Ups and Downs

Over the past couple of weeks my garden trap has been a bit average, despite the warm nights. Total moth numbers generally low, though with good range of species (so I’m not complaining!). Some obvious ups and downs – rustic has been commoner this year than uncertain, and I’ve seen as many southern wainscots as common wainscots. A good year for maple prominent, but a bad one for lesser swallow prominent.

Apart from a few silver y and a dark sword-grass the migrants have been thin on the ground. Last night was better, with a few white-point, silver y and my first ever tree-lichen beauty. Having read other blogs it had seemed I was the only person not catching this rather pretty little creature. Also, my first pine hawk for the year (I usually only ever see two or three a year, usually in late June/early July, so I wonder if this too was a migrant.)

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4 Responses to Ups and Downs

  1. Raymond Watson says:

    Interesting note on the Wainscots as I have only had one Common and one Southern this year but lots of Smoky. I also feel it not appropriate these days to consider the Tree Lichen Beauty as a migrant for Suffolk as I see many do. It is quite definitely well established and quite common in the Sandlings area and spreading.

  2. Neil says:

    My comment is on the prominents – I’ve had no Maple this year (I normally have a few) but Lesser swallow has been around in good numbers both broods. I am on classic habitat for that species however!
    On the wainscots, Smoky has picked up a bit this year after a few dismal seasons, still not seeing many Common. Southern numbers holding up especially when I trap anywhere in the wetlands on the site.
    Be interesting to note what others have found on these species.

    Neil

  3. tonyhopkins says:

    It’s always fascinating to hear about common things that aren’t, or vice versa. I quite agree with Raymond that the tree lichen beauty must be resident in the SE of the county. But here in the north I don’t know. Migrant or expanding newcomer? Either way, it’s a very pretty little moth.

    I’ve gone through a few summers inspecting the dozens of smoky wainscot’s in my garden trap and wondering if there was something wrong with my identification skills. Why so few commons? I’ve realised that, here at least, common wainscot is not common at all. This year I’ve only seen two, whereas I’ve seen several southerns over the past couple of weeks.

    It would be really interesting to hear from other people. Surely common wainscots must be commoner than smokies somewhere in Suffolk?

  4. keith says:

    Lots of Smoky Wainscots up here, Commons, quite common and on the rise after a crash a few years ago prior to which they were around equal numbers with Smoky. Southern numbers down considerably and scarce almost absent from prime habitat at several localities, and doing ok at some other places such as at home.

    Tree-lichen Beauty has turned up at several new sites countrywide with a pattern hinting at migration. Also it wasn’t found at Ashby Warren where we have been doing very well with other migrant/local, lichen species such as Footman. The species is sure to be county wide at some point.

    Still waiting for my first Dark sword-grass of the year!

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