Wednesday 27 March 2024

Phyllonorycter on Snowberry

Yesterday I had an adult Phyllonorycter emberizaepenella emerge from a mine on Snowberry Symphoricarpos, one of four containing the typical dark green pupal cocoon collected in the garden last October (the other three all produced parasitic wasps).  I've recorded the mines here previously on Snowberry, but never on Honeysuckle of which we have a large amount.  

Pupal cocoon of Phyllonorycter emberizaepenella
inside mine on Snowberry, Westcott 19th October 2023

Phyllonorycter emberizaepenella, emerged 26th March 2024

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks
 

Monday 25 March 2024

Micro for ID

Can this micro be identified from this photo please?



Alan Diver
Tackley Heath
21 Mar


Sunday 24 March 2024

Red or White

 


Sorry to be my usual hopeless self with these early moths, but I put this down on my own blog as Clouded Drab and two commentors have suggested, I am sure rightly, that it is actually Red Chestnut  - with one of them adding that it might also be White-marked.  I'd be very grateful for advice.  I'm still having problems with comments here over Google sign-ins but will update this in due course with my thanks.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

       

Saturday 23 March 2024

Powdered Quaker?

Am I correct in thinking the moth below is a Powdered Quaker? If so, it would be a new addition to my garden list.
Steve Trigg, Cookham

Thursday 21 March 2024

Surprise in Bernwood Forest

I ran a couple of MV lights on the eastern side of Bernwood Forest in Bucks last night, my first visit there this year.  There was one stand-out moth amongst more than 900 caught in the traps and that was the Red Sword-grass shown below:

Red Sword-grass, Bernwood 20th March

Red Sword-grass, Bernwood 20th March

Red Sword-grass is rarely seen in our region and past records have generally been considered as wanderers from the west country or Wales where it is resident.  However, its appearances locally do seem to have been on the increase over the past ten or so years.  I've had it twice in the garden at Westcott (2021 & 2023) and Richard Ellis had one a few days ago, albeit just over the border into Hertfordshire, after having had a couple at his previous abode in Chorleywood, Bucks.  Hopefully it is in the process of becoming established hereabouts because it is certainly an interesting looking moth!

As at Finemere Wood the previous week, Small Quaker (443) and Common Quaker (182) provided the highest counts at Bernwood, while the remainder of the macros comprised Yellow Horned (1), Frosted Green (5), Brindled Pug (35), Early Tooth-striped (7), March Moth (3), Small Brindled Beauty (1), Oak Beauty (40), Dotted Border (5), Engrailed (2), Chestnut (13), Pale Pinion (1), Pine Beauty (1), Clouded Drab (9), Blossom Underwing (32), Lead-coloured Drab (1), Hebrew Character (21), Twin-spotted Quaker (11) & Red Chestnut (56).  Just the one Yellow Horned presumably means that I've all but missed its flight season this year, while Frosted Green is just starting out.  It seems to me unusual to see both species together even though their flight seasons do supposedly overlap.   

Yellow Horned & Frosted Green, Bernwood 20th March

Early Tooth-striped, Bernwood 20th March

Pine Beauty, Bernwood 20th March

Micros were again a little bit disappointing with only four species putting in an appearance:  Diurnea fagella (40), Acleris ferrugana/notana (1), Tortricodes alternella (8) & Pammene splendidulana (1).  However, the last mentioned species is uncommon so that was a nice record even though it is already known from Bernwood (and Finemere for that matter).  Like Pammene giganteana, it is associated with oaks, flies early in the season and may be reluctant to come to light.  

Pammene splendidulana, Bernwood 20th March
 
Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks  

Another early one

An exceptionally early Chinese Character in Stoke Goldington, N Bucks, last night. My earliest by 25 days.

 


 

Caloptilia sp

This one from last night looks to me like a candidate for Caloptilia falconipennella. 8mm in length.

I will retain it for checking.


Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Saturday 16 March 2024

Westcott, Bucks

The first half of March proved to be a bit disappointing after all that promise of an early spring following the very mild weather in February.  It was back to rather more seasonal chillier nights for much of the period and there was very little let-up in the rain which has meant that much of the lawn in our back garden is still under water even now.  There was moth activity every night but it wasn't until the 9th that a new species was added to the garden year-list.  The following take that list to 50 species for the year, of which 47 are adult moths:

       (9th)  Acleris literana
     (11th)  Red Chestnut
     (12th)  Grey Shoulder-knot, Twin-spotted Quaker
     (13th)  Early Thorn, Early Grey
     (14th)  Pammene giganteana (to MOL pheromone lure at 11am) 
     (15th)  Agonopterix arenella, Double-striped Pug

The 12th produced a very acceptable return to the actinic with just over 80 moths altogether, but the catches on most other nights haven't achieved even half that number.  Micros have been in short supply with only Agonopterix heracliana and Emmelina monodactyla appearing with any kind of regularity.  The Acleris literana (9th) was very nice to see although it had a chunk missing from one wing and wasn't as nicely marked as Martin Harvey's example back in February (see here).

The local bat population was tempted out of hibernation early by our mild February weather and at least one medium-sized individual (almost certainly Brown Long-eared) has been on patrol in the garden on most nights during this period.  I've certainly lost the odd Orthosia or two each session, and probably more than that judging by the sets of wings left lying around near the light.   

Acleris literana, Westcott 9th March

Red Chestnut, Westcott 11th March

Twin-spotted Quaker, Westcott 12th March

Early Thorn, Westcott 13th March

Early Grey, Westcott 13th March

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks   

Thursday 14 March 2024

Numbers on the rise in woodland

Last night I spent the three hours from dusk at Finemere Wood, Bucks, my first away trapping anywhere since December.  This wasn't in the hope of getting anything exciting but mainly to check that the equipment (generators in particular) was working satisfactorily prior to the season ahead.  Well over 1,000 moths of 22 species came to the two MV traps and, much as expected, Small Quaker (354) and Common Quaker (524) were the most numerous, followed by Oak Beauty (54) as the next in line.  The other macro-moths seen were March Moth (12), Shoulder Stripe (1), Water Carpet (2), Brindled Pug (3), Early Thorn (2), Pale Brindled Beauty (1), Small Brindled Beauty (17), Engrailed (1), Early Grey (1), Chestnut (20), Satellite (1), Clouded Drab (23), Lead-coloured Drab (20), Twin-spotted Quaker (7), Hebrew Character (32) & Red Chestnut (33).  The lack of Spring Usher came as no real surprise as it started so early this year and must be over by now, but it seemed odd not to get a single Yellow Horned because they've started to appear elsewhere in oak woodland.  Apart from Diurnea fagella (28) the micros were in very short supply, the only others to turn up being Tortricodes alternella (3, like Spring Usher presumably almost over by now) & Acleris ferrugana/notana (1).

Water Carpet, Finemere Wood 13th March

Brindled Pug, Finemere Wood 13th March

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks