A week off...at last

The first break since last autumn and a week I have taken regularly as it covers both my birthday and Em's, and for years has been a remarkably good week weather-wise.  This week just had to be different.  No rain, often cloudy but a week of insistent cold northerly wind kept the temperature well down.  Only two nights of the week were appealing enough to go out trapping, Saturday 28th May and Friday 3rd June; the first at Kilburn was calm but got down to +5 and few moths, while the second at Silton Forest was down to +11 but a stiff cold wind wind kept things rather subdued.

Kilburn, 28th May 2016

49.028  a moth (Syndemis musculana)  1
69.003  Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi)  3
70.049  Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata)  1
70.054  Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)  1
70.075  May Highflier (Hydriomena impluviata)  1
70.094  Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata)  5
70.100  Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria)  1
70.183  Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata)  1
70.207  Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata)  1
70.222  Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata)  3
70.223  Barred Umber (Plagodis pulveraria)  1
70.240  Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata)  2
70.270  Engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia)  2
72.015  Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda)  3
73.329  Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)  1

May Highflyer

Common Pug

 Silton, 3rd June 2016

07.006  a moth (Adela reaumurella)  1

15.008  a moth (Caloptilia alchimiella)  1

18.001  Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella)  3

49.028  a moth (Syndemis musculana)  2

49.254  a moth (Epinotia bilunana)  1

69.003  Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi)  3

69.016  Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor)  1

69.017  Small Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila porcellus)  1

70.051  Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia)  1

70.075  May Highflier (Hydriomena impluviata)  1

70.086  Broken-barred Carpet (Electrophaes corylata)  1

70.094  Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata)  1

70.222  Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata)  4

70.240  Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata)  5

70.277  Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria)  1

70.280  Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata)  1

71.012  Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius)  1

71.018  Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma)  1

72.015  Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda)  5

72.019  Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lutea)  3

72.020  White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda)  4

73.264  Pale-shouldered Brocade (Lacanobia thalassina)  6

73.271  Broom Moth (Ceramica pisi)  1

73.272  Glaucous Shears (Papestra biren)  1

73.329  Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)  6

73.334  Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi)  1

Broken-barred Carpet

Small Elephant Hawk-moth

Pale-shouldered Brocade

With such an influx of Diamond-back Moth into the country over the last week it was good to have trapped three at Silton and two more seen at Aldborough during the day today.  I should mention that while driving to Silton last night there were many thousands of small moths seen in the car headlights which may well have been this species but only a few caught in the trap due to the strong breeze?

 

Catch up, from five days trapping...

The warm weather continues, with the warmest end to September, and October day since records began, with temperatures hovering just under 30 degrees C.  So following on from the first night at Brimham, I trapped at my regular sites at Kilburn woods, Pilmoor and Silton Forest on successive nights, and then a speculative trap on the moorland at Dallowgill last night.

28 Sep - Kilburn woods - 54 moths of 19 species, the highlight being 11 Merveille du Jour, one of the jewels of the autumn traps.

Merveille du Jour

Pale November Moth, conf. by gen . det.

29 Sep - Pilmoor woods - 97 moths of 24 species, the highlights being site records of two Feathered Thorn, a Turnip, Black Rustic and a Large Wainscot. 

Feathered Thorn

Sallow, flavescens form

Large Wainscot

30 Sep - Silton Forest - 100 moths of 21 species, the highlights being singles of Feathered Thorn, Mottled Umber, Autumnal Rustic and Black Rustic, five Merveille du Jour and a Brindled Green. 

Mottled Umber

Brindled Green

1 Oct - Dallowgill Moor - six moths of six species.....although still mild, +18 still at 2300, there was a breeze which was difficult to avoid on the open moorland.  The Robinson trap which was sited in a small hollow actually had nothing in it after 3 hours, while the light over a sheet on the more open site, struggling to attract the meagre six moths.  However, they did include Pale Eggar and a very worn Haworth's Minor, the latter a moorland species I only caught up with in Ireland in August, and a new moth for the 10k square.

Pale Eggar

Brick

Haworth's Minor (not the best shot but it escaped shortly after!)

Not a bad night out

With 100% cloud cover and the temperature not dropping below +13, it was only the breeze that one had to find shelter from.  Silton Forest on the north-west side of the North Yorkshire moors was the chosen site and at least 238 moths of 56 species was the reward.  

Dwarf Pug

19 Coleophora species, an Eriocrania subpurpurella, 18 Syndemis musculana, two Crambus lathoniellus, a Fox Moth, Scalloped Hook-tip, three Pebble Hook-tip, Peach Blossom, two Common Lutestring, two Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, a Silver-ground Carpet, four Common Carpet, two Water Carpet, seven Small Phoenix, a Common Marbled Carpet, two Spruce Carpet, a Broken-barred Carpet, May Highflyer, two Oak-tree Pug, Dwarf Pug, Clouded Border, Tawny-barred Angle, 24 Brown Silver-line, a Barred Umber, Scorched Wing, three Brimstone Moth, three Engrailed/Small Engrailed, two Grey Birch, six Clouded Silver, a Poplar Hawk-moth, five Elephant Hawk-moth, two Small Elephant Hawk-moth, two Pebble Prominent, nine Lesser Swallow Prominent, a Swallow Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, 22 Pale Tussock, an Orange Footman, 11 White Ermine, two Buff Ermine, 24 Flame Shoulder,  two Shears, two Pale-shouldered Brocade, a Bright-line Brown-eye, ten Broom Moth, a Pine Beauty, eight Hebrew Character, five Dark Brocade, two Alder Moth, a Brown Rustic, three Small Angle Shades, a Clouded-bordered Brindle, four Green Silver-lines, a Spectacle and a Small Fan-foot.

What was interesting about the Dwarf Pug besides the very obvious small size was the noticeably patterned underside to the wings, shadowing the pattern towards the wingtips on the upper surface.

A bit of square bashing.....

With this unseasonably warm daytime weather and blue cloudless skies, a novelty alone in Yorkshire, I have spent the last two evenings out trapping.  The downside of the clear daytime skies is that as soon as the sun dips below the horizon, the temperature soon drops off, and reached about +6 soon after midnight on both days.

The first night produced 79 moths of 13 species at Pilmoor, pretty standard stuff, and then last night at Silton, 116 of 15 species.  New for the 10km square at Silton was a Scarce Prominent, while a more expected and splendid Glaucous Shears was a little early and only my 3rd record in VC62.

Scarce Prominent distribution in Yorkshire, post 2000 records in red (thanks to C Fletcher).

Scarce Prominent

While the Scarce Prominent looks uncannily like a worn-out boot, the Glaucous Shears is a rather attractive mix of shades of grey, brown and cream.  Brindled Pugs and Clouded Drabs also featured in some numbers.

Glaucous Shears

Brindled Pug

Clouded Drab

And here is one I caught earlier.......

Having had a very successful night out at Silton Forest, VC62,  on 31st July, with just short of 800 moths of about 85 species, I just happened to find a specimen pot in my jacket pocket several days later.  After some time trying to put a name to the moth inside, it suddenly came to me that it was a Suspected.  I ran it past Charlie who agreed.  Another new one for me in Yorkshire.

Suspected, Silton, 31 July 2010