Ran the MV for a few hours tonight 29.9.17 but it was very slow with just 21 moths 11 macro & 3 micro species. The only nfy was this Mallow. Never saw one last year so nice to catch up with one again.
Friday 29 September 2017
Thursday 28 September 2017
still warm at night
Warm southerlies, accompanied by quite a lot of rain, tempted me into trapping on 25th and 27th September. Both nights were reasonably productive, albeit without any notable migrants. Small Wainscots on both nights were the 4th and 5th Dingestow records, whilst August Thorn, Willow Beauty and Flame were all my latest ever records here. Classic autumn moths such as Frosted Orange, Black Rustic, Barred Sallow and Beaded Chestnut are appearing.
Sunday 24 September 2017
Mining near Grosmont
A couple of hours on the SE slopes of Graig Syfyrddin produced a few new Micros for the under-recorded SO42. Adult moths were thin on the ground, although there were quite a few Nettle-taps on the wing (I'm so used to seeing them with their wings held in Delta-form that closed-winged individuals were very intriguing), a couple of Epinotia tenerana and an Eudonia angustea.
Mines of Stigmella tiliae were the biggest surprise, because I thought this species was restricted to the south-eastern parts of the county where Small-leaved Lime is commonest. Mines of Ectoedemia occultella on Birch, with their dark central blob, were also notable.
Mines of Stigmella tiliae were the biggest surprise, because I thought this species was restricted to the south-eastern parts of the county where Small-leaved Lime is commonest. Mines of Ectoedemia occultella on Birch, with their dark central blob, were also notable.
New mines and a potential Small Eggar web
A quick walk at Dingestow this morning (24/9) produced three surprises. First I noticed a mine of Bedellia somnulentella on Bindweed - only the 5th county record - a distinctive mine that others should be on the lookout for. The larva eats windows out of the leaf from below, and one can usually find frass caught up in a faint web underneath the leaf.
Next I spotted the circular mines of Leucoptera malifoliella in a hedgerow Pear - the second county record and a new species for Dingestow.
Finally, an old larval web in a hedgerow Hawthorn caught my eye. This had really dense silk and was full of frass, but the only larval remains I could find were very shrivelled and old. I think/hope this could be Small Eggar, following on from George's discovery of a web of this species a few miles away in early summer. Are the long pale hairs on the larvae and the density of the web sufficient for ID?
Next I spotted the circular mines of Leucoptera malifoliella in a hedgerow Pear - the second county record and a new species for Dingestow.
Finally, an old larval web in a hedgerow Hawthorn caught my eye. This had really dense silk and was full of frass, but the only larval remains I could find were very shrivelled and old. I think/hope this could be Small Eggar, following on from George's discovery of a web of this species a few miles away in early summer. Are the long pale hairs on the larvae and the density of the web sufficient for ID?
A warm night at last
Chilly nights and northerly winds put me off trapping for the last 2 weeks, but the winds swung to the south for 23/9/17 so I put out 1 MV and 1 Actinic in the garden at Dingestow Court. Results were pretty good for the time of year, with 27 species (>100 individuals), although migrants were poorer than anticipated. Highlights were my third Dingestow Brown-spot Pinion (new for the site in 2015), several vivid Brindled Greens, a Dark Sword-grass, a Merveille du Jour and a couple of Acleris sparsana.
Thursday 21 September 2017
Late post, Late August
26th August
Chepstow Park Wood-battling bats
I decided to go to one of my local woods this evening. Cloud was beginning to break up as I arrived and soon cleared here by 10pm BST.
It was fairly calm overall so I set up in hope of finding something interesting.
A late passer by with her dogs at dusk was interested in what I was doing and wondered if I was surveying for bats perhaps.
'No' I said 'moths', but I just as well have been surveying for bats than moths because during the evening I set up in three locations within these woods hoping to get in a clear area that was Bat-free.
Every site I chose at least one bat had a look in and interfered with the trap.
I persevered, kept going undeterred and had 30 moths of 14 species.
After battling bats in a frustrating evening, a nice reward for all my efforts came forward in a form of a micro, Epermemia falciformis (Large Lance-wing).
This micro has hardly been encountered at all in the county. It had only one previous sighting 14 years ago by the one and only Sam Bosanquet.
It apparently likes to reside in damp woodland or marshland with its larval food plant being Wild Angelica and Ground-elder.
26th August
Chepstow Park Wood-battling bats
I decided to go to one of my local woods this evening. Cloud was beginning to break up as I arrived and soon cleared here by 10pm BST.
It was fairly calm overall so I set up in hope of finding something interesting.
A late passer by with her dogs at dusk was interested in what I was doing and wondered if I was surveying for bats perhaps.
'No' I said 'moths', but I just as well have been surveying for bats than moths because during the evening I set up in three locations within these woods hoping to get in a clear area that was Bat-free.
Every site I chose at least one bat had a look in and interfered with the trap.
I persevered, kept going undeterred and had 30 moths of 14 species.
After battling bats in a frustrating evening, a nice reward for all my efforts came forward in a form of a micro, Epermemia falciformis (Large Lance-wing).
This micro has hardly been encountered at all in the county. It had only one previous sighting 14 years ago by the one and only Sam Bosanquet.
It apparently likes to reside in damp woodland or marshland with its larval food plant being Wild Angelica and Ground-elder.
Thursday 14 September 2017
22nd August
Only the second home trap conducted this year was very rewarding after going through the egg boxes and surrounding foliage nearby. Considering I only run an actinic trap the 212 moths that took an interest in the light show was very good.
Of the 53 species, the macro's I enjoyed seeing Yellow-barred Brindle and a Mocha (both fairly common moths around the town lately), Maiden's Blush, Red Underwing (another regular), a new addition to the site in Beautiful Carpet (above picture) and a nice pristine Vestal (below) which I believe is the only sighting in the county so far to date.
Micro's were of several species with again new additions on site.
Three new additions included:
From top to bottom
Euspilapteryx auroguttella (Gold-dot Slender)
Argyresthia bonnetella (Hawthorn Argent)
and a plain looking Scarce B classified micro in Bucculatrix maritama (Saltern Bent-wing).
All in all a very good return.
Chepstow
Only the second home trap conducted this year was very rewarding after going through the egg boxes and surrounding foliage nearby. Considering I only run an actinic trap the 212 moths that took an interest in the light show was very good.
Of the 53 species, the macro's I enjoyed seeing Yellow-barred Brindle and a Mocha (both fairly common moths around the town lately), Maiden's Blush, Red Underwing (another regular), a new addition to the site in Beautiful Carpet (above picture) and a nice pristine Vestal (below) which I believe is the only sighting in the county so far to date.
Micro's were of several species with again new additions on site.
Three new additions included:
From top to bottom
Euspilapteryx auroguttella (Gold-dot Slender)
Argyresthia bonnetella (Hawthorn Argent)
and a plain looking Scarce B classified micro in Bucculatrix maritama (Saltern Bent-wing).
All in all a very good return.
Saturday 9 September 2017
Late save to a chilly night
Last night's (8/9) MV trap at Dingestow Court produced 21 mundane autumn species, with the only highlight of this poor catch being an early return to bed. However, when I went to reset the trap this evening I noticed a Red Underwing sitting on the wall above it. I don't think I could have overlooked it if it had been there in the morning (not least because I scanned the wall for big grey things in the hope of a Convolvulus Hawkmoth), so presumably it landed nearby and moved during the day. I prodded it, just in case, but its hindwings were red not blue!
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