White spot on Elm street

Have recently returned from an amazing 2 weeks in the Picos de Europa in Northern Spain. Butterflies galore and dung with concentrations of beetles like you wouldn't believe!

Anyway, a trip out last night with fellow moth-er Bill to an isolated stand of old elms near Ely. Generally a quiet night but we did get three of our target moth to the light. 

White-spotted Pinion, a species that was massively impacted by Dutch Elm disease in the 1970s. A new one for me and a rather smart moth. Thanks to Bill for the pic.

A rather big surprise

Last Sunday I got up early to check the moth trap and was greeted with a rather unexpected sight....a Bedstraw Hawkmoth.

This was my 10th hawkmoth species for the garden and one that I'd not expected to see. I also thought I'd be trapping for years more before hawkmoth number 10 fell. But therein lies the wonder of mothing.

There had apparently been a small influx to various south and east coast locations. Even more surprising was that people even wanted to twitch the moth.... #fridgetick

Not on my radar

I put the MV trap out on Friday evening as the temperature had picked up a bit. When I checked it first thing the next morning there was a moth sat just below the bulb that immediately had me scratching my head.

I soon worked out that it was a Small Eggar Eriogaster lanestris, a moth that I'd never really expected to see in the garden. It's now a reasonably scarce species and the larvae are more likely to be encountered in one of their communal silken tents. However, they do come to light every once in a while and a perusal of various Facebook moth groups has turned up a few records over the weekend.

It was a lovely moth. I wonder how long it will take to trap another?

 

Stealth bomber

There had been a big influx of Convolvulus Hawkmoths into southern Britain in early September with large numbers seen along the coast. I never expected to catch one but when I went out to check my trap on the morning of September 25th a large shape was sat on the wall of the house.

This made a total of 9 hawkmoth species for the year in the garden. I suspect I may never add another!

NB: I let it go that evening and it turned up in next door's trap!

Peppered conundrum

The story of the Peppered Moth is a well known tail of natural selection in action. The original 'peppered' forms are superbly camouflaged on tree bark. In the 19th century an all dark melanic mutation arose around Manchester and began to spread as it had the selective advantage of being better camouflaged on trees that were now covered in soot from all the heavy industry.

As the UK has cleaned up its act and improved air quality and reduced pollution, the frequencies of the two have changed again with the original form being more common. In fact in my lovely little semi rural garden I've never seen a melanic form at all.

This particular individual turned a couple of nights ago and gave me a surprise. The forewings appear to be melanic and the hindwings peppered. What's going on?

Striped tights

When I was about 17, I had a real crush on a girl that I used to see periodically at Spiders Night club in Hull. Her signature attire was a pair of black and white hooped tights that she wore with para boots and some stressed and ripped tops.

It was one of those longings from afar and I never even knew her name, let alone made any type of connection with her.

In fact I hadn't even thought about her for 20 years until one of these beauties rocked up in the trap last year with its stripey legs. I've had another couple this week and they made me cast my mind back to what it was like being a hormonal teenager with love lust on his mind.

Look at the palps on that....

A female Schoenobius gigantella, Giant Water Veneer. Second record for the garden

The migrants are coming...

...well, I've had one!

My inland Cambridgeshire garden trap finally got in on the action with a Small Mottled Willow this week. A lifer for me too.

Also new for the garden was this Rhodophaea formosa, the larvae of which feed on hedgerow elms. It's also rather a looker!

Get them when they're young

Sunday morning saw eight Privet Hawkmoths in the trap plus two getting jiggy with it on the kids' climbing frame. A record number for me.

They're one of those species that when you show people, they just can't quite believe that these moths cruise gardens in the local area when everyone is asleep. Plus they are massive, which amazes most people.

My youngest son really enjoys the early morning 'reveal' where we turn the egg boxes over to see what the the great god of mothing has brought us. So much so that he decided to have a go at the meme of hawkmoth on noses that people post on social media.

He may go off nature as he gets older but I suspect the memory of a bloody big moth crawling around on his face will stay with him for a long time. He thought it was awesome!

