After the freezing cold conditions last week, the weather has turned right on it’s head this week to mild. Wasn’t really tempted at the start to trap as I’d already recorded all the expected late season species for the year here. I then saw that there were 13 Mottled umber and a few Winter moth around the security lights at work yesterday and that tempted me to put a trap on in the woods last night.
Pleased and surprised to find the trap covered in moths this morning! Large number of Mottled umber on, in and around the trap, final total 112 individuals! This is easily my best ever total for that species here, previous highest 57 on 13th January 2011. 9 Winter moth, 5 Chestnut and a Ypsolopha ustella also noted. No December moth strangely, maybe over here.
A good range of colour forms of Mottled umber present, most dominant an orange-brown colour, with some nice light sandy ones with dark bands the next most common. One with very deformed wings also made it in, no way it flew must have crawled.
All helps having an area of woodland to trap in this time of year, pretty sure I would have seen a lot less in a garden trap if I had run one on the edge of the site.
Season’s greetings to all!
Neil
All I managed last night was a Yellow-line Quaker and a postvittana
Yes it was a surprise. The forecast earlier in the month did not predict it getting milder. I thought December Moth was over too but then I got one last night. Nothing like the number you have Neil but a high diversity. Pleased to get a Dark Swordgrass too on 21st as I think they overwinter here. 11 species over 3 days and two water beetles, Dytiscus marginalis and Colymbetes fuscus plus the regular Limnephilus lunatus caddis that prevail in winter.