Moth Sightings - 2005 Archive - Upper Thames Branch
(Berks, Bucks & Oxon)

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TOTAL MOTH SPECIES RECORDED IN 2005
566
This is an archive of the UTB moth sightings for January to December 2005.
Photographs have been removed to save space on the website.
First reported sighting of each species is indicated by lavender text.

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Saturday 31st December 2005

 

Dave Wilton sent in his final moths for 2005: “Here are two more trap reports from Westcott to complete the year's sightings: 21st December brought in Winter Moth (2) and Mottled Umber (2, pictured below). I half expected to find a December Moth in there as well as I'd discovered one in the garage and released it into the garden that evening, but it didn't come back. On 31st December all I got was Winter Moth (1) and Chestnut (1).”

 

30/12/05 – David Redhead reported the following interesting discovery: “Most years a pre-Christmas retrieval visit is required to our loft. I usually take the opportunity to have a search for hibernating butterflies as on my first visit, some twenty years ago, I discovered about a dozen Peacocks and half a dozen Small Tortoiseshells. Over the two decades the numbers have gradually dwindled and this year, on Friday 23rd December, the lowest count to date was achieved with just one of each species. However, I did manage to add a new species - a hibernating Herald moth. By precariously balancing a torch I was able to produce enough illumination to allow my camera to focus and obtain the attached photograph (see below):”

 

29/12/05 - Dave Maunder recorded a few late moths in Aylesbury over the last four weeks or so:-

Sprawler (17-11), December moth (12-12), Winter moth (16), Mottled Umber (4), and Emmelina monodactyla (5).

 

Tuesday 27th December 2005

 

[Apologies for the delay in posting the following, due to computer problems:]

 

Dave Wilton reports that another trapping session at Westcott on 14th December achieved double-figures, the mild night bringing in:  December Moth (4), Winter Moth (8), Acleris rhombana (1) and Exapate congelatella (1). “Of the two tortrices, the second is new to the UTB list. I tried trapping again on the 15th but the wind was much stronger and all I managed to get was December Moth (3) and Winter Moth (3).

 

On 10th December Dave Wilton reported the following:I'm still putting the trap out at Westcott occasionally and on 3rd December it brought in single examples of Winter Moth and Satellite, as shown in the picture below.

 

Also, on 6th December my wife found a largish micro in the bathroom (length of each wing about 15mm) which has now been confirmed as Depressaria chaerophylli. There are apparently few Bucks records of this species and I note that it is also new to the UTB list for 2005.”

 

Tuesday 15th November 2005

 

Alastair Driver sent in the following unusual addition to the 2005 UTB moth list on 13th November: “This is pretty pathetic I know, but a moth is a moth! Yesterday my wife urged me to take a look at what appeared to be eating a carpet in a dark closet in the house and I discovered the cases and then an adult of what turned out to be the Case-bearing Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella). The adult was only about 1/4 inch long, so I needed a lens to identify it! Got to be the smallest moth I've ever seen! I guess they all count though, no matter how obscure!"

 

Dave Maunder recorded the following moths in Aylesbury during the last couple of weeks: “The few moths I've seen comprise Feathered Thorn (4), Light-brown Apple moth (2), and Emmelina monodactyla (2). The next few days don't seem at all good for moths or butterflies, with very low temperatures forecast!”

 

Tony Towner ran his garden trap in Tilehurst on 12th November between 17:20 and 23:30 and managed one specimen - Mottled Umber.

 

On 11th November Keith Mitchell had a couple of moths attracted to his house lights in Stoke Goldington:

Red-green Carpet on 8th November (garden first) and December Moth on 11th November (his first this year).

 

Dave Wilton put the trap out at Westcott again on 10th November: “I managed just five moths, but at least I got a new species this time: December Moth (2), Feathered Thorn (1) & Sprawler (2). I've sent along pictures of the Feathered Thorn (quite a dusky male) and December Moth (see below). Also, while surveying for Brown Hairstreak butterfly eggs at Lapland Farm meadow on 11th November, I found two Blue-bordered Carpet eggs and a half-grown Oak Eggar caterpillar (photo below).”

 

Monday 7th November 2005

 

Dave Wilton ran his moth trap again at Westcott last night, 6th: “ It was the first rain/gale-free night here for nearly a week. It managed a grand total of five moths: Satellite (1), Sprawler (3) and Yellow-line Quaker (1). I usually find that about a quarter of any night's catch is to be found outside the trap, either on the lawn, on other vegetation or on the fence, which is why I always get up just before dawn to ensure that the birds don't get a free breakfast. However, the percentage was rather different last night because only the Satellite actually entered the trap! As I won't have completed my first year of trapping until next March I'll continue to put the trap out on suitable occasions through the winter just to see what might be about locally. The garden has produced more than 280 species in just under nine months so the goal for me will be 300 next year!”

 

Thursday 3rd November 2005

 

On 2nd November Keith Mitchell sent the following October moth summary from Stoke Goldington:October has been a bit hectic, but highlighted by a Juniper Carpet on 26th (a good record – see photo below). Other moths included Barred Sallow, Beaded Chestnut, Black Rustic, Blair's Shoulder-knot, Brown-spot Pinion, Centre-barred Sallow, Dark Chestnut, The Engrailed, Feathered Thorn, Garden Rose Tortrix, Green-brindled Crescent, Grey Pine Carpet, Large Ranunculus, Large Wainscot, The Mallow, Mouse, Pale Mottled Willow, a pristine Red-line Quaker (photo below), Rosy Rustic, Sallow, Satellite, Sprawler, Spruce Carpet, Turnip Moth, Vine's Rustic and Yellow-line Quaker.”

 

2nd November - Dave Maunder has seen a few more moths in Aylesbury during the last week:-

Green-brindled Crescent (1), Large Wainscot (1), Grey Shoulder-knot (2), November moth (1), and Emmelina monodactyla (1).

 

30th October at Westcott was Dave Wilton’s final garden trapping session for October and it brought in 14 species: ”Three of them were new to my garden list: Winter Moth, Grey Shoulder-knot and the pyralid Eudonia angustea. The full list of species was: Winter Moth, Feathered Thorn, Figure of Eight, Sprawler, Grey Shoulder-knot, Blair's Shoulder-knot, Green-brindled Crescent, Red-line Quaker, Yellow-line Quaker, Beaded Chestnut and micros Acleris sparsana, Udea ferrugalis/Rusty Dot Pearl, Eudonia angustea, Emmelina monodactyla. All three of the grey macro moths which are currently flying came to the trap and I managed to get a photograph of them together, see below.”

 

Monday 31st October 2005

 

Tony Towner sent the following on 28th October: “Here are my sightings for my garden trap at Tilehurst on 14/10/05:

Shuttle-Shaped Dart (2), Blair's Shoulder-knot (2), Lesser Yellow Underwing (1), Garden Carpet (1), Black Rustic (1), Merveille du Jour (1).

 

Recently returned from holiday, Peter Hall sent in the following two moth trap reports from his garden in Ballinger Common:

18/10/05 - Spruce Carpet; Feathered Thorn; Figure of Eight; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Black Rustic; Blair's Shoulder-knot; Chestnut; Acleris variegana (Garden Rose Tortrix)

 

26/10/05 - Spruce Carpet; Feathered Thorn; Figure of Eight; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Blair's Shoulder-knot; Chestnut; Red-green Carpet; Common Marbled Carpet; November Moth; Pale November; Sprawler; Grey Shoulder-knot; Merveille du Jour; Satellite; Yellow-line quaker; Beaded Chestnut; Angle Shades; Silver Y and micros: Blastobasis lacticolella; Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple); Acleris hastiana; Orthopygia glaucinalis; Amblyptilia acanthadactyla.

 

Friday 28th October 2005

 

Dave Wilton finished identifying last night's collection, 26th October, from his garden trap in Westcott and found the Sprawler was the only one new to the UTB list. The warm night brought an interesting collection of 54 moths to the trap. The 20 species comprised Red-green Carpet (4), Common Marbled Carpet (4), November Moth agg (3), Feathered Thorn (8), Figure of Eight (1), Large Yellow Underwing (1), Sprawler (1), Black Rustic (2), Green-brindled Crescent (4), Merveille du Jour (1), Dark Chestnut (1), Red-line Quaker (4), Yellow-line Quaker (5), Beaded Chestnut (4), Lunar Underwing (4), Sallow (1), Dark Arches (2), Snout (1), Hypsopygia costalis/Gold Triangle (2), Udea ferrugalis/Rusty Dot Pearl (2). “The Sprawler and Rusty Dot Pearl were new to my garden list, while the two fresh Gold Triangles suggest that this is another pyralid moth which now has a second brood.”

Dave had also put the trap out the previous night (25th) but the strong wind kept the catch down to 21 moths of 10 species. However, they included Satellite (1), Blair's Shoulder-knot (3) and Endrosis sarcitrella/White-shouldered House Moth (1) which he didn't get again on the 26th.

 

Ched George had his first autumn Satellite last night the 26th October: Not new to the list due to the hibernators last spring, but his first for this brood.

 

26/10/05 – Moths seen in Aylesbury by Dave Maunder since 11th October were:-

Vapourer moths (2 - 1 on 12th, 1 on 16th - late 2nd brood specimens, perhaps?); Hummingbird hawk moth (1 - on Buddleia, Quarrendon, seen by a friend, Nigel Garbutt); Large Yellow Underwing (1), Angle Shades (1), Grey shoulder-knot (1), November moths (4), Garden Carpet (1), Green-brindled Crescent (1), Light Brown Apple moths (4), Satellite (1) and Ruby Tiger larva (1), Dot moth larva (1 - 4th instar), and Large Yellow Underwing larva (1).

 

In spite of it starting to rain on Tuesday evening (20th) almost as soon as he turned the trap on and staying that way until the early hours of Wednesday, David Redhead still managed to catch 11 macro-moths - 5 November Moths, 3 Large Wainscots, 1 Red-green Carpet, 1 Barred Sallow and 1 Feathered Thorn - the last two were firsts for David’s 2005 garden list.

 

Wednesday 19th October 2005

 

Dave Wilton ran his overnight moth trap on 17th October: “It’s a while since I had so few moths in the trap! At Westcott on the 17th I got just 27 (of 17 species), the low temperature and moonlight having conspired against me. The full list comprised: Red-green Carpet (3), Common Marbled Carpet (1), November Moth agg. (4), Feathered Thorn (1), Figure of Eight (1), Black Rustic (1), Blair's Shoulder-knot (1), Green-brindled Crescent (4), Satellite (1), Red-line Quaker (2), Yellow-line Quaker (2), Beaded Chestnut (1), Lunar Underwing (1), Barred Sallow (1), Dusky-lemon Sallow (1), Acleris sparsana (1) and Acleris rhombana (1). The Figure of Eight and Acleris rhombana (Rhomboid Tortrix) were new to my garden this year and the latter appears to be new to the UTB list as well.”

 

16th October - David Redhead’s overnight garden moth trap produced 19 macro-moths from 8 species, in spite of the rain: 6 Large Wainscot, 5 November Moth (confirmed by Martin Townsend), 2 Green-brindled Crescent, 2 Yellow-line Quaker (garden first) and singletons of Chestnut, Common Marbled Carpet, Large Yellow Underwing and Red-green Carpet.

 

Ched George’s trap on the night of the 14th produced 12 species including a Figure of Eight and a Merveille du Jour.

Also, on 11th October. 1 Orange Sallow and a Deep Brown Dart.

 

Sunday 16th October 2005

 

Jan Haseler had a Dotted Chestnut turn up in her Tilehurst trap on Monday 10th October. “All the 21 records in the Berkshire moth database are of spring specimens. I have had to go back nearly 60 years to find an autumn record of Dotted Chestnut. Brian Baker saw 2 at sugar in October and November 1948 at Ambarrow Hill (which appears to be near Sandhurst).”

 

Derek Brown sent the following report on 15th October: “I've been continuing the moth trapping this year and have now got up to 133 macro species and about 20 identified micros for the garden, including Merveille du Jour which turned up in my trap last night. One new entry for the list - having just obtained Goater's Pyralid guide I realise that I had Evergestis pallidata earlier this year, on 30th July.”

 

15th October - Dave Wilton says he’s still managing a good variety of species in Westcott, although overall numbers are now starting to fall significantly: “A November Moth agg. trapped here on 3rd October is still awaiting confirmation of exact species but I hope to have this sorted within a few days.

On 11th October I managed 117 moths of 24 species: Common Marbled Carpet (1), November Moth agg. (2), Feathered Thorn (1), Large Yellow Underwing (15), Lesser Yellow Underwing (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (8), Square-spot Rustic (2), Black Rustic (14), Blair's Shoulder-knot (6), Green-brindled Crescent (1), Brindled Green (1), Dark Chestnut (2), Red-line Quaker (4), Beaded Chestnut (18), Lunar Underwing (22), Barred Sallow (2), Sallow (7), Rosy Rustic (1), Large Wainscot (1), Uncertain (1), Burnished Brass (1), Silver Y (1), Acleris variegana (1) & Acleris sparsana (2).

On 14th October the trap brought in 66 moths of 23 species, of which Blood-vein (2), Red-green Carpet (1), Shuttle-shaped Dart (1), Yellow-line Quaker (1), Orange Sallow (1), Dusky-lemon Sallow (2), Pale Mottled Willow (1) & Orthopygia glaucinalis (2) were additional to the previous session. None of the species from either date is new to the UTB list. However, the pyralid Orthopygia glaucinalis is interesting, being such a late sighting of a species which normally flies in July and August, and suggests the possibility of a second brood.

In the garden today, 15th October, I found Silver Y along with micros Choreutis pariana (Apple Leaf Skeletonizer) (new to the UTB list, on the final bloom of one of my buddleias) & Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla (four disturbed from vegetation while mowing the lawn).”

 

Friday 14th October 2005

 

11t October - Dave Maunder sent his weekly report of moths seen over the last week around Aylesbury:

Large Ranunculus (4), Silver-y (2), Emmelina monodactyla (4), Grey Shoulder-knot (4), Large Yellow Underwing (1), Lesser Yellow Underwing (1), Lunar Underwing (4), Sallow Moth (1), Angle Shades (1) and Ruby Tiger larva on nettles.

 

9th October - Alastair Driver reports catching Udea ferrugalis (Rusty Dot Pearl), another new addition to the UTB 2005 Species List.

 

Ben Carpenter recorded a new moth for the UTB 2005 Species List on 7th October - an Autumnal Rustic, found at Wytham.

 

Sunday 9th October 2005

 

Alastair Driver had a decent trapping session in his garden at Sonning overnight on 7th October: “16 species caught. No new parish records, but 2 new for the garden - Brindled Green and Deep-brown Dart. Other firsts for the year for me were Feathered Thorn, Beaded Chestnut and Blair's Shoulder Knot.”

 

Saturday 8th October 2005

 

Dave Wilton put the trap out again last night, 7th October, as it was another warm night: “It brought in a total of 275 moths with 24 species trapped. Six that I didn’t get last time were: Blood-vein (1), Red-green Carpet (1), Green-brindled Crescent (3, new to my garden list), Satellite (3), Dark Arches (1) and Uncertain (1), so October is still providing plenty of variety.”

 

Eddie Napper reports as follows: “With the continuing mild weather I ran the 30w actinic trap again in my Wokingham garden overnight on the 6th October. Highlight this time was a Merveille du Jour.”

 

Moths in Jan Haseler’s Tilehurst garden on 6th October included: 2 Acleris sparsana; Deep-brown Dart (new for the garden); a second generation Swallow-tailed Moth and a new generation Chestnut.

 

Dave Wilton says his Robinson trap continues to hoover up the local insect population at night: “On 3rd October I managed a remarkable total of 406 moths of 27 species, of which Merveille du Jour and Yellow-line Quaker were new to my garden for this year. The full list was as follows:

Common Marbled Carpet (3), Spruce Carpet (1), Large Yellow Underwing (6), Lesser Yellow Underwing (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (12), Square-spot Rustic (4), Common Wainscot (2), Deep-brown Dart (7), Black Rustic (10), Pale Pinion (1), Blair's Shoulder-knot (10), Merveille du Jour (1), Brindled Green (1), Brick (1), Red-line Quaker (2), Yellow-line Quaker (1), Beaded Chestnut (39), Lunar Underwing (277), Barred Sallow (3), Pink-barred Sallow (3), Sallow (8), Dusky-lemon Sallow (7), Angle Shades (2), Rosy Rustic (1), Frosted Orange (1) & Pale Mottled Willow (1).”

 

David Redhead ran a garden moth trap overnight on 5th October: "Not too bad a catch for time of year with 28 macro-moths from 15 species - Large Yellow Underwing (7), Snout (5), Lunar Underwing (3), Black Rustic (2) and singletons of Blair's Shoulder-knot, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Common Marbled Carpet, Frosted Orange, Green-brindled Crescent, Large Wainscot, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Pale Mottled Willow, Red-green Carpet, Rosy Rustic and Sallow."

 

Running his trusty 30w actinic trap overnight on the 5th October Eddie Napper recorded 20 moths of 12 species including this Figure of Eight (see below) - a new one for his garden and the UTB 2005 Species List.

 

5th October - Dave Maunder’s list of moth sightings around Aylesbury last week included:-

Large Yellow Underwing (2), Lunar Underwing (8), Grey Shoulder-knot (3), Large Ranunculus (3), Beaded Chestnut (1, at Ethrope), Garden Carpet (1), Willow Beauty (1- a late one on 3rd Oct.), and a Dot Moth larva.

 

Sunday 2nd October 2005

 

David Redhead ran a garden moth trap last night, 1st October: “Owing to the low overnight temperature it gave a small but varied catch with 17 macro-moths from 9 species. These included a first for my garden, a Green-brindled Crescent. Other species were - Lunar Underwing 4, Large Wainscot 3, Large Yellow Underwing 3, Beaded Chestnut 2, Common Marbled Carpet 1, Red-green Carpet 1, Snout 1.

 

Dave Wilton also ran a trap at Westcott last night, 1st October: “It managed a ‘paltry’ 162 moths of 17 species (113 were Lunar Underwings). I managed one new addition for my garden, a single Red-green Carpet, but nothing else of note. I'm surprised the trap held as many moths as it did because we were close to having a frost here.”

 

30/09/05 - Eddie Napper sent the following email: “Looking at the website I noticed that no one had reported this yet this year: running a 30w actinic overnight on 29/09/05, despite the rain, new for the garden were 2 Pine Carpets - see picture below.”

 

28/09/05 - Dave Maunder sent in his list of moth sightings from around the Aylesbury area during September. He recorded the following 36 species by looking at the moths attracted to house and street lights, Other moths were found on fence posts, building walls, buddleias and even in a bus shelter!

