Garden Moths - an update

I had the moth trap out again on Saturday night. When I checked it this morning (Sunday) I had 1 moth and a caddisfly!!

The only moth, however, was a new one for me and for the garden, a Brindled Pug (see here).Thanks Ispot!

Brindled Pug

Caddisfly sp

 

Other moths that have been in the trap since my last posting are: Early Thorn (4th April), Beautiful Plume (5th April) and Early Grey (18th April).

Early Thorn

Plume moth (Beautiful)

Early Grey

Moth List update:

7 - Early Thorn
8 - Beautiful Plume
9 - Early Grey
10 - Brindled Pug

Two new moths

I had the moth trap out again at the weekend, and managed to catch and identify 2 new species.

The first new moth was a lovely one appropriately named a Pine Beauty (see here for details).

Pine Beauty

 

As you can see from the above photo, it really is a good looking moth! According to the books, this species is usually found in coniferous woodlands, with the young feeding of Scots Pine. As far as I know there aren't any pines around here, but there could possibly be some on the nearby golf course. Who knows??

 

The second new species of the night, a Small Quaker, was not quite so attractive, but nevertheless, another nice addition to the "Garden List".

Small Quaker.

 

Again, according to the literature, this moth is a common species, which is readily attracted to light, so I think I can expect quite a few over the next few months. See here for more pictures and details.

Moth List update:

5 - Pine Beauty
6 - Small Quaker

Another new moth

I had the moth trap on last night (all night), and caught an amazing 2 moths of the same species! Thankfully it was a new species for me and for the garden -  Common Quaker.

In the egg boxes

Actual size

These two photos show the same individual. The first was taken whilst the moth was still in the egg box which is placed in the moth trap. The second was taken on the kitchen table. Amazing how the colour changes. As the name suggests, this species is common across the country, so I should get used to seeing them over the next couple of months.

Thanks to the users of Ispot for help with the id again. (www.ispot.org.uk ) . More information about this species can be found here.

The moth List goes up to 4 species:

4- Common Quaker

New garden moth, first butterflies of 2014 and Year List update

With temperatures rising (19 degrees today!) I decided to put my moth trap out last night, for the first time in 2014. It was on all night (7pm to 5am), and only caught 2 moths of the same species, but, at least it was a new species- Hebrew Character.

Hebrew Character

 

2 Hebrew Characters

 

This species is a common moth, which flies between March and April, so hopefully I should see a few more over the coming months. More details here. Many thanks to the people on Ispot, who identified it for me.

 

When the sun came out today I managed to see my first butterflies of the year as well. First up was a Small Tortoiseshell basking on the side of the house. The next two species; Peacock and Comma, were both seen as I walked around Yorkshire Sculpture Park this afternoon. Click here to find out more information about these species.  Last up, 1 new bird for the year was a singing Chiffchaff in the afternoon sunshine.

Year List update:

113 - Chiffchaff

Moth List update:
3 - Hebrew Character

 

First moths of 2014

I haven't put the moth trap out this year yet, as the weather just hasn't been dry and warm enough, so I was really pleased to spot a moth on the outside of kitchen window on Monday 16th. I took it into the house, and, after a few "tweets", I managed to identify it as an Early Moth - my first record of this species.

Early Moth

As the name suggests, this moth is found in January and February, and is, according to the UK Moths website, a relatively common species across England. Apparently the spots on the wings (seen faintly in this photo) are diagnostic for this species.

Hot on the heels of my first moth came another one today, that I could identify myself. This one was the Twenty-plume Moth, a species I first identified last November (see here). This species is also common, and feeds on Honeysuckle, a plant we have in the back garden, so I'm expecting to see quite a few this year!

Moth List 2014:
1) Early Moth
2) Twenty Plume Moth