Garden Mothing- What I've been catching

Garden Mothing- What I've been catching...

Three days later, and without further ado, here are the results from three nights worth of garden moth trapping. Before I start, I must warn you, this is a seriously mothy post with lots of Latin, and lots of statistics; so don't be surprised if by the end of the post you can confidently identify a Striped Lynchis from a Water Betony, based exclusively on the external positing of the hindwing discal spot.

First off, the trapping location...

A pretty average suburban garden, with a large Pyracantha, Hawthorn tree (insect magnet), Buddhlia and Hazel tree providing the main moth attractions. In the borders, there are quite a few flowering plants, which prove popular with the Silver Y's, and have even attracted a Hummingbird Hawk-moth in the past, and there are two maturing apple trees, as well as a Crab Apple and two Silver birch hidden from view. The position where the trap is in the photo seems to be the most effective positioning. After two full years of trapping, the garden list currently stands at around 300 species, with around twice as many macro moths caught than micro moths.

Now for the technical stuff- a long light tube, a box of wood and two ladders holding up an old bed sheet...

The weather really helps when moth trapping. Generally, cloudy skies and high temperatures encourage more moths out on the wing than windy, clear and cold nights.

The night of the 27th was one of those windy, clear and cold nights, and as a result only 12 species were recorded. Here's the list:

10 Heart and Dart

3 Pale Mottled Willow

1 Angle Shades

1 Garden Carpet

2 Willow Beauty

1 Marbled Minor agg. (there are 3 species of Minor that can't be visually IDed, so need to be labelled together 'agg.')

1 Green Pug

1 Double-striped Pug

5 Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple Moth)

2 Argyresthia trifasciata

Angle Shades...

Heart and Dart- the most common moth in the garden at present...

The 28th was a much better night, and after strategically reconsidering a new position for the trap at the opposite end of the garden, I caught a total of 62 moths of 29 species:

1 Beautiful Hook-tip
1 Small Blood-vein
2 Maiden's Blush
1 Garden Carpet
1 Green Pug
1 Double-striped Pug
2 Freyer's Pug
1 Common Pug
11 Heart and Dart
3 Pale Mottled Willow
1 Light Brocade
1 Dark Arches
1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Marbled Brown
1 White Ermine
3 Marbled Minor agg.
4 Willow Beauty
1 Treble-lines
1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 Pandemis cerasana
1 Tortrix viridana (Green Oak Tortrix)
1 Dipleurina lacustrata
1 Eudonia mercurella
1 Epiblema rosaecolana
1 Agapeta hamana
1 Zeiraphera isertana
15 Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple Moth)
1 Parornix anglicella
8 Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth)
1 Argyresthia spinosella
 
Beautiful Hook-tip...
 

Marbled Brown...

Light Brocade...

Agapeta hamana- reminds me of a banana for some reason...

Last night was another productive night of trapping, again with 29 species caught:

1 Blotched Emerald

2 Treble Brown Spot

1 Small Blood-vein

2 Common Marbled Carpet

1 Garden Carpet

1 Straw Dot

2 Freyer's Pug

3 Double-striped Pug

2 Green Pug

1 Common Pug

1 Maiden's Blush

4 Pale Mottled Willow

1 Knot Grass

13 Heart and Dart

6 Willow Beauty

5 Treble Lines

1 Marbled Minor agg.

1 Shuttle-shaped Dart

1 Brimstone

1 Marbled Brown

1 Aphelia paleana (Timothy Tortrix)

1 Ditula angustiorana (Red-barred Tortrix)

1 Aleimma loeflingiana

2 Archips podana (Large Fruit-tree Tortrix)

1 Tortrix viridana (Green Oak Tortrix)

1 Udea olivalis

13 Epiphyas postvittana

7 Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth)

1 Caloptilia alchimiella

Blotched Emerald- a personal favourite...

Freyer's Pug

Aleimma loeflingiana...

Green Oak Tortrix...

Udea olivalis...