Angle Shades; Brimstone Moth; Burnished Brass; Centre-Barred Sallow; Common Rustic; Common Wainscot; Dusky Thorn; Emmelina Monodactyla; Feathered Gothic; Flounced Rustic; Frosted Orange; Garden Carpet; Grey Shoulder Knot; Hummingbird Hawk Moth (on Buddleia); Large Ranunculus; Large Yellow Underwing; Light-Brown Apple Moth; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Lunar Underwing (in a bus shelter); Many Plume Moth; Marbled Beauty; Orange Swift; Pale Mottled Willow; Red Underwing; Setaceous Hebrew Characters; Silver-Y; Small Dusty Wave; Snout Moth; Square-Spot Rustic; Svensson’s Copper Underwing; The Rustic; Treble Lines; Turnip Moth; Vapourer Moth; Willow Beauty; Yellow Shell

Dave also recorded Buff-Tip larvae (35+) at 3rd instar on 3-9-05 and a fully grown Vapourer Moth larva on 5-9-05.

 

Dave Wilton ran his overnight moth trap again at Westcott on 27th September: “Despite the cold it brought in 323 moths of 27 species, including Brindled Green (2) and Red-line Quaker (1) which were new to my list. I also got my first Satellite of the winter along with a fresh Snout whose size and appearance was more like a first-brood specimen (picture below).”

 

Monday 26th September 2005

 

David Redhead’s overnight moth trap on 24th September produced 51 macro-moths from 20 species which included two firsts for his garden - Blair's Shoulder-knot (2) and Beaded Chestnut (1). Other species recorded were:

Large Yellow Underwing (16), Common Marbled Carpet (5), Snout (4), Black Rustic (3), Angle Shades (2), Copper Underwing (2), Lunar Underwing (2), Red-green Carpet (2), Rosy Rustic (2), Sallow (2) and singletons of Blood-vein, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Large Wainscot, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Red Underwing, Straw Dot, Turnip Moth & Vine's Rustic. The Blood-vein is presumably third brood which is said to occur occasionally in the south of England.

 

It was about 12C in Dave Wilton’s garden in Westcott when he ran his overnight trap on 24th: “the warmest we've had it for a while. My collection of 667 moths (including 389 Lunar Underwings!) comprised 32 species although only two were new to my garden list: Brick (confirmed by Martin Albertini) and Barred Sallow. All were noctuids apart from Common Marbled Carpet (1), Brimstone Moth (1), Canary-shouldered Thorn (1) and Garden Rose Tortrix (3). Watching the Robinson in action is often very much like my day job, with moths descending from on high - if they can dodge the bat patrol - and taking up a holding pattern while waiting to enter the trap. On some nights it seems to be far busier than Heathrow, all without the need for an air traffic controller!”

 

Dave also passed on the following news: “On Saturday 24th I found this 4mm caterpillar (see photo below) in a leaf mine on a Horse Chestnut tree beside the A41 on the western outskirts of Aylesbury this morning. It’s a potential pest which is spreading rapidly throughout our area. Further details can be found at www.forestresearch.gov.uk/fr/INFD-68JJRC . I understand that some have now been found in Milton Keynes.”

 

Sunday 25th September 2005

 

Dave Wilton ran his moth trap again at Westcott on 22nd September and it brought in a healthy 575 moths of 30 species although only one was new to the UTB list.

“The full list comprised: Common Marbled Carpet (3), Brimstone Moth (1), Canary-shouldered Thorn (1), Dusky Thorn (3), Dark Sword-grass (1), Large Yellow Underwing (38), Lesser Yellow Underwing (3), Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (38), Square-spot Rustic (56), Common Wainscot (14), Deep-brown Dart (23), Black Rustic (31), Blair's Shoulder-knot (1), Beaded Chestnut (19), Lunar Underwing (292), Pink-barred Sallow (6), Sallow (9), Dusky-lemon Sallow (4), Angle Shades (4), Flounced Rustic (3), Rosy Rustic (2), Frosted Orange (2), Uncertain (1), Vine's Rustic (11), Pale Mottled Willow (2), Burnished Brass (3), Silver Y (1), micros Garden Rose Tortrix/Acleris variegana (1), Acleris forsskaleana (1), hordes of crane flies and the usual assortment of caddis flies, lacewings, beetles and a solitary wasp. The Dark Sword-grass, my third of the year, was a particularly fresh-looking example so might be the offspring of a migrant from earlier in the year.

My two previous trappings brought in much lower quantities of moths, probably due to the low overnight temperatures and full moon. I had just 84 moths of 14 species on 17th September (Turnip Moth being the only addition to the above list) and then 248 moths of 21 species on 19th September (Dark Arches and Snout being additional).”

 

21st September - The following are some sightings from Dave Maunder, Aylesbury, for 28th, 29th and 30th August. Dave doesn’t run a moth trap but instead he very successfully records day-flying moths and moths attracted to his house lights and street lights, recording over 50 species in August alone:

28/08/05 - Orange Swifts (6); Willow Beauty; Flounced Rustic; Large Yellow Underwing; Red Underwing; Emmelina Monodactyla; Pyrausta Purpuralis (10+); Snout; Vapourer Moth

29/08/05 - Vapourer Moth; Square-Spot Rustic; Marbled Beauty (3); Flame Shoulder; Shaded Broad-Bar; Hummingbird Hawk Moth

30/08/05 - Orange Swift; Willow Beauty; Square-Spot Rustic; Marbled Beauty; Willow Beauty (3); Dusky Thorn; Brimstone (3); Large Yellow Underwing; Orange Swift (2).

Also, on 12/08/05, Dave recorded Eudonia Truncicolella, which is a new addition to the UTB 2005 Species List.

 

23rd September - Peter Hall sent the results of his last two overnight moth traps from his Ballinger Common garden:

20/09/05 Angle Shades; Barred Sallow; Black Rustic; Brimstone Moth; Brindled Green; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Common Marbled Carpet; Copper Underwing; Dark Sword-grass; Deep-brown Dart; Dusky Thorn; Frosted Orange; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Lunar Underwing; Rosy Rustic; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Silver Y; Smoky Wainscot; Snout; Square-spot Rustic; Turnip. Micros: Blastobasis adustella; Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple); Acleris variegana (Garden Rose Tortrix); Acleris hastiana.

 

29/08/05 Brimstone Moth; Brindled Green; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Centre-barred Sallow; Common Marbled Carpet; Common Rustic; Common Wainscot; Copper Underwing; Dark Arches; Double-striped Pug; Dusky Thorn; Feathered Gothic; Flame Carpet; Flame Shoulder; Flounced Rustic; Green Carpet; Iron Prominent; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Broad-border; Lime-speck Pug; Maiden's Blush; Purple Bar; Riband Wave; Rosy Rustic; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Shuttle-shaped Dart; Silver Y; Small Square-spot; Square-spot Rustic; Straw Dot; Vine's Rustic; Willow Beauty. Micros: Ypsolopha dentella (Honeysuckle); Ypsolopha sequella; Blastobasis adustella; Pandemis corylana (Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix); Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple); Acleris laterana; Acleris variegana (Garden Rose Tortrix); Celypha lacunana; Cydia pomonella (Codling); Agriphila tristella; Agriphila geniculea; Evergestis forficalis (Garden Pebble); Euzophera pinguis.

 

Wednesday 21st September 2005

 

This news received from Alastair Driver on 19th September: “Just back from an adventurous 3 weeks in tropical Queensland (boy would I like to do some moth-trapping there!) - hence the absence of any reports from me lately. I had an excellent night's trapping at Ali's Pond LNR in Sonning, last night (18th), with hundreds of macro-moths of 27 species caught. New for my parish records were Bulrush Wainscot (photo below) and The Sallow, and new for my year list were Orange Sallow, Rosy Rustic, Copper Underwing, Lunar Underwing, Barred Sallow, Square-spot Rustic and Black Rustic. I also attach a photo of the three Sallow species together (see below).”

 

Two more moth traps in David Redhead’s garden in Oxon produced the following:

18th September – “On a cold moonlit night just 5 macro-moths and no micros - 2 Common Marbled Carpet, 2 Large Yellow Underwing and 1 Sallow. Also a Lunar Underwing on the front door. At least the last two were new to my 2005 garden list.”

and:

19th September – “An overcast and warmer night gave a typical catch for my garden in mid-September = 75 macro-moths from 24 species plus several micros. A Mallow and a Meal Moth (micro) were new for my all time garden list and a Black Rustic and Large Wainscot were new for 2005. The other macros were: Large Yellow Underwing (23), Snout (16), Lunar Underwing (10), Common Marbled Carpet (5), Lesser Yellow Underwing (2), Angle Shades (1), Brimstone Moth (1), Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (1), Burnished Brass (1), Copper Underwing (1), Frosted Orange (1), Green Carpet (1), Light Emerald (1), Red Underwing (1), Rosy Rustic (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (1), Silver Y (1), Square-spot Rustic (1), Svensson's Copper Underwing (1), Turnip Moth (1) & Willow Beauty (1).”

 

Jan Haseler sent in the following recent sightings from Tilehurst:

07/09/05 - Eudonia pallida

18/09/05 - Large Ranunculus and Eudonia angustea (this one was on a bedroom ceiling, the others were at MV light).

 

Keith Mitchell’s garden trap in Stoke Goldington produced the following moths on 17th and 18th September, 2 new ones for Keith’s garden and the UTB 2005 List:

Angle Shades; Beaded Chestnut (7) (first seen on 13th); Black Rustic (5); Brown-spot Pinion (2); Burnished Brass; Canary-shouldered Thorn (see photo at top of page); Common Marbled Carpet; Common Wainscot (19); Dark Arches; Emmelina monodactyla; Engrailed; Eudonia angustea (2); Frosted Orange (2); Large Yellow Underwing (63); Lesser Yellow Underwing; Lunar Underwing (50); Mallow; Rosy Rustic (3); Setaceous Hebrew Character (4); Small Square-spot; Small Wainscot; Square-spot Rustic (10); Turnip; Vine's Rustic.

 

Saturday 17th September 2005

 

Dave Wilton put the trap out again at Westcott overnight on 14th September, in the vain hope of getting a migrant hawk moth: ”The only long-distance travellers that came my way were a pair of Silver Ys. However, I still managed six new species for my garden: Beaded Chestnut (1), Deep-brown Dart (3), Dusky-lemon Sallow (2), Mallow (1), Pink-barred Sallow (1) and Spruce Carpet (1). Other species recorded were:

Pale Eggar (1), Common Marbled Carpet (7), Green Carpet (1), Brimstone Moth (4), Dusky Thorn (6), Turnip Moth (3), Large Yellow Underwing (102), Lesser Yellow Underwing (1), Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (4), Setaceous Hebrew Character (97), Square-spot Rustic (192), Common Wainscot (91), Black Rustic (18), Centre-barred Sallow (2), Lunar Underwing (50), Sallow (1), Copper Underwing (1), Svensson's Copper Underwing (1), Angle Shades (10), Rosy Rustic (3), Frosted Orange (5), Uncertain (1, fresh), Vine's Rustic (9), Pale Mottled Willow (3), Burnished Brass (1), Silver Y (2), Straw Dot (2), Snout (3) and micros Garden Pebble/Evergestis forficalis (1), Garden Rose Tortrix/Acleris variegana (2), Large Fruit-tree Tortrix/Archips podana (1), Celypha lacunana (1).”

 

Tuesday 13th September 2005

 

Dave Wilton’s garden moth trap at Westcott on 12th September produced the following: “538 moths of 29 species but four of them were new to the garden: Large Wainscot, Lunar Underwing, Orange Sallow and Sallow. A lone Dark Sword-grass was the only migrant on this occasion.”

 

Keith Mitchell ran moth traps in his garden on 8th and 9th September with the following results:

8th September produced Emmelina monodactyla, Red Underwing and Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, which were not recorded earlier in the week, and also the first Lunar Underwing of the year. On 9th September, my garden trap produced the following moths which were garden firsts: Brown-spot Pinion (see photo below), Carnation Tortrix and Large Fruit-tree Tortrix. Supporting cast were Lime-speck Pug, Dark Arches, Pyrausta aurata, Lesser broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and Dusky Thorn (3); all new for the week.” Keith also reports that Vestal and Convolvulus Hawk-moth have both been caught in Willen (Milton Keynes) by George Higgs in the last few days, so it’s worth looking out for these and other migrants.

 

The night of 7th September brought in another good haul at Dave Wilton’s garden in Westcott with just short of 700 moths. “However, half of that total were Square-spot Rustics so I'll be glad when they're over! New for my garden list were Black Rustic, Delicate, Pale Eggar, Red Underwing and Rosy Rustic. Photos of the Delicate (nice to get an immigrant like this) and Black Rustic appear below.”

 

Wednesday 7th September 2005

 

7/9 - Keith Mitchell sent in the following report from Stoke Goldington: “These are records from my garden trap from 4th and 6th of September. 37 spp of which I think Brindled Green, Pale Eggar and Black Rustic are new for the year.”

Angle Shades (2); Black Rustic (2); Bright-line Brown Eye; Brimstone Moth (6); Brindled Green; Burnished Brass (6); Centre-barred Sallow (34); Common Carpet; Common Marbled Carpet; Common Wainscot (45); Copper Underwing (3); Feathered Gothic (2); Flame Shoulder (5); Flounced Rustic (26); Garden Carpet ; Green Carpet (5); Heart and Dart (1); Large Yellow Underwing (141); Lesser Yellow Underwing (5); Light Brown Apple Moth; Mouse Moth (5); The Nutmeg (2); Pale Eggar; Pale Mottled Willow; Rosy Rustic; Setaceous Hebrew Character (16); Shuttle-shaped Dart (2); Silver 'Y'; Six-striped Rustic (2); Small Square-spot (3); Smoky Wainscot (2); Snout (2); Spectacle; Square-spot Rustic (104); Straw Dot (7); Vine's Rustic (31); Willow Beauty; Yellow Shell (2).

 

David Redhead’s garden moth trap for 3rd/4th September produced the following: ”127 Large Yellow Underwings made last night's moth trap threaten to be a record in numbers for my garden in 2005. Did not quite make it with 202 macro-moths from 24 species (record 220/52 on 27th June). A first for my garden list Centre-barred Sallow (4). Other species caught: Frosted Orange 1, Double-striped Pug 1, Square-spot Rustic 15, Setaceous Hebrew Character 12, Dusky Thorn 5, Green Carpet 5, Common Wainscot 4, Flame Shoulder 4, Burnished Brass 2, Flounced Rustic 2, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2, Shuttle-shaped Dart 2, Six-striped Rustic 2, Snout 3, Vine's Rustic 2, Common Carpet 1, Poplar Hawkmoth 1 (fresh), Rosy Rustic 1, Silver-Y 1, Small Square-spot 1, Willow Beauty 1 (and lots of wasps!).

Plus some random moth sightings:-

-  Lesser Treble-bar & Pyrausta ostrinalis at Pyrton Hill on 29th August and Watlington Hill on 4th September.

-  Peach Blossom caterpillar (see photo below) seen feeding on bramble by Whitecross Green Wood car park on 3rd September.

-  Shaded Broad-bar still about with one seen at Watlington Hill on 4th September.

-  Couple of Snout put up from vegetation alongside River Thames whilst early morning dog walking on 5th September.”

 

Dave Wilton got the trap out again on Thursday night (1st September) because it was so warm: “Due to work I missed the first couple of hours of darkness, which may have accounted for the reduction in geometrid species caught, but I was still overwhelmed with 700+ moths! Two thirds of this total came from just four species: Common Wainscot (50), Setaceous Hebrew Character (85), Large Yellow Underwing (97) and Square-spot Rustic (a massive catch of 333). I managed three further additions to my garden list and these were Svensson's Copper Underwing, Frosted Orange (also new to the UTB list) and Euzophera pinguis. Both Copper Underwing species were trapped and potted, giving me the opportunity to compare their facial palps under a magnifying glass. This seems to be a much easier way of telling them apart rather than trying to view the undersides of their hindwings. Nine Centre-barred Sallows came to the trap this time, providing some relief from all the ‘brown jobs’!”

 

Thursday 1st September 2005

 

Tim Watts recorded a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in his garden in Whitchurch on 25th, 26th and 31/8/05. He also saw a Red Underwing in flight during the daytime in Whitchurch on 26/8/05.

 

Dave Wilton sent some more moth trap records from his garden in Westcott:

18th August (49 species/506 moths): “New for my garden list were Pebble Hook-tip, Maiden’s Blush, Square-spot Rustic, Mouse Moth and micros Pyrausta aurata, Agapeta hamana and Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla. Noteworthy amongst the remainder were second-brood Purple Bar, Common Marbled Carpet, Lime-speck Pug, Double-striped Pug (wish they were all as clearly marked as this fresh example was!), Poplar Hawkmoth and Burnished Brass.”

23rd August (30 species/274 moths): “Just the one new addition and that was Vine’s Rustic. Two fresh Poplar Hawkmoths were also trapped.”

28th August (40 species/355 moths): “New this time were Centre-barred Sallow, Vapourer (a close look at one at last – beats following them around the hedgerows while looking for Brown Hairstreak!), Garden Dart and Feathered Gothic.
In case anyone is interested, the full list this time comprised Orange Swift (2), Blood-vein (1), Garden Carpet (1), Common Carpet (1), Purple Bar (1), Green Carpet (2), Lesser Treble-bar (2), Magpie (1), Brimstone Moth (4), Canary-shouldered Thorn (2), Dusky Thorn (4), Common Wave (1), Pebble Prominent (1), Vapourer (1), Garden Dart (2), Flame Shoulder (38), Large Yellow Underwing (91), Lesser Yellow Underwing (3), Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (2), Small Square-spot (9), Setaceous Hebrew Character (41), Six-striped Rustic (5), Square-spot Rustic (48), Bright-line Brown-eye (2, both fresh), Feathered Gothic (2), Common Wainscot (25), Centre-barred Sallow (2), Dark/Grey Dagger (1, fresh), Marbled Beauty (1), Straw Underwing (1), Angle Shades (2), Dark Arches (6, two of them fresh), Common/Lesser Common Rustic (4), Flounced Rustic (7), Uncertain/Rustic (5), Vine’s Rustic (21), Burnished Brass (10), Spectacle (1), Straw Dot (2) and Mother of Pearl/Pleuroptya ruralis (2).

 

Peter Hall had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in his Ballinger Common garden on 25th August.

 

28th August 2005

 

David Redhead ran his garden moth trap again on 27th August: “111 Large Yellow Underwings made this my second most numerous moth trap of the year with 197 macro-moths from 31 species. A couple of firsts for my 2005 garden list - Angle Shades and a rather worn Maiden's Blush (see photo below). Other species caught were:

Flame Shoulder 7, Setaceous Hebrew Character 7, Six-striped Rustic 7, Swallow Prominent 7, Brimstone 6, Green Carpet 5, Shuttle-shaped Dart 4, Square-spot Rustic 4, Burnished Brass 3, Common Wainscot 3, Copper Underwing 3, Flounced Rustic 3, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 3, Snout 3, Vine's Rustic 3, Willow Beauty 3, Bright-line Brown-eye 2 and singletons of Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Common Carpet, Crescent, Dark/Grey Dagger, Poplar Hawkmoth, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Rosy Rustic, Small Square-spot, Spectacle, Straw Dot & Svensson's Copper Underwing. Nothing new for the UTB 2005 list I am afraid.”

