Twirler Moths And Kin

Hemel Hempstead Field Trip - 12/07/13Last night David and myself paid a visit to Roughdown Common in search of some more species to add to the site list, and to hopefully find the Pale Shining Brown. In short we didn't get the target species, but it was nothingto be disheartened by, as we were actually running out of pots and energyto keep up with the amount of moths (particularly micros of which there were some good species)The night was warm, still and cloudy and the absolute perfect night for mothingand easily the warmest night so far with a steady 20c as were turning up at 9pm.We managed to go all out and setup 4 traps running off the genny.Of all of the 4 traps, both the MV's did very well, but the 80w Actinic impressed with the amount of micros that were found in and around it, the Skinner trapwas literally covered with them.The sky did eventually clear but the temperature when we packed up at 2am was still a great 15c.The amount of Coronets was a shock with at least 15 recorded between all 4 traps. Other good moths included Bordered Pug, Pretty Chalk Carpet, Blackneck, Dark Umber and BrownScallop.The micros were even more of a surprise, with some still to check.Numbers below are approximate.159 species total(91 Macro - 68 Micro) 12/07/13 - Roughdown Common - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Trap run from 9.45pm until 2.00amMacro Moths1x Barred Yellow3x Beautiful Golden-Y2x Beautiful Hook-tip1x Blackneck3x Blue-bordered Carpet4x Bordered Pug2x Bright-line Brown-eye5x Brimstone Moth2x Broad-barred White1x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing2x Brown Rustic4x Brown Scallop1x Brown-line Bright-eye5x Buff Arches1x Buff Ermine1x Buff-tip1x Burnished Brass5x Clay2x Clouded Border2x Clouded Brindle20x Clouded Silver2x Clouded-bordered Brindle2x Common Carpet3x Common Emerald2x Common Footman2x Common Marbled Carpet1x Common Wainscot3x Common White Wave15x Coronet1x Currant Pug20x Dark Arches4x Dark Umber4x Dot Moth15x Double Square-spot2x Dusky Brocade6X Elephant Hawk-moth3x Fan-foot3x Fern1x Figure of Eighty8x Flame10x Flame Shoulder1x Garden Carpet8x Ghost Moth6x Green Pug1x Green Silver-lines3x Grey Dagger1x Haworth's Pug8x Heart & Club5x Heart & Dart2x Ingrailed Clay1x Iron Prominent4x July Highflyer2x Large Yellow Underwing2x Light Arches10x Light Emerald2x Lime-speck Pug1x Lobster Moth5x Maple Prominent10x Marbled Minor4x Miller12x Mottled Beauty1x Mottled Rustic1x Pale Mottled Willow3x Peach Blossom10x Peppered Moth2x Plain Golden-Y2x Poplar Grey3x Pretty Chalk Carpet10x Riband Wave4x Rustic2x Scarce Footman1x Shaded Broad-bar1x Shark2x Short-cloaked Moth3x Shoulder-striped Wainscot1x Single-dotted Wave2x Small Elephant Hawk-moth2x Small Emerald1x Small Fan-fooed Wave1x Small Rivulet1x Small Square-spot1x Small Yellow Wave5x Snout1x Spectacle5x Straw Dot8x Swallow-tailed Moth2x Tawny Marbled Minor5x Uncertain2x V-Pug2x Wormwood PugMicro Moths 1x Coleophora trifolii [NEW!]1x Caloptilia sp pos populetorum [NEW!]1x Monopis obviella [NEW!]1x Epinotia tedella [NEW!]1x Epinotia tenerana [NEW!]2x Eucosma conterminana [NEW!]1x Merrifieldia sp pos baliodactylus [NEW!]1x Teleoides vulgella [NEW!]2x Celypha striana2x Eupoecilia angustana20x Aleimma loeflingiana5x Archips podana2x Celypha lacunana1x Cochylis hybridella2x Crambus lathoniellus15x Pandemis cerasana2x Prays fraxinella2x Crambus perlella2x Eurrhypara hortulata2x Spilonota ocellana2x Aphomia sociella5x Lathronympha strigana2x Scoparia ambigualis3x Scoparia pyralella1x Agapeta hamana4x Agapeta zoegana2x Epiblema uddmanniana10x Eucosma cana3x Eucosma campoliliana10x Hedya pruniana2x Hedya nubiferana1x Agonopterix arenella1x Batia unitella2x Dipleurina lacustrata5x Metzneria metzneriella3x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana4x Ditula angustiorana10x Chrysoteuchia culmella40x Tortrix viridana3x Udea olivalis1x Udea prunalis1x Pterophorus pentadactyla5x Coleophora sp1x Emmelina monodactyla1x Aethes cnicana2x Cochylimorpha straminea1x Blastobasis laticolella1x Argyresthia goedartella1x Pseudoswammerdamia combinella1x Pleuroptya ruralis2x Endotricha flammealis2x Argyresthia spinosella1x Epiblema foenella2x Ephestia parasitella10x Epinotia brunnichana2x Epinotia abbreviana2x Epiblema trimaculana2x Aphelia paleana4x Ancylis achatana2x Yponomeuta evonymella5x Archips xylosteana3x Phycita roborella1x Catoptria falsella4x Cydia splendana1x Eudonia pallida1x Blastodacna hellerella1x Anthophila fabriciana2x Scythropia crataegella

