Wednesday 17 November 2021

Butterfly Conservation's E-moth for November

The latest issue of E-moth from Butterfly Conservation should be available at the link here.

Friday 12 November 2021

Radford's Flame Shoulder


This Radford's Flame Shoulder was attracted to mv light at Norchard, Worcs, last night. The first Worcestershire record of this scarce migrant was recorded at Malvern the previous night, as far as I know. This follows the first record for Herefordshire in early November last year.

Tuesday 19 October 2021

Pearly Underwing

Pearly Underwing and Diamond-back here in Worcester overnight. 22 species in all which also included a fresh (2nd brood ?) Phycita roborella, the still declining Figure of 8 and Feathered Thorn which was NFY

Monday 11 October 2021

Cypress Carpet in Colwall

 My first Cypress Carpet on October 8th. Also a Blair's Shoulder Knot so you can tell what hedge we have in our garden.

  

Last night 10th despite minimum of 6deg I was surprised to find 2 Clifden Nonpareil in the trap. They refused to pose with hindwings showing.  Phyl King



Muslin Moth



This Muslin Moth recorded on Saturday night was unseasonable but not unheard of at this time of year. The Red Sword-grass, also recorded on Saturday night, was my first at Norchard, Worcs, since 2010 and may well have been a migrant here.

Sunday 10 October 2021

White Ermine on Bringsty Common

 The wind has switched to coming from the north after a few milder nights. Best night was the 8th with 29 species. Not much sign of migrant activity, but then they usually go straight to Bodenham anyway, but I did get a Dark Sword-grass and a Gem. There's a couple of other Gem records in the county (Herefordshire) as well. Last night there was a White Ermine in the trap, which is the latest record by some distance (previous was September 16th 2014). Another attempting to second brood?

Bringsty Common: White Ermine


Sunday 26 September 2021

Wigmore Rolls

 Encouraged by the milder nights, I ran 2 Robinsons at the northern end of Wigmore Rolls on the 24th for my customary 3 hours. It was nice and warm but fairly quiet and a lot of book reading ensued. 24 macro species and 7 micro species. Highest count was Common Marled Carpet at 19 individuals. First appearances for me of Chestnut and Yellow-line Quaker. Of more interest were Orange Sallow (3), Flounced Chestnut (3), Streak (1) and a Mallow (1). Peter Hall

Wigmore Rolls: Flounced Chestnut

Wigmore Rolls: Streak

Wigmore Rolls:Pink-barred Sallow

Wigmore Rolls:Merveille du Jour

 


Hi, caught this Cydia amplana on 9/9 in SP07.  I am not sure what the status is in Worcestershire?

Also, Convolvulus Hawk-moth on 11/9

Rob

Thursday 16 September 2021

Scarce Bordered Straw

Been quite the Groundhog Day here in Evesham with the trap primarily being visited by Setaceous Hebrew Character and Square-spot Rustic.

Autumnal moths have started to put in an appearance with Centre-barred Sallow, Lunar Underwing, Brown-spot Pinion and last night Black Rustic.

A nice surprise was a Scarce Bordered Straw, a first for my Evesham garden, I'd only recorded it in my Bidford garden in 2015 & 2017

Lee

Buttoned Snout


 This Buttoned Snout was feeding on ivy near my house at Norchard, Worcs last night.

Sunday 12 September 2021

Convolvulus Hawk-moth


 I found this Convolvulus Hawk-moth revving up on a footpath at Norchard, Worcs this morning. It soon disappeared into the distance.

Friday 10 September 2021

Worcestershire arrivals


 
At least two Cydia amplana have been recorded in Worcestershire this week at Upton Snodsbury and Norchard. Thought to be for the first time, and following on from plenty of sightings of the migrant further South in the country. A Dark Crimson Underwing was at Norchard last night a first record for the site.

Saturday 4 September 2021

Clifden Nonpareil in Lyonshall

 A slow start in my garden last night - only a dozen species in the first 90 minutes, trap (Robinson MV)  left running overnight and found this inside this morning.



Wednesday 1 September 2021

Oblique Carpet

 46 species in my garden trap last night (August 31st) which considering it got quite chilly, was not too bad. All the usual things plus an Oblique Carpet. 8th county record and first since 2013. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Oblique Carpet

 

Tuesday 31 August 2021

Bringsty Common

Catches of late have been between 50 and 60 species, but very little of interest. Last night it dropped a bit to 44 species, but the decline is to be expected. I did get one unusual moth and that was a Scorched Wing. Looking back through the Herefordshire records, in 2018 there were 2 early August records indicating a possible second brood attempt, otherwise this moth is over by early July. The 30th August is the latest by some distance and looking in the National Atlas book, may even be the latest for the UK. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Scorched Wing

 

Epermenia on the Doward

 An Epermenia falciformis appeared in my actinic trap sited close to a considerable amount Angelica. If accepted by Peter this would, I think, be new for the Doward and ca.12th for VC36. ( and not just a new species but a new family for me!). I see from Peter's database that E. chaerophyllella has previously been recorded here by others


