28th May I placed the trap on rough ground near a wheatfield margin along Millfield Lane off the A120. I had trapped here on 3 previous occasions and scored with 1 moth, a winter moth but Sunday night looked promising and an opportunity to raise the average moth per visit count.
I left the trap in long grass near elder trees and plenty of grass and nettles and returned at 11.15. The sheet was swarming with Common swift! In total 90 were counted but the actual number was far higher as I counted 78 in the trap alone.
New for year was Plutella xylostella (diamond back moth) with 8 species in total. Not great, but a start and an encouragement to run the trap again here, in June.
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| Plutella xylostella |
On the 30th I placed the trap in Alder Wood, a mixed woodland, predominantly beech and conifer but with alders bordering the adjacent golf course. A sandy carpet was netted as I walked to the site.
Returning at 11.30, a good haul was taken including new for years:
small waved umber
mottled beauty
Scoparia ambigualis
Notocelia trimaculana
bryotropha sennectella
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| Notocelia trimaculana |
Back home, a clouded brindle, foxglove pug, Scoparia subfusca, parapoynx stratiotata were NFY whilst Vitula biviella was new for my parish records on the 28th
The following day, Lime speck pug, Pale oak beauty, Rufous minor, Morophaga chorogella, Celypha striana, Sloe pug and Flame were all new for the year and this was followed up last night with a Shears and Vine's rustic.
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| Lime speck pug |
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| Shears |
This takes the running totals to 1523 moths, made up of 115 macro species and 47 micro species.. A couple more nights trapping locally before a break.
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| Ghost moth |
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| Pale oak beauty |
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| Foxglove pug |
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