24th August 2005

[For those of you who have noticed that the moth species count has actually dropped by 1 today, please note that about 30 micros have recently been renamed. Blastobasis adustella, trapped by Peter Hall on 11th August was formerly Blastobasis lignea and is therefore not a new addition to the list.]

 

David Redhead says numbers in his garden moth trap in Oxon are now in decline with the last three (11th, 16th & 22nd August) averaging just 87 macro-moths from 25 species: “I still had four additions to my 2005 list - Square-spot Rustic & Orange Swift (11th) and Copper Underwing & Six-striped Rustic (16th). The Crescent continues to be a regular visitor with my 2005 total now eleven - only one was trapped in 2004. I thought Poplar Hawk Moths had finished as none appeared on the 4th & 9th but 11th = 1, 16th = 2, 22nd = 5. Is this the occasional partial second brood the books refer to - four of those caught on the 22nd looked fresh and a couple seemed on the small side, the fifth was extremely tatty and must have been a remnant first brood.”

22nd August 2005

Jon Holt had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in his garden near the Calvert site on 21/8/05.

 

Jan Haseler recorded the unusual Cherry-bark Moth, Enarmonia formosana. “This turned up in the trap in my Tilehurst garden on Sat 20th Aug. It is the first VC22 record since 1982, when one was recorded in Earley, Reading.”

 

On 21st August Derek Brown reported: “Last night’s mothing produced a nice Black Arches as the only new sighting

 

19/8 – Peter Hall recorded the following moths in his overnight trap at Ballinger Common on 11/08/05:

Orange Swift; Oak Hook-tip; Chinese Character; Single-dotted Wave; Riband Wave; Red Twin-spot Carpet; Lime-speck Pug; Brimstone Moth; August Thorn; Dusky Thorn; Peppered; Willow Beauty; Elephant Hawk; Iron Prominent; Pebble Prominent; Lesser Swallow Prominent; Swallow Prominent; Chocolate-tip; Black Arches; Scarce Footman; Common Footman; Ruby Tiger; Shuttle-shaped Dart; Flame Shoulder; Large Yellow Underwing; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Lesser Broad-border; Least Yellow Underwing; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Six-striped Rustic; Square-spot Rustic; Smoky Wainscot; Straw Underwing; Dun-bar; Dark Arches; Common Rustic; Flounced Rustic; Rustic; Nut-tree Tussock; Silver Y; Straw Dot. Micros were: Plutella xylostella; Blastobasis adustella (this moth has been renamed from Blastobasis lignea); Mompha propinquella; Pandemis heparana; Acleris variegana; Cydia splendana; Agriphila straminella; Agriphila tristella; Agriphila geniculea; Pleuroptya ruralis; Trachycera advenella; Amblyptilia acanthadactyla.
Also, at West Wycombe Hill: Shaded Broad-bar; Cinnabar and Silver Y.

 

Tom Stevenson found the following two moths in his Benson garden on August 18th, 2005: Evergestis forficalis (Garden Pebble) and Yellow Shell (see photos below).

 

Tim Watts found the following when he saw a brilliant flash of red/white/black in the wing mirror whilst reversing his car into a parking spot: “2 Red Underwing resting 1' apart on my alley wall in daylight 18/08/05 in Whitchurch. One was noticeably larger than the other - male/female?”

18th August 2005

Dave Wilton’s last three trapping sessions in his garden at Westcott produced the following:

3rd August (322 moths/42 species); Magpie, Shark, Straw Underwing and micros Garden Rose Tortrix/Acleris variegana, Eudonia mercurella all new to this year's garden list.

5th August (180 moths/35 species); Bordered Beauty, Dusky Sallow and micro Garden Pebble/Evergestis forficalis were all new additions.

14th August (167 moths/32 species); Orange Swift and Six-striped Rustic were new to his list.

“The number of moths caught has dropped off significantly over the past couple of weeks but at least it doesn't take me quite so long to identify the contents of the trap!”

 

An additional moth species from the list sent in by Ben Carpenter on 12th August has now been confirmed by Martin Townsend as Marbled Green. It was trapped on 26th July at Wytham Station. Martin said this species turns up in small numbers around Oxford and is quite common in parts of west Oxfordshire and over into Gloucestershire.

 

Jan Haseler recorded the following moths in her Tilehurst garden recently:

10/8 - Argyresthia goedartella

15/8 - Cochylimorpha straminea; Square-spot Rustic

 

Kevin Stevens sent the following rather unusual moth sighting: “I thought you might be interested in seeing this picture, taken on the 10th May, of a Lime Hawk Moth hitching a lift on a 7B bus in New Road in the centre of Oxford!”

15th August 2005

Paul Bowyer led a moth trap evening for the Wycombe Wildlife Group at Deeds Grove in High Wycombe on Friday 12th August. The following species were identified:- Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Yellow Shell, Mother of Pearl, Brimstone, Silver Y, Riband Wave, Common Carpet, Ruby Tiger, Lime Speck Pug, Currant Pug, Willow Beauty, Setaceous Hebrew Character, The Flame, Green Carpet, Straw Underwing.

 

Tony Towner sent these records for his garden trap at Tilehurst on 11/08/05:

Setaceous Hebrew Character (2); Willow Beauty (1); Shuttled Shaped Dart (3); Mother of Pearl (1); Common Rustic (1); Pyrausta Aurata (1); Dark Barred Twin Spot Carpet (1); Lesser Yellow Underwing (1); Least Yellow Underwing (1); Lesser Broad Bordered Underwing (9). Also seen was an Orange Swift in the hall on 08/08/05.

 

12/8/05 Ben Carpenter sent in the following records from his regular moth trap at Wytham Station:

May – August 05: The Lychnis; Spectacle; Hebrew Character; Bright-line brown-eye; Small blood-vein; Beautiful Hook-tip; Cinnabar; Garden Tiger; Poplar hawk-moth; Blood-vein; Chinese character; Setaceous hebrew character; Brimstone; Barred Yellow; Drinker; Buff-tip; Scorched Wing; Pale Tussock; Pale Prominent; Broom Moth (18/05/05); Bordered Beauty (01/08/05).

Also, at Wytham Upper Seeds & Thames Path: Pyrausta purpuralis on 08/08/2005, Treble-bar and Common Heath on 12/08/2005.

 

On Thursday 11th August Paul Bowyer had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in his garden at Flackwell Heath.

 

Welcome to new contributor to the website, John Harrison who is Assistant Warden at the RSPB Otmoor Reserve: “I've just started moth trapping on the reserve so may be able to post a few things once I get up and running. Last night, 9th August, I had: Poplar Hawkmoth, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, Pebble Prominent, Magpie Moth, Lime Speck Pug, Dusky Thorn, Canary-Shouldered Thorn, Ruby Tiger, Orange Swift, Common Emerald, Shaded Broad Bar, Willow Beauty, Sallow Kitten, Yellow Tail, Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing, Large Yellow Underwing, The Crescent, Rosy Rustic.

 

Also seen at the Otmoor Reserve on Sunday 7th during the Brown Hairstreak Butterfly Field Trip was another new moth for the UTB 2005 List: Calamotropha paludella, a pyralid which feeds on reedmace.

 

 

David Redhead managed a moth trap Monday 8th August, in his garden in Oxon: “On a coolish night exactly 100 macro-moths and 30 species - a few new species for my 2005 list and a new one for the UTB list - Rosy Rustic. For third time in a row had a Crescent - I think I am the only reporter of this so far and have attached a photo - its habitat is marshy ground which I have near me.

Monday 8th August 2005

Dave Wilton recorded the following moths at Whitecross Green Wood on 6th August during the Brown Hairstreak Field Trip: Latticed Heath (1), Shaded Broad-bar (2) and Silver Y (2).

 

Peter Hall ran an overnight trap on 1st August in his garden in Ballinger Common. The following moth species were caught

Leopard; Oak Hook-tip; Chinese Character; Maiden's Blush; Blood-vein; Small Fan-footed Wave; Single-dotted Wave; Riband Wave; Flame Carpet; Red Twin-spot Carpet; Shaded Broad-bar; Common Carpet; Yellow Shell; Small Phoenix; Small Rivulet; White-spotted Pug; Bordered Pug; Brimstone Moth; August Thorn; Dusky Thorn; Early Thorn; Purple Thorn; Scalloped Oak; Peppered; Willow Beauty; Engrailed; Clouded Silver; Pine Hawk; Poplar Hawk; Elephant Hawk; Pebble Prominent; Lesser Swallow Prominent; Swallow Prominent; Coxcomb Prominent; Yellow-tail; Black Arches; Dingy Footman; Scarce Footman; Common Footman; Ruby Tiger; Heart & Dart; Dark Sword-grass; Shuttle-shaped Dart; Flame Shoulder; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Lesser Broad-border; Dotted Clay; Six-striped Rustic; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brown-line Bright-eye; Clay; Smoky Wainscot; Knot Grass; Marbled Beauty; Mouse Moth; Straw Underwing; Dun-bar; Dark Arches; Cloaked Minor; Common Rustic; Uncertain; Rustic; Pale Mottled Willow; Nut-tree Tussock; Silver Y; Spectacle; Straw Dot; Snout. Micros: Ypsolopha dentella; Carcina quercana; Blastobasis lignea; Blastobasis decolorella; Aethes smeathmanniana; Pandemis corylana; Acleris forsskaleana; Acleris variegana; Celypha striana; Rhopobota naevana; Cydia splendana; Cydia pomonella; Alucita hexadactyla; Agriphila straminella; Agriphila tristella; Catoptria falsella; Phlyctaenia coronata; Udea prunalis; Nomophila noctuella; Pleuroptya ruralis; Hypsopygia costalis; Endotricha flammealis; Trachycera advenella; Phycita roborella; Euzophera pinguis.

 

8th August - Ben Carpenter sent in this list of moth seen at Wytham Woods this year:

Burnet Companion, 31/05/05; Mother Shipton, 08/06/05; Common Marbled Carpet, 02/04/05; Coxcomb Prominent, 30/06/05; The Spectacle, 30/06/05; Scorched Carpet, 04/07/05; Light Emerald, 06/07/05; Brown-line Bright Eye, 07/07/05; Scarlet Tiger, 08/07/05; Broad-barred White, 13/07/05; Silver-Y, 13/07/05; Brown Silver-line, 15/05/05; The Engrailed, 13/07/05; Shaded Broad-bar, 22/07/05; Six-Spot Burnet Moth, 22/07/05; Dusky Sallow, 22/07/05; Mouse Moth, 01/08/05; Spruce Carpet, 02/05/05; Common Heath, 31/05/05; Willow Beauty, 20/06/05

Friday 5th August 2005

Ben Carpenter looked around the lights at Wolfson College, Oxford, on 4th August and found a few new moths for his site list and one for the UTB year list: Orange Swift. Other moths recorded were: Yellow Shell, Brimstone, Ruby Tiger, Common Carpet, Straw Underwing, July Highflyer and Euzophera pinguis.

 

5th August - The following moth sightings by David Redhead were seen whilst on the trail of Chalkhill Blue butterflies on the chalk grasslands –  Cistus Forester (singleton) at Swyncombe Downs on Wednesday and Chalk Carpet (numerous – see photo below) at Hartslock on Thursday.

Wednesday 3rd August 2005

Welcome to new contributor to the website, Ben Carpenter from Oxford, who has sent in his list of sightings for this year to date, including the unusual Ruddy Carpet (see photo below):

Agriphilla tristella; Barred Yellow; Beautiful China-mark, Parapoynx stagnata; Beautiful Hook-tip; Bee Moth, Aphomia sociella; Blood-vein; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brimstone Moth; Buff Arches; Buff Ermine; Cabbage Moth; Chocolate Tip Moth; Cloaked Minor; Clouded Border; Common Carpet; Common Emerald; Common Footman; Common Marbled Carpet; Common Swift; Common Wave; Common White Wave; Cream Wave; Dark Arches; Dingy Footman; Double-striped Pug; Endotricha flammealis; Figure of Eighty; Garden Carpet; Garden Pebble, Evergestis forficalis; Green Pug; Heart and Dart; Knot Grass; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Broad-boarded Yellow Underwing; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Lesser/Common Rustic sp; Light Arches; Light Emerald; Lime-Speck Pug; Oligia sp; Pale Prominent; Pale Tussock; Plume sp; Red Twin-spot Carpet; Red Underwing; Riband Wave; Rosy Minor; Ruddy Carpet (15/07/05); Rustic Shoulder-knot; Sallow Kitten; Scarce Footman; Scarlet Tiger; Scoparia ambigualis; Silver-Y; Single-dotted Wave; Small Blood-vein; Small Emerald; Small Fan-Foot; Small Fan-footed Wave; Small Magpie, Eurrhypara hortulata; Small Scallop (14/07/05); Small Square-spot; Smoky Wainscot; Spring Usher; Svennson's Copper Underwing; Swallow-Tailed Moth; The Drinker; The Engrailed; The Fan-Foot; The Herald; The Snout; The Spectacle; The Streamer; The Uncertain; The Vapourer; Treble Brown Spot; Twenty-plume Moth; Udea lutealis (02/08/05); Valerian Pug; White Ermine; White Satin Moth; Willow Beauty; Wormwood Pug; Yellow Shell; Yellow-Tail.

Tuesday 2nd August 2005

David Redhead’s overnight garden moth trap on 31st July produced 194 macro-moths from 41 different species. “As it was over a fortnight since my last one it produced quite a few firsts for 2005 and even some additions to my overall garden list (now 231 macro-moth species). Additions to my garden list were Cabbage Moth (1), Oak hook-tip (1), Maple Pug (2) & Small Rivulet (1). New for 2005 were Canary-shouldered Thorn (1), Clay (1), Crescent (1), Dagger (Grey or Dark) (1), Dusky Thorn (3), Flame Shoulder (4), Least Yellow Underwing (3), Ruby Tiger (1) & Svensson's Copper Underwing (1). The most numerous was Large Yellow Underwing (34) although the extremely flighty micro, Mother of Pearl, with an estimated 60 took true first place.”

 

Peter Hall’s latest catch from his garden in Ballinger Common on 28/07/05:

Scalloped Hook-tip; Chinese Character; Small Fan-footed Wave; Small Dusty Wave; Single-dotted Wave; Riband Wave; Shaded Broad-bar; Green Carpet; July Highflyer; August Thorn; Early Thorn; Purple Thorn; Scalloped Oak; Peppered; Willow Beauty; Engrailed; Common White Wave; Light Emerald; Pine Hawk; Poplar Hawk; Elephant Hawk; Iron Prominent; Black Arches; Dingy Footman; Scarce Footman; Common Footman; Ruby Tiger; Heart & Dart; Shuttle-shaped Dart; Flame Shoulder; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Lesser Broad-border; Least Yellow Underwing; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brown-line Bright-eye; Smoky Wainscot; Straw Underwing; Dun-bar; Slender Brindle; Cloaked Minor; Common Rustic; Small Dotted Buff; Rustic; Nut-tree Tussock; Spectacle; Snout and the following micros: Ypsolopha dentella (Honeysuckle); Batia unitella; Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House); Blastobasis lignea; Blastobasis decolorella; Agapeta hamana; Pandemis heparana (Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix); Acleris laterana; Cydia splendana; Chrysoteuchia culmella; Crambus pascuella; Agriphila straminella; Agriphila tristella; Eurrhypara hortulata (Small Magpie); Phlyctaenia coronata; Udea prunalis; Pleuroptya ruralis (Mother of Pearl); Hypsopygia costalis (Gold Triangle); Orthopygia glaucinalis; Endotricha flammealis; Trachycera advenella; Myelois circumvoluta (Thistle Ermine).

Saturday 30th July 2005

The following 78 moth species have been trapped in Keith Mitchell’s garden in Stoke Goldington since the 7th July. Leopard Moth; Agapeta hamana; Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple Moth); Acleris forsskaleana; Eurrhypara hortulata  (Small Magpie); Pleuroptya ruralis (Mother of Pearl); Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth); Trachycera advenella; Myelois circumvoluta (Thistle Ermine); The Lackey; The Drinker; Scalloped Hook-tip; Chinese Character; Small Emerald; Small Blood-vein; Dwarf Cream Wave; Single-dotted Wave; Riband Wave; Barred Straw; Small Waved Umber; Lime-speck Pug; White-spotted Pug; Green Pug; Purple Thorn; Scalloped Oak; Swallow-tailed Moth; Peppered Moth; Willow Beauty; Mottled Beauty; Engrailed; Common White Wave; Privet Hawk Moth; Poplar Hawk-moth; Elephant Hawk-moth; Buff-tip; Yellow-tail; White Satin; Scarce Footman; Buff Footman; Common Footman; Ruby Tiger; Heart and Dart; Flame; Flame Shoulder; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Double Square-spot; Dot Moth; Bright-line Brown-eye; The Campion; The Clay; Smoky Wainscot; Common Wainscot; Shoulder-striped Wainscot; Sycamore; The Miller; Knot Grass; Marbled Beauty; Straw Underwing (8 on 22nd, 4 on 29th); Lunar-spotted Pinion (9th and 22nd); Dark Arches; Light Arches; Large Nutmeg; Cloaked Minor (2 on 29th); Common Rustic; Dusky Sallow; Uncertain; Rustic; Mottled Rustic; Burnished Brass; Silver 'Y'; The Spectacle; Straw Dot; Snout; Small Fan-foot.

Keith Mitchell, Stoke Goldington, sent in this excellent sighting on 26th July: “Trapped on 2nd June in my garden this micro moth looks very much like Pempelia Formosa (see photo below). I believe it would be a good record.”

[Keith has subsequently received confirmation from David Manning of the identification of this micro: “My copy of
Goater is annotated ‘check Sciota adelphella - see the paper in Ent Record 107 page 147, and plate D p. 133. This look-alike species has discal dot and a similar adjacent dot separated. P. formosa usually has these two dots merged together. One of your images indicating the merged dots, which suggests P. Formosa.’]

Dave Wilton’s garden trap at Westcott had another reasonable catch overnight on 26th July (414 moths of 66 species) despite having to turn it off at 2am when it started to pour with rain: “There were six new species for me, comprising Small Dusty Wave (a tiny specimen awaiting confirmation, wing length barely 8mm), Canary-shouldered Thorn, Pine Hawk moth, Gypsy Moth, Least Yellow Underwing, Smoky Wainscot and Small China-mark/Cataclysta lemnata. Being a notifiable pest, DEFRA have been informed about the Gypsy Moth.”

