Suffolk Moths Blog

Sadly the cooler conditions forecast did arrive yesterday, a shame as it has been a pretty good autumn so far. Hopefully it isn’t the end and some better trapping conditions will return later on in the week.
I’ve been trapping quite intensively recently trying to take advantage of the warmer nights while they lasted, mostly in the garden but occasionally up in the woods on the course when I’ve had a chance. This has resulted in some interesting captures. I noticed that one of my bulbs on a MV trap appeared to be duller than on my other MV so I changed it for a new one which was much brighter, this maybe also increasing the catch. The old bulb was the original I got with the trap and must be at least 8 years old. Do they lose brightness over time, I wonder?
Best moths seen were Four-spotted footman on the 3rd October (a female, my first of that sex and my second of the species for the year, is it about to become resident in the area?) and Pearly underwing (a very worn one) on the 2nd, only the second site record.
First for years included Black rustic, which has gone from zero seen to becoming quite numerous, where have they been? Large wainscot (a few), Acleris sparsana, Red-line quaker (1st Oct), Merveille Du Jour (2 on the 2nd Oct), Feathered thorn (2nd Oct), Deep-brown dart (also 2nd Oct), Beaded chestnut (just the one so far on the 3rd). Still a few regulars not recorded yet like Yellow-line quaker.
Unexpected second brood moths have continued to appear, with more Rosy footman, plus Yellow-tail, Buff footman, Riband wave, Small fan-footed wave, Mottled rustic and Beautiful hook-tip.
Still getting a few Flounced rustic, some of these being noticeably small individuals. Pine and Grey pine carpets have been numerous with some interesting colour forms of the latter seen. The Sallow is now regular with a good number of 4 trapped on the 2nd, all different forms.
A Western Conifer Seed Bug was found on the wall of the house close to where the trap was run on the 2nd, only the second site record here and the first live one. The first record a few years ago was of one I found squashed between a window and the frame, must have been hiding there when I shut it.
I also went out one evening down the lane from the house where I knew there were some patches of flowering Ivy. This was surprisingly unproductive with not many moths found, commonest species being Snout with around 20 seen, a reflection on the edge of field habitat I was walking through. Only 6 species were located, with the best moths found singles of Pale pinion and Agonopterix propinquella. On returning back down the lane, I disturbed 2 Badgers on the gravel drive of a house not too far from where I live. Not the best of views when I put the torch on them, just 2 grey hairy backsides shooting off rapidly up the track!

Neil

Four-spotted footman female

Western Conifer Seed Bug

Arrived home yesterday from France, where I did some MV trapping. I’ve not tried before at this time of year, so didn’t know what to expect. The couple of sites I worked on the north coast, in Picardy and Normandy, produced very little I wouldn’t have caught in my own garden. No migrants at all. Central France (The Brenne, south of the Loire) produced some nice things, including several convolvulus hawks and a delicate, but no other migrants. Finally, in the big Rambuille oakwoods near Paris, there was surprisingly little. Again, a few common species in low numbers (large wainscot, pine carpet, sallow, brindled green, merveille du jour, square-spot rustic etc). No migrants again. The only species to reach double figures (with about 50 a night, no matter how cool the evenings) was oak lutestring. The compensation for five nights of trapping was four very beautiful clifden nonpareils (which are not migratory in this part of their range).

The complete absence of migrants in the four sites I sampled in northern France was a surprise. Over the three weeks I was there I only saw two clouded yellows (and they were south of the Loire). So do migrant moths overfly the rest of Europe on their way to Bawdsey, or was it a bad September everywhere (except Bawdsey)?

Tony H.

I ended a fantastic months trapping with both Red and Yellow-line Quakers, Chestnut and Satellite all noted in the past few nights. Things are running late though, this was the first September that I have not recorded Merveille du Jour. Also no Blair’s Shoulder-knot or Feathered Thorn for me yet.

After a small run of Vestals in the past few weeks, a pulse of Delicates is now coming through with two noted at Bawdsey Hall on 30 September (along with a Convolvulus Hawk and two Pearlies).

The night of 30 September only produced 56 species at the Hall, so numbers are dropping now. Having said that I’m still catching Single-dotted Wave and second broods including Swallow-tailed Moth looking rather incongruous in the trap.

I had a quick look at the Ivy at Blakenham on my way home from work last night. There were good numbers of Barred Sallow with a few Sallow and Pink-barred but no Pale-lemon on this occasion. Also noted were Setaceous, Brindled Green, pronuba, comes, Angle Shades, Herald, Brick, Beaded Chestnut, monodactyla, Chestnut and a Tawny Pinion.

Finally took my first Four-spotted Footman! Not at home though but at the Hollesley Marshes site. I’ve been running this site solo this year and owing to poor access, especially as the summer wore on, have only been running a single MV trap. I have however confirmed some of the more interesting species for the site such as the Double Dart, White-mantled Wainscot, Carpatolechia notatella and Cosmopterix lienigiella. Access should be on the improve now. However back to the migrants. My MV trap there caught just 41 species last night but included further migrant species, that in addition to the fore mentioned were, Pearly Underwing, Dark Sword-grass, Duponchelia fovealis, Cydia amplana and Plutella xylostella. My traps at home then added the Delicate, Rush Veneer, Palpita vitrealis and Ostrinia nubilalis. On the non Lepidoptera, both sites recorded the Great Silver Water Beetle (Hydrophilus piceus) and also at the Marshes a Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) that I have picked up elsewhere recently. Both these species are considered as migrants here in present conditions. A very satisfying selection for one nights catch!

Went out for an hour tonight to check one of the Stutton ivy stretches and managed to find Black Rustic, Orange Sallow and Deep-brown Dart among 15 species. This takes the season’s list to 51 since we started checking on the 20th August, just two shy of last year’s total. There are enough species left that we have yet to locate which should take us to 60 species at least. Commonest moth tonight was Lunar Underwing.

I joined Matthew, John and Jenny at this site last night for a few hours to try and see if any migrants were about. As the site has abundant bramble clumps too we had the opportunity to check those for feeding moths. With 7 traps deployed (2 actinic) we waited a bit after dusk before checking the blackberries. First moth found was a Flounced chestnut, a very good start. Other moths of note seen feeding included Hedge rustic, Brick, Herald, Autumnal rustic and Satellite (first for this season for us). Commonest species by far recorded by this method was L-Album wainscot.
Checking the traps revealed that some seemed pretty quiet whilst others had more in them. Species of interest recorded included Sallow, Dusky thorn, Black rustic, Deep-brown dart, Red-green carpet, Kent black arches, Frosted orange, Acleris rhombana and the first Yellow-line quaker for the year for us. I packed my traps away and left around 11pm, with the others continuing to record for most of the night. I understand around 20 more species were added to the list with the best moth caught a Delicate.

A check of the trap at home didn’t reveal anything too exciting caught but nice to get Pink-barred sallow, Barred sallow and the first Acleris sparsana for the year. Only 19sp trapped.

Neil

I took my first Black Rustic’s (Aporophyla nigra) here in Woolpit in Sept 2006 – a little later than some but, at the time, a species I knew I would pick up soon enough as it was spreading in Suffolk. Records since then have been patchy, and it remains an irregular visitor to the trap, so I was particularly pleased to take two on Thursday night and another last night. These, and singles of Feathered Thorn and Green-brindled Crescent have been the highlights so far here in the west of the county.

Amazed to find a fresh Blotched emerald in the trap this morning. Another example of an unusual second emergence moth.

Neil