Braughing Farmland - East Herts

Catch Report - 22/05/12 - Bayfordbury University GroundsAn excellent 41 species of moth I managed to record in 2 hours of trapping from 10pm til 12am at the University grounds inbetween adjacent woodland.The cream of the crop was a stunning Great Prominent, a first for me and one I was hoping to see at this site, having previously been recorded by Shaun Dowman at this site last year.It literally flew in as I was packing up! a stroke of luck I would say!Great to see more species on the wing, Broken-barred Carpet is always nice to get and a new micro was also added to my life list.The next few nights look just as balmy, the trap was out last night in the garden and yielded a good haul, more updates on that soon.Tonight I plan to camp out at a wood in Harlow with a few other guys to put some records on paper for a newly trapped woodland, so every record we get will be new.The weather continues to rise to 26c+ and dropping no less than 12c at night ,with the hottest day of the expected today.Catch Report - 22/05/12 - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap - Bayfordbury University GroundsMacro Moths1x Great Prominent [NEW!]1x Purple Bar [NFY]1x Least Black Arches [NFY]1x Broken-barred Carpet [NFY]1x Oak Hook-tip [NFY]1x Clouded Silver [NFY] 2x Chinese Character [NFY] 1x Purple Bar [NFY] 1x Silver-ground Carpet [NFY]1x Common Carpet4x Brimstone Moth42x Green Carpet6x Common Carpet11x Oak-tree Pug6x Brindled Pug1x Nut-tree Tussock4x Flame Shoulder3x Rustic Shoulder-knot1x Pale Tussock1x Scorched Carpet3x Red Twin-spot Carpet1x Red-green Carpet2x Waved Umber1x Shuttle-shaped Dart1x Common Pug1x Garden Carpet1x Scalloped Hazel15x Common Swift1x Grey Pine CarpetMicro Moths1x Tischeria ekebladella [NEW!] 2x Aethes smeathmanniana [NFY]3x Elachista argentella [NFY]7x Cochylis atricapitana [NFY]1x Caloptilia beulicola [NFY]1x Amblyptilia acanthadactyla [NFY]10x Crambus lathoniellus [NFY]4x Syndemis musculana [NFY]12x Celypha lacunana [NFY]1x Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella1x Agonopterix arenella1x Monopsis weaverella

A trip down to Dungeness in Kent on Saturday night proved to be the coolest conditions we have experienced for a while, with clear skies, bright moon and misty air coming from the sea. As you can imagine it wasn't great and the moths were few and far between, but I did manage a few new ones for me. Yellow Belle, Pale Grass Eggar, Antler Moth, Celypha cespitana, Aroga velocella and Cynaeda dentalis were all new for me. There are still some Bactra's to confirm and a few unidentified micros to sort out.All in all despite the catastrophic weather I was pleased to pick up some new ones.

A trip down to Dungeness in Kent on Saturday night proved to be the coolest conditions we have experienced for a while, with clear skies, bright moon and misty air coming from the sea. As you can imagine it wasn't great and the moths were few and far between, but I did manage a few new ones for me. Yellow Belle, Pale Grass Eggar, Antler Moth, Celypha cespitana, Aroga velocella and Cynaeda dentalis were all new for me. There are still some Bactra's to confirm and a few unidentified micros to sort out.All in all despite the catastrophic weather I was pleased to pick up some new ones.

