In with a roar..............

Well it's March already and I haven't blogged for a while. So after a record breaking January in the garden, recording 12 species by the end of the month (double my previous best). It seemed like there was nothing going to get in the way of an equally impressive February. But the weather did finally turn and after just two trap nights and only a handful in March so far. The early head start has now been pegged back and I am nine species down on my best ever on the same date (2014).
As I type the temperatures are still slightly below average.

Brindled Pug

 Caught 18th March.

Dotted Border

 After one on 23rd January. This was the second record for the year, 16th March

Yellow Horned

After an absence from last years records, caught 12th March

Breakfast- 03-04-2015

After a two week break, the traps were back on. There seemed precious little point of trapping in the last week in March as it seemed unlikely any insects would be flying in winds gusting up to 60MPH.
Anyway, four NFY's was a positive outcome, although numbers of individual species are still pretty low. No shot of the Nut-tree Tussock as it was gone by morning.

Brindled Pug

Double-striped Pug

Red Chestnut

Upper Caldecote Garden- 2 Traps- 30 of 9 species

1524  Emmelina monodactyla  1
1852  Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata)  1 NFY
1862  Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata)  1 NFY
2139  Red Chestnut (Cerastis rubricosa)  2 NFY
2187  Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)  9
2188  Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)  5
2190  Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)  7
2243  Early Grey (Xylocampa areola)  3
2425  Nut-tree Tussock (Colocasia coryli)  1 NFY

New

More to follow..........

Chinese Character

Brindled Pug ab. hirschkei

Knot-grass

Home Wood- 28/03

Trent and I set up an 80w MV Bulkhead light on a tripod with a vertical sheet (Location #1). We also left a battery powered Twin Actinic/BLB Skinner trap further down one of the rides at Location #4 which Trent collected in the morning. 

After a few really warm days, it seemed like a good night to trap. But as night fell the temperatures plummeted in the clear conditions and as a result numbers were surprisingly low. We were beginning to lose heart by about 9.30pm and started to pack up. However just as we did so this turned up, a new species for the survey and a second for me in less than a week!

Dotted Chestnut

One of five species new for the site.

663 Diurnea fagella

This top scored with twelve caught between the two traps including four melanic specimens.

 Brindled Pug

Disappointingly, only one caught.

 Engrailed

 Herald

New for the site.

Home Wood species list- 28-03-12- 61 of 19 species-

0663	Diurnea fagella		12	Including 4 melanic
1663	Alsophila aescularia	March Moth	2
1746	Anticlea badiata	Shoulder Stripe	1
1747	Anticlea derivata	Streamer	1
1852	Eupithecia abbreviata	Brindled Pug	1
1917	Selenia dentaria	Early Thorn	1	NFS
1930	Biston strataria	Oak Beauty	1
1947	Ectropis bistortata	Engrailed	4
2139	Cerastis rubricosa	Red Chestnut	2
2182	Orthosia cruda	Small Quaker	9
2187	Orthosia cerasi	Common Quaker	3
2188	Orthosia incerta	Clouded Drab	3
2189	Orthosia munda	Twin-spotted Quaker	2	NFS
2190	Orthosia gothica	Hebrew Character	5
2237	Lithophane ornitopus	Grey Shoulder-knot	1	NFS
2256	Eupsilia transversa	Satellite	8
2258	Conistra vaccinii	Chestnut	2
2260	Conistra rubiginea	Dotted Chestnut	1	NFS
2469	Scoliopteryx libatrix	Herald	1	NFS

May, but in early April.....

The incredible Summer-like weather continues; it feels like Britain has been moved 1000 miles south! This is having an extreme affect on flight times, compared to last year at least. Most of my recent additions are more likely to be encountered in May. Right I'm off to Broom to find a Red-footed Falcon and a Bee-eater!

Waved Umber

 Nut-tree Tussock

 Pale Mottled Willow

 Brindled Pug ab. hirschkei

 Brindled Beauty

 Bee Fly

 Burying Beetle Sp.??

Not sure which species- but I've never seen it before. any ideas?

The result- 23 of 13 species-

• Hebrew Character- 5
• Common Quaker- 4
• White-shouldered House-moth- 3
• Clouded Drab- 2
• Red Chestnut- 1
• Early Thorn- 1
• Waved Umber- 1- Year tick
• Nut-tree Tussock- 1- Year tick
• Pale Mottled Willow- 1- Year tick
• Argyrotaenia ljungiana- 1
• Agonopterix arenella- 1
• Brindled Pug- 1

..........07/04

Another 2 macros to add as the favourable conditions continue. The Streamer flew away when I shone the torch on it- tricky things these geometridae!

Brindled Pug

A year tick- I came home from the pub at 10.30 last night to find this on the side of my van.

