On the 1st the Heath trap was set in Suffyldes Wood where I took a Waved umber as NFY whilst I wandered off with torch and net to Millennium Wood. Just one moth here, the only Oak nycteoline of the year whilst the garden gave up a new for parish record of Brindled beauty. Not a bad start to the month.
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| Brindled beauty, a new for parish record |
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| Agapeta hamana |
A Brimstone (5th) along with Agonopterix arenella and Parornix anglicella (New for parish) were pleasing. The following night the heath trap was placed on the slope opposite the village pub. A regular Friday night placement as easy to empty after a few jars with friends and only 400 yards from home. This particular night gave up Red-green carpet, shuttle shaped dart and the first of many common swifts. New for year records followed on an almost daily basis with the next week giving: Green carpet, Scorched carpet and Least Black arches (7th.) The latter being new for parish. Around this time I spent day time flushing and searching, getting an Esperia sulphurella (8th.)
Lunar marbled brown and Epiphyas postvittana(8th,) Aphomia sociella and Celypha lacunana (9th,) Yellow barred brindle (10th,) Rustic shoulder knot (11th) and on the 15th a Scorched carpet was my 500th moth of the year.
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| Aspilapteryx tringipennella |
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| Clouded border |
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| Dichrorampha simpliciana |
Day time searches gave up Small yellow underwing in East Wood on the 16th and Glphipterix simplciella, Common carpet, Silver Y later the same day from Westland Green. I returned at night to take Silver ground carpet and Flame carpet that evening. 17th gave Elasticha argentella on a day time check whilst Freyer's pug, V pug, and oak tree pug all to light.
The new for years kept coming: White ermine (18th) Maidens blush (19th) along with a new for parish Sandy carpet from Alder Wood. Another new for parish records the same night was a Dwarf pug, so the heath trap was certainly paying its way whilst a Spruce carpet was NFY. The evening finished with the first Clouded border of the year in the garden.
By mid May I begin to anticipate the increase in micros and this certainly proved true this year: Cydia pomonella (21st), Evergestis forficalis (21st) Monopsis weaverella (22nd) along with another new record for Little Hadham, a Scrobipalpa costella. The 25th gave the first of many Anania hortulata.
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| Waved umber |
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| Plutella xylostella |
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| Flame carpet |
Macros during this period were Lime hawkmoth, Flame shoulder, Marbled minor, Willow beauty, Treble lines, Red twin spot carpet, Common marbled carpet, Ingrailed clay, Pale mottled willow and Snout.
Day netting over the local golf course on 27th proved most fruitful with 3 new for parish records: Endothenia oblongana, Dichrorampha simpliciana and Coleophora striatipennella along with 11 Dicrorampha plumbana. A Mother Shipton was also recorded before the trap was back on the hill for Agapeta hamana
The 28th gave new for parish records of Micropterix aruncella and Aspilapteryx tringipennella, again day netting on the golf course.
The month concluded with Spectacle, Poplar hawkmoth, Middle barred minor, Cinnabar, Bright line brown eye, May highflier and Mottled rustic in the macros and Ephestia unicolorella, Plutella xylostella, Crambus lathionellus, Ebdrosis sarcitrella and Scoparaia basistrigalis in the micros.
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| Spruce carpet |
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| Common swift, 1 of 131 trapped this year |
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| Phone shot of the only Oak nycteoline taken this year netted in Millennium Wood |
May finished with totals of 77 macros and 36 micros. This does highlight the importance of daytime netting in grassy habitats as Dichrorampha sequana was taken at the same site as 2015. This was classified as Herts extinct before this colony, feeding on tansy was found.
The last day of May coincided with the invasion of Plutella xylostella, with 57 in the garden trap. In total, 727 moths had been taken.
Selected first and last dates:
Red-green carpet: 06.v.16 - 30.v.16
Least Black Arches: 07.v.16 - 30.v.16
Oak tree pug: 17.v.16 - 22.v.16
May numbers supplied by: Brimstone (164 and last taken 21.ix.16) Scorched carpet (28) Buff ermine (83 and last taken mid August) Common pug (39 and still on the wing until 23.vi.16)
By the time June comes around it becomes way to lengthy to list every new for year record, with ones taken every day during the first 10 days of the month. However, the first Setaceous Hebrew Character was taken on the 3rd, the first of 1060 of this species, the last being recorded on 17.x.16!
New for parish records in June: Callisto denticulella (2nd) Notocelia trimaculana (4th) Pebble hooktip (8th) Coptopriche marginea (9th) Achroia grisella (11th) Gillmeria pallidactyla (18th) Prays fraxinella (22nd)
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| Achroia grisella |
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| Anania hortulata |
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| Eulia ministrana |
In June, a week's camping holiday in Devon meant 7 nights without records, with the trap back on by 03.vii.16.
Other more unusual records during this month were: Pale prominent (4th and only 4 taken) Rivulet (8th and just the one) Scorched wing (9th and 1 of 2) Brindled pug (9th and the only specimen) as was Light arches on the 16th.
A pleasing Green silver lines was only my second ever record on the 19th and followed by another on the 4th July whilst a Fern (22nd) was the only one, the same with Pinion streaked snout (24th)
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| A new for parish Sandy carpet |
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| Prays fraxinella |
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| Another new record: Pebble hooktip |
On the 9th GJS and I ran several traps in Millennium Wood for another residents moth night. Again, a well attended event with families coming along from dusk. Shame that when the best moths are on the wing it is too late for the children to get out on a school day. However, I do pot several to show them at a later date, and take them into the local village primary school. As always, hawkmoths are really popular with children. In all on the 9th we took 46 species of over 250 moths with Yponomeuta cagnagella, Anthophilia fabricana, Nemophora degeerella, Udea olivalis, Tortrix viridana, Tinea semifulvella, Nematapogon swammerdamella and Parapoynx stratiotata being new for year micros and Brindled pug, Scorched wing, Clouded silver, Garden carpet and Yellowshell making the year macro list. In all 30 Silver ground carpets were recorded as well as a further 20 Plutella xylostella and both of these were conservative estimates!
On the 13th a Pale oak beauty to the garden trap was only 3rd parish record and Beautiful Golden Y on the 18th just one of two this year.
On the 21st a new for year record of 59 moths of 36 species taken to the garden Skinner. This record was soon the be beaten with 63 of 40 on the 23rd.
By the end of June the running totals were: 127 macros (Brindled pug being the 100th macro for the year) and 75 micros made up from 1558 moths.
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| Green silver lines |
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| Wormwood pug |
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| Pine hawkmoth |
Selected first and last dates for June
Large nutmeg: 03.vi.16 - 15.vi.16
Straw dot, 1st gen: 07.vi.16 - 25.vi.16
Common wainscot: 13.vi.16 - 21.ix.16 (252 in total)
Brown rustic: 04.vi.16 - 09.vii.16.
Numbers from: Heart and Dart (67) Setaceous Hebrew Character (1060), Light emerald (77) Garden carpet (29) Treble brown spot (35) Straw dot (71 in 3 generations, finishing on 04.x.16)
Next installment, Just July to follow
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