For me the first moth of the New Year 2020 was a plume. Amblyptilia acanthadactyla was sitting on the conservatory wall this morning (1st). Probably off the geraniums outside on the patio which have not succumbed to the frost yet as it has been so mild. I have been browsing through the distribution maps on the new Suffolk Moths site. With the records now completed up to 2018, it’s interesting to see that some of the species we consider common up here in the top NE corner of Suffolk are scarcely recorded over the rest of Suffolk. Best example is probably Common Marbled Carpet with a concentration of dots and many records in the NE but very few elsewhere. A few others similarly recorded are Grey Shoulder-knot, Blair’s Shoulder-knot, Figure of Eighty, Yellow Horned, Crescent, Freyer’s Pug and Least Yellow Underwing. There are some that are the reverse of this with Nut-tree Tussock and Great Prominent never seen in the far NE of the county.
Also we can now see from the maps a pattern of how some of the new invaders such as Olive Crescent are gradually moving up through the county.
Many thanks to all involved with bringing things up-to-date and best wishes for the New Year which I’m sure will produce some good moths and a few surprises.
Brian
Hello Brian
Just seen my first moth of 2020 and it to was a plume … but just of the Common variety (monodactyla) by the toilet block lights at Bawdsey Picnic Site this morning.
Have also been looking at the new website with interest. Others may wish to comment here but I suspect there are a fair few dots still to appear on some maps as Common Marbled Carpet is not a stranger here in Woolpit either but no white square for me yet.
A belated Happy New Year to all.
Paul