Back from Hols

I've been away for the last week in South Wales, where the mothing has been nothing short of excellent. I can catch as many individuals and species in the garden there with one light as two or three in woodland will catch round here. And out in the dunes... well there's a whole new level. Some brief reports are on the Glamorgan Moths blog.

Anyway, back to South Bucks, I've run the trap in the garden at home and although few species compared to the above, last night I pulled in 29 species which is by far the best night this year.

New species for the year have been Barred Red, Buff Footman and Least Carpet, and if I exclude what I saw in Wales, Heart & Club, July Highflier and Short-cloaked Moth were also new.

Barred Red

This weeks mothing

No big trips out this week; just what has turned up in my garden and the regular 6w woodland trap...

The best of the garden species have been Olindia schumacherana, Common Emerald, Small Dusty Wave, Dingy Footman and Purple Clay, which is new for my all-time garden list!

The woodland was quite active as well with Ghost Moth, Engrailed, Light Arches, Great Oak Beauty (not new or anything, just a great species :) ), Buff Tip and Satin Beauty (the first and last new for site).

Satin Beauty

Anther week of decent weather...

During the last week, I have managed to run my garden trap more frequently, spurred on by the muggy nights. My catches are still tiny compared to some, but a few species new for the year or new for the garden have appeared, most pleasingly a Red-necked Footman. Others included Small Magpie, Green Silver-lines, Treble Brown-spot, Grey Pug, Light Emerald, Large Yellow Underwing, Silver Y and a daytime Small Fan-foot.

Red-necked Footman

Also, a two-trap session on a private woodland/farmland site yielded just over 100 moths of just over 50 species, including male and female Ghost Moth (although not from the same part of the site; maybe they'll now meet!), Garden Pebble, Sandy Carpet, Small Elephant Hawk-moth, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Green Arches, Light Brocade, White Point, Dark Arches and Burnished Brass. Later on the same site, I was able to add Burnet Companion to my year list.

Burnished Brass

Small Elephant Hawk-moth

Lots of Moths!

The last week or so has seen a dramatic increase in my moth sightings for the year, partly down to a large trapping session in my local woodland site, which added a couple of lifers to my list in the form of Mother Shipton and Alder Moth.

Even my normal 6W light in the same woods for GMS collected 14 species, including new for the site year list Pebble Hook-tip, Spruce Carpet, Green Carpet, Tawny-barred Angle, Lobster Moth and Buff Ermine.

Lobster

Over the last few days, and especially last night, my garden moth catch has improved a lot, although I expect this will be a blip, given the return of the wet weather from tomorrow. 

Anyway, a first-for-garden female Ghost Moth was a nice addition to my GMS trap, and last night several new for year species included White-spotted Pug, Green Pug, Middle-barred Minor, Heart & Dart, Ingrailed Clay and Buff-tip.

Ghost Moth

Another Week Goes By...

My South Bucks garden has continued to be quiet over the week, although the typical poor weather (mainly wind) has discouraged me from putting the trap out. I did run it last night for the GMS, netting Common Marbled and Silver-ground Carpets.

I've had better luck out and about, firstly with the regular 6W woodland trap and random sightings adding a few species to my year list; Birch Mocha, Light Brocade and Clay Triple-lines being the pick of the bunch.

Birch Mocha

I also ran traps at the "new site", partly for my own benefit, but also as part of a public event, which I hope from some of the feedback has inspired some people to try a moth sheet in their own gardens.

The new-for-year species from there were Chinese Character, Green Silver-lines, Small Magpie, Clouded Border, Scorched Wing, Coxcomb Prominent and Ingrailed Clay.

Scorched Wing

This week in South Bucks

I've had traps out in my regular woodland site, my new site and in my garden, and have had a few moths new for my year list. The garden has in fact been disappointingly poor, don't know if my new bulb is not as good as the old one, or if there are simply fewer moths in the area.

My regular woodland added Muslin Moth to the year list, and new species caught last night on my new site include Scorched Wing, Common Marbled Carpet, Sallow Kitten, Green Silver-lines,Knot Grass, Clouded Border, Pale Prominent, Ingrailed Clay, Treble Lines, Small Magpie, Crambus lathionellus and Epiblema cynosbatella.

 Ingrailed Clay

Muslin Moth

A good night and a new site

Having gained permission to trap on a new site, mixed woodland and farmland, believed to have been un-mothed before, I and a couple of others ran 4 MV and 1 Actinic traps, left out overnight in shelter from the predicted rain.

The list has 134 moths of 44 species and there were a few micros and pugs taken away for further examination.

The most common species were Flame Shoulder, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Marbled Brown, Orange Footman and Brimstone.

Species new for my year list at least were White-pinion Spotted, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Oak Nycteoline,Common White Wave, Yellow-barred Brindle, Pale Tussock, Oak-tree Pug, Oak Hook-tip, Spectacle, Green Carpet, Waved Umber, Clouded Silver, Pebble Hook-tip, Seraphim, Small Waved Umber, White Ermine, Common Wave, Pale Mottled Willow, Angle Shades, Pine Beauty, Common Pug, Pale Oak Beauty & Poplar Hawk-moth.

 Angle Shades

Poplar Hawk-moth