Warndon Wood Actinic

With tales of Pale Brindled Beauties and Spring Ushers elsewhere on Facebook and with another OTT BBC weather forecast of 'arctic blasts' imminent,  I decided to put the 15watt battery actinic Skinner in nearby Warndon Wood last Tuesday evening. The result confirmed it is still truly mid-winter here in VC 37. 2 Winter Moths, 4 Mottled Umbers and a Chestnut. One of the umbers was the plainer 'rich brown' variety. Four Acleris schalleriana's at home in the last few nights, Ypsolopha ustella and a single Agonopterix heracliana last week are about par for micros the first half of January.

Top Chestnut, middle A. schalleriana, bottom Mottled Umber

E-moth

The latest issue of "E-moth", the regular newsletter from Butterfly Conservation's Moths Count team, is available at this link.

Hope to see some of you in Birmingham later this month. Peter Hall

2017

Early moths will be out soon no doubt and the new season will begin again. I'm looking for a new cover image to replace the Rosy Footman for 2017. If anyone would like to submit a photo for the cover you can contact me directly (melanthia18 at gmail.com). It should be a photo of exceptional quality please and your name will appear on the bottom part as a credit. Peter Hall

Trench Actinic on 9th

With the garden being rather poor in recent nights it was off to Trench Wood NR on Friday with the 15watt battery actinic skinner stashed for 6 hours in a quiet corner. 12.5 degrees, overcast with drizzle at end. 5+ Scarce Umber, 16 Mottled Umber, 4 December Moths, 9 Feathered Thorn, 
19+ Winter Moths and what looks like a Northern Winter Moth made for a great last field session of the year.

Bringsty Common December 7th

With such mild nights forecast, I thought I would venture out of the house into the garden and run a moth trap. The minimum temperature was 11 degrees, but after that low point at 8pm, most of the night was above 12. The rain didn't start until around 9am. The first few hours were quite busy, and the latter part of the night less so. The trap was sighted near to one of my hedges. I will run another tonight nearer the wooded strip at the bottom. 8 species with December topping the bill as expected with 53 individuals. One late Red-line Quaker, otherwise the list was Scarce Umber (1), Feathered Thorn (1), Yellow-line Quaker (1), Winter (3), Red-green Carpet (2) and Northern Winter (1). Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: December moths

 

Peppered in November!

A Peppered Moth came to light in Llanveynoe on the edge of the Black Mountains on Tuesday night. Has anyone ever seen one this late?  Latest record on the Herefordshire database is September 20th and that was in 1984.
Phyl King

November Peppered

Bringsty Common

Whilst howling under the super-moon last night - it looked a normal size to my eyes - I ran one trap at the bottom of the garden by the dingle. The November aggregates were coming in at a steady stream (many had left by first light again, or in the busy Robins belly) and the trap was quite busy for the time of year. 8 species with Novemnals around the 50 mark, Feathered Thorn at 12 and December 9, including a well sized female. My first garden Dark Chestnut and my first Brick of the season in the catch.

3 days before on the 11th, I also had Sprawler, Chestnut and Grey Shoulder-knot among the catch. What was probably my last red ichneumon of the season too last night, which was duly potted up ready to send the years collection of them off to the Natural History Museum for identification. If anyone else is interested in potting up the "Ophions" in alcohol, let me know and I'll give you the experts contact details, he would welcome some from Worcester in particular.

Peter Hall