The teens of April

A few days away so no trapping in the early teens but with the colder nights I hope I did not miss too much. Last three nights though I have got back to it and the year list has started to increase after stuttering a bit so far. A few pictures here of some additions to the garden list and also another very early riser. Some changes of view included to show distinctive features.

Purple Thorn - new for garden 16/4

Purple Thorn (rear view showing resting wing posture)

Oak-tree Pug - garden first 18/4 (hiding in the pot lid)

Muslin Moth - garden first 18/4

Muslin Moth - tickle my tummy !

Campion - looking a bit rough (should have had a lie-in until June perhaps...)

Other species trapped in the last three nights 16/4 to 18/4:

Streamer

Brindled Pug

Double-striped Pug

Waved Umber

Hebrew Character

Common Quaker

Clouded Drab

Early Grey

Pale Mottled Willow

Nut-tree Tussock

Early April and early risers

As recorded by other local trappers, the warm weather is bringing some moths to Wychwood Avenue that I would not have expected to have found until the end of April or May. Also gradually adding some of the more expected species to the list...

Sallow Kitten (new for year 7/4) - would not keep still !

Nut-tree Tussock (new for year - two individuals on 8/4)

Waved Umber (new for garden - 6/4)

Brindled Pug (new for garden 10/4)

Double-striped Pug (up to 5 per night) - brown and grey individuals

I've been Tango'ed !

Well that was the level of my surprise when I looked in the top of the trap and found an Orange Underwing hanging upside down on the perspex looking up at me. Having recently read up about this species and found some flying in the sunshine amongst the tops of the birches in Flitwick Moor, this was a bit of a surprise to say the least. There is no birch woodland to talk of within the area around the garden so I am assuming it got lost in the dark...

6th April 2011

Marching on...

As the last few days of March passed with warmer and dryer nights, the trap continued to pull in moths each evening with the expected Common Quakers, Hebrew Characters and Clouded Drabs and a few Small Quaker and Early Grey to add some variety. Two new species for me in addition to these broke up the relative monotony, both pleasingly distinctive from the usual brown jobs.

Streamer (first for garden 24/3) presumable fresh as showing lots of purple colour

Early Thorn (first for garden 28/3)

Oak Nycteoline... first "goodie" of the year

Warm and cloudy evening produced my first real variety of the year from the garden trap. Top spot on the list goes to this garden first Oak Nycteoline which seems to be rather an unusual species in Bedfordshire. The book tells me this is of the form "notata".
Also new for the garden in the last couple of nights have been a Twin-spotted Quaker and Shoulder Stripe (three records) and a couple of micros that I actually managed to identify !

Oak Nycteoline (form notata) - garden first 22/3/11

Twin spotted Quaker

Shoulder Stripe

Full garden list for the evening of March 22nd: 20 macro of 9 species

Common Quaker - 5

Hebrew Character - 8

Small Quaker - 1

Clouded Drab - 1

Twin Spotted Quaker - 1 NFG

Double-striped Pug - 1 FFY

March Moth - 1
Early Grey - 1

Oak Nycteoline - 1 NFG

Twenty Plume Moth

Emmelina monodactyla

Diurnea fagella NFG

You (Oak) Beauty !

After a couple of days fretting as others seemed to be getting these while none were arriving at Wychwood Moths, I was most pleased when a check around the trap during Saturday evening produced this Oak Beauty investigating the illuminated fence panel. I have had no return visit or second individual in the three subsequent evenings. Also new for the year have been a few Small Quakers and one Grey Shoulder Knot, a species that I did not record last autumn.
Common Quaker continues as the predominant species with plenty of Hebrew Characters and multiple Clouded Drab and Early Grey also.

Oak Beauty (garden first March 12th)

Small Quaker

Grey Shoulder Knot (garden first March 12th)

Spring springs at last - March 10th

The last days of February and first week of March passed by with only a handful of moths trapped, a few Dotted Border, a March Moth, a Chestnut and the first few Common Quakers and Hebrew Character. The warmth of the last night prompted the first proper haul of the year though with a better total of 14 moths in the trap. I am now hoping that the next few nights will bring some variety to add to the numbers. Still waiting for my Oak Beauty to arrive...

Last nights total: Common Quaker - 11, Clouded Drab - 1, Hebrew Character - 1, Early Grey - 1

Hebrew Character

Early Grey

Common Quaker

Common Quaker - 11

Clouded Drab - a very dark one

Dotted Border

March Moth