Bit of a catch up....

After the first week of August numbers of moths plummeted and very little was caught in August and September, not helped by a generator malfunction on a particularly warm early autumn night.  However, this time of the year does offer opportunity to see early stages of some moths, and I was very pleased to have had the benefit of a Leaf-mining foray in Lancashire with Ben Smart (who wrote the leaf-mining book) at the end of September.  

I atach some photos of the more interesting mines/cases with some relevent comment.  This first one is a scarce miner on Aspen, a new record for VC62.

04.040 Stigmella assimilella, mine on Aspen, Pilmoor, VC62, 02 Sep 2018

04.056 Stigmella speciosa, mine on Sycamore, Pilmoor, VC62, 16 Sep 2018

 The next few are a small selection from the leaf-mining trip to Docker Moor in Lancashire:

06.004 Heliozela resplendella on Alder, Docker Moor, VC60, 30 Sep 2018

14.002 Bucculatrix nigricomella on Oxe-eye Daisy, Plain Quarry, VC60, 30 Sep 2018

15.043 Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae on Hawthorn, Docker Moor, VC60, 30 Sep 2018

37.044 Coleophora discordella, case on Bird's Foot Trefoil, Docker Moor, VC60, 30 Sep 2018

 This next one is a scarce miner of Sycamore in Yorkshire.

04.039 Stigmella trimaculella, mine on Poplar, Brafferton, 07 Oct 2018

 Having had a couple adults of this rare moth it was satisfying to get a record of larval feeding.

08.005 Phylloporia bistrigella, mine on birch, Sessay, 06 Oct 2018

Possibly overlooked in Yorkshire this appears to be the first accepted record for VC62 of Stigmella continuella.

04.044 Stigmella continuella, mine on birch, Sessay, VC62,  06 Oct 2018

This next miner is one I targeted on the Aspen copse at Pilmoor, and once noted was remarkably easy to see.  The larvae burrow from the petiole and make small mines at the base of the leaf, which produce green 'islands' as the leaf turns yellow.  At least 50 were seen on small saplings or fallen leaves, so goodness knows how many may have been lurking higher up in the large trees.  There is an unpublished record in VC62 in 1976 but this is the first modern record for the Vice County.

04.085 Ectoedemia argyropeza, mine on aspen, Pilmoor, VC62, 10 Oct 2018

04.085 Ectoedemia argyropeza, mines on aspen, Pilmoor, VC62, 10 Oct 2018

Having got my eye in looking at Juncus seedheads on Docker Moor in Lancashire, a peruse locally of juncus at Brafferton and Pilmoor produced hundreds of larval cases.

Coleophora alticolella or glaucicolella, cases on Juncus, Pilmoor, VC62, 10 Oct 2018

2018 is looking like a record year for new species for me, especially as a result of concerted effort looking for larva.  A full year-end report to follow.

Other species this week

As a consequence of actually spending a bit of time out during the day in my local birch woods, it is inevitable that other species were noted and here is a selection of what was seen.

Adela reaumurella, female, Sessay Wood

Adela reaumurella, males, Sessay Wood

14-spot Ladybird, Pilmoor Hall

Yellow-tail Moth, larvae, Pilmoor Hall

Common Leaf Weevil, Sessay Wood

Large Emerald, larva, Pilmoor Hall

Green Shield-bug,  mating pair, Sessay Wood

Orange-tip, Sessay Wood

Red and Black Froghopper, Sessay Wood

Tipula paludosa, Brafferton Spring

Abia candens, a saw-fly, Brafferton Spring

Dark-edged Bee-fly, Brafferton Spring

Four-spotted Chaser, Pilmoor

Sessay wood, 20th August

A distinct decrease in numbers and species as is customary from mid-August, signalling the end of major hauls, but also the onset of autumnal species.  No real surprises in the catch, 232 moths of 55 species, but an opportunity to take a few photos.

Hypatima rhomboidella

Helcystogramma rufescens

Ancylis badiana

September Thorn

Taxa

  Cnephasia species (Cnephasia sp.)  11
0228  Monopis weaverella  2
0411  Argyresthia goedartella  4
0453  Honeysuckle Moth (Ypsolopha dentella)  1
0460  Ypsolopha parenthesella  7
0858  Hypatima rhomboidella  1
0868  Helcystogramma rufescens  1
0874  Blastobasis lacticolella  1
0969  Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis corylana)  6
1036  Acleris forsskaleana  4
1093  Apotomis betuletana  17
1126  Ancylis badiana  1
1134  Epinotia ramella  6
1155  Epinotia brunnichana  8
1260  Cydia splendana  1
1293  Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)  1
1388  Udea lutealis  2
1413  Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis)  3
1439  Trachycera advenella  1
1632  Pale Eggar (Trichiura crataegi)  1
1645  Scalloped Hook-tip (Falcaria lacertinaria)  4
1657  Common Lutestring (Ochropacha duplaris)  1
1713  Riband Wave [non-banded form] (Idaea aversata ab. remutata)  4
1725  Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe ferrugata)  2
1738  Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata)  1
1759  Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata)  6
1764  Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata)  6
1777  July Highflyer (Hydriomena furcata)  2
1811  Slender Pug (Eupithecia tenuiata)  1
1887  Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata)  1
1915  September Thorn (Ennomos erosaria)  1
2000  Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius)  3
2003  Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac)  1
2006  Lesser Swallow Prominent (Pheosia gnoma)  36
2007  Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula)  3
2008  Coxcomb Prominent (Ptilodon capucina)  1
2044  Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola)  4
2049  Buff Footman (Eilema depressa)  1
2102  Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)  3
2107  Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba)  31
2109  Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes)  3
2110  Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata)  1
2111  Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe)  1
2126  Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum)  9
2133  Six-striped Rustic (Xestia sexstrigata)  1
2269  Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago)  1
2274  Sallow (Xanthia icteritia)  5
2297  Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea)  1
2298  Svensson's Copper Underwing (Amphipyra berbera)  1
2313  Angle-striped Sallow (Enargia paleacea)  6
2318  Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina)  4
2343x  Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.)  1
2387  Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus)  1
2474  Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)  5

Famine to feast...

