Moth mayhem with a new County record.

Another moth update is needed following the brilliant weather we have experienced this week, culminating in me heading off to woods last night, with the temperature sitting at 26C at 10pm!
Sunday night I ran the portable 15W Heath trap along an overgrown footpath, near bee hives and damp land at Pig's Green TL420217.
I returned around 11pm to find a trap over running with moths. I listed and potted as much as possible, probably managing to record 80% of what was present. 41 species were noted including several new for year:
Eudonia lacustrata
Lobesia abscisana
Spruce carpet.
Cnephasia asseclana
However, I spent much too much time on one large micro. It showed signs of being Tineidae but couldn't place it  to species. A phone photo through my magnifier was sent to Graeme who requested the voucher. Upon dissection it turned out to be what he suggested Niditinea striotella, a new moth for Hertfordshire, so most gratifying. Thanks to GJS for his help in sorting it out.

Phone photo of Niditinea striotella, new for the county

At home, the garden Skinner gave up a record 118 of 64 species including new for year:
Heart and Club
Small blood vein
Yponomeuta evonymella
Lozotaeniodes formosana
Eucosma obumbratana
Cnephasia genitalana
Cloaked minor.

Having identified, recorded all of these I just ran the garden trap on the Monday night.  adding:
Ancylis achatana
Willow Beauty
Rustic
all as new for years.
However, 2 micros, one large and easily identifiable (Ostrinia nubilalis) was a new for parish records and so was a Piniphila bifasciana
A good night!

Piniphila bifasciana

Tuesday night and I set the trap, just for an hour or so in an unmanaged, rough, deciduous woodland. I returned at 11 in shorts and flipflops to note a large amount of nettles, so a quick change before emptying the trap. New for the year list were:
Dingy footman
Crassa unitella
Swallowtail
Clay
Acrobasis consociella

Moths continued at home that night with new for 2017 being:
Acleris forsskaleana
Large twin spot carpet
Hyposopygia glaucinalis
Short cloaked moth

However, 2 macros stood out that I potted, knowing I was not familiar with them but thought I recognised:
Tawny barred angle and Maple prominent, both new for parish records. This was now becoming seriously good!

A flapping Maple prominent just before take off

Tawny barred angle: 2nd  New for parish records of the night.

Wednesday night was forecast to be the hottest and, with things going my way big time, thought it would be a shame to miss out. Consequently, I carted the whole kit: trap, battery, seat, sheet, pots, books and beer a mile into Stocking Wood whilst leaving the Skinner trap on at home. I sat and recovered with a beer following the long wander with the gear and by 10.15 moths were slowly arriving. A few walks with headtorch and net gave up very little, so I settled down near the sheet to list and pot everything that came along.
By 12.30pm I had a box of potted moths for home identification as well as a good list, so packed up, finished the beer and headed home. Upon arriving at home I noted the garden trap was swarming with moths, but nothing too unusual, so I set about identifying everything I had potted. By 3 I was left with 7 unidentified and a list of 170+ of over 60 species. In this impressive collection were:
Small emerald
Lilac beauty
Poplar grey
Blastodacna hellerella
Epinotia tenerana
Hedya salicella
Acleris rhombana
Brachia blandella
Scythropia crataegella New for Parish records
Mompha ochraceela

By the time I came out of the moth shed I was too tired to deal with all the micros flitting around the Skinner, so returned this morning. Obviously by then, many would have disappeared at first light, but still enough to keep my interest with over 40 species recorded, but nothing for the record book.

Drinker moth

Lilac beauty

Lilac beauty

Large twin spot carpet

Presumed engrailed, a light or worn form

All this activity has added over 600 moths to the year list in 4 nights, with records now standing at 3167 moths of 177 macro species and 117 micro species. In total, 2017 has seen the addition of 20 species to my parish list, which now stands at 682. Pretty neat total, I reckon for a small parish in East Hertfordshire. Like to think I can pass 700 species this year.