Number of species:
This month: 12
Saturday 28 - Monday 30 November 2009
Rain, rain rain, rain and more rain.
Friday 27 November 2009
Mottled Umber - Erannis defoliaria
Clear at first, heavy, thundery rain later then clearing again, light wind, 3°C by dawn.
Seven moths came as something of a pleasant surprise, I really wasn’t expecting anything. Moreover, one of them was the first Mottled Umber of the year.
Lasiocampidae
- 1 December Moth Poecilocampa populi Linn.
Geometridae
- 4 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata Linn.
- 1 Scarce Umber Agriopis aurantiaria Hb.
- 1 Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria Cl.
Saturday 21 - Thursday 26 November 2009
When it hasn’t been raining it has been blowing a gale, but on the whole it has been doing both at the same time, frustratingly, the minimum night-time temperatures have, for the most part, remained in double figures.
Friday 20 November 2009
Overcast with steady rain after midnight, 11°C, strong wind.
Three small green caterpillars were the highlight this morning, I didn’t I’m afraid, have the time or inclination to even think about trying to identify them.
Noctuidae
- 1 Sprawler Brachionycha sphinx Hufn.
Thursday 19 November 2009
Overcast, 11°C, very windy.
If it wasn’t for the wind I would have thought it would have been a fairly good night…
Tortricidae
- 1 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker
Lasiocampidae
- 1 December Moth Poecilocampa populi Linn.
Geometridae
- 1 Feathered Thorn Colotois pennaria Linn.
Wednesday 18 November 2009
December Moth - Poecilocampa populi
Clear and calm at first followed by cloud and gale force winds, 10°C.
The first December Moths of the year, I can only presume were blown into the trap by accident.
Lasiocampidae
- 1 December Moth Poecilocampa populi Linn.
Tuesday 17 November 2009
Way too wet and windy.
Monday 16 November 2009
Partly cloudy, 10°C, still at first becoming wet and windy later.
Another massive haul of species, well, five.
Geometridae
- 1 Epirrita Sp.
- 1 Feathered Thorn Colotois pennaria Linn.
- 1 Scarce Umber Agriopis aurantiaria Hb.
Noctuidae
Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 November 2009
No trap.
Friday 13 November 2009
Winter Moth - Operophtera brumata
Scarce Umber - Agriopis aurantiaria
Damp and drizzly at first clearing, 3°C, light wind.
At last, the weather’s (slightly) better, the pig disease has passed and the trap is back out in the garden. A couple of late autumn firsts too.
Tortricidae
- 2 Light-brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana Walker
Geometridae
- 1 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata Linn.
- 1 Scarce Umber Agriopis aurantiaria Hb.
Noctuidae
- 1 Sprawler Brachionycha sphinx Hufn.
Sunday 01 - Thursday 12 November 2009
Winter Groundling - Scrobipalpa costella
Grey Birch Button - Acleris logiana
A miserable fortnight, a combination of cold clear nights and the entire family succumbing to the pig plague meant there has been little opportunity for any mothing. All was not entirely lost though, on 10 November Phoebe found the Winter Groundling (pictured above) on the bathroom ceiling and I captured the Grey Birch Button which had come to the light of the kitchen on the evening of 03 November (John Langmaid kindly confirmed the identity of the latter). In both cases these were only the second records we have for these species.
