After reading the species totals from Matthew and Raymond at their coastal locations, makes my list of 28sp seem quite poor in comparison, although for me it is better than the last few times I’ve trapped. Ran 2 125w MV traps, one of which was virtually empty! I still maintain my theory that the resident species have been hit very badly here at my site this year by the weather, I would have expected much more to have been trapped. Quite a few empty egg trays. No moths were in double figures, highest recorded were Pine carpet and Rush veneer (the only migrants in the traps) with 7 noted. November moth (3) and Feathered thorn (1) have only just started with me. Best moth recorded was the Epinotia maculana, only my second ever record. 2 Merveille du jour were nice too. Have had 3 Flounced chestnut so far this year, all have been very worn however.
I have continued to check the Ivy clump near my house for moths most nights, still finding things on it feeding on the female flowers but certainly nowhere near the numbers I was getting a few weeks back. Good numbers of Chestnut and Yellow-line quaker are present normally, with the odd sighting of things like Green-brindled crescent, L-Album wainscot and Red-line quaker.
Hopefully with some warm weather predicted for next week the season will carry on for a bit longer, be nice to find either Delicate or Clancy’s rustic in my traps (or both), both would be new for the site – depends whether any manage to bypass Matthew’s lights though!
Neil
Yellow-line quaker on female Ivy flowers.