Gladsaxe Municipality, Hovedstaden, Denmark

Gladsaxe Municipality, Hovedstaden, Denmark

17th July 2012: Gade Springs Watercress Beds, Hemel Hempstead, HertsI decided to take an hour long drive to these site right across to the est side of Hertfordshire. I was given permission to run traps from the mains electricity point to see what the catch would yield.A fellow Herts moth group member, Roger Prue decided to join me in our quest for some new records for this superb site that runs alongside the Grand Union Canal.3 Traps were set up and switched on at 9.30pm and run until 1am, a combination of 125w MV, 160w MBT and 22w/26w Compact fluorescent combo were used and spaced 50m apart from each other.The conditions were perfect and soon many moths were seen flying, some promptly netted before dusk. The list featured well over 100 species of moths in total and personal highlights for me were 2 new Macro Moth species, Wormwood Pug and Plain Golden-Y.Other good records included Barred Red, Platyptilia ochrodactyla and Recurvaria leucatella.Numbers weren't counted so just species are represented.Macro MothsWormwood Pug [NEW!]Plain Golden-Y [NEW!]Dotted Fan-foot Silver-YBarred RedMinor sp.Light ArchesHeart & ClubNut-tree TussockFan-footSmall EmeraldBurnished BrassDingy ShearsGarden CarpetV-PugJuly HighflyerCommon FootmanCommon RusticLesser Common Rustic (Gen det to be done)Double-striped PugMottled BeautyScarce FootmanLight EmeraldGreen PugBuff ErmineRiband WaveRed Twin-spot CarpetBrimstoneLarge Yellow UnderwingElephant Hawk-mothBright-line Brown-eyeWillow BeautyLesser Broad-bordered Yellow UnderwingCommon CarpetClouded SilverDot MothFlameHeart & DartFlame ShoulderDun-barMottled RusticShaded Broad-barDouble Square-spotBuff ArchesScorched CarpetRound-winged MuslinUncertainLeopard MothDouble LobedDark ArchesLesser Yellow UnderwingFernDrinkerCommon WaveCommon White WaveDingy FootmanDwarf Cream WaveCommon WainscotSmoky WainscotSmall Fan-footed WaveSnoutSingle-dotted WaveYellow ShellMicro MothsPlatyptilia ochrodactyla [NEW!]Pammene fasciana [NEW!]Argresthia sp.Phalonidia manniana Recurvaria leucatellaAethes rubiganaPhlyctaenia coronataElachista maculicerusellaBatia unitellaEucosma canaPhycitodes sp.Coleophora sp.Cnephasia sp. Dichrorampha sp.Brachmia blandella Dipleurina lacustrata Hedya salicellaMompha ochraellaCodling Moth Cydia pomonella Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustioranaBee Moth Aphomia sociellaAgapeta hamana Agriphila straminellaBryotropha terrellaCrambus pascuellaChrysoteuchia culmellaGreen Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana Small Magpie Eurrhypara hortulataMother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralisCelypha lacunanaAleimma loeflingianaYponomeuta sp.Phycita roborellaScoparia ambigualis Orthopygia glaucinalisWhite Plume Moth Pterophorus pentadactylaCyclamen Tortrix Clepsis spectranaGold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparanaBarred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasanaBramble Shoot Moth Epiblema uddmannianaBud Moth Spilonota ocellanaEudonia pallidaLobesia abscisanaScoparia subfusca

