Moth Review of the Year: Part 1: January - April 2016

An overview of my mothing year. This year I set out to trap and identify 10,000 moths of 500 species. To aid this cause, I purchased a 15W Heath actinic trap in early March which meant I could leave this battery operated trap at 12 sites within the parish as well as run the Skinner 125W each night in the garden. I selected the sites along lines of: ease of access, full permission granted for private land from local farmer Steve, variety of vegetation and similarity of vegetation. All went well if slow on the recording front, with the first 4 months realising 26 macro species and a rather disappointing 9 micro species.

The first moths were taken on the 3rd Jan with me visiting a few sites with headtorch and net. These were all winter moth and no further moth was trapped until the 13th, a Satellite. Things continued slowly with Early moth, pale brindled beauty (23rd) and my 1st micro of the year, an Acleris ferrugana on the 24th. An Acleris sparsana was taken the following night before 2 Dotted border completed the first month in the garden. The 31st was quite remarkable: 41 moths of 14 species from Millennium Wood, with Chestnut, Brindled pug, Common quaker, March moth, Spring usher and Dark chestnut as well as micros Torticodes alternella and Agonopterix heracliana all going on the year list.

Acleris ferrugana

Rather worn Acleris sparsana

Common quaker

The weather in February didn't prove anymore conducive to trapping, with only 8 nights of the month bringing results that included just a Clouded drab (20th Feb) and Small quaker (21st)

Clouded drab

Dotted chestnut

Dotted border

As March progressed, as expected, moths were becoming more regular and the addition of the Heath trap on the 4th meant I was out and about on a frequent basis. Diurnea fagella was new on 5th March as was Acleris schalleriana, but the 1st uncommon moth was taken at Pig's Green on the 10th, a Dotted chestnut.  A garden Early grey the following night before a Twin spotted quaker (15th) and Shoulder stripe (21st) became the 18th macro of 2016. The 200th moth of the year was recorded in Hoecroft Lane on the 22nd before the first new for parish record. This was in the garden on the 26th, Povolyna leucapennella, confirmed by Graeme Smith (GJS) and only the 3rd record for the county. Angle shades and Engrailed followed on the 30th with March closing with a running total of 276 moths of 20 macros and 7 micros.

Povolyna leucapennella

Spring Usher

Looking back at April records it can be seen that, with the portable trap, I recorded moths on every night, apart from 18th - 21st when I was on a photo shoot of the Birds of Aviero, Portugal.
New moths turned up on a reasonably regular basis: Double striped pug (1st) Early thorn (3rd) and Red Chestnut (8th) this being the 2nd new for parish record, again taken to the garden Skinner. A Streamer on the 11th before 2 pleasing captures in Millennium Wood during our first parish moth night of the year on the 14th, Powdered quaker and Water carpet.The following night Mompha epilobiela was another new for parish from Suffyldes Wood. The month concluded with just a Hebrew character to the garden trap.

Powdered quaker

Water carpet

A few first and last dates:
Winter moth: last on 13.i.16
Satellite: last 04.iv.16
Early Moth: first 23.i.16 - last 04.ii.16
Chestnut: 31.i.16 - 05.iv.16
Small quaker 21.ii.16 - 28.iv.16

Numbers were supplied by Winter moth (27) Satellite (27) Common quaker (98) and Hebrew character (80) The latter two were still flying into May.

Next installment May - June to follow tomorrow. Then it gets busy!!