The best night of the year so far, the MV trap and the 15W Skinner actinic trap together yielded a total of 76 moths, 38 spp., which is a very good result for this location. The most abundant species were Buff-tip, Peppered Moth, Nut-tree Tussock, and Small Square-spot. Notable visitors were the first Elephant Hawk, Lobster Moth, Cabbage Moth, Alder Moth, and Dark Sword-grass of the year - the latter being the only migrant species caught. Two micros appeared,
Pseudargyrotozoa conganwana and
Bactra lancealana (I think).
Lobster Moth Elephant HM
Cabbage Moth Alder Moth
Dark Sword-grass Muslin Moth (female)
Two Muslin Moths entered the traps, one male, one female (no eggs so far!) I caught another female Muslin Moth in the garden this morning, some distance from the trap sites. Muslin Moths seem to be having a good year. I also saw the first Silver-ground Carpet of the year in the garden.
P. conwagana Bactra lancealana
I catch more micros in my woodshed than in my traps! Sadly the shed is in a sad state of repair, I'm thinking of applying for a Council grant to refurbish it on the grounds that it's a haven for wildlife.
Good stuff, Chris. I've never seen Muslin Moth at Cwmllwyd.
ReplyDeleteWell done Chris...better than me!
ReplyDeleteThere MAY be migrants on the move - your dark sword-grass, my two painted ladies in the garden this afternoon and several spp reported on `Atropos Flight Arrivals`. I note the high night-time temps too, in spite of clear skies...
Thanks guys, it spurred me on to try a micro hunt this afternoon, report in due course, not hugely exciting but worth a mention.
ReplyDeleteWarm, still evenings are the best for finding many micros...I popped out this pm and only saw a few, so don`t be put off.
ReplyDelete