. After 3 hours when I went to check I was pleased to see a Yellow-legged Clearwing in the trap. Peter Hall

 

Pammene suspectana

Pammene suspectana - Following a confirmed record to funebrana pheromone lure here in Worcestershire last year (Steve Whitehouse), and a couple of records this year in Hertfordshire and Essex, I decide to try my luck here in Halesowen.

The first time I used the lure in a pheromone trap on May 20th resulted in no less than six P. suspectana with a further individual on the 29th May. This species is clearly going unnoticed in some areas, it certainly was in my garden.

Dissection is advisable to separate it from the very similar P. albuginana, also attracted to the funebrana lure.

Patrick Clement

Pammene suspectana, Halesowen, 29th May.

Clearwings

If you have any lures, now is probably the time to use them. Today Rob Hemming put out a VES lure in his garden for Yellow-legged Clearwing and managed to attract an Orange-tailed instead. 5th county record. Me, the only success today was to the CUL lure in the apple orchard where I trapped 4 Red-belted Clearwing. This is one that should be anywhere with apple trees nearby. No luck with my VES lure. Will try again tomorrow. Peter Hall & Robin Hemming

Bodenham: Orange-tailed Clearwing (Rob Hemming)

Bringsty Common: Red-belted Clearwing (Peter Hall)

Bringsty Common: Red-belted Clearwing underside  (Peter Hall)

 

Hereford 27/5 - a migrant!

Pearly Underwing arrived last night completely out of the blue and unaccompanied by any other migrants, not even a Diamond-back. A county first for me.

44 other species came in

A quick summary of catch at <site> on <date> [Hereford - Fiennes Way] [27/5/20]

Taxa
  Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.)  10
03.002  Common Swift (Korscheltellus lupulina)  1
32.036  Parsnip Moth (Depressaria radiella)  1
35.040  a moth (Bryotropha terrella)  1
49.037  Cyclamen Tortrix (Clepsis spectrana)  1
49.039  Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)  2
49.133  a moth (Cochylis nana)  1
49.166  a moth (Celypha lacunana)  1
49.292  a moth (Notocelia cynosbatella)  1
49.298  a moth (Notocelia trimaculana)  1
62.001  Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella)  2
62.054  a moth (Homoeosoma sinuella)  2
63.025  Small Magpie (Anania hortulata)  5
65.009  Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides)  1
65.010  Figure of Eighty (Tethea ocularis octogesimea)  2
69.001  Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae)  1
70.029  Blood-Vein (Timandra comae)  1
70.049  Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata fluctuata)  1
70.061  Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata)  1
70.075  May Highflier (Hydriomena impluviata)  1
70.097  Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata)  4
70.100  Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria)  12
70.183  Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata)  2
70.190  Grey Pug (Eupithecia subfuscata)  2
70.192  Treble-bar (Aplocera plagiata)  1
70.258  Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)  1
70.283  Light Emerald (Campaea margaritaria)  1
71.020  Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina)  1
72.002  Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)  2
72.015  Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda)  2
72.019  Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lutea)  3
72.020  White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda)  3
73.046  Poplar Grey (Subacronicta megacephala)  3
73.101  Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica)  5
73.159  Small Clouded Brindle (Apamea unanimis)  1
73.267  Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea)  1
73.281  Lychnis (Hadena bicruris)  2
73.307  Pearly Underwing (Peridroma saucia)  1
73.317  Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis)  20
73.325  Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta)  1
73.328  Flame (Axylia putris)  1
73.329  Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)  1
73.334  Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi)  1
73.342  Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba)  1
73.359  Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum)  2

Pearly Underwing

Bryotropha basaltinella

On 3rd August 2019 I recorded a confirmed male B. basaltinella in my garden trap at Warndon. I had noticed it appeared visually about

Bryotropha basaltinella (Patrick Clement)

 half way between an affinis and a domestica. On May 18th this year I spotted another similar moth. This second record  is also the 2nd for VC37 and may have a colony in the NE Worcester suburbs. I guess that it occurs elsewhere but like many other species goes pretty well under the radar. Thanks to Gail Hampshire for indirectly alerting me to the existence of the species in late July last year!

