Garden Moths 2020 - First Results

It's been nearly a month since I last posted anything here, so apologies for that. As you can imagine, I haven't been down to Linacre since the "lockdown" began, but that doesn't mean I haven't been enjoying everything nature has on offer from my house, garden and surrounding area.

One thing I have been doing, is getting my moth trap out, and seeing what's around in the garden. So far the answer is.... not much!! I have, however, had 3 sessions with the trap and have recorded 7 species of moth. The most numerous so far is Common Quaker, with 7 individuals caught, followed by Small Quaker (5) and 5 other species; 20-Plume Moth, Purple Thorn, White-shouldered House Moth, Double-striped Pug and Pine Beauty ( all with just 1 individual each).

Common Quaker

Small Quaker

Pine Beauty

I'll keep going with the trap over the next few months, and hopefully, the number of species will begin to pick up! In the mean time, If you click of the label Garden Moths, you'll be able to see some pictures from a few years back.

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