I also caught Annulet on three nights between 4 and 10th August. Sorry for poor pic)



Wednesday 18 August 2021

Twin-spotted Wainscot in Colwall

An unlikely visitor to my Colwall garden light trap on 10th August, a second record for Twin-spotted Wainscot in Herefordshire.  Phyl King


Sunday 15 August 2021

Bringsty Common August 14th

Still a steady stream of moth arrivals on nights when I run the trap here. Last night I recorded 54 macro species and 19 micro species. Following on from the Bedstraw Hawk sighting, I'm also seeing signs of migrants here too, although this isn't noted as good spot for seeing them at all. The night before a Dark Sword-grass and last night a number of Silver Y and one Palpita vitrealis. Angle-striped Sallow continue to turn up - 3 last night - and this is easily the best season so far for them. I also recorded one at Wigmore Rolls the other evening. Otherwise a mix of late Summer species, second broods and so on. Yponomeuta rorrella also here again and a Tissue. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: female Black Arches

Bringsty Common: Palpita vitrealis

Bringsty Common: Tissue

 

Saturday 14 August 2021

Bedstraw Hawkmoth

 This morning (14th August 2021) I found a Bedstraw Hawkmoth in my trap at Bridstow. Peter Hall kindly confirmed the identity of the moth.

Richard Clements


Wednesday 4 August 2021

Palpita vitrealis


The migrant moth, Palpita vitrealis was at Norchard, Worcs 2nd of Aug to actinic light. A Bedstraw Hawkmoth was recorded at Redditch on the 1st Aug, following another at Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Thursday 29 July 2021

VC38 Compton Verney

I got to trap at Compton Verney on Tuesday (27/07) with a few other moth-ers from VC38
We ran 10 traps between us and whilst number of species and individuals wasn't as expected a couple of individuals made up for it

Marsh Oblique-barred was a new species for VC38
Dichomeris alacella if confirmed by the Micro CMR will be the 3rd county record
Will be trapping at Coughton Court on Monday night so be interesting to see what turns up

Lee

Wednesday 28 July 2021

Whitchurch 23-25 July

 As elsewhere a number of exciting moths showed up over the period with several new for the garden. The best macros were Privet & Pine Hawks appearing on successive nights. Others were Marbled Green (2), presumably wanderers from the Forest of Dean, and both L-album & Silky Wainscots.

Amongst the micros were first records of the splendid Dasycera oliviella, presumably coming down from the Doward, and Eidophasia messingiella. I also retained an Acleris which may prove to be logiana, not 100% sure what I'm looking for, just struck me as different from kochiella which is occasional here.

Rosy Rustics and Straw Underwing arrived to remind us that autumn for moths is not far away!


Marbled Green

Privet Hawk-moth

L-album Wainscot

Dichomeris alacella

Pine Hawk-moth

Eidophasia messingiella

Acleris sp.

Dasycera oliviella

Hemp Agrimony Plume

Silky Wainscot












Tuesday 27 July 2021

Brilley was brill?

Accompanied by David G and Sarah C, we ran 3 Robinsons on the Bulmers farm near to Brilley last nght. It avoided the storm (unlike where I live) and was dry and warm for the 3 hour session. Slow but steady and it will be a while before the full list becomes available, but my 2 traps have so far produced 107 species with maybe another 10-20 to add sometime in the future. I think between the 3 traps the total will reach around 140 species. In between the expected species there were some nice finds as well. The suspected Eudonia delunella from the last visit was repeated, this time with more than 10 spotted and id will be confirmed, but I can think of nothing else it can be. Prevous records: 1971, 1892 and 1887. So nice to find a good colony. There have been a few recent sightings of Marsh Oblique-barred in Herefordshire in recent years, following on from it first record in 2017 and again last night double figures of this tiny macro-moth. Then just as a footnote, in the garden, which was remarkably busy considering the storm that hit us shortly before dark (98 species), there was a Least Carpet in the trap.  Peter Hall

Brilley Court Farm: Eudonia delunella

Bringsty Common: Least Carpet


 

Thursday 22 July 2021

A lot of Angles

I'm sure it has been a busy week for a lot of recorders...finally. Up until last night I'd caught 2 Angle-striped Sallow here on Bringsty Common, a moth that appears in low numbers every year. However last night I had 11 in the single trap that operated, which is by far a record high for me. Peter Hall 


 

Kent Black Arches etc.


 
The warm weather seems to be helping dispersal or possible migration with a few more Silver Y and Diamond-backs about. This was my first Kent Black Arches at Norchard, Worcs this morning. The Wormwood was only my second which arrived on the 19th. 1,550 Water Veneer were in one Robinson trap positioned in an asparagus field last night.

Monday 19 July 2021

Sitochroa verticalis

A busy few sessions this week with this rise in temperature, last night's saw 434 moths of 82 species to two traps in my Evesham garden.

A few highlights over the past week included my first UK record of Sitochroa verticalis.

Was nice to see a Drinker, only recorded this in one year out of seven when I lived in Bidford.

Nice to see a fresh looking Barred Rivulet too

Lee