Siege Wood

Whilst my trapping permits are on hold due to my risk of passing on Covid-19 whilst trapping in woods after dark on my own, I decided to run 2 Robinsons at Siege Wood, Woolhope. This is a scrubby, part wooded part reverted limestone grassland site. To date 90 species recorded (I think) and about another 10 micros still to id, so at around100 species for a 3 hour session, not too bad. It wasn't busy, but a slow but steady stream of moths arrived. Highest count for a species was Marbled White-spot at 58. Peter Hall

SpeciesName	OtherName
Common Swift	Korscheltellus lupulina
Coptotriche marginea
Euspilapteryx auroguttella
Alabonia geoffrella
Blastobasis lacticolella
Cochylis nana
Pandemis cerasana	Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
Zelotherses paleana	Timothy tortrix
Ptycholoma lecheana
Celypha lacunana
Apotomis turbidana
Epinotia bilunana
Notocelia cynosbatella
Notocelia uddmanniana	Bramble Shoot
Notocelia trimaculana
Lathronympha strigana
Crambus lathoniellus
Scoparia ambigualis
Anania lancealis
Udea olivalis
Aphomia sociella	Bee
Peach Blossom	Thyatira batis
Figure of Eighty	Tethea ocularis
Riband Wave	Idaea aversata
Silver-ground Carpet	Xanthorhoe montanata
Common Carpet	Epirrhoe alternata
Purple Bar	Cosmorhoe ocellata
Small Phoenix	Ecliptopera silaceata
Common Marbled Carpet	Dysstroma truncata
Spruce Carpet	Thera britannica
Broken-barred Carpet	Electrophaes corylata
Green Carpet	Colostygia pectinataria
Fern	Horisme tersata
Pretty Chalk Carpet	Melanthia procellata
Foxglove Pug	Eupithecia pulchellata
Mottled Pug	Eupithecia exiguata
Common Pug	Eupithecia vulgata
Dwarf Pug	Eupithecia tantillaria
Treble-bar	Aplocera plagiata
Small Yellow Wave	Hydrelia flammeolaria
Clouded Border	Lomaspilis marginata
Scorched Carpet	Ligdia adustata
Brown Silver-line	Petrophora chlorosata
Scorched Wing	Plagodis dolabraria
Brimstone Moth	Opisthograptis luteolata
Peppered	Biston betularia
Mottled Beauty	Alcis repandata
Common White Wave	Cabera pusaria
Common Wave	Cabera exanthemata
White-pinion Spotted	Lomographa bimaculata
Clouded Silver	Lomographa temerata
Light Emerald	Campaea margaritaria
Poplar Hawk	Laothoe populi
Elephant Hawk	Deilephila elpenor
Lobster	Stauropus fagi
Iron Prominent	Notodonta dromedarius
Pebble Prominent	Notodonta ziczac
Lesser Swallow Prominent	Pheosia gnoma
Pale Prominent	Pterostoma palpina
Pale Tussock	Calliteara pudibunda
Orange Footman	Eilema sororcula
White Ermine	Spilosoma lubricipeda
Buff Ermine	Spilosoma lutea
Heart & Dart	Agrotis exclamationis
Flame	Axylia putris
Flame Shoulder	Ochropleura plecta
Large Yellow Underwing	Noctua pronuba
Ingrailed Clay	Diarsia mendica
Small Square-spot	Diarsia rubi
Setaceous Hebrew Character	Xestia c-nigrum
Grey Arches	Polia nebulosa
Shoulder-striped Wainscot	Leucania comma
Poplar Grey	Subacronicta megacephala
Coronet	Craniophora ligustri
Brown Rustic	Rusina ferruginea
Small Angle Shades	Euplexia lucipara
Rustic Shoulder-knot	Apamea sordens
Middle-barred Minor	Oligia fasciuncula
Treble Lines	Charanyca trigrammica
Mottled Rustic	Caradrina morpheus
Marbled White Spot	Deltote pygarga
Green Silver-lines	Pseudoips prasinana
Nut-tree Tussock	Colocasia coryli
Gold Spot	Plusia festucae
Beautiful Golden Y	Autographa pulchrina
Spectacle	Abrostola tripartita
Beautiful Hook-tip	Laspeyria flexula
Straw Dot	Rivula sericealis
Snout	Hypena proboscidalis

Siege Wood: Fern

Siege Wood: Figure of 80

Siege Wood: Lobster

Siege Wood: Riband Wave

Siege Wood: Shoulder-striped Wainscot