Last Trench of 2017

The last field effort of 2017 was back to Trench Wood with the mobile 15watt Actinic Skinner on the slighter milder and cloudy night on 5th December. After setting the trap, a torchlit walk along those same sheltered rides covered in mid-November, saw a rough count of 120 male Winter Moths flying and perching in all directions. Three mating pairs were found as was a single female on a truck about a meter above the ground.


female Winter Moth
The main target had been Scarce Umber and the 100 minute session resulted in 11 males hung up on blackthorn branches. Some were more strongly marked than others Sadly no mating pairs or females were located.

two male Scarce Umbers

Female December Moth

5 Mottled Umbers were also torched and these were all the plainer, brown-stippled forms. The trap itself attracted a Chestnut, 2 Scarce Umbers and 13 Winter Moths. Interestingly there were no December Moths by 18:40. Two nights earlier the home garden MV on the 3rd December had a new garden record 13 December Moths overnight including just one female which laid 30 eggs in a pot and these are now incubating very slowly in the fridge!

 

I thought it was December ?!

Found this unseasonal Dark Arches in the garden trap (SE Worcs) on Sunday evening (3rd Dec) along with more expected December and Winter Moths !

NE WORCESTER AREA

Into Winter Mode now so the 15w Actinic was out in Trench Wood last night from 16:45 in very calm, mild and cloudy conditions. Hoping to follow up on last December's result, so wandering through some tunnel-like rides in the north part of wood resulted in at least a dozen Northern Winter Moths clinging to bare blackthorn stems in the eerie darkness and were not that bothered by the soft torchlight.

Northern Winter Moth



Drizzle started at 23:00 so a quick count-up produced 32 Feathered Thorns, 7 December Moths, 6 Chestnuts, 3 Winter Moths, 3 more Northerns and 3 Sprawlers. Two November Moths sp. included this quite well-marked contender for Pale November Moth, with the discal spot isolated from the median crossline on both wings. No umbers were seen so will be back next month.

Pale November Moth



The plain Epirrita sp image below, was later gen-detted by Patrick Clement and was as expected another Pale November Moth and a male.

Male Pale November Moth

Back at the Warndon garden another Sprawler was sat on the white boards and a Scrobipalpa costella and Green-brindled Crescent were in the Robbo.

Sprawler



Bringsty Common November 15th

Another mild night and I remembered to put a moth trap out for a change. I just made double figures with 10 species.  Red-line Quaker (1), Feathered Thorn (9), Brick (1), December (5), Red-green Carpet (3), Sprawler (1), Yellow-line Quaker (1), November (1) gen det., Udea ferrugalis (1) and Epiphyas postvittana (1).  Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Udea ferrugalis

Bringsty Common: Feathered Thorn

Bringsty Common: December

 

Bringsty Common November 3rd

Am pleased to say I recorded a Sprawler last night in the overnight rain, which had eluded me the night before. 9 species, so a better night than the one before with Feathered Thorn topping the bill with 10 individuals. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Sprawler

 

If it's November it must be December

Now that October is over and November moths are almost done, it's November...and December moths start to appear of course.  I was trying for a Sprawler (unsuccessfully) and got a December instead.  6 species, 20 moths.  Yellow-line Quaker, December, Chestnut, Feathered Thorn, Silver Y and November (gen det). Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: December moth

Early emergence.

Phyllonorycter schreberella

An early emergence from my leaf mines this morning, along with 2 Phyllonorycter maestingella.

Patrick Clement