 

Thursday 28th July 2005

David Redhead recorded the first Red Underwing sighting for UTB on 27th July: “There was one sitting on the glass panel of our front door this morning - first seen at 6.30 a.m.”

 

26th July - Dave Maunder provided some more moth records seen in Aylesbury over the last two weeks:-

Old lady moths (2)- 15th+19th; Buff ermine (1), Ghost swifts (2-female), Smoky wainscots (12), Six-spot burnets(6), Swallow-tailed moth (1), Chinese character (1), Dark arches (5), Light arches (1), Lg. yellow u/wings (3), Spectacle moth (1), Marbled beauties (4), Grey dagger (1 – confirmed), Early thorn (1), Scalloped oak (1), Bright-line brown-eye (1), Willow beauty (2), Yellow shell (1), Yellow tail (2), Magpie moths (2), Riband waves (7), Single-dotted waves (2), Small fan-footed waves (3), Small dusty wave (1).

 

25/07/05 - Tony Towner sent in these sightings for his garden trap at Tilehurst on 18/06/05:

Scorched Wing (1), Peppered Moth (1), Common Marbled Carpet (1), Elephant Hawkmoth (1), Brimstone Moth (1), Figure of Eighty (1), Dark Arches (1), Small Emerald (1), Miller (1), Barred Yellow (1), Poplar Grey (1).

and also Tony’s National Moth Night records for his garden trap on 09/07/05:

Brimstone Moth (1), Common Emerald (1), Common Wave (1), Dark Arches (2), Dot Moth (1), Garden Carpet (1), Heart and Dart (2), Small Emerald (1), Double Square-Spot (1), Elephant Hawkmoth (2), Emmelina Mono Dactyla (1), Large Yellow Underwing (3), Lesser Yellow Underwing (1), Small Magpie (1), Snout (1), Swallow-Tailed Moth (2).

 

25/07/05 - Peter Hall reports that Striped Lychnis larvae are currently being surveyed in Bucks and are being found in their usual haunts in the southern half of the county (see photo below).

 

On Sunday 24th July David Redhead led a butterfly walk in Bernwood Forest for the Wheatley Society: “In kicking through the grass in the hope of finding a Common Blue and putting the butterfly species count into double figures, I managed to put up four specimens of a nationally scarce micro-moth, Sitochroa palealis. For those of you unfamiliar with this species it is an attractive micro-moth - white with black markings and similar in shape to a Straw Dot but somewhat larger. Its larvae live in the seed heads of Wild Carrot which is to be found alongside the rides in Bernwood Forest. For those of you wondering at my sudden knowledge of micro-moths I have to confess that this was all learnt recently from Martin Townsend. Photographers amongst you be warned - it has the annoying habit of hanging from grass stems at an unphotographable angle!”

 

Paul Bowyer ran a moth trapping evening at Holtspur Bottom Reserve on 22nd July. The following species were identified:- Brimstone, Common Footman, Common Rustic, Bordered Pug, Dark Arches, Large Yellow Underwing, July Highflyer, Riband Wave, Ruby Tiger, Scalloped Oak, Mother of Pearl, Common Wainscot, Shaded Broad Bar, Small Emerald, Dusky Sallow, Grey Dagger, Dunbar, Smoky Wainscot, Double Square Spot, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Bright Eye Brown Line, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, Dot

Monday 25th July 2005

At the Holtspur Bottom Reserve Open Day on Saturday 23rd July David Redhead recorded the following: “The day flying moths put on a good show with Six-spot Burnet, Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, Shaded Broad-bar, Silver-Y, Pyrausta Purpuralis, Treble-bar & Cinnabar (larvae only) all seen. The Six-spots included an interesting aberrant with the spots being poorly defined and merged (see photo below).“
Martin Townsend comments: “
I’ve not seen one like this before – outer spots merged is quite common, but this is f. conjuncta Tutt, which according to MBGBI is very rare. Full reference is: Tremewan, W.G. in Heath, J. and Emmet (eds.) (1985) The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 2. Harley Books, Colchester.“

 

Dave Wilton sent in the following moth trap records from his garden in Westcott:

-  Friday 22nd July (over 600 moths of 70 species). “New for my garden list this year were Least Carpet, July Highflyer, Dusky Thorn, Sallow Kitten, Coxcomb Prominent, Dingy Footman, Buff Footman, Flounced Rustic, Twenty-plume Moth/Alucita hexadactyla, Sitochroa palealis and Phlyctaenia coronata. Just the one Hawkmoth this time (a Poplar Hawk). Common Rustic was the most numerous moth (145+) but second-brood Shuttle-shaped Darts have now started to appear so I suppose it won't be long before I'm inundated with them again!”

-  On Sat. 23rd July - Dave decided to have a quick look at the disused railway cutting west of Westcott airfield and found the following moths: several Six-spot Burnets and at least 15 Shaded Broad-bars which he disturbed from the grass.

-  Also, on Saturday 23rd July, he had his first success with sugaring and it brought another new garden species in the shape of Copper Underwing.

 

Alastair Driver set the trap at home in Sonning on Fri 22nd July. He caught one new species for his parish list - Dusky Sallow, other firsts for the year for him were Buff Footman, Blood-vein, Marbled Beauty, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Shaded Broad-bar, The Dun-bar, and Sallow Kitten (see photo below). “I also had a Least Carpet to light last week which I notice isn't on the UTB 2005 list yet.”

 

22nd July - Pete Boss found an Elephant Hawk Moth 1 week ago outside his front door in Deddington,

 

Peter Hall ran the overnight trap in his garden in Ballinger Common on 19/07/05. The catch included 63 macros and 41 micros, 3 of which are new to the UTB 2005 list:

Agriphila tristella, Endothenia marginana, Trachycera advenella.

 

Derek Brown’s recent moth sightings from his garden in Beenham, Berks, included the following species, 3 of which are additions to the UTB 2005 list:

02/07/05 Rosy Footman, 16/07/05 Dark Umber, 17/07/05 September Thorn, True Lover's Knot and Clay (see photos below.)

Saturday 23rd July 2005

21st July - Peter Hall noted Cameraria ohridella leaf mines on Horse Chestnut at Hughenden Manor today

 

On a visit to Wendover woods with his family on 17th July, Dave Maunder found a Silver-Y (1) – his first of this year, Lesser Yellow Underwing (1), and the wing of Black Arches in a spider’s web!

 

2 more reports for National Moth Night, 9th July, are as follows:

NMN 09/07/05 - Grangelands. Trapping was by Martin Harvey, Neil Fletcher, Julia Carey and Andy McVeigh. Site permission by Bucks County Council. 129 species, as follows:

Agapeta hamana; Agapeta zoegana; Agonopterix kaekeritziana; Agriphila straminella; Ancylis achatana; Batia lunaris; Batia unitella; Blastobasis decolorella; Blastobasis lignea; Catoptria falsella; Celypha lacunana; Celypha striana; Chrysoteuchia culmella; Conobathra repandana; Crambus perlella; Endotricha flammealis; Epiblema roborana; Eucosma cana; Euzophera pinguis; Hedya nubiferana; Homoeosoma sinuella; Lozotaenia forsterana; Merrifieldia baliodactylus; Pempeliella dilutella; Perinephela lancealis; Pseudargyrotoza conwagana; Pyrausta despicata; Pyrausta purpuralis; Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla; Udea olivalis; Ypsolopha parenthesella; Ypsolopha sequella; Spectacle; Poplar Grey; Dagger Sp.; Heart And Club; Heart And Dart; Dark Sword Grass; Turnip; Mottled Beauty; Large Nutmeg; Clouded Brindle; Light Arches; Dark Arches; Reddish Light Arches; Plain Golden Y; Flame; Pandemis Cerasana; Peppered; Epiblema Uddmanniana; Common White Wave; Light Emerald; Yellow shell; Mottled Rustic; Royal Mantle; Green Pug; Barred Yellow; Satin Beauty; Cydia Pomonella; Dunbar; Purple Bar; Coronet; Pandemis Heparana; Elephant Hawk; Small Elephant Hawk; Burnished Brass; Scarce Footman; Buff Footman; Common Footman; Phoenix; Juniper Pug; Small Angleshades; Yellowtail; Drinker; Large Emerald; Hypsopygia Costalis; Buff Arches; Common Emerald; Uncertain; Fern; Snout; Riband Wave; Small Fan Footed Wave; Plain Wave; Bright Line Brown Eye; Poplar Hawk; Archips Podana; Beautiful Hook Tip; Clouded Border; Clouded Silver; Tawny Barred Angle; Dot; Pretty Chalk Carpet; Common Rustic; Mother Of Pearl; Shoulder Striped Wainscot; Brown Line Bright Eye; Clay; Smoky Wainscot; Common Wainscot; Large Yellow Underwing; Short Cloaked; Iron Prominent; Flame Shoulder; Marbled Minor; Brimstone; Swallow-tailed; Willow Beauty; Buff Tip; Dark Umber; Small Dotted Buff; Marbled White Spot; Coxcomb Prominent; Maple Prominent; Straw Dot; Brown Rustic; Shaded Broad Bar; Small Magpie; Privet Hawk; Lobster; Acentria Ephemerella; Pterophorus Pentadactyla; Garden Carpet; Large Twin Spot Carpet; Red Twin Spot Carpet; Double Square Spot; Fanfoot; Leopard.

 

NMN 09/07/05 - Pulpit Hill. Permission thanks to National Trust. Peter Hall, Dave Maunder and Martin Albertini were the recorders:

Barred Yellow; Beautiful Golden Y; Beautiful Hook-tip; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brimstone Moth; Broad-barred White; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Broken-barred Carpet; Brown-line Bright-eye; Buff Arches; Buff Footman; Buff-tip; Burnished Brass; Campion; Chinese Character; Clay; Clouded Border; Clouded Brindle; Clouded Silver; Clouded-bordered Brindle; Common Emerald; Common Footman; Common Marbled Carpet; Common Wainscot; Common White Wave  ; Coronet; Coxcomb Prominent; Dark Arches; Dark Dagger; Dark Umber; Dot; Double Square-spot; Drinker; Elephant Hawk; Engrailed; Fan-foot; Fern; Flame; Green Carpet; Green Pug; Grey Pug; Heart & Club; Heart & Dart; July Highflyer; Juniper Pug; Large Nutmeg; Large Twin-spot Carpet; Large Yellow Underwing; Leopard; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Light Arches; Light Emerald; Lobster; Maple Prominent; Marbled Minor; Miller; Mottled Beauty; Mottled Rustic; Peppered; Plain Wave; Poplar Grey; Pretty Chalk Carpet; Purple Bar; Purple Clay; Reddish Light Arches; Red-necked Footman; Riband Wave; Royal Mantle; Rustic; Scarce Footman; Scorched Wing; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Shaded Broad-bar; Shark; Short-cloaked; Small Elephant Hawk; Small Fan-foot; Small Fan-footed Wave; Smoky Wainscot; Snout; Spectacle; Straw Dot; Swallow-tailed; Uncertain; Willow Beauty; Yellow Shell and Yellow-tail. Micros were: Acentria ephemerella; Agapeta hamana; Agapeta zoegana; Archips podana; Batia lunaris; Celypha lacunana; Celypha striana; Chrysoteuchia culmella; Cnephasia stephensiana; Conobathra repandana; Crambus perlella; Cydia pomonella; Epiblema uddmanniana; Eucosma cana; Euzophera pinguis; Hedya nubiferana; Hedya ochroleucana; Hypsopygia costalis; Lozotaeniodes formosanus; Pandemis cerasana; Pandemis heparana; Perinephela lancealis; Pleuroptya ruralis; Pseudargyrotoza conwagana; Spilonota ocellana; Udea olivalis.

Tuesday 19th July 2005

Dave Wilton ran his moth trap again at Westcott overnight on 16th July and it brought in another good haul with just over 500 moths of 70 species: ”This takes my garden macro-moth list for this year up to 170 species. New from this catch were Small Blood-vein, Small Fan-footed Wave, Small Dusty Wave, Single-dotted Wave, Ruby Tiger, Dark Sword-grass, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Cabbage Moth, Clay, Olive, Dingy Shears, Dun-bar and Bee Moth/Aphomia sociella. Other highlights included a melanic form Peppered Moth (my second of the year) and four Poplar Hawkmoths. At just 54 examples, the Heart and Dart invasion has thankfully peaked and this time they were beaten into third place by Dark Arches and Rustic.”

 

David Redhead sent this report: “My latest garden moth trap on 16th July produced an increased number of macro-moths, compared to previous two weeks, at 180 but with slightly less diversity, 38 species. However, several new additions to my 2005 garden list - Dingy Footman, Double Lobed, Herald, Lesser broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Nut-tree Tussock, Phoenix, Sallow Kitten, Scalloped Oak & Single-dotted Wave. Among the micros identified a garden first Euzophera pinguis, Endotricha flammealis.”

 

16th July – A moth trap led by Paul Bowyer was organised by the Wycombe Rangers and held at Chairborough Local Nature Reserve. Moths identified were as follows: Common Carpet, The Snout, Buff Arches, Small Magpie, Common Wainscot, Large yellow Underwing, Scarce Footman, Common Rustic, Swallow-tailed, Mother of Pearl, Riband Wave, Dot, Brown line bright Eye.

 

Friday 15th July - Paul Bowyer reports that the latest meeting of the Wycombe Wildlife Group was in central High Wycombe on the banks of the River Wye. The following moths were identified:- Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Swallow-tailed, Old Lady, Grey Arches, Riband Wave, Heart and Dart, Small Magpie, Mother of Pearl, The Flame, Bright Line Brown Eye, Dark Arches, Flame Shoulder, Elephant Hawk, Scarce Footman, Dot, Double Square Spot, Swallow Prominent.

 

Peter Hall ran an overnight trap in his garden in Ballinger Common on 14th July. The catch included 71 macros and 34 micros, 15 are new to the UTB 2005 list and one was the stunning Garden Tiger (see photos below). This was once a very common sight all across Bucks but has become increasingly rare, with most records coming from the northern half of the county. This is Peter’s first record in the garden since 1999.

 

Beautiful Golden Y; Black Arches; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brimstone Moth; Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing; Brown-line Bright-eye; Buff Arches; Buff Footman; Buff-tip; Clay; Clay Triple-lines; Clouded Border; Clouded Silver; Common Emerald; Common Footman; Common Rustic; Coronet; Dark Arches; Dingy Footman; Dot; Double Square-spot; Dwarf Cream Wave; Elephant Hawk; Engrailed; Fan-foot; Flame; Flame Shoulder; Garden Tiger; Green Arches; Green Pug; Heart & Club; Heart & Dart; Iron Prominent; Large Yellow Underwing; Lesser Yellow Underwing; Light Emerald; Lime Hawk; Lime-speck Pug; Mottled Beauty; Mottled Rustic; Nut-tree Tussock; Peach Blossom; Peppered; Phoenix; Plain Golden Y; Poplar Grey; Poplar Hawk; Riband Wave; Ruby Tiger; Rustic; Scalloped Oak; Scarce Footman; Scarce Silver-lines; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Shaded Broad-bar; Single-dotted Wave; Small Blood-vein; Small Fan-foot; Small Fan-footed Wave; Small Rivulet; Smoky Wainscot; Snout; Spectacle; Swallow-tailed; Sycamore; Tawny-barred Angle; Turnip; Uncertain; Waved Black; Willow Beauty; Yellow-tail. Micros: Acentria ephemerella; Acleris forsskaleana; Acleris holmiana; Agapeta hamana; Archips podana; Batia lunaris; Batia unitella; Blastobasis decolorella; Catoptria falsella; Celypha lacunana; Celypha striana; Chrysoteuchia culmella; Crambus pascuella; Cydia pomonella; Cydia splendana; Ditula angustiorana; Endotricha flammealis; Epagoge grotiana; Epiblema uddmanniana; Eucosma cana; Eucosma hohenwartiana; Eurrhypara hortulata; Euzophera pinguis; Hedya nubiferana; Lozotaenia forsterana ; Marasmarcha lunaedactyla; Pandemis heparana; Phlyctaenia coronata; Pleuroptya ruralis; Pseudargyrotoza conwagana; Pterophorus pentadactyla; Rhyacionia pinivorana; Udea olivalis; Udea prunalis.

Monday 18th July 2005

Les Hill, Beds County Macro-moth Recorder, reports 14 Red-tipped Clearwing taken at 'for' pheromone lure hung on Willow spp. on 16.07.2005 at Emberton Park nr Olney, Bucks. Also noted at Emberton Park on 17.07.2005, 10 vacated pupal cases of Hornet Moth at the base of Black Poplar.

 

Peter Holland sent the following list from his catch on 14th July, including one new species for 2005 UTB list:

14 June 2005: MV catch Wallingford: Riband Wave (13), Heart and Dart (13), Uncertain (12), Large Yellow Underwing (12), Dark Arches (9), Common Footman (9), Lesser Common Rustic (9), Bright Line Brown Eye (7), Dot (4), Lesser Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing (3), Common Wainscot (3), Double Square Spot (2), Poplar Hawk (2), Peppered Moth (typical form), Spectacle, Common Rustic, Flame, Marbled Minor, Chinese Character, Scalloped Oak, Shaded Broad Bar, Scarce Footman, Double-Lobed, Clouded Silver, Dun-bar.

Saturday 16th July 2005

Alastair Driver had a good night on 14th July, trapping at home in Sonning. 34 macro spp., including two new firsts for his parish records - Haworth's Pug and Small Dotted Buff. Other year firsts for him were Scalloped Oak, Common Carpet, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Peppered Moth, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Old Lady, Tawny Speckled Pug and Buff Arches.

 

The following list is from Dave Wilton’s garden trap at Westcott for National Moth Night (9th July). 620 moths of 56 species. Those marked * were new to his garden list:

*Drinker (1), Common Emerald (3), *Small Emerald (1), Dwarf Cream Wave (1), Riband Wave (2), Yellow Shell (1), V-Pug (1), Clouded Border (5), Brimstone Moth (1), Swallow-tailed Moth (2), Mottled Beauty (2), Common Wave (1), Clouded Silver (5), Light Emerald (1), Elephant Hawkmoth (5), Small Elephant Hawkmoth (4), Buff-tip (2), *Yellow-tail (5), *White Satin (2), *Scarce Footman (8), Common Footman (14), Turnip (1), Heart and Club (7), Heart and Dart (213), The Flame (6), Flame Shoulder (5), Large Yellow Underwing (130), *Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (2), *Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (1), Dot Moth (4), Bright-line Brown-eye (6), Common Wainscot (14), Shoulder-striped Wainscot (13), Poplar Grey (3), Dark/Grey Dagger (7), *Lunar-spotted Pinion (4), Dark Arches (50), Light Arches (5), Marbled Minor spp (5), Common/Lesser Common Rustic (9), *Dusky Sallow (1), Uncertain/Rustic (38), Mottled Rustic (1), Burnished Brass (3), Silver-Y (1), Plain Golden-Y (1), Spectacle (1), *Blackneck (5), Straw Dot (1), Snout (2) & Fan-foot (1) along with micros Small Magpie/Eurrhypara hortulata (1), Mother of Pearl/Pleuroptya ruralis (9), Udea olivalis (1) & Phlyctaenia perlucidalis (2).