They say to make hay while the sun shines, so with four days of muggy but dry weather, meant four consecutive nights of trapping out and about.  The first night  was Saturday where I chose the open moorland site at Dallowgill due light wind forecast.  Sunday night was Sessay Wood at Pilmoor which offered shelter from quite a stiff breeze.  Monday night was a joint effort with Charlie, Jill and Bob at Staveley, where I left an MV out overnight and returned next morning.  Finally, on Tuesday night, buoyed by such a good return the previous night, I spent the night at Staveley up by the last hide in the reedbed.  So, what was the return for my efforts?  A fine total of 2837 moths of 236 species, including a few new ones.

Dallowgill only produced around 30 species with 362 True Lovers Knot and 76 Northern Spinach dominating the catch.  Of interest were my first Bilberry Tortrix, a Smoky Wave, Welsh Wave, five 'Ling' Pug Eupithecia absinthiata f.goossensiata and two Grey Scalloped Bar.

Bilberry Tortrix

'Ling' Pug

Sessay Wood, a good selection of the usual species, although Limnaecia phragmitella, five Hedya salisella,  Dark Spinach and three Scarce Silver-lines were new  for me.  The other highlights were 45 Four-dotted Footman, 66 Minor Shoulder-knot, three Suspected, an Olive and Angle-striped Sallow.

Limnaecia phragmitella

Hedya salisella

Dark Spinach

Scarce Silver-lines

The first night at Staveley I sited the trap at the woodland edge backing on to the open rough field near the stone cairn.  Being slightly different habitat to where Charlie had sited the other five traps, it added about 15 species to the overall list of 170+ species.  I only recorded my own trap catch for the purpose of these totals.  Having actually enjoyed a few hours in my own bed it was a return to form with Tuesday night being an all-nighter by the hide in the reedbeds at Staveley.  I should have known better as it took 4 hours to do the two traps in an increasingly stiff breeze, and ran out of time and pots....   New species to me were three Adaina microdactyla, three Dark Umber, Bordered Pug, Pimpinel Pug, while others of interest were 25 Calamotropha palludella, another Dark Spinach, three Southern Wainscot, a Brown-veined Wainscot, five Fen Wainscot and two Silky Wainscot.

Adaina microdactyla

Bordered Pug

Pimpinel Pug

Not a bad return for a few nights trapping! 

Three nights on the trot...part one

Following the disastrous weather of the preceding few days that should have been Moth Night 2012, a surge of warm humid air from the south and traces of Saharan dust deposited across the UK, it seemed sensible to take the opportunity of trapping in this window of opportunity.

The first night was at Sessay Wood, with a fairly unremarkable catch of 103 moths of 23 species, of interest were 16 Four-dotted Footman which was still a fairly unexceptional count at what is the County's premier site for this species.

Buff-tip

Tuesday night was a visit to Brimham Rocks on a moist and misty night, with a couple of hours of strong breeze in the early hours.  291 moths of 51 species, the highlights were a yet to be identified Caloptilia sp., two Smoky Wave, four Northern Spinach, five Welsh Wave and a single of the increasingly rare Double Dart.

Smoky Wave

Narrow-winged Pug

Double Dart

Sessay Wood on night of 18 June

This started off as a bit of a disaster.  First of all I forgot the insect repellent, but I decided to chance going to Pilmoor.  Plenty of mosquitoes but none of the tiny biting bugs but in getting over to the SSSI I managed to slip of the log over the ditch and ended up knee deep with the right leg in foul brown smelly ditch-water.  So, having decided not to risk leaping over the same ditch several times in the dark I thought I would go to Sessay Wood nearby, where the conditions are much less demanding.....

Having set everything up, I then find that the plug adapter was not on any of the reels of cable, and then remembered I had removed it while using a reel to plug the strimmer into at home....it was on the bookcase - great!.  Fortunately Em was willing to bring it out to me and we met up halfway.  So eventually got everything working at 2245.

Not a bad night in the end, despite the wet leg, and just about struggled to 50 odd species.  The highlights were an Acleris laetana, two Birch Mocha, and ten Four-dotted Footman.

Aethes cnicana ?

Light Emerald

Brown Rustic

Small Dotted Buff

Beautiful Golden Y

The purple patch continues....

After the rain stopped, the evening remained muggy with full cloud cover and no wind.  Wanting to avoid the little biting bugs at Pilmoor, I went to Sessay Wood again, this time 200m ENE of Monday's site.  It was another good night with some more significant records.  I had another Lobesia reliquana the 2nd VC62 record following the first at Pilmoor, just over a kilometre away.

Lobesia reliquana

The other exciting moths were three Eucosmomorpha albersana, which I had trapped a single in 2011 at Kilburn, and there was just one other in the previous 25 years, and only a handful before that in Yorkshire.

Eucosmomorpha albersana

Others of note were five Orange Footman and a Marbled White Spot.  Also of note was a distant calling Quail heard several times.

Marbled White Spot

Tinea semifulvella