Dotted Border

After two weeks of no catches our garden trap last night produced our first Dotted Border of the year, four Spring Ushers, five Winter Moths and a Pale Brindled Beauty.

Carolyn & Evan

Dotted Border

Spring Usher

Early Moth

After three nights with nothing in the trap a single moth last night, but one new to Llawrcwrt. Tony tells me that it is only the 7th record in this 10Km square and the first since 2011, so well worth waiting for.

Scrub Clearing at Coed Maidie

Cochylis roseana 49.134 B&F 962

I was asked yesterday if I could find a topical tip...here is one from Ben.

We have no records for Cochylis roseana in vc46 but it is in surrounding counties.
Of the two Endothenia species we do not have gentianaeana and marginana has not been seen since the 70's
The two Blasobasis species mentioned are common here as is the ubiquitous Light Brown Apple Moth.
Good luck to anyone wishing to search.
Ina

 Cochylis roseana

The larva photographed was found inside a teasel head, from a plant growing alongside the roadside just north of Bristol – collected 8.1.17.
Larvae can be found inside teasel seedheads from autumn onwards. The larva never enters the central cavity. Instead it burrows through the seeds, forming a tough silken tunnel, and leaving holes in many of the seeds. The larva is greenish white, with a green prothoracic plate and brown head.
The larva of Cochylis roseana is best looked for in rough grassland and waysides wherever the foodplant grows plentifully.

To rear through to the adult stage it is best to leave the teasel heads outside until nearer the time of emergence. Any that have been opened and found to contain larvae should be closed back up again, secured with cotton, and enclosing in fine netting, such as stocking material.

Other larvae that may be found within teasel heads include Blastobasis adustella, B. lacticolella, Epiphyas postvittana and the two Endothenia species gentianaeana and marginana.
Of these, postvittana is the only one that might be found burrowing through the seeds. I found a single example of this in a different teasel head from the same plant that the roseana larva above was obtained.

BEN SMART

Spring Usher

We set two traps in woodland at Ynys-hir last night, in the same places where we had such large catches recently. The temperature was down to 7 C this morning and we had far fewer moths to check. We had our first Spring Usher and Tortricodes alternella of the year. Full catch was: Mottled Umber (16), Spring Usher (12), Pale Brindled Beauty (4), Winter Moth (3), Chestnut (5), Tortricodes alternella (4), Acleris ferrugana/notana (3).

Tony & Ina


Chestnut

Pale Brindled Beauty

Spring Usher

Spring Usher



Spring Usher with Acleris ferrugana/notana

Tortricodes alternella
 

Eglwysfach

Only four macro and one micro species last night.
Not as many Winter Moths as Carolyn and Evan and no sign of Spring Usher or Mottled Grey which we had at the same site this time last year.
Mottled Umber - 68
Winter Moth - 107
Pale Brindled Beauty - 3
Satellite - 1
Ypsolopha ustella - 1

Mottled Umber

Pale Brindled Beauty

An Explosion of Winter Moths

Following on from our first Winter Moth Scheme garden trapping on the 1st of this year (min temp -0.8°C) when we caught NO moths at all, last night we had a bonanza catch with a total of 271 Winter Moths and 18 Mottled Umber both in and on the trap (min temp + 4.9°C) . Unfortunately the picture below does not do full justice to this.

Carolyn & Evan