 

12/07/05 - Recent moth sightings in Wallingford from Peter Holland:
12 July 2005: Vapourer moth flying around larch, daytime, Wallingford; 11 July 2005: Spinach moth at buddleia; 10 July 2005: Leopard moth found in daytime, Wallingford.
9 July 2005: Ran my MV trap for National Moth Night, plus held a 'Moth Identification Party' the next day. MV light trap caught: The Uncertain (24), Common Footman (21), Large Yellow Underwing (11), Bright Line Brown Eye (11), Heart and Dart (11), Dark Arches (10), Riband Wave (8), Dot Moth (8), Common Wainscot (7), The Flame (6), Mother of Pearl (6), Swallowtailed moth (5), Lesser Yellow Underwing (4), Small Magpie (3), Double Square Spot (3), Smoky Wainscot (2), Burnished Brass (2), Brimstone moth (2), Light Arches (2), Elephant Hawk Moth (1), Willow Beauty (1), Shark (1), Barred Straw (1), Small Blood Vein (1), Spectacle (1), Tawny Marbled Minor (1), Lesser Common Rustic (1), Flame Shoulder (1), Fanfoot (1), Single Dotted Wave (1), Beautiful Golden Y (1), Grey/Dark Dagger (1), The Clay (1), Coronet (1).

1 July 2005: MV trap: The Uncertain (20), Dark Arches (13), Common Wainscot (10), Large Yellow Underwing (9), Bright Line Brown Eye (8), Flame (7), Marbled Minor (7), Heart and Club (6), Heart and Dart (6), Smoky Wainscot (5), Pine Hawk Moth (2), Elephant Hawk Moth (2), Peppered Moth (2), Nut Tree Tussock (2), Large Nutmeg (2), Dot (2), Riband Wave (2), Setaceous Hebrew Character (2), Grey Dagger, Blood Vein, Brimstone Moth, Cabbage Moth, Light Arches, Small Blood Vein, Buff Ermine, Snout, Bordered Pug, Common Footman, Common Emerald, Double Square Spot, Common Rustic.

18 June 2005: Similar catch to 17 June (below), plus: Burnished Brass, Common Footman, Riband Wave, Poplar Hawk.

17 June 2005: MV trap: Heart and Dart (38), Large Nutmeg (15), Common Wainscot (9), Setaceous Hebrew Character (8), Buff Ermine (3), Large Yellow Underwing (2), Double Square Spot (2), Marbled Minor (2), Common Swift (2), Bright Line Brown Eye (2), The Flame (2), Dusky Brocade, Brimstone Moth, Rustic Shoulder Knot, Poplar Grey, Shears, Poplar Kitten, Tawny Marbled Minor, Mottled Beauty, Willow Beauty, Brown Silver Line, Shoulder-Striped Wainscot, Lychnis.

Friday 15th July 2005

12/07/05 - Moths seen by Dave Maunder in Aylesbury last week were:-

Small dusty wave (1), Small fan-footed wave (2 ), Riband wave (6), Bee moth (3 ), Lg. yellow u/wing (2 ), Swallow tailed moths (3), Peppered moth(1), Small magpie (2 ), Dot moth (1), Bright-line brown-eye(1), Many plume (1), Smoky wainscot (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1), Endotricha flammealis (1), Agepeta hamana (1), Yellow tail (2), Poplar hawk (1), Six-spot burnet (3), Small blood-vein (1), Yellow shell (1), Vapourer moths (4) - 1st of year on 11th; Short cloaked moth (1), Dark arches (1), Udea olivalis (1) and Mother of pearl (1).

 

National Moth Night 9th July 2005 - Trap List from Rushbeds Wood (one 125W MV Robinson Trap). Recorders: Bill Parker & Dave Wilton

Carcina quercana; Large Fruit-tree Tortrix; Eana incanana; Green Oak Tortrix; Hedya ochroleucana; Small Magpie; Phlyctaenia perlucidalis; Udea olivalis; Mother of Pearl; Gold Triangle; Endotricha flammealis; Bee Moth; Drinker; Large Emerald; Common Emerald; Small Blood-vein; Small Fan-footed Wave; Riband Wave; Barred Straw; July Highflyer; Brimstone Moth; Swallow-tailed Moth; Peppered Moth; Mottled Beauty; Engrailed; Common Wave; Light Emerald; Poplar Hawk-moth; Elephant Hawk-moth; Yellow-tail; Common Footman; Flame; Flame Shoulder; Large Yellow Underwing; Double Square-spot; Minor Shoulder-knot; Poplar Grey; Lunar-spotted Pinion; Dark Arches; Beautiful Hook-tip; Straw Dot; Waved Black; Small Fan-foot; Marbled Minor; Archips xylosteana; Aleimma loeflingiana; Epinotia brunnichana.

Tuesday 12th July 2005

Peter Hall ran another overnight garden trap on 10th July in Ballinger Common. 58 macro moths and 23 micros were recorded, including the following which are new to the UTB 2005 List:

Acleris holmiana; Argyresthia pruniella; Barred Red; Catoptria falsella; Celypha striana; Epiblema roborana; Lozotaenia forsterana; Lozotaeniodes formosanus; Pandemis heparana (Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix); Shaded Broad-bar; Small Rivulet; Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla

 

Alastair Driver set the trap at home on 9th July for National Moth Night and caught 22 species of macro-moth, of which The Miller and Pine Hawk-moth were new garden records. Those two, plus Ruby Tiger and The Spectacle were new for his year list.

 

David Redhead ran an overnight trap in his garden in Oxon on National Moth Night, 9th July: “It produced a similar size catch to a week ago with 45 species of macro-moth, 149 individuals and another Pine Hawkmoth - a different specimen to last week being less worn. It did include several firsts for 2005 - Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (5), Drinker (3), Small Fan-footed Wave (2), Olive (1) and Scarce Footman (1) and also a garden first - Small Emerald (1). Amongst the micros the Mother of Pearl inundation has started with an estimated 40 individuals. Two Phlyctaenia coronata were a first for 2005.”

 

Paul Bowyer sent this report: “A meeting of the Friends of Holtspur Bank was held on Friday 8th July principally to see glow worms. I was asked to do some moth trapping as well. The species identified were as follows:-

Heart and Dart, Swallow-tailed, Large Emerald, Small Magpie, Common Footman, The Snout, Brimstone, Oak Hook Tip, Buff Arches, The Flame, Broad Barred White, Clouded Silver, Buff Ermine, Common Wainscot, Mother of Pearl, Dark Arches, July Highflyer, Beautiful Golden Y, Riband Wave, Flame Shoulder, Common Emerald, Heart and Club and Elephant Hawk.”

Sunday 10th July 2005

Ched George had a Bordered Sallow in his garden trap last night, 8th July, plus a Scarce Footman.

 

Alastair Driver did some trapping at home in Sonning last night, 6th July. He caught 18 species, of which firsts for the year for him were Common Rustic, The Uncertain and The Sycamore.

 

Jackie Park found a Poplar Hawk moth in her bathroom on Tuesday 5th July in Hazlemere, Bucks. It was her first sighting of this species.

[Photo to be posted shortly.]

 

5th July - Dave Maunder’s weekly moth list from Aylesbury was as follows:-

Buff tip (1), Shark moth (1), Common emerald (1), Small dusty waves (2), Riband waves (3), Garden carpets (2), Light arches (2), Bee moths (2), Emmelina monodactyla (4), Small fan-footed waves (3), Vapourer larva (1), Mottled beauty (1), Single dotted wave (1), Poplar grey (1), Sycamore moth (1), White plume (1), Six-spot burnets (5), Small square-spot (1), Phlyctaenia coronata (1), Lg. yellow u/wings (2), Marbled beauty (1), Light emerald (1), Swallowtail moth (1), Small magpie (1), Common wainscot (1).

 

On 2/7/05 a moth trap was run in Pavis Wood, a Bucks County Council woodland site (by kind permission of them). Recorders were Ched George, Peter Hall, Martin Albertini and Neil Fletcher. 70 macros and 25 micros were recorded, the following are new to the UTB Species List for 2005:

Aphelia paleana (Timothy tortrix); Blastobasis lignea; Common Lutestring; Eucosma cana; Grey Dagger; Larch Pug; Morophaga choragella; Purple Clay (Diarsia brunnea); Rufous Minor (Oligia versicolor); Sloe Pug (Chloroclystis chloerata); Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata)

 

Recent trappings by Dave Wilton at Westcott have brought in the following new moth species for his garden:

19th June (466 moths/68 species): Common Emerald, Barred Straw, Clouded Border, Brown Silver-line, Eyed Hawkmoth, Common Footman, Heart and Club, Pale-shouldered Brocade, Broad-barred White, Knot Grass, Dark Arches, Clouded Brindle, Beautiful Golden-Y, Fan-foot, Green Oak Tortrix/Tortrix viridana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix/Archips podana, Gold Triangle/Hypsopygia costalis, Phlyctaenia perlucidalis.

25th June (243 moths/52 species): Lackey, Four-dotted Footman, Rustic, Silver-Y.

2nd July (500+ moths/53 species): Peach Blossom, Swallow-tailed Moth, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Plain Golden-Y, Mother of Pearl/Pleuroptya ruralis. The 2nd July total was boosted by three species, Heart and Dart (195), Large Yellow Underwing (59) and Dark Arches (70). Four Hawkmoth species were trapped that night, comprising Eyed (1), Poplar (1), Elephant (7) and Small Elephant (12).

 

The following were recorded in Peter Hall’s garden in Ballinger Common on 1st July:

Barred Yellow; Beautiful Golden Y; Beautiful Hook-tip; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brimstone Moth; Brown-line Bright-eye; Buff Ermine; Buff-tip; Burnished Brass; Clouded Border; Clouded Silver; Common Emerald; Common Footman; Common Rustic; Dark Arches; Dot; Double Square-spot; Drinker; Elephant Hawk; Fan-foot; Flame; Flame Shoulder; Ghost; Green Arches; Heart & Club; Heart & Dart; Ingrailed Clay; Iron Prominent; Large Nutmeg; Large Yellow Underwing; Marbled Minor; Middle-barred Minor; Mottled Beauty; Mottled Rustic; Peppered; Plain Golden Y; Riband Wave; Rustic; Scarce Footman; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Short-cloaked; Shoulder-striped Wainscot; Silver Y; Single-dotted Wave; Small Dotted Buff; Small Elephant Hawk; Small Emerald; Small Fan-foot; Spectacle; Spruce Carpet; Straw Dot; Swallow-tailed; Treble Lines; Turnip; Uncertain; Willow Beauty; Yellow Shell; Yellow-tail

and the following Micros: Acentria ephemerella (Water Veneer); Agapeta hamana; Agapeta zoegana; Aleimma loeflingiana; Blastobasis decolorella; Celypha lacunana; Chrysoteuchia culmella; Crambus lathoniellus; Crambus pascuella; Crambus perlella; Cydia pomonella (Codling); Dipleurina lacustrata; Endotricha flammealis; Epiblema uddmanniana (Bramble Shoot); Hedya nubiferana; Hedya pruniana; Hofmannophila pseudospretella; Hypsopygia costalis (Gold Triangle); Nemapogon cloacella (Cork); Orthopygia glaucinalis; Pandemis cerasana (Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix); Phycita roborella; Pleuroptya ruralis (Mother of Pearl); Pseudargyrotoza conwagana; Ptycholomoides aeriferanus; Scoparia ambigualis; Spilonota ocellana (Bud); Udea olivalis

Monday 4th July 2005

Tony Croft discovered a Scarlet Tiger moth in Shabbington Wood, Bucks, on 3rd July. See photo below.

[This is an exceptional record for Bucks – please keep a lookout for this moth which can be seen flying in sunshine and usually frequents damp areas such as water meadows, river banks and marshy hillsides.]

 

03/07 - Alastair Driver sent in this update today: “Peter has confirmed the identification of the unusual, but apparently increasing, micro Phlyctaenia perlucidalis which was in my catch from Ali's Pond LNR on 17th June.”

 

David Redhead’s garden moth trap last night, 3rd July, produced quite a good haul with 47 species of macro-moth and 141 individuals: “These included a spectacular garden first, a Pine Hawk moth (see photo below), a bit worn, presumably having travelled a distance to get to my garden.”

The full list of macros was: Double Square-spot 12, Large Yellow Underwing 11, Poplar Hawk moth 7, Snout 7, Common Footman 6, Heart & Dart 6, Clouded Border 5, Dark Arches 5, Mottled Rustic 5, Riband Wave 5, Willow Beauty 5, Bright-line Brown-eye 4, Engrailed 4, Uncertain/Rustic 4, Buff Arches 3, Common Emerald 3, Dingy Shears 3, Light Emerald 3, Southern Wainscot 3, Buff Ermine 2, Buff-tip 2, Burnished Brass 2, Green Pug 2, Marbled Minor 2, Mottled Beauty 2, Round-winged Muslin 2, Treble Brown Spot 2 and singletons of Barred Yellow, Brimstone, Clouded Silver, Common Rustic, Common White Wave, Dun-bar, Elephant Hawk moth, Flame, Grey Pine Carpet, Heart & Club, July Highflyer, Light Arches, Minor Shoulder-knot, Peppered, Pine Hawk moth, Plain Golden Y, Spectacle, Swallow-tailed, White Satin & Yellow Tail.

Also lots of micros but only four identified: Small Magpie 9, Udea Olivalis 9, Gold Triangle 2 & Udea Prunalis 1.

 

1st July - Keith Mitchell reports: “In addition to the Mullein larvae which are currently making themselves at home on my Verbascum chiaxii, and the Vapourer larva (see photo below), the following adult moths were trapped on Friday night:”

Barred Straw; Bright-line Brown-eye (2); Brimstone (2); Brown Rustic (4); Buff-tip (3); Burnished Brass (2); Cabbage; The Clay (2); Clouded Border (3); Clouded Silver (3); Common Footman (3); Common Swift (9); Common Wainscot (6); Currant Pug (garden first); Dagger sp; Dark Arches (9); Dot Moth (3); Dwarf Cream wave; Elephant Hawk-moth (5); The Flame (13); Green Oak Tortrix; Green Pug (3); Heart and Dart (11); The Lackey (3); Large Nutmeg (9); Large Yellow Underwing (7); Light Arches (6); Marbled Beauty (see photo below); Middle-barred Minor; Minor spp (8); Mother of Pearl (3); Mottled Beauty (3); Mottled Rustic (2); Pale Mottled Willow; Poplar Grey (2); Poplar Hawk-moth (2); Privet Hawk-moth; Riband Wave (3); Rustic/Uncertain (24); Setaceous Hebrew Character (9); Shoulder-striped Wainscot; Small Blood-vein (Garden First); Small Magpie (3); Smoky wainscot (3); The Snout; The Spectacle; Swallow Prominent; Swallow-tailed Moth; Willow Beauty (2); Yellow Shell; Agapeta hamana (7); Bee Moth; Udea olivalis.

 

The following records were received from Jan Haseler on 4th July:On Sunday 19th June, Reading and District Natural History Society had a moth trapping night at Cholsey, and caught 76 species of moth, including Broad-barred White, Brown Scallop, Drinker, Small Clouded Brindle and Small Dotted Buff. Also, on 22nd June in my Tilehurst garden, I had 63 species of moth, including Blue-bordered Carpet, Bud Moth (Spilonota ocellana), Garden Grass Veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella), Scarlet Tiger, Small Magpie and Variegated Golden Tortrix (Archips xylosteana).”

Saturday 2nd July 2005

1st July - Brian Clews had an Old Lady moth in his garden at Cookham, Berks yesterday. “Don't know if that is of particular interest (I am mainly a birder and had to use the guide book to ID it). Can you please clarify who the recorder is for my area so I can copy him/her in?”

[County Recorders are now listed at the top of this page – click the County Moth Recorder link for email addresses]

 

30th June - Alastair Driver had a record catch of 41 macro-moth species last night (29th June) in his garden at Sonning! “New for my parish records were Bordered White and Lilac Beauty and new for my year-list were Oak Nycteoline, Small Angle Shades, Mottled Beauty, Common Footman, Clouded Border, Short-cloaked Moth, Light Arches, Swallow-tailed Moth, Dwarf Cream Wave, The Uncertain, Riband Wave, Burnished Brass, The Clay, and Light Emerald. I also caught several specimens of the micro Orthopygia glaucinalis. Definitely catching a greater variety of species than in the previous 3 years of regular trapping, but there's been no change in land use locally. I'd be interested to know if others are experiencing the same trends.”

 

29th June - John Woods found a Vapourer Moth larva in his garden in Carterton, Oxfordshire on 29/6. See photo below.

 

28/6 – David Redhead sent in these records: “My garden moth-trap last night was a record for 2005 with 220 macro-moths from 52 species. This included a new one for my garden list - Dwarf Cream Wave. The total list was:

Double Square-spot 25, Heart & Dart 24, Uncertain 16, Riband Wave 15, Bright-line Brown-eye 14, Large Yellow Underwing 11, Flame 10, Mottled Beauty 7, Snout 7, Tawny Marbled minor 7, Mottled Rustic 6, Buff Ermine 5, Dark Arches 5, Burnished Brass 4, Beautiful Hook-tip 3, Clouded Border 3, Green Pug 3, Mottled Pug 3, Poplar Hawk moth 3, Round-winged Muslin 3, Southern Wainscot 3, Spectacle 3, Swallow Prominent 3, Turnip 3, Elephant Hawk moth 2, Large Twin-spot Carpet 2, Marbled Minor 1, Setaceous Hebrew Character 2, Small Square-spot 2, Smoky Wainscot 2 and singletons of Blood-vein, Buff Arches, Buff-tip, Campion, Common Wainscot, Dingy Shears, Dot, Dun-bar, Dwarf Cream Wave, Eyed Hawk moth, Fan-foot, Figure of Eighty, Ingrailed Clay, Light Arches, Light Emerald, Peach Blossom, Pebble Prominent, Plain Golden Y, Poplar Grey, Straw Dot, Swallow-tailed & Sycamore.

Also had a lot of micros but only five species identified: Donacaula forficella, Gold Triangle, Green Oak Tortrix, Small Magpie & Udea Olivalis.

Also held unreported moth traps earlier in the month: - Obscure Wainscot (trapped 12, 17 & 19th June) & Slender Pug (19th June) are additions to UTB list.

