New Blog

I haven't had much spare time recently so this blog has been neglected and I don't have the time to update it regularly so I've done a new blog which will feature all the new species I discover as opposed to everything I catch....that way I will be able to update it occasionally instead or every day.

     http://derbymoths.blogspot.com/

Autumn time

Feathered Thorn

The Brick

I've only been getting a few moths each time I trap, mainly a mix of Grey-pine Carpet, Feathered Thorn, the occasional Chestnut and November/Winter moth(Epiritta sp.) which is hardly surprising considering how cold it's been...hopefully next year will be a better year for moths in my garden.

Catch up time

I'm sorry that I haven't been regularly updating the blog recently but a family crisis has eaten up a lot of my spare time, I have still been trapping as often as possible and I've had some interesting moths so here are some of them.

Red Line Quaker

Dusky Thorn

Angle Striped Sallow

Brindled Green

Lunar Underwing

Brindled Green ab - no green!

Beaded Chestnut

Blair's Shoulder Knot

Beaded Chestnut

Rustic & Sallow time

Square-spot Rustic

The Sallow

Flounced Rustic

Centre Barred Sallow

The Sallow

Rosy Rustic

Plenty of assorted Yellow Underwings are still making a nuisance of themselves but the prettier Rustic and Sallow moths are showing up in reasonable numbers now to make up for it.

That's better....

Ypsolopha parenthesella

Ypsolopha parenthesella(again)

Small Square Spot

Square Spot Rustic

Feathered Gothic

Calamatropha paludella

Dark Sword Grass

The new lamp almost doubled the catch on Monday night and it included some beauties including my first ever Feathered Gothic, I also got the second Dark Sword Grass for this year but this one didn't manage to fly off before I got a photo.  The Gold Spot moths have started to turn up in decent numbers again including one which is quite different in appearance so I'm hoping it's a Lempke's Gold Spot, I'll be sending it to my county recorder so he can get it checked properly and I'll let you know the result as soon as I have it.

Not very bright!

Small China Mark

Mouse Moth

Six Striped Rustic

Some of you may know that I recently purchased a large collection of butterfly and moth specimens plus a huge amount of setting and collecting equipment so I've been very busy with that recently as well as being in the midst of a family crisis. I have tried to put the trap out at least every other night(or in the kitchen doorway if it's been raining) but I have been very disappointed by the lack of moths compared to last year. I've sorted the collection now and the family crisis has just about sorted itself so with tonight being the warmest night for 2 weeks I put the trap out, I looked at it and realised that the lamp was nowhere near as bright as it should be so I swapped it for a new one and within seconds(literally!) the moths came swarming over. I get a bad feeling that I've been attempting to trap with a 'dull' lamp for the last few weeks and hopefully things will pick up again now it's been replaced.
 Anyway the last 7 days have managed 3 new species including one NFG Macro(Mouse Moth) and one Small China Mark(NFG)(ID thanks to Bill)

Another weeks worth

Least Yellow Underwing

Catoptria pinella

Agriphila tristella

Small Ranunculus

Flame Carpet

Red Underwing

Straw Underwing?

Turnip Moth

After saying how quiet things have been in my last blog it has now started to pick up a bit, still not up to the numbers recorded this time last year but getting there and plenty of NFY and NFG species turning up.