I’ve had a look at my records for the last 4 springs to show my results to compare to Raymond’s. I’ve only looked at the commonest 2 Orthosias (don’t have time to look at them all).
Figures in brackets are the maximum single night count recorded in the season.
2010 2011 2012 2013
305 (72) 388 (103) 254 (102) 112 (32) Common quaker
731 (197) 781 (298) 953 (365) 144 (82) Small quaker
I think this does show that certainly here at IGC, the spring we have just had was a pretty bad one for these 2 moths. Strangely, last year wasn’t that great for Common quaker but Small quaker had its best ever year! I did trap less this spring but I don’t think this would have made a lot of difference as the moths were not there to catch even on the good nights. This spring was also the first one where I didn’t catch either species in March, but that is not really that surprising considering how cold it was.
Its still a bit too early to say on numbers of larvae this year of these two moths as they are only just getting going at present. Recent recording using beating trays has revealed small numbers of both the quakers (but plenty of Winter moth), but they are still very small, again due to the late spring.
Neil
Good comparison, Neil. Shows the dramatic flux for the Small Quaker. I suspect the Common Quaker numbers then reflect the other common Orthosias. All weather impacts?