 

28/6 - Tony Croft sent in the following: “I'm not too well up on moths but saw the attached Blood-vein [see photo below] which I've not seen before. Rather lovely I thought.”

 

28th June - Daniel Howard reports seeing numerous Scarlet Tigers over the past week or so, including many on his walk home down Iffley road in Oxford. But on 27th June, whilst waiting for a train at Hanborough Station he saw many of them at the edge of the platform on a clump of Comfrey, and amongst them was a single specimen of the yellow hind-winged form (Callimorpha dominula rossica Kolenati).

 

27th June - Dave Maunders’ recent moth sightings from Aylesbury include:-

Leopard moths (1 female, 1 male on 24th), Common swifts (2), Burnet companion (1), Six-spot burnets (3 - 1st on 23rd), Small magpies (3), Lesser yellow underwing (1), White plume (6), Blood-vein (1), Small blood-vein (1), Thistle ermines (2), Bee moths (2), Heart & dart (1), Small square spot (1), Garden carpet (1), Mottled beauty (1), Dagger sp. (1), Common wainscot (1), Light arches (1), Large Tabby (1), Riband wave (1).

 

Keith Mitchell found a Dwarf Cream Wave on his front door in Stoke Goldington on Sunday morning, 26th June.

 

Jan Haseler led a well-attended joint Upper Thames BC / Berkshire Moth Group moth trapping event at Moor Copse on 17th June. Click here for the full Field Trip Report. Species recorded were as follows:

Angle Shades; Apotomis betuletana; Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix; Barred Straw; Beautiful Golden Y; Beautiful Hook-tip; Blotched Emerald; Brown Rustic; Buff Ermine; Buff-tip; Burnished Brass; Celypha lacunana; Clouded Border; Clouded Silver; Common Carpet; Common Rustic; Common Swift; Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens); Common Wave; Common White Wave; Double Square-spot; Elephant Hawk-moth; Figure of Eighty; Flame; Gold Swift; Green Oak Tortrix; Grey Pug; Heart & Dart; Large Fruit-tree Tortrix; Large Yellow Underwing; Light Emerald; Light Grey Tortrix; Lobster Moth; Marbled Minor; Marbled Orchard Tortrix; Marbled White Spot; Middle-barred Minor; Mother of Pearl; Mottled Beauty; Nematopogon schwarziellus; Nutmeg; Pale Oak Beauty; Peach Blossom; Phoenix; Pseudargyrotoza conwagana; Reddish Light Arches; Riband Wave; Scoparia ambigualis; Scoparia pyralella; Scorched Carpet; Scorched Wing; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Silver Y; Silver-ground Carpet; Small Angle Shades; Small Fan-foot; Small Yellow Wave; Snout; Spectacle; Straw Dot; Swallow Prominent; Treble Brown Spot; Treble Lines; Udea olivalis; Vine's Rustic; White Ermine; White Plume Moth.

Monday 27th June 2005

Adam Bassett ran his moth trap on June 23rd and had 190 moths of 48 species. “New species not currently shown on the UTB year list - Swallow-tailed moth (2), Peach Blossom (2), Common Emerald (4), Lilac Beauty (1). New for the garden were Burnished Brass (1), Beautiful Golden Y (1), Beautiful Hook-tip (2), Small Yellow Wave (1). Also had another Hummingbird Hawk feeding on honeysuckle on June 24th.”

 

25th June - Keith Mitchell sent the following report: “Friday and Saturday nights in my garden – 62 species, with Pale-shoulder Brocade, White Plume, Sycamore, Blotched Emerald and Cyclamen Tortrix being garden firsts:”

Barred Straw (2); Blood-vein; Bright-line Brown-eye (4); Brown Rustic (34); Buff Ermine (17); Buff-tip (7); Burnished Brass; Clouded Silver (2); Common Footman (2); Common Swift (20); Common Wainscot (12); Dark/Grey Dagger; Dark Arches; Dot Moth; Elephant Hawk-moth (4); Fan-foot (3); The Flame (31); Flame-shoulder (6); Heart and Dart (61); The Lackey; Large Nutmeg (67); Large Yellow Underwing (7); Light Arches; Light Emerald; Middle-barred Minor; Minor spp (31); Mottled Beauty (6); Mottled Rustic (10); Pale Mottled Willow; Peppered Moth; Poplar Grey; Privet Hawk-moth (7); Riband Wave (5); Rustic Shoulder-knot (14); Rustic/Uncertain (37); Scorched Wing (2); Setaceous Hebrew Character (12); Shoulder-striped Wainscot (2); Single-dotted Wave; Small Waved Umber; The Snout (2); The Spectacle; Straw Dot (9); Varied Coronet; Vine's Rustic; White Ermine; Willow Beauty and the following micros: Agapeta hamana; Barred Fruit Tree Tortrix; Beautiful China Mark; Dipleurina lacustrata; Green Oak Tortrix (50+); Light-brown Apple Moth; Small Magpie (7); Udea olivalis; Thistle Ermine

Sunday 26th June 2005

Thursday 23rd June – Paul Bowyer went to Ascott House near Wing to verify sightings of Small Blues. They turned out to be Chimney Sweeper moths.

 

22nd June - Colleen Watts reported a Hummingbird Hawk Moth feeding on Red Valerian in the garden 9pm 22/06/05. “It stayed for about 2 minutes and was within 6 inches of my hand!”

 

21st June - Moths seen by Dave Maunder around Aylesbury over the last week:- Lg. yellow u/wings (5), Lesser yellow underwing (1), Green silver lines (1), Cinnabar moth (1), Burnet companions (2), Common swifts (12), Common wainscott (1), Rustic shoulder knot (1), Heart and dart (1), Straw dot (2), Pale tussocks (2), Small dusty wave (1), Treble brown spot (3), Blood-vien (1), Yellow shell (1), Barred yellow (1), Barred straw (1), Green oak tortrix (1), Bee moth (1), White plume (4), Udea olivalis (1), Microstega pandalis (1), Small magpie (1).

Wednesday 22nd June 2005

Alastair Driver reports another decent night's trapping on Fri 17th June at Ali's Pond LNR. 22 species, including 2 new for the parish records - Small Elephant Hawk-moth and a Clouded Brindle in beautiful condition (photo provided). Others new for my yearlist were Cloaked Minor, Common Wave, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Figure of Eighty, Double Square-spot and Heart & Club. An even better night last night, 19th June, in my garden at Sonning. 36 species, including three new parish records - Brown Silver-line, Small Fan-foot and The Spinach. New for my yearlist were Elephant Hawk-moth, Poplar Hawk-moth, Dot Moth, Brindled Pug, Clouded Silver, Smoky Wainscot, Mottled Rustic and Bordered Pug.

 

Keith Mitchell reports: “Star of the show on Saturday night (18th) in my garden was a pristine Bedstraw Hawkmoth. Unfortunately, in the morning, it escaped before I could photograph it. Supporting cast was as follows:

Eyed Hawkmoth; Elephant Hawkmoth (4); Poplar Hawkmoth; Beautiful Hook-tip; Bee Moth; Bright-line Brown-eye (2); Brimstone Moth; Brown Rustic (8); Buff Ermine (18); Burnished Brass (3); Common Footman; Common Swift (21); Common Wainscot (4); Flame (12); Ghost Moth; Green Pug; Green Oak Tortrix; Green Silver-lines; Heart and Dart (31); Large Nutmeg (66); Large Yellow Underwing; Middle-barred Minor (4); Minor spp (19); Mottled Rustic; Riband Wave; Rustic Shoulder-knot; Scorched Wing (2); Setaceous Hebrew Character (10); Shoulder-striped Wainscot; Small Magpie; Small Square-spot (3); Straw Dot; Thistle Ermine; White Ermine (3)

 

Paul Bowyer reports that on 17th June a meeting of the Wycombe Wild life group took place at Hughenden Valley. Species identified were as follows:- Common Swift, Brimstone, Small Elephant Hawk, Poplar Hawk, Treble Lines, Heart And Dart, Green Carpet, White Ermine, Marbled Coronet, Small Blood-vein, Lime Hawk, The Flame, Barred Yellow, Common Wainscot, Pale Shouldered Brocade, Nut Tree Tussock, Yellow Shell, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Mottled Beauty, Small Magpie, Dark Arches, Tawny Marbled Minor, Clouded Silver. Thanks to Angus Idle for the cabaret.

 

On 17/06/05 Peter Hall recorded the following moth species in his trap at Ballinger Common:

Angle Shades; Beautiful Golden Y; Bright-line Brown-eye; Brimstone Moth; Broken-barred Carpet; Brown Silver-line; Buff Arches; Buff Ermine; Buff-tip; Cabbage; Clouded Border; Clouded Silver; Common Footman; Common Marbled Carpet; Common Swift; Common Wainscot; Dark Arches; Elephant Hawk; Fan-foot; Figure of Eighty; Flame; Flame Carpet; Flame Shoulder; Garden Carpet; Ghost; Green Arches; Heart & Club; Heart & Dart; Ingrailed Clay; Large Nutmeg; Large Yellow Underwing; Light Brocade; Little Emerald; Marbled Minor; Marbled White Spot; Middle-barred Minor; Mullein (larvae); Orange Footman; Pale Mottled Willow; Pale Oak Beauty; Pale Prominent; Pale Tussock; Pale-shouldered Brocade; Pebble Hook-tip; Peppered; Plain Golden Y; Privet Hawk; Rustic; Rustic Shoulder-knot; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Shears; Shoulder-striped Wainscot; Silver-ground Carpet; Small Elephant Hawk; Small Fan-foot; Small Phoenix; Straw Dot; Tawny Marbled Minor; Treble Lines; Uncertain; White Ermine; White-pinion Spotted; Yellow Shell. Micros: Acentria ephemerella (Water Veneer); Agapeta hamana; Agonopterix arenella; Alucita hexadactyla (Twenty-plume); Archips podana (Large Fruit-tree Tortrix); Blastobasis decolorella; Celypha lacunana; Crambus pascuella; Cydia fagiglandana; Cydia pomonella (Codling); Elophila nymphaeata (Brown China-mark); Epiblema cynosbatella; Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple); Eurrhypara hortulata (Small Magpie); Hedya nubiferana; Hedya pruniana; Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House); Nemophora degeerella; Pandemis cerasana (Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix); Parapoynx stratiotata (Ringed China-mark); Plutella xylostella (Diamond-back); Prays fraxinella (Ash Bud); Pseudargyrotoza conwagana; Scoparia ambigualis; Tortrix viridana (Green Oak Tortrix); Udea olivalis

 

David Redhead’s garden moth trap on 19th June produced a new species for his garden list: Barred Yellow (2) in pristine condition but they both defied David’s attempts to get a photo!  He also had a Scarlet Tiger Moth in the trap and saw one near Brasenose Woods allotments.

 

Dave Wilton ran another trap in his Westcot garden on 16th June (210 moths/40 species): Species included Dot Moth, Light Arches, Straw Dot, Snout. Other highlights included Elephant Hawk moth (5), Small Elephant Hawk moth (9).

 

Ched George found a male Puss moth on his lawn on the afternoon of the 17th: “It was approx. 15 feet from the trap which had been run the previous night so may have been attracted to the lamp. It could have emerged having fed nearby.”

Saturday 18th June 2005

Welcome to all new contributors to this site, most recently Peter Holland who sent in the following on 15th June: “I saw your useful BC UTB site with moth records. Below are some of mine for your use if you wish, spurred on by a nice Privet Hawk last night. Light trap records, garden backing onto arable farmland, Wallingford, Oxfordshire:

25 March 2005 - Common Quaker (1), Hebrew Character (1), Early Grey (1), Oak Beauty (1)

11 June 2005 - Brimstone moth x 2, Common Wainscot x 7, Buff Ermine x 1, Heart and Dart x 5, Common Swift x 1 (laid eggs), Large Yellow Underwing x 1, Dark Arches x 5, plus some other noctuids I wasn't sure about.

15 June 2005 - 1 x Privet Hawk moth, 13 x Common Wainscot, 1 x Cinnabar Moth, 1 x Buff Ermine, 1 x Mottled Beauty, 26 x Heart and Dart, 1 x Light Arches, 1 x Rustic Shoulder Knot, 7 x Setaceous Hebrew Character, 1 x Snout, plus about 30 other macros that I didn't get round to checking.”

 

15/06/05 Dave Wilton has been catching up on recent trap results in his garden at Westcott and sent in details of the new species noted:

9th June (200 moths/50 species) - Oak Hook-tip, Riband Wave, Broken-barred Carpet, White-spotted Pug, Green Pug, Mottled Rustic, Burnished Brass, Beautiful Hook-tip. Other highlights were Elephant Hawk moth (1), Small Elephant Hawk moth (6).

14th June (150 moths/40 species) - Buff Arches, Mottled Beauty, Light Emerald, Large Yellow Underwing. Other highlights were Lime Hawk moth (1), Elephant Hawk moth (1), Small Elephant Hawk moth (5).

 

15/06/05 Jan Haseler has forwarded some more records from the Berkshire Moth Group session at Padworth Common on 27/5: Speckled Yellow, Neofaculta ericetella, Ancylis uncella (amended from A. geminana on 17/02/06), Spotted Shoot Moth (Rhyacionia pinivorana), Cream wave, Small seraphim, Pine Hawk moth

In her garden in Tilehurst – on 31st May Triaxomera parasitella; on 2nd June Small magpie, Light arches, Dusky brocade, Celypha lacunana, Epinotia bilunana; and on 10th June Small dusty wave, Green pug, Dark arches, Udea olivalis, Common white wave, Freyer’s pug, Eudonia mercurella, Cochylis nana.

At Lardon Chase, 8/6 - Crambus pascuella

In Green Park, Reading, 15/6 - Small China-mark

Thursday 16th June 2005

Adam Bassett ran his trap again in Marlow Bottom on June 9th and had 99 moths of 33 species, including these not currently on the UTB 2005 list: Dark Arches 1; Coronet 1; Green Pug 3; Small White Wave 2. Best looking was a pristine Elephant Hawk, most numerous was Treble Lines (20) also had my 2nd Orange Footman of the year.

 

14/06/05 - Derek Brown had time to do some moth trapping on Friday and Saturday night. Amongst a dozen or so commoner species he recorded Dot Moth, The Spectacle, Small Emerald, and Tawny Shears.

 

14th June – Dave Maunder’s moth sightings in Aylesbury over the last week were:- White Ermine (3), Large Yellow Underwing (1), Rustic Shoulder Knot (2), Burnet Companion (5), Common Swift (12), Poplar Hawk (1), Marbled Coronet (1), Carnation Tortrix (10), Agapeta hamana (2), Crambus lathoniellus (3), Nemophora degeerella (35+), Small magpie (1), Silver-ground Carpet (1), and Small Dusty Wave (2).

Wednesday 15th June 2005

Bill Parker, Martin Albertini and Dave Wilton ran a trap in Rushbeds Wood, Buckinghamshire on 9th June 2005, having been granted special permission to do so. Traps : 2 x 125W MV Robinson traps and 1 Skinner trap with actinic lamp. Time : 21:45 – 01:15 hrs.

Alder Moth; Beautiful Hook-tip; Brimstone; Brindled White-spot; Broken-barred carpet; Brown Rustic; Buff Ermine; Chinese Character; Clouded Border; Clouded Silver; Common Marbled Carpet; Common Swift; Common White Wave; Figure of Eighty; Flame; Flame Shoulder; Grass Rivulet; Green Arches; Green Carpet; Ingrailed Clay; Knot Grass; Light Emerald; Lime Hawkmoth; Lobster Moth; Maiden’s Blush; Marbled White Spot; Middle-barred Minor; Mottled Beauty; Mottled Pug; Orange Footman; Pale Oak Beauty; Pale Prominent; Pale Tussock; Pebble Hook-tip; Peppered Moth; Poplar Grey; Poplar Kitten; Poplar Lutestring; Scallop Shell; Scorched Carpet; Scorched Wing; Seraphim; Setaceous Hebrew Character; Silver-ground Carpet; Small Fanfoot; Small Seraphim; Small Yellow Wave; Snout; Spectacle; Straw Dot; Swallow Prominent; Treble Lines; White Ermine; White Pinion-spotted.
Micros: Blastobasis decolorella; Celypha lacunana; Epiblema cynosbatella; Nemophora degeerella; Pseudargyrotoza conwagana; Udea olivalis

 

12/06/05 - Alastair Driver reported a garden record catch in terms of species diversity on Thursday 9th. 36 species of macro-moth including two new for his Sonning parish records - Sandy Carpet and Spruce Carpet, and a further 11 species new for his year list - Small Dusty Wave, Treble Brown-spot, Lime-speck Pug, The Flame, The Snout, Buff Ermine, Brown Rustic, Straw Dot, Green Pug, Large Nutmeg and Grey Pug. (Also Yellow Shell in garden next morning). Micros included: Wax Moth, Small Magpie, Brown China-mark and Meal Moth.

 

12/06/05 – Ched George had his first Privet Hawk of the season, during the evening of the 7th June, to his Radnage trap. He also recorded Beautiful Golden Y and Treble Brown Spot on 11th which are firsts for the UTB 2005 species list.

Saturday 11th June 2005

11/6/05 in Bernwood BBOWT meadows, Tim Watts recorded 4 Forester moths (see photos below), 1 Six-spot Burnet moth and 1 Cinnabar. Later the same day he recorded another 2 Forester moths at Asham Mead.

 

Ched George recorded an Alder moth in his garden trap in Radnage last night, 10th June.

 

On Friday 10th June, Nigel Russell discovered an Elephant Hawk Moth on the wheel of a car at his workplace in Witney Oxfordshire

 

Simon Norris sent in the following interesting email on 9th June: “I have been on the lookout every day for the last week or so for Scarlet Tiger Moths in a garden in Pangbourne following the unexpected observation last year of large numbers of this moth. On 6th June, in the bright evening sunshine, I saw a single moth flying in open ground but visiting and alighting on trees (almost exclusively yew). I shall be looking out for larger numbers over the coming days and will send an update in a few days time.”

 

On 8/6/05 at 5pm Tim Watts found this superb Eyed Hawk Moth low down in the grass at the Calvert BBOWT reserve (see photo below).

 

8th June – Wendy Redhead recorded a Hummingbird Hawk Moth at Calvert drain.

 

On 7th June Daniel Howard had a lunchtime walk in Pinsley wood near Long Hanborough and saw dozens of male Longhorn moths (Nemophora degeerella) dancing in the glades.

 

Bill Parker from Adstock, nr Buckingham, sent the following on 7th June: “As well as trapping in my garden, I also have permit from BBOWT to trap at Rushbeds Wood, Buckingham Old Canal and permission from Bucks CC to trap at Thornborough Community Woodland. Records from the last few days are:

5th June - Rushbeds Wood Reserve (daytime records): Burnet Companion; Grass Rivulet

6th June - Rushbeds Wood (light trap): Buff Ermine 1; Ingrailed Clay 3; Mottled Beauty 1; Pale prominent 2; Silver-ground Carpet 7; Small Phoenix 1; Small Square-spot 1

Not a great catch for the beginning of June, although I heard on the radio that last night was the coldest June night since early 1950s!”