Got the hump

Had a couple of these Burnished Brass in last night's trap and so had them out for a photograph. One of my favourite moths, mainly because I caught them on my first ever moth trapping session back in 1985 on the Isle of Arran. Plus it's the only species I can remember apart from an Old Lady which I think was an island first at the time.

Many species of moth - both macro and micro - have these humps. I've no idea what their function is but I'd love to know. So if anyone out there can elucidate or has any cunning ideas......

Who says micro moths are boring?

I do like micro moths. Well not all, granted. Those Eudonia can be a pain in the backside, but Crambids are pretty cool. After the recent longhorns I was back down the bottom of the garden and came across a resting Cherry Bark Tortrix Enarmonia formosana.

What an absolute beauty!

Voldemort's monocle

Mothing is still dire in my little garden just north of Cambridge. Last Friday netted just over 20 species, but overall number was 35ish. There are quite a few species that just haven't appeared this year. The one that I really notice the absence of is Ruby Tiger. It was one of the most frequent visitors last year, and I'm now wondering that if I've caught none of the first brood, whether I'll see any of the second later in the year.

The first hawkmoths of the year have appeared, with singles of Privet and Poplar, but as yet no repeat of last year's Goat Moth....

I did get a new species for the garden a week or so ago. Hence the title of the post.

Can you guess? Yep, Dark Spectacle

A rather smart moth and checking my records one that was actually a lifer. Mid-week is looking reasonable so will have the trap out Tuesday and Wednesday this week in the vague hope of improving numbers.

Got the horn

The first Nemophora degeerella of the year appeared in the garden today, slightly later than last year. I love these longhorn moths, they have bags of character. The males' antennae are three to four times the length of the fore wing. In June, I see groups of males displaying, I guess in a lek.

The books say that the larval food plant is unknown. I kind of like the fact that there's a moth at the bottom of the garden which no one knows what it eats!

Return of the Titans

Moth trapping on Tuesday night proved pretty disastrous with only three moths of three species.

The only saving grace was the appearance of the first hawkmoth of the year... a slightly balding Privet! 

A quick trip out to Wicken Fen yesterday was rather quiet but punctuated by some lovely weather. Good views of a hunting Marsh Harrier and calling cuckoos and Cetti's Warbler were the best of the birds.

This Sericomyia silentis was the best of the few insects I managed to see whilst steering a small child along the boardwalks.

Dead wood...

... or not

It's always a good day when one catches a Buff-tip. It's a common moth and a I get a few each year but it always feels like it's been worthwhile running the trap when I turn an egg box over and find one of these inside.

Trapping on the whole has still been pretty quite......

Next few days not looking great either.

A huffin' and a puffin'

(Apologies up front. This post contains sh*t images)

The bank holiday weekend saw a family-oriented visit back to God's own country (East Yorkshire). That's what they call it up there but parts of it are a very good argument for atheism.

Anyway, on Sunday we made a trip up to Bempton RSPB reserve to have a walk along the cliffs, see the new visitors centre and hopefully show my kids their first Puffin!

We arrived just as the rain stopped and more importantly before the hordes descended. The slopes down to the cliff were absolutely jammed with flowering Red Campion.

I don't remember ever seeing so much in one place. While walking I disturbed several Rivulets Perizoma affinitata, which prefer this as a foodplant (cue crap photo). This was a new species for me. Have had the smaller version in the garden but not knowingly seen this before.

The cliffs looked magnificent. Packed with Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Gannets, a few Razorbills lined the tops. But not a Puffin in sight!

There had been a big emergence of Bibio flies. I guess St Mark's Flies but not sure if there are others possible.

Finally on the return walk, I noticed a Puffin on the cliff top and gave the boys a look much to their relief. Although trying to direct a 4 year old with binoculars is a Herculean task of massive skill....and patience.

At the visitors centre we were greeted by the largest number of Tree Sparrows I've seen in some time.

In the afternoon, a quick visit to Flamborough's North Landing resulted in a bit of guerilla-rockpooling. Highlight was a Butterfish amongst the many crabs and anemones. Main thing was the kids enjoyed it.

All in all a good day out.