White Valerian

Following a Hummingbird Hawk-moth sighting in early June my White Valerian is still flowering and attracted another on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. I have not grown it before, and it is also popular with butterflies. The garden trap was busier last night with 181 moths of 29 species.

Convolvulus Hawk-moth

Always a thrill to find one of these huge migrants amongst the catch. There were no other migrants present this morning.

4th September at Warndon Villages

Ideal conditions here in Worcester too, produced some great results in the garden Robbo. After what looked like rather a worn one two weeks ago (and still TBC),  last night a fine Yposolpha horridella was recorded - not quite sure why I see most of these!

Another scarce species in VC37 was also taken in form of a presumed

Pammene spiniana

One migrant was a nice Rusty Dot Pearl - my third this year.

Other highlights were Lilac Beauty, Cloaked Minor, Mouse Moth, 2 Acleris emargana, Mompha propinquella, Ectoedemia louisella, 2 Argyresthia albistria and a presumed Stigmella samiatella.

18 species Macro and 24 species Micro - good for September! 



Bringsty Common September 4th

As it was going to be mild and humid I ran 2 mv traps in the garden last night to see what was about.  38 species of macro-moth and 15 micro-moth.  I have to say, nothing to get excited about.  2 Dark Sword-grass a Silver Y and 1 Plutella xylostella made up the migrants.  Lots of Thorns - Dusky, Canary-shouldered, Early, September and August all made an appearance.  A rather late Common Lutestring.  1 Pale Eggar.  Topping the bill was Large Yellow underwing (68) followed by Square-spot Rustic (65).  For micros Celypha lacunana was commonest with 14.  Most of my pots were "Ophion ichneumons" for Gavin Broad at the NHM, rather than moths.  Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Dark Sword-grass

Bringsty Common: Feathered Gothic

Bringsty Common: Pale Eggar

 

Sunny Sunday 27th

Last weekends weather got me into daytime micro-search mode and first stop was the Clerkenleap bridge viewpoint car park to search tree trunks and lower branches for Norway Maple feeders. A few spiders were spotted lurking in the crevices but no moths. A worn Phyllonorycter harrisella was a false alarm in an early sweep of overhanging leaves and then finally on the very last sweep,  one of the targets - a superb almost mint Ectoedemia sericopeza, one of the easier Neps to ID by eye.

Ectoedemia sericopeza

Malvern Hills

The annual Malvern Hills Trust moth meeting organised by Beck Baker, took place at upper Castlemorton Common - Lower Swinyard Hill last Friday 25th August. Migrants recorded were Silver Y, Dark Sword-grass and Rush Veneer. Despite ideal cloudy and mild conditions, micros were in short supply but included amongst the many grass-moths a late but fresh Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix and a Euzophera pinguis. My best moths in the rushy hollow below car park were Tawny Speckled Pug and a Small Wainscot. My single trap total was 26 species before midnight. 
                                                                    

Small Wainscot

Dioryctria sylvestrella at Wolverley

Dioryctria sylvestrella   Photo S. Wright

Sue Wright trapped a Dioryctria sylvestrella in her Wolverley garden on the 17th August, the first record of this species in VC37. This conifer feeder is a migrant species and was taken at a time of migrant activity but it has been colonising some areas of the country so may be that conifer woodland at nearby Kingsford Country Park should receive some attention next year?

Patrick Clement