The result 19 of 9 species-

• Hebrew Character- 7
• Common Quaker- 3
• Clouded Drab- 3
• Brindled Pug- 1- Year tick
• Streamer- 1 - Year tick
• Early Grey- 1
• Early Thorn- 1
• Powdered Quaker- 1
• Emmelina monodactyla- 1

Home Wood Catch Report- 21/03/2011

This was the 1st manned trip to the wood and conditions couldn't have been better. A still, overcast night with the temperature hovering around 12°C. In fact when I got home at 10.30pm it was still an extremely mild 10.6°C.

We elected to use a  100w FUL Actinic Skinner in Location #1 and a set up comprising of 2x 80w MV lights and a sheet in Location#2. Location map available- HERE, there is also a Home Wood page on the right under 'Lists & Info'. Please scroll to the bottom of this post for the results-

Red-green Carpet

Only 1 caught using MV.

 Shoulder-stripe / Brindled Pug

The variable Shoulder-stripe was one of the most numerous (top).

 Lead-coloured Drab

Just 1 of this target species, attracted to Actinic light.

 Streamer

4 in total

 Small Brindled Beauty

Numbers lower than last time out- 4 in total

 Acleris cristana 1054

1 of 2 caught by MV light- location #2

 Acleris furrugana/notana 1044/45

1 caught by MV light

 Acleris literana 1061

Undoubtedly the star of the show- caught by MV light- location #2

The traps were on from 7.00pm until 9.40pm , Observers M. Burgess, L. Burgess

The results- 134 of 26 species-   key- 100w FUL Actinic (loc.#1),  2x80w MV & sheet (loc.#2)

• 2187 Common Quaker- (10 - 8) = 18 Site 1st
• 2188 Clouded Drab- (5 - 0) = 5
• 2182 Small Quaker- (8 - 0) = 8 Site 1st
• 1947 Engrailed- (6 - 5) = 11
• 1930 Oak Beauty- (6 - 4) = 10 Site 1st
• 1925 Small Brindled Beauty- (0 - 4) = 4
• 1747 Streamer- (2 - 2) = 4 Site tick
• 1746 Shoulder-stripe- (10 - 6) = 16 Site 1st
• 1852 Brindled Pug- (1 - 1) = 2 Site 1st
• 2258 Chestnut- (5 - 2) = 7 Site 1st
• 2139 Red Chestnut- (5 - 2) = 7 Site 1st
• 2256 Satellite- (4 - 3) = 7 Site 1st
• 2190 Hebrew Character- (4 - 3) = 7
• 1663 March Moth- (5 - 3) = 8
• 2185 Lead-coloured Drab- (1 - 0) = 1 Site 1st
• 1659 Yellow Horned- (0 - 1) = 1 Site 1st
• 2243 Early Grey- (0 - 2) = 2 Site 1st
• 1760 Red-green Carpet- (0 - 1) = 1 Site 1st
• 2259 Dark Chestnut- (1 - 0) = 1 Site 1st

Micros-

• 663 Diurnea fagella- (2 - 4) = 6 Site 1st
• 1524 Emmelina monodactyla- (1 - 0) = 1 Site 1st
• 1025 Tortricodes alternella- (0 - 1) = 1
• 688 Agonopterix heracliana- (0 - 2) = 2 Site 1st
• 1054 Acleris cristana- (0 - 2) = 2 Site 1st
• 1044/5 Acleris furrugana/notana- (0 - 1) = 1 Site 1st
• 1061 Acleris literana- ( 0 - 1) = 1 Site 1st

Notable absences were Pine Beauty and Twin-spotted Quaker, both of which I thought we'd get.

A Prominent Display...19/05

A really good night last night, but not as warm as some areas of the country as temperatures still got down below 10°C. For the 1st time this year I reached over 20 species, with a couple of micros yet to be ID'ed. Unlike others (especially Ian G!) no Hawk Moths yet, though I'm extremely happy with 3 Prominent species.......

Pebble Prominent Lesser Swallow Prominent Swallow Prominent Brindled Pug Common Swift- Male

Buff-tip

Rustic Shoulder-knot

I think I would have recorded more if I had visited the traps a few times in the night.........but I was just too tired. I also think just using Actinic will never produce the hauls found by others......

I'll either have to put out more traps or move!

1. SS Dart- 4
2. Flame Shoulder- 4
3. Swallow Prominent
4. Lesser Swallow Prominent
5. Pebble Prominent- Garden 1st
6. Small Waved Umber- Year tick
7. Hebrew Character
8. Treble Lines
9. Pale Tussock
10. Buff-tip- Garden 1st
11. Red Twin-spot Carpet
12. Garden Carpet
13. Common Pug
14. Brindled Pug
15. Heart & Dart
16. Common Swift
17. Emmelina monodactyla- 2
18. White-shouldered House-moth
19. Rustic Shoulder-knot- Garden 1st
20. Micro A?- Poor photo (see above post)- Epinotia immundana
21. Micro B?- flew away prob. Depressaria sp.