 

7/6 - Dave Maunder recorded the following moths in Aylesbury recently:- Pale prominent (1), Burnet companion (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1), Pyrausta purpuralis (1), White ermine (2), Common swift (1), Double-striped pug (1), Bee moth (1), Carnation tortrix (1), Nemophora degeerella (1).

 

On Tuesday 7th June Paul Bowyer saw his first Hummingbird Hawk moth of the year in his garden in Flackwell Heath.

 

Orange Footman – notes from Peter Hall: “This attractive little moth had few records for Bucks up until the turn of the century with the most "recent" being around 1960. Then in 2000 one was found in Slough at a light trap. Nothing in 2001, but 2002 again had a sighting at a moth trap with 3 moths present. This was attributed to migration, but in 2003 it was found at 5 sites (including the site from 2002), in 2004 at 9 sites and already in 2005 from 6 sites with one of these recording 43 moths in one night. So from a probable migration, this species has quickly become firmly established over much of the county."

 

2nd June – Peter Hall recorded Treble Lines in numbers at a light trap in the Chilterns (click here for photo).

 

Peter Hall’s night records for 30/05/05: Angle Shades; Brimstone Moth; Broken-barred Carpet; Brown Silver-line; Buff Ermine; Chinese Character; Clouded-bordered Brindle; Common Marbled Carpet; Common Swift; Early Grey; Flame Carpet; Flame Shoulder; Heart & Dart; Ingrailed Clay; Light Brocade; Middle-barred Minor; Mottled Pug; Orange Footman; Pale Oak Beauty; Pale Tussock; Pebble Prominent; Peppered; Scalloped Hazel; Scorched Wing; Shuttle-shaped Dart; Small Phoenix; Small Square-spot; Treble Lines; Vine's Rustic; White Ermine

Micros: Agonopterix ocellana; Ancylis badiana; Crambus lathoniellus; Eurrhypara hortulata (Small Magpie); Pseudargyrotoza conwagana; Scoparia ambigualis

Tuesday 7th June 2005

The following was received on 7th June from Paul Bowyer who ran a trap on Friday 27th May. “The following species were identified in my garden in Flackwell Heath. Green Silver Lines, Purple Bar, Common Marbled Carpet, Maple Prominent, Clouded Silver, Flame Shoulder, Treble Lines, White Ermine, Pale Tussock, Shuttle Shaped Dart, Figure of Eighty, Brimstone, Gold Swift, Light Brocade, Heart and Dart and Foxglove Pug.”

 

On 6th June David Redhead managed to get round to his fourth garden moth trap of the year with 22 species and 37 macro-moths - Treble Lines (8), Poplar Hawk moth (4), Green Carpet (3), White Ermine (3), Common Marbled Carpet (2) and singletons of Bright-line Brown-eye, Buff Ermine, Burnished Brass, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Clouded Silver, Elephant Hawk moth, Eyed Hawk moth, Figure of Eighty, Flame, Heart & Dart, Ingrailed Clay, Least Black Arches, Light Brocade, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Small Phoenix, Swallow Prominent & Vine's Rustic.

 

Whilst wandering around Twyford Gravel pits on Sunday 05/06/05 Eddie Napper came across about 10 Nemophora degeerella dancing in the sunlight.

 

Dave Wilton ran the trap again at Westcott on 4th June and it brought in another four new species for him:
Leopard Moth, Turnip Moth, Shoulder-striped Wainscot and Uncertain.

On 5th June, whilst in the Grendon area, moths that Dave noted were: Silver-ground Carpet (3), Clouded Silver (1), Buff-tip (2), Straw Dot (3), Burnet Companion (1, with several more "probables"), Small Yellow Underwing (1) & Plum Tortrix (Hedya pruniana) (2). The caterpillars were Figure of Eight (5), Yellow-tail (5), Lackey (dozens) & Drinker (1)

Dave also ran a trap in his garden on 1st June and says: “It’s sights like these - one Elephant Hawk Moth and four Small Elephant Hawk Moths (photo received) from last night's results - that make mothing such a pleasant activity. 120 moths of 36 species (taking me past the 100 species mark for this year), including Silver-ground Carpet, Grass Rivulet, Peppered Moth, Grey/Dark Dagger sp, Middle-barred Minor & Marbled White-spot.”

 

Eddie Napper recorded the following in Wokingham: “Two new additions to my garden species list. On 01/06/05 Garden Pebble and on 02/06/05 Bird's Wing.”

Monday 6th June 2005

30/05/05 - Alastair Driver had two successful nights trapping at Ali's Pond LNR, Sonning, on 26th and 27th:
”33 species in total, including 5 that are new for my parish records - Pebble Hook-tip, The Seraphim, May Highflyer, The Campion, Yellow-barred Brindle. Also, Cabbage Moth, Middle-barred Minor, Pale Oak Beauty, White Ermine, Common Wainscot, Turnip Moth, Broken-barred Carpet, Small Square-spot. Sincere thanks to Peter Hall who was extremely helpful in sorting out some of the more difficult specimens I caught, such as Vine's Rustic.”

 

30th May – Derek Brown carried out his first night’s moth trapping on Saturday 28th May and got the following:
Pine Beauty, Flame Shoulder, Buff Ermine, Blood vein, Treble lines, Common Wainscot, Bright-Line Brown-Eye and Mottled Pug.

 

29th May – Jan Haseler sent in the following moth sightings:

21/5 Tilehurst: Syndemis musculana

26/5 Tilehurst: Figure of Eighty, Common Marbled Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, Nutmeg, Shark, Silver Y, Aethes smeathmanniana, Ephestia parasitella

27/5 Padworth Common, with the Berkshire Moth Group: Scoparia ambigualis, Fox Moth, Poplar Lutestring, Birch Mocha, Brown Silver-Line, Pale Oak Beauty, Rosy Marbled

Sunday 5th June 2005

3rd June Paul Howe sent this very interesting report: “Not sure if this is of any interest but about 2 months ago I discovered a large number of moth larvae feeding on Comfrey around the walls of our house. They were then sprayed with herbicide and all were wiped out. Luckily I got home just quickly enough to save 3 larvae. I reared them through and they are Scarlet Tigers (as I'd suspected) as one has emerged this morning (03/06/05). We live in Drayton, just south of Abingdon. I was always under the impression that this was a fairly restricted species in terms of distribution and habitat but I'm guessing that this may not be the case? There is, of course, the possibility that these eggs came from one wandering female although the larval colony was originally enormous and spread over a wide area so I suspect not. Anyway, don't know if this is of interest but I thought I would pass on the information just in case.”

Adam Bassett reported the following on 1st June: “Just had a quick look at your website and I have a few additions to the list from a trap run on 27th May in my garden in Marlow. Amongst others, I had the following species not on your list: Small Elephant Hawk; Pretty Chalk Carpet; Broken-barred Carpet; Brindled White-spot; White Ermine; Green Silver-lines; Shears (5); Clay Triple-lines (2); Scorched Wing. I also had a Hummingbird Hawk briefly on 28th May in the garden feeding on Ragged Robin. Also, Small Magpie at the porch light last night (31st May) and Silver Y on the window about a week ago.”

Wednesday 1st June 2005

Dave Wilton has been catching up on his moth trappings at Westcott, Latest additions to his garden record for the year are as follows:

15th May (39 moths, 14 species): Green Carpet, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Lychnis, Bright-line Brown-eye

20th May (29 moths, 16 species): Common Swift, Common Wave, Lime Hawkmoth, Iron Prominent, Buff-tip, White Ermine

24th May (30 moths, 21 species): Figure of Eighty, Blood-vein, Purple Bar, Lime-speck Pug, Lesser Treble-bar, Clouded Silver, Buff Ermine, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Large Nutmeg, Rustic Shoulder-knot, Treble Lines and micro Aethes smeathmanniana

26th May (170+ moths, 50+ species): Common Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Grass Rivulet, Common Pug, Dwarf Pug, Seraphim, Scorched Wing, Waved Umber, Pale Oak Beauty (to be confirmed), Elephant Hawkmoth, Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Heart and Dart, The Flame, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Common Wainscot, Poplar Grey, Knot Grass, Brown Rustic, Angle Shades and micros: Small Magpie, Pseudargyrotoza conwagana (plus a few others awaiting ID by the County Recorder). Summer seems to have arrived!

[Note: After consultation, Dave decided that the Marbled Minor was an unsafe record and it has therefore been removed.]

 

Tony Towner’s latest sightings from his garden trap at Tilehurst on 27/05/05:

Lime Hawkmoth (1 female), Setaceous Hebrew Character (1), Green Carpet (1), Shuttled Shaped Dart (1), Iron Prominent (1), Flame Shoulder (1), Figure of Eighty (1), Twenty-Plume Moth (1).

 

Peter Hall recorded 36 species of moth in his garden in Ballinger Common on 23/05/05, including 15 new to the UTB list for this year:

Brimstone Moth; Broken-barred Carpet; Clouded Drab; Clouded Silver; Clouded-bordered Brindle; Flame; Flame Carpet; Flame Shoulder; Foxglove Pug; Least Black Arches; Light Brocade; Lime Hawk; Muslin; Nut-tree Tussock; Oak Hook-tip; Orange Footman; Pale Mottled Willow; Pale Oak Beauty; Pale tussock; Pebble Hook-tip; Peppered; Red Twin-spot Carpet; Red-green Carpet; Rustic Shoulder-knot; Scalloped Hazel; Small Phoenix; Treble Lines; White Ermine; Micros: Alucita hexadactyla (Twenty-plume); Argyresthia trifasciata; Cnephasia stephensiana (Grey Tortrix); Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple); Eulia ministrana; Scoparia ambigualis; Syndemis musculana; Tinea trinotella.

 

On 29th May Wendy & Mick Campbell recorded Commophila aeneana at the Disused Railway cutting near Springfield Farm, Bucks. Photo confirmed by Peter Hall.

Saturday 28th May 2005

Keith Mitchell reported as follows from Stoke Goldington on 25th May: The first warm night for a while resulted in a more varied catch than of late, but still no great numbers. The best of the bunch was Water Carpet, which is rare around Milton Keynes, and Sandy Carpet, another garden first. Others were: Iron Prominent; Blood-vein; Clouded Silver; Common Swift (3); Poplar Hawkmoth (2); Mottled Pug (3); Garden Carpet (2); Green Carpet; Pale Prominent; Pale Tussock; Buff-tip; Flame Shoulder (2); Small Waved Umber; Treble Lines; Rustic Shoulder-knot; Muslin.”

 

Alastair Driver sent the following email on 26th May: “At last a warm dry night last night (25th)! Caught 11 species: Brimstone, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Green Carpet, Flame Shoulder, Willow Beauty, Double-striped Pug, Lime Hawk, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Pale Mottled Willow and Mottled Pug. Nothing new for the garden list but a few firsts for my year list. Best thing was I did a pond dipping session with the Sonning Primary after-school club today and I took along the moths to show them that not all are boring brown jobs - they loved them and everyone wanted to have the Lime Hawk cling on to their finger like they do. Despite that he was still in immaculate condition when they'd finished with him. Mind you I think even he was upstaged by the Grass Snake I caught with the butterfly net, not least because it had a small mammal bulging inside its belly! Good old Mother Nature - she never lets you down! Off pheromoning for Red-tipped Clearwing with Mark Calway et al at Thames Valley Park wetland reserve tomorrow. Fingers crossed..........”

 

Dave Maunders has recorded a few more moths from around Aylesbury since the 20th May: Double striped pug (1), Common pug (1), Green carpet (1), Bee moth (1), Adela fibulella (1), Anthophila fabriciana (10+), Common swifts (2), and Burnet Companions (3).

 

On 21/05/05 Peter Hall trapped the following moths in his garden in Ballinger Common: Pebble Hook-tip; Grey Pine Carpet; Spruce Carpet; Buff-tip; Treble Lines; Nut-tree Tussock and the Herald.

 

On Wednesday night (18th) Keith Mitchell trapped a Scalloped Hook-tip (garden first).

 

Tony Towner recorded the following day flying moths on 6th May: Orange Tailed Clearwing(1), Silver Ground Carpet(1), Cinnabar(1), Small Purple Barred(3) & the “Mint Moth” Pyrausta Aurata(2).

Thursday 19th May 2005

19th May, Eddie Napper reports the following: “Despite it being another wet /drizzly night I put the trap under the gazebo and ran a 30w actinic lamp. The result was 2 Shuttle shaped Dart, 1 Muslin Moth, 5 Pale Mottled Willow, 1 Garden Carpet, 1 Lime Hawk Moth, 1 Yellow barred Brindle, and a Common Marbled Carpet[See photos above.]

 

Caroline Steel sent this sighting in yesterday: “We saw a mating pair of Poplar Hawk Moths On Sunday 15th May at Rushbeds Wood, Bucks.”

 

Dave Wilton saw a single Mother Shipton at Whitecross Green Wood on 17th May.

 

17th May - Dave Maunder sent a list of moths seen in Aylesbury since the 6th:- Muslin moth(1), Brimstone moth(1), Green carpet(1), Garden carpet(2), Sallow kitten(1), Pale tussock(1), Light brown apple moth(1), Emmelina monodactyla(2), Pyrausta purpuralis(1). Also in Finemere woods on Sunday 15th he found Drinker moth larva(1), Yellow tail moth larva(1), and approx. 100+ Adela reaumurella swarming around the tops of Sallow and Hazel trees.

 

17th May - David Redhead adds a new moth to the 2005 list: Burnet Companion seen in Whitecross Green Wood, during an unsuccessful attempt to see a Wood White.

 

Paul Bowyer reports on a meeting of the Wycombe Wildlife Group, held at Cadmore End on Friday 13th May. A very cold night only produced 4 species of moths. These were Brimstone, Brindled Pug, Nut tree Tussock and Scalloped Hazel.

Monday 16th May 2005

At dusk yesterday evening (Sun 15th) David Redhead recorded a Sandy Carpet egg-laying on Red Campion in his garden in Oxon.

 

Jan Haseler sent in these recent moth sightings today:

11/5 - Garden (Tilehurst) - Nematopogon swammerdamella

15/5 - Garden (Tilehurst) - Tinea trinotella, Plum Tortrix, Poplar Hawk moth, Coxcomb Prominent, Heart and Dart, Light Brocade, Treble Lines

15/5 - in W. Berks  - Drab Looper

Friday 13th May - Dave Wilton went to the disused railway cutting west of Westcott airfield and saw Common Heath, Lesser Treble-bar (3) and Cinnabar (3). “I also ran my moth trap again on 12th and it brought in a dismal total of eight moths. However, there was one highlight - a single male Poplar Hawk, my first hawk moth of the year.

Peter Hall reports Nematopogon swammerdamella at The Lee on 7th May.

Tuesday 10th May 2005

Sunday 8th May - Alastair Driver reports as follows: “I think I might have an all-time record catch for a dry night in May! A miserable total of 4 moths last night (Sat 7th) - certainly a "personal worst" for me! I did get a lovely specimen of Green Carpet though (see photo below and click on it for a larger image) along with 2 Muslin Moths and a Shuttle-shaped Dart.”

 

On Friday 6th May a meeting of Butterfly Conservation took place at Holtspur Bank. Paul Bowyer reports that it was a cool showery evening and only 9 species were recorded: Green Carpet, Common Carpet, Brimstone, Nut Tree Tussock, Brindled Pug, Waved Umber, Small Phoenix, Flame Shoulder and Knotgrass.

 

4th May - Alastair Driver says he still hasn’t got around to do any trapping lately, but he did have a Scorched Carpet to light last Sunday night. “I've only had one specimen of this species before in Sonning, so it's certainly not common round here.”

 

03/05/05 – Peter Hall ran a trap in his garden in Ballinger Common with the following result:

Red Twin-spot Carpet; Streamer; Brindled Pug; Yellow-barred Brindle; Purple Thorn; Scalloped Hazel; Brindled Beauty; Waved Umber; Grey Birch; Lobster; Pebble Prominent; Lesser Swallow Prominent; Swallow Prominent; Lunar Marbled Brown; Chocolate-tip; Least Black Arches; Common Quaker; Clouded Drab; Hebrew Character; Early Grey; Nut-tree Tussock; Micros: Endrosis sarcitrella (White-shouldered House); Alucita hexadactyla (Twenty-plume)

Sunday 8th May 2005

On the night of 3rd May Dave Wilton added Least Black Arches to his garden list and they were joined on 5th May by Purple Thorn and Pale Tussock. While walking around Grangelands on 5th May an Orange Footman was disturbed from the vegetation and several Pyrausta nigrata were noted flying.

 

The following are David Redhead’s moth trap results for his garden in Oxon, overnight 1st/2nd May::
Swallow Prominent 12, Pebble Prominent 6, Hebrew Character 4, Powdered Quaker 2, Chocolate-tip 2, Clouded Drab, Common Quaker, Early Grey, Green Carpet, Muslin Moth (female), Pale Prominent, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Small Phoenix & White-pinion Spotted all singleton. Making 14 macro-moth species and 34 moths.

 

03/05/05 – Keith Mitchell reports: “Despite the warm weather over the Bank Holiday, the moth numbers were quite low, although the variety picked up a little. The following species were trapped in my garden in Stoke Goldington:

Swallow Prominent (3); Clouded Drab; Hebrew Character (33); Pebble Prominent (3); Red Chestnut; Brindled Beauty (3); Muslin Moth (15); Common Quaker; Common Pug; Cream-bordered Green Pea, Brindled Pug; Powdered Quaker; Chinese Character; Brimstone (2); Light Brown Apple Moth; Scorched Carpet; Ruby Tiger

Last night (2nd) Keith also spotted a geometrid moth flapping at the bathroom window, which he captured and photographed. It turned out to be a Scarce Tissue.

 

03/05/05 – The following moth list was received from Dave Maunder: Brimstone moth (1, on 28th), Garden carpet (1, on 1st), Waved umber (1, on 2nd), Clouded drab (1, on 1st), Twenty-plume moth (1), Emmelina monodactyla (2), Carnation tortrix (2), and Pyrausta purpuralis (2).

 

3rd May - Jan Haseler sent this report in: “New moths for the year in my Tilehurst garden on 30/4 included:

Eriocrania subpurpurella, Incurvaria masculella, Argyrotaenia ljungiana, Epinotia immundana, Waved Umber, Shuttle-shaped dart and Spectacle.

Also, on Sunday 1st May, an unsuccessful hunt for skippers at Decoy Heath turned up the following day-flying moths:

The Vestal, Narrow-winged Pug and Common Heath. The Vestal is an immigrant moth, and there were strong southerly winds coming up from North Africa and Southern Europe.

