Early moth at last

Encouraged by the appearance of a Peacock butterfly in the garden yesterday we put a moth trap out over night. What a lovely surprise to find 40 moths this morning (the same trap in the same position two nights ago gave us one Common quaker). 14 macro moth species: Early grey 8, Oak beauty 6, Common quaker 6, Pale brindled beauty 2, Grey shoulder-knot 2, Clouded drab 2, Hebrew character 2, Small quaker 2, Chestnut 2, singletons of Early moth, Double-triped pug, Brindled pug, Satellite, Red chestnut. We were pleased to see our first Early moth of the year wondering if they had suffered in the cold weather last year.

Early moth

Red chestnut

Just two micros, a Common plume and a Mompha divisella/bradleyi, further investigation needed to determine which it really is.

Mompha divisella/bradleyi (Wing length 6mm)

Twin-spotted Quaker

Two traps last night - one in our garden and the other in a nearby woodland - produced 14 macro species,  the most numerous of which were Oak Beauty and Pale Brindled Beauty.  New for us this season were Engrailed, Clouded Drab, Common Quaker, Hebrew Character, Brindled Pug, Early Grey and a Twin-spotted Quaker with rather faint twin spots on the outermost cross-line. 

Carolyn & Evan

Twin-spotted Quaker

Clouded Drab

Common Quaker

Yellow Horned, Early Grey and one Grey One Grey Shoulder-knot

Another good catch last night, this time on Cors Fochno in the Willow Carr.
Most numerous was Yellow Horned (40) and Early Grey (29).
A single Grey Shoulder-knot snuck in, a visitor this one as it feeds on oaks.

Grey Shoulder-knot

Yellow Horned

Single figures of other macros - Hebrew Character, Engrailed, Clouded Drab, Chestnut, Small Quaker, Dotted Border, Red Sword-grass. 
Micros included T.alternella, A.ocellana, Diurnea fagella and a couple of Acleris that need further investigation.

Diurnea fagella

Ynys-hir Macros

Twelve species of the larger moths last night at Ynys-hir, including March moth, Small Quaker, Clouded Drab, Engrailed and Brindled Pug all appearing in the trap for us for the first time this year.
Total number of larger moths in two Actinic Heath traps was 118. Not bad for early march.

Early Thorn

Brindled Pug

Small Quaker

Ynys-hir Micros

Four species of micro last night including 60 Tortricodes alternella, (a conservative estimate!).
Photos of the other three below.

Ypsolopha ustella

Agonopterix ocellana

Agonopterix arenella

Mothy Mutterings

The latest from BC's Moths Count Newsletter is out.
Some interesting notes on the progress of a national recording scheme for micro moths, still a long way to go though.
Also the effects of the wet winter on lepidoptera.

http://mothscount.org/downloads/109/mothy_mutterings.html

March Moth

On the first of this month we were rewarded with our first March Moth of the year in our woodland trap.  Our catch also included Pale Brindled Beauty, Spring Usher, Dotted Border, Oak Beauty, Chestnut, Satellite and Tortricoides alternella- 36 moths in total.

Carolyn & Evan

March Moth

Dotted Border