Several new for the garden

I have rarely done much trapping in the garden mainly due to it being small, overlooked, and suffers from streetlight pollution.  Therefore on the odd occasion I do give in and set a trap, I often get a NFG, new for garden, but bearing in mind I am starting from a low baseline...

Last night I actually set the two traps IN the garden rather than in the sheltered parking spot, this due to the neighbours adjacent to the back fence have moved away and my daughter was also away.  Not too bad with 55 moths of 24 species, and five species NFG.

49.180 Piniphila bifasciana

49.254 Epinotia bilunana

70.008 Idaea seriata Small Dusty Wave

71.021 Ptilodon capucina Coxcomb Prominent

73.333 Diarsia mendica Ingrailed Clay

The two images below are Piniphila bifasciana which is a Scot Pine feeder and fairly scarce, the nearest Scots Pine are in the carpark of the nearest pub.  I have seen one elsewhere in the County.

Piniphila bifasciana

Piniphila bifasciana

The Small Dusty Wave was another NFG, and my first in VC65.

Small Dusty Wave

Another small moth I trapped was one I had seen before, but not a particularly common moth.  I can't deny I do like micro-moths, even the 'brown' ones, and this is a cracking little moth: it is 35.056 Metzneria lappella.

Metzneria lappella

Metzneria lappella

I was fortunate enough to also catch four hawk-moths of three species, an Eyed, Poplar, and two Elephant Hawk-moths.  Not a bad night in all.

Elephant Hawk-moth

Eyed Hawk-moth

And so it continues....

What with a very poor start to the year weather-wise and a recurrence of health issues, the first six months of the year have just been on hold.  However, things have started to improve and a visit to Brafferton VC62 on Wednesday 16th June proved to be one of those purple patch nights, despite having to pack up quickly due to forecast dawn rain showers.

I had my usual MV Robinson in the 'camp' area, 160MVB over sheet in the parking bay and trialled two 5w LED bucket traps dotted in the vegetation on the main track.  The two MV produced broadly similar  numbers and species with the two LED's pulling in a small number each (still more than not bothering at all.).

A total of 261 of 71 species, so unexceptional numbers, but there were several good micros among the haul.  The best was a Pammene ignorata which immediately struck me as significant, and was despatched to Charlie who had gen.det. the three previous Yorkshire records, and this one too was confirmed, also as a first for VC62.  

Pammene ignorata

Another moth of interest was a rare moth nationally, and what appears to be only the 2nd record for VC62.  This was an Apomyelois bistriatella which has a preference for heathy areas, although this is not a habitat for which Brafferton in known.  

Apomyelois bistriatella

Apomyelois bistriatella

The next moth of interest was a fine colourful tortrix moth which I eventually narrowed down to a Gypsonoma oppressana, which even Harry said he had never seen such a colourful version.  It was interesting in that I had claimed one from Kilburn, also VC62, back in 2014, a much more typical monochrome specimen, which is also now accepted and becomes a new for VC62 predating a later accepted record.

Gypsonoma oppressana

Gypsonoma oppressana

Gypsonoma oppressana, Kilburn, VC62, 11 Jul 2014

I include a couple of macro moths, not because of their rarity, but just fabulous examples of how beautiful a 'brown' moth can be.

Mottled Beauty

Scallop Shell

Hopefully, further trapping possible in the near future.