I was away for most of May, but was home in Suffolk enough to know it was an unusually poor moth year (except for diamond-backs, which have enjoyed our broccoli). I was away again from mid June to mid July, staying in the Southern Alps. I took an MV and actinic with me and trapped most nights. One of the interesting things I noticed was that many of the common species – the things common all over Europe – were coming out at exactly the same time as they would have been at home. I was at an altitude of 1500m – some nights were quite cool (e.g. we had snow and frost on two nights, but moths were still flying). I have noticed before, in southern France, that several moth species are loyal to the same week of the year as here, irrespective of temperature. This may be due to the availability of foodplants for egg-laying. But I don’t really have an answer: is there a ‘normal’ flight-time all over Europe?
Which brings me back to Suffolk. I’ve trapped a couple of times over the last four nights and it’s clear that the season is back to ‘normal’ here. Nothing exceptional, though two new species for the garden list (blackneck and small rufous). And a good showing of maple prominent and a bad one for muslin footman (one of my signature species here near Halesworth). No migrants except a couple of Silver Y (I only caught one in the Alps, though this was more than made up for with other Plusias). And I think the migration season for many species (such as convolvulus and striped hawks) in southern Europe is late August – only a couple of weeks earlier than here. And moths do migrate over the Alps – I dug several dark sword-grass out of a glacier on the upper col of Mont Blanc.
There is a ‘bigger picture’ with moths in Europe. If I were a lot cleverer I might understand it all a bit better.
Tony H
