I trapped four moths of four species.
Dotted Border (New for Year)
A Geometrid and this one is a male as the females are flightless. This species overwinters as a pupa.
Satellite (a Noctuid) (New for Year and New for Garden)
I've wanted to trap one of these for ages - so named because of the two small satellites close to the stigmata
March Moth (New for Year and New for Garden)
Another member of the Geometridae family - again a male as females are flightless
And now we have a lbj of the moth world - id headaches have started early this year with a worn brown noctuid! My best guess for this one is a Dark Chestnut but I am probably hopelessly wrong!
Summary of Moths Trapped Friday, 2nd March
15w Actinic Skinner Trap
Minimum Temperature 5.6 degrees centigrade
1934 Dotted Border (Agriopsis marginaria) x 1
1663 March Moth (Alsophila aescularia) x 1
2256 Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) x 1
plus possible Dark Chestnut???
Edit - many thanks to Dean (from ddd please see link on the right) for identifying this moth as a Chestnut (new species for year and new for garden too!)
As always please feel free to correct any wrong id and any help with the mystery moth would be very appreciated! Sorry about lack of italics for the scientific latin names for some reason I can never get the blogger italics to work.
Garden moth species for 2012 = 4 Edit 5
Garden Moth Species since 2009 = 135 Edit 136
Garden Update
I saw my first garden buff-tailed bumble bee yesterday nectaring on winter flowering pansies and last weekend we turned on the camera in the nest box to watch a blue tit pecking around and taking away any loose pieces of wood it could find. Still no sign of frogspawn.
And I've made a start on making the garden more bee and insect friendly buying cosmos, sunflower, candytuft,nasturtium and night-scented stock seeds and a packet of mixed bumble bee friendly flower seeds. Whilst at the nurseries I also bought an Oriental Poppy with a bee friendly plant sticker on it - good to see Sarah Raven's campaign is working!
Why do moths creep me out? I think they are cool, but they kinda scare me:) But I do like how they fly.....
ReplyDeleteCaroline, i`d personally go with Chestnut. Your moth doesn`t appear to have the s-shape to the trailing edge of the forewing.
ReplyDeleteWell marked Dotted Border, btw.
Chris - I think you either love moths or dislike them. Perhaps its because they are mainly (although not all!!) creatures of the night! Some of them are as beautifully coloured or marked as butterflies though. I first got interested years ago when we used to take the children when they were young to moth nights at a local nature reserve.
ReplyDeleteDean - many thanks for coming to my rescue (again :D)! and thanks too for the id tip of Dark - I've added it to the Townsend and Waring guide I use.
Pleased with the Dotted Border - lucky to get a photo though it was very lively!
I find that the larvae of moths are really beautiful but it is reverse for butterflies until the transformation. I LOVE the Hornworm....crazy looking bug....but then the moth happens...and it's a bit underwhelming:) What happened to brilliant green? Or the Tetrio Sphinx moth....I think it's all really interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi again Chris - must admit I find moths fascinating and thats a good point you make about the larvae. Some of the hawksmoth caterpillars in particular here in England are incredible. Its mainly the geometrid moths that are so pretty and I tend to trap more of the noctuids many of which look very brown and uninspiring and are a nightmare to id!!! We don't seem to have many green moths here.
ReplyDelete