Suffolk Moths Blog

21 species on the 22nd Beaded Chestnut always the most common moth still. 18 Angle Shades my highest ever number. 6 Silver Y, 1 Dark Sword-grass, Rosy Rustic. On the 23rd pleased with 31 species including new for year; Brick, Feathered Thorn and A. rhombana. 4 large Wainscot, the highest count of the year! Shuttle-shaped dart Vines Rustic, Cabbage Meurville du Jour, Barred Sallow in the mix. A bit disappointing on the migrant front with three Rush Veneer being the pick.

Couldn’t resist another look at the same ivy patch tonight. Mild again and no dankness in the air. Two large clumps produced 22 moths of eight species – Angle Shades (4), Yellow-line Quaker (6), Chestnut (6), Satellite (1), L-album Wainscot (2) and Brick (1). New for the ivy was a Dark Chestnut. A geometrid that I thought was a Pine Carpet (which would have been new) evaded me and I also missed out on potting a noctuid with a black band on the abdomen. Is it only White Point and Clay that show this anyone?

Despite the heavy mist last night, the temperature was positively balmy just before nine. My three sites from earlier in the month were all moth-less as the flowers were over, but the north-facing area I had lined up back then was bursting with life, albeit in smaller numbers. Angles Shades (5), Chestnut and Yellow-lined Quaker (3 each), a beautifully fresh Satellite and what I suspect was a Common Marbled Carpet, but it evaded capture. The Satellite and quaker took my Stutton Ivy total to 22 species in just three visits.

Can I propose a friendly competition next year? Surely it can only be called The Ivy League. Simple rules – most species seen on ivy between two dates at a specific location or within a mile radius. Lets knock Yale and Harvard down a peg or two!

Ran a trap in the garden and one at the work-sheds woodland area. Very low numbers of moths in both traps again with many empty egg trays. 11sp in the garden, 12sp at the work-sheds. Most moths recorded as singles in the garden trap, a few more moths in the other trap. 2 migrants caught, both in the garden – single Silver Y and Plutella xylostella. Other moths of minor interest were Flounced chestnut, Mottled umber (first for the autumn), Streak (this normally common moth here has been in very low numbers) and Red-green carpet (5 at the sheds, 1 in the garden). Commonest moth Large yellow underwing with 7 recorded. Running a trap again tonight, be interesting to see if there is any improvement.

Neil

Total species down around the 30 mark but a few of interest. A late Plutella porrectella on 21st. Still getting an occasional Common Marbled Carpet. Not so may micro’s after the rain. On the 22nd I added a Pale Pinion to my site list along with a Brindled Green which doesn’t seem so common here as reported elsewhere in Suffolk. Another Scarce Bordered Straw too. And it has made it! Beaded Chestnut has defeated Large Yellow Underwing for the top spot in abundance!

A couple of dozen angle-shades last night, which was a sudden influx. May have been migrants? Two rush veneers certainly were. I released them by launching them to fly into a hedge, but instead of doing this they both spiralled up into the sky (into the mist), until they disappeared at tree-top height, but still rising. One again I’m left wondering about migration altitude.

I seem to remember Matthew wondering why he didn’t get too many vestals, considering his coastal situation compared with traps run inland. I’m 10 miles from the coast, and get a diluted selection of migrants. This year I’ve caught 4 vestals (two in Aug, 1 in Sept and 1in Oct), but not many other migrants. I wonder if, as has been proved recently for the painted lady, vestals migrate at a greater altitude and don’t descend to garden/field height until they are inland. It would be interesting to compare and contrast.

Planning to trap every night while the great conditions last. Started last night putting out the traps at 10pm when the rain had finally finished. Glad I did too with a Pearly underwing in excellent condition, a Gem (male) the highlight, two Rush Veneer and a Diamond-back the migrants. First record this year for Red-green Carpet and several November moth. 27 species. Large numbers of midges in the traps noted.

Haven’t had the trap out for a while, but I had to do so last night to gather some specimens for an event today. Fortunately, i was able to put it under the veranda of the summerhouse to avoid the rain (not sure why I haven’t thought of this before). 13 species was a good return for here. Twelve were macros and all of these were singles, the other three moths were postvittana, which I only seem to get in ‘numbers’ at this time of year. Always a pleasure to have a Merveile du Jour, but scarcest moth for here was the Satellite, this one with an orange reniform stigmata.

Pretty rubbish here in Ipswich last night, only 12sp in the trap run in the garden, with the best moth my first Large ranunculus of the year.

Neil