 

Overnight on 2nd May 2005, Eddie Napper found the only new moths were Tawny-barred Angle and Spectacle.

 

2nd May – David Fuller reports 2 Brimstone Moths in his porch in Maidenhead today.

Wednesday 4th May 2005

Tony Towner.’s latest moth sightings from his garden in Tilehurst:

01/04/05 - Common Quaker (6), Small Quaker (2), Early Grey (1).

23/04/05 - Pine Beauty (1).

01/05/05 - Knot Grass (1), Shuttle-shaped Dart (1).

 

30/04/05 – Peter Hall had a better night than last week’s moth trap, with the following 22 species at Ballinger Common:

Frosted Green; Streamer; Brindled Pug; Double-striped Pug; Brimstone Moth; Purple Thorn; White-pinion Spotted; Lobster; Pebble Prominent; Lesser Swallow Prominent; Swallow Prominent; Lunar Marbled Brown; Least Black Arches; Powdered Quaker; Common Quaker; Clouded Drab; Hebrew Character; Chestnut; Pale Mottled Willow; Nut-tree Tussock

micros: Agonopterix arenella; Alucita hexadactyla (Twenty-plume)

 

Dave Wilton ran his trap at Westcott on 25th April and added The Streamer to his garden list for the year, while on the 27th April there was another newcomer in the shape of the Lesser Swallow Prominent, but the remainder of each catch was mostly still Quakers and Drabs. “It is amazing what a difference a couple of days of warm weather has made, though, because last night (30th April) I got at least ten new species! There are still half a dozen pugs to be sorted out but the remainder of the haul was as follows: Chinese Character (4), Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, V-Pug (1), Brimstone Moth (3), Sallow Kitten (1), Pebble Prominent (2), Lesser Swallow Prominent (2), Swallow Prominent (8), Pale Prominent (4), Chocolate-tip (2), Lobster Moth (1, the darker obscura form), Small Quaker (1), Powdered Quaker (3), Common Quaker (4), Clouded Drab (6), Hebrew Character (15) and Spectacle (1).

 

Jan Haseler reports that on Friday 22nd April, some of the Berkshire Moth Group had a field trip to the banks of the River Kennet near Burghfield. The catch included Agonopterix ocellana, 2 Streamers and a Nut-tree Tussock.

Also, new this year for Jan’s Tilehurst garden on Sunday 24th April were Flame Shoulder and V-Pug.

Tuesday 27th April 2005

Dave Maunder says the only moths he’s seen over the last few days in Aylesbury were 7 Emmelina monodactyla.

 

Keith Mitchell just trapped his first Swallow Prominent of the year (25th April).

25/04/05 – Because of the rain Eddie Napper placed his 15w actinic trap under the gazebo and left it on all night. Highlights were 2 Nut Tree Tussocks and a Scarce Tissue.

Paul Bowyer sent in this report for Friday 22nd April: At a meeting of the Wycombe Wildlife Group the following species were recorded on a cool windy evening in Flackwell Heath:
Small Quaker, Double Striped Pug and Lunar Marbled Brown.

Monday 26th April 2005

Peter Hall isn’t finding it very good at all for moths at the moment - he ran the trap in his garden on 23rd April and got 1 Early Grey and nothing else. He also had Alucita hexadactyla at the door.

 

Dave Wilton ran the moth trap again at Westcott on the night of 20th April which brought in:
Double-striped Pug (1), Swallow Prominent (2 – see photo below), Small Quaker (2), Lead-coloured Drab (1), Powdered Quaker (8), Common Quaker (1), Clouded Drab (3) and Hebrew Character (9). “The Pug and Prominents are new to my garden list for this year. A large burying beetle was also present in the trap. So far the less welcome results of trapping have been fairly innocuous (mostly beetles, caddis flies and, once, a bumble bee) but I'm not looking forward to angry wasps and hornets later in the year!”

Saturday 23rd April 2005

Last night, 22nd April, Keith Mitchell trapped a very early male Muslin Moth in his garden in Stoke Goldington.

 

On David Fuller’s porch, Maidenhead, this morning, 23rd April: Nut-tree Tussock and Twin-spotted Quaker.

 

New for Jan Haseler’s Tilehurst garden on Tuesday 19/4 were Acleris Cristana and Purple Thorn. Also, at the Harris Garden, University of Reading on 21/4 Jan saw Adela Reaumurella.

 

Eddie Napper reports the following 2 moths overnight on 19th April, both new for his garden in Wokingham:
Esperia Sulphurella (see photo below) and Brindled Beauty.

19/04/05 - Dave Maunders’ moth list, seen over the last few days in Aylesbury:- Early grey(2), Early thorn(1), Emmelina Monodactyla(7), and Brown House Moth(1).

17th April 2005

Dave Wilton ran the trap in his Westcott garden overnight on 5th, 10th, 13th and 15th April: “The quantity of moths caught has reduced dramatically, thanks mainly to the disappearance of the Small Quaker! The only new species was a Water Carpet on the 10th.”

 

On 12th April, Jan Haseler trapped her first Brimstone and Pale Mottled Willow for this year, and Oak-tree Pug was a garden first.

 

12/04/05 – Dave Maunder’s moth list from Aylesbury during the last week:- Hebrew character(1), Early grey(2), and Emmelina monodactyla(5).

 

Since 25th March, Keith Mitchell has trapped the following moths in his Stoke Goldington garden:

Angle Shades: Blossom Underwing (1 on 10/4, 2 days earlier than last year's specimen): Clouded Drab: Common Quaker: Dotted Border (last on 28/3): Early Grey: Early Thorn (31/3): Emelina monodactyla: Engrailed: Hebrew Character: Lead-coloured Drab: Pine Beauty (27/3, 1/4): Red Chestnut: Shoulder-stripe (31/3): Small Quaker: Twin-spotted Quaker (last on 27/3)

10th April 2005

On 10/04/05 Eddie Napper added Lunar Marbled Brown to his Wokingham garden list.

 

The following was received from Dave Wilton on 7th April: “As of 1st April my garden moth count stood at 23 species - things are improving and I might not have to move to Berkshire after all! I've subsequently trapped on 3rd April (added the Herald) and on 5th April (nothing new), while during the daytime on 3rd April I went to Rushbeds and saw an Orange Underwing.” [After discussion with Martin Albertini it is possible this may have been the less common Light Orange Underwing due to the presence of Aspen rather than Birch in the wood.]

6th April 2005

05/04/05 – Dave Maunder reports the following moths seen over the last few days in Aylesbury:-

Early Grey(4), Diurnea Fagella(2), Emmelina Monodactyla(3), Agonopterix Astromeriana(1), Early Thorn(2), Hebrew Character(1), and Common Quaker(1).

 

Dave Wilton provided the results of his last three trappings, as follows:
1st April (451 moths, 20 species):
March Moth (1), Shoulder Stripe (6), Brindled Pug (1), Early Thorn (2), Dotted Border (2), Engrailed (1), Red Chestnut (6), Small Quaker (197), Blossom Underwing (1), Lead-coloured Drab (21), Powdered Quaker (6), Common Quaker (79), Clouded Drab (54), Twin-spotted Quaker (7), Hebrew Character (57), Pale Pinion (1), Early Grey (6), Satellite (1), Chestnut (1), Emmelina monodactyla (1). “The Brindled Pug, Engrailed, Blossom Underwing (a bit of a rarety in Bucks, I'm told), Pale Pinion, Chestnut and Plume were all new to my garden list.”
30th March (165 moths, 9 species):
Early Thorn (2), Red Chestnut (2), Small Quaker (65), Lead-coloured Drab (1), Powdered Quaker (4), Common Quaker (21), Clouded Drab (21), Hebrew Character (47), Early Grey (2).
27th March (280 moths, 15 species):
March Moth (1), Shoulder Stripe (1), Early Thorn (4), Dotted Border (1), Red Chestnut (3), Small Quaker (132), Lead-coloured Drab (6), Powdered Quaker (2), Common Quaker (53), Clouded Drab (28), Twin-spotted Quaker (3), Hebrew Character (42), Tawny Pinion (1), Early Grey (1), Satellite (2). “The Powdered Quaker and Tawny Pinion were new to my garden list for the year.”

In David Fuller’s Maidenhead garden on 2nd April, an Early Thorn.

31/03/05 Jan Haseler reports: “On Sat 26th March, Laurie and I ran a 125W MV Skinner trap for 1.5 hours next to sallow blossom at a site to the west of Reading and caught 14 species of moth, including: Balsam Carpet, Early Tooth-striped and White-marked. The Balsam Carpet was the 5th record for Berks, and a very early record too -- the previous earliest Berks and Hants records were 26th April and 8th April respectively (though one turned up on the same night in Winchester).

30th March 2005

Some more moths seen by Dave Maunder in Aylesbury over the last week:-

Diurnea fagella(3), Emmelina monodactyla(7), Early grey(4), Grey shoulder knot(1), Herald moth(1), Common quaker(2), Clouded drab(1), Hebrew character(1), Early thorn(1), and I also saw an Orange Underwing at Coombe hill on 28th March.

 

David Fuller’s records for three nights as follows:
29/03/05 - Early Thorn; Early Grey; Common Quaker

28/03/05 - Double-striped Pug 3, 1 bright individual and 2 fairly worn specimens. Also a different Emmelina Monodactyla - a smaller and less pronounced specimen.
25/03/05 -  Emmelina Monodactyla; White Plume Moth; Early Grey; The Engrailed (first for David’s garden in Maidenhead).

Results of two overnight garden moth traps from David Redhead:-

27th March - 72 moths, 10 species - 23 Common Quaker, 17 Clouded Drab, 14 Small Quaker, 7 Hebrew Character, 6 Twin-spotted Quaker, 1 of Brindled Beauty, Early Grey, Engrailed, March Moth & Powdered Quaker.

19th March - 119 moths, 10 species - 60 Small Quaker, 30 Common Quaker, 15 Hebrew Character, 6 Clouded Drab, 3 Twin-spotted Quaker and 1 of Engrailed, Lead-coloured Drab, Oak Beauty, Pale Mottled Willow & Powdered Quaker.

 

Peter Hall reports Diurnea fagella at The Lee on 25/3/2005.

 

Dave Wilton says his catches at Westcott continue to be mostly Quakers, Drabs and Hebrew Characters.
On 21st March I managed nearly 100 moths but the only new ones to my list were: Shoulder Stripe (1), Red Chestnut (1), Twin-spotted Quaker (2) and Diurnea fagella (1).
Another 90 moths on the 25th brought in Early Thorn (1), Early Grey (2) and Pale Mottled Willow (1) but this still only takes me to 16 species so far this year. I obviously need to move to Berkshire!

Alastair Driver set the Robinson trap in his garden at Sonning on 19th March, resulting in what he considered to be a fairly typical catch:
Common Quaker (14), Small Quaker (7), Hebrew Character (4), Clouded Drab (2) and singles of Early Grey, Oak Beauty, Twin-spotted Quaker, The Chestnut and a micro - Diurnea Fagella. “Many thanks to Peter Hall for identifying the latter. I'm a real novice when it comes to micro id, so this species was new to me, but I then caught a melanic version of the same species at another site in Sonning a few days later.”

25th March 2005

Two night’s-worth of moths from David Fuller’s garden in Maidenhead:

24th March: Common Quaker 1; Clouded Drab 1; March Moth 1; Early Grey 2; White Plume Moth 1

23rd March: Early Grey 1; Dotted Border 1; White Plume 1. Dave says “Last night, 23rd Les Finch took a Yellow Horned moth which he showed me, a new moth for both of us.”

 

Dave Maunder reported a few more moths seen in Aylesbury last week:-

Twenty-plume moth (1) on 18th, Light brown apple moth (1) on 19th, and Emmelina monodactyla (1) on 21st march.

 

The following is a list of moth species recorded so far this year by the Berks Moth Group. Click here to visit the Berks Moth Group website and learn more about their meetings:

06-Jan, Winter Moth, Spring Usher, Mottled Umber Shinfield Park 

06-Jan, Light Brown Apple Moth, Tilehurst

13-Jan, Oak Beauty, Chestnut Maiden Erleigh LNR

14-Jan, Pale Brindled Beauty, Shinfield Park 

15-Jan, Dark Chestnut, Maidenhead

17-Jan, Golden Twin-Spot,

19-Jan, Twenty-plume Moth, Englefield House

19-Jan, Emmelina monodactyla, Maidenhead

25-Jan, Herald, Shinfield Park 

30-Jan, Hebrew Character, Earley

31-Jan, Early Moth, Agonopterix heracliana, Shinfield Park

31-Jan, Common Quaker, Earley

01-Feb, Dotted Border, Shinfield Park 

04-Feb, Satellite, Padworth

09-Feb, Tortricodes alternella, Maidenhead

09-Feb, Acleris cristana, Shinfield Park 

11-Feb, March Moth, Shinfield Park 

11-Feb, Acleris ferrugana/notana, E. Berks

14-Feb, Buttoned Snout, Cholsey

09-Mar, Grey Shoulder-knot, Shinfield Park 

11-Mar, Small Brindled Beauty,

11-Mar, Small Quaker,

14-Mar, Clouded Drab,

16-Mar, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Early Grey, Pale Mottled Willow, Maidenhead

16-Mar, Lead-coloured Drab,

17-Mar, Twin-spotted Quaker, Tilehurst

17-Mar, Double-striped Pug, Diurnea fagella, Maidenhead

18-Mar, Shoulder Stripe, Shinfield Park 

18-Mar, Orange Underwing, S. of Bracknell

18-Mar, Early Thorn, Tilehurst

19-Mar, Pine Beauty, Maidenhead

19-Mar, Oak Nycteoline , Earley

19-Mar, Agonopterix alstromeriana, Yellow Horned, Engrailed, Red Chestnut, Pale Pinion, Bagley Wood

21-Mar, Agonopterix subpropinquella, Red Sword-grass, Dotted Chestnut, Fernham

21-Mar, Red-green Carpet, Brindled Pug, Earley

21st March 2005

Tony Towner sent this news on 21st March: “The first moths to enter my home-made trap here at Tilehurst were:

14/03 - 1*Grey Shoulder Knot.

17/03 - 1*Common Quaker + 2*Small Quaker.

19/03 - Also found during the daytime on my wife's pink nightie (on the washing line) was 1*Early Grey.

 

Keith Mitchell had exciting news to report from Stoke Goldington after trapping the following moths this weekend, 20th March, in mild conditions: Clouded Drab (11); Common Quaker (25); Hebrew Character (30); March Moth (3); Red Chestnut (1); Small Quaker (42); Twin-spotted Quaker (5). ”But the best of all was a pristine Dotted Chestnut (click photo below for a larger image). Where did it come from? With the easterly winds, maybe the Greensand Ridge near Woburn. Who knows? Has it been recorded in Bedfordshire recently? It's certainly rare in Bucks. Have just seen the Web Site update - two Dotted Chestnuts within a week!”

19th March 2005

19th March - Dave Wilton trapped on Thursday night and recorded: Oak Beauty (2), Small Quaker (12), Lead-coloured Drab (5), Common Quaker (24), Clouded Drab (7), Hebrew Character (7) and Satellite (2).

 

Thursday 17th March - Paul Bowyer’s first moth records for the year: “My 2nd trap of the year in my garden in Flackwell Heath. No moths last Thursday but 2 Common Quakers and a March Moth tonight. The latter was kindly identified by my son Ellis.”

 

14/03/05 – Peter Hall’s moth trap at Ballinger Common produced the following:

Chestnut: Clouded Drab: Common Quaker: Dotted Border; Dotted Chestnut (see Moth Feature); Hebrew Character; March Moth; Oak Beauty; Pale Mottled Willow; Satellite; Shoulder Stripe; Small Brindled Beauty; Small Quaker; Twin-spotted Quaker and two micros: Agonopterix heracliana; Emmelina monodactyla

 

New reporter to the moth website, Dave Wilton sent the following: “Having tried my newly acquired Robinson twice in February without result, I've now had a couple of successful nights here in Westcott:
8th March - March Moth (1), Lead-coloured Drab (1).
15th March - Lead-coloured Drab (2), Common Quaker (7), Clouded Drab (1), Hebrew Character (2).
Also, a single Dotted Border was attracted to the light in the kitchen window on 9th March.

13th March 2005

Dave Maunder recorded a few more moths last week:- Dotted border (1), Early moth (1), March moth (1), and Early Grey (1) - on 12th march.

 

10th March - Tony Towner says: “This evening I had one Common Quaker near my home made moth trap in the back garden. I live at Tilehurst, Reading. The temperature was +3.5.”

 

10th March – the following email received from Keith Mitchell  - “The first moth for a while at the front door lights (Stoke Goldington). March Moth.

 

News from Andrew Kershaw – “Here in Longwick the 7th March proved a mild night and hey presto: 4 March moths, 1 Dotted Border and 1 Satellite!”

February 2005

Dave Maunder reports only one moth record for 27th February: “A March Moth arrived on my porch light on probably the coldest night this winter- Sunday 27th - it must have been at least -5 c. - very unusual, I thought!

 

Dave Maunder recorded a few more early moth sightings from lights in Aylesbury:-

Pale Brindled Beauties (2 on 4th Feb, 1 on 8th and 1 on 20th after a frosty night!), Dotted Border- 5th Feb, Emmelina Monodactyla- 9th, Vapourer moth eggs- 13th, Chestnut - 15th, Satellite - 18th, Early Moth - 19th, and in the woods of Coombe Hill on 20th Dave found 2 Pale Tussock pupae shells, under bark, probably emerged last season.

 

At Keith Mitchell’s front door lights on 17th Feb (Stoke Goldington):  Satellite and Early Moth.

 

January & February 2005

 

16/02/05 – Keith Mitchell said: “The 11th Feb was a mild night resulting in 2 Spring Ushers and 1 Pale Brindled Beauty

at my front door lights.”

 

08/02/05 – Keith Mitchell’s first report of the year:I had Pale Brindled Beauty last night (7th Feb) and Dotted Border tonight (8th Feb) at my front door lights in Stoke Goldington.”

 

03/02/05 - Dave Maunder has recorded these moths in Aylesbury so far this year:

 

02/02/05 Angle shades (on a fence in Fowler Road – unusually early!)

31/01/05 Pale Brindled Beauty

13/01/05 Emmelina Monodactyla

07/01/05 Chestnut

05/01/05 Pale Brindled Beauty

01/01/05 Emmelina Monodactyla

 

01/02/05 - David Redhead sent in the first moth report of 2005: “Just now a Buttoned Snout was flying about in our house. Unfortunately it settled on our high (Victorian) ceiling just out of reach and disappeared when I managed to disturb it. Think it’s hidden in all the junk on top of the wardrobe. In the past Martin Townsend has found caterpillars on some hops just up the lane from our house. Presumably this one was hibernating in our unheated outhouse.”

 

 

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