Knights in White Satin meet Small Ranunculus!Where are all the Heart & Darts and Large Yellow Underwings?A nice tidy catch last night and great to get some more records for the garden.I have decided to roll two garden catches into one as I have really been pushedfor time recently.Some great moths and a superb boost for the garden list.Highlights were of course a new moth for me, a Small Ranunculus which unfortunatelywas in such an awful state bless it, a stunningBroad-barred White, 3 glorious White Satin's, Nutmeg, Lychnis and Cabbage Moth.The micro Recurvaria leucatella was a great record as was a new garden record for Prays ruficeps, easily an overlooked moth having not long ago been seperated from fraxinella f.rusticaCatch Report - 29/07/13 & 30/07/13 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson trapMacro Moths1x Small Ranunculus [NEW!]7x Small Fan-footed Wave [NFG]1x Broad-barred White [NFG]3x White Satin [NFG]1x Smoky Wainscot [NFG]1x Clay [NFG]1x Peach Blossom [NFG]1x Scalloped Oak [NFG]1x Ruby Tiger [NFG]1x Cabbage Moth [NFG]1x Nutmeg [NFG]1x Slender Pug [NFG]1x Lychnis [NFG]3x Straw Underwing [NFY]1x Vapourer [NFY]1x Yellow-tail [NFY]1x Lesser Yellow Underwing [NFY]1x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing [NFY]12x Dun-bar1x Purple Thorn1x Herald1x Fern12x Peppered Moth1x July Highflyer6x Common Footman1x Short-cloaked Moth13x Riband Wave2x Swallow-tailed Moth5x Willow Beauty3x Snout26x Dot Moth6x Mottled Rustic22x Bright-line Brown-eye1x Buff-tip29x Dark Arches21x Uncertain23x Common Rustic5x V-pug4x Shuttle-shaped Dart9x Silver-Y3x Early Thorn1x Cloaked Minor1x Buff Arches2x Nut-tree Tussock3x Double Square-spot1x Rustic1x Single-dotted Wave1x Pale Prominent1x Clouded Border2x Heart & Dart1x Small Blood-vein1X Spectacle1x Poplar Hawk-moth1x Angle Shades1x Large Yellow Underwing1x Clouded Silver1x Grey Dagger1x Engrailed1x Mottled BeautyMicro Moths1x Recurvaria leucatella [NFG]1x Prays ruficeps [NFG]1x Tischeria ekebladella [NFG]1x Lozotaeniodes formosanus [NFG]1x Helcystogramma rufescens [NFG]17x Agriphila straminella [NFY]1x Acleris variegana [NFY]5x Agriphila tristella [NFY]1x Ditula angustiorana1x Carcina quercana1x Plutella xylostella2x Udea prunalis2x Chrysoteuchia culmella10x Endotricha flammealis2x Pleuroptya ruralis3x Eudonia mercurella1x Eurrhypara hortulata2x Zeiraphera isertana1x Celypha striana1x Blastobasis adustella2x Blastobasis laticolella1x Epiphyas postvittana1x Argyresthia spinosella1x Emmelina monodactyla1x Amblyptilia acanthadactyla2x Batia unitella1x Epiblema uddmanniana2x Dipleurina lacustrata1x Coleophora mayrella3x Phycita roborella2x Acleris hastiana2x Spilonota ocellana1x Epiblema cirsiana3x Trachycera advenella2x Clepsis consimilana1x Pterophorus pentadactyla4x Yponomeuta evonymella1x Pandemis heparana

Cradley, Malvern, Worcs. U.K. SO729470

Hexton Chalk Pit - Field Trip - 01/07/14Roger and myself ran 3 traps at Hexton Chalk Pit on Tuesday evening, with Steve turning up at dusk for some moral support and staying with us until midnight.The reserve is a lovely habitat with a multitude of wildflowers growing on the chalk grassland. There are patches of bare chalk, but there could be more, as Bramble is starting to take over certain areas of the chalk grassland.The day had been mild and breezy with a high of around 21 degrees, but by dusk the sky was still crystal clear and the breeze was on the cool side and coats were worn pretty much from the off in fact hats wouldn't have felt out of place! with a low of 8 degrees when I was on my way home at 3am we were totally blown away by what we did manage to catch...For starters I managed 3 new Macro moths for me, Grey Arches, Reddish Light Arches and Royal Mantle (previously seen in Slovenia for the first time).Even better were some of the Micro's that turned upFirstly we had two Agonopterix liturosa, which currently is quite scarce in Herts with a handful of records.Secondly we had I would say 20+ of the Pyralid, Paratalanta hyalinalis. I had two, but one escaped whilst photographing them, typically only a photo of a battered one. One is with Roger.No records since 1937, confirmed! And a very good moth indeed.Other notable species included Satyr Pug, Dark Umber, Shark and 5 Wood Carpets (Only having previously seen one before, to record 5 in a single trip is quite overwhelming).On the Pyralid front we got Paratalanta hyalinalis in great numbers, along with 5 Ebulea crocealis and 5 Sitochroa verticalis.To round this post off, the session was an incredible insight in to just how important this habitat is despite it's small size and relative remoteness.A micro-climate indeed... I shall be going back!Catch Report - 01/07/14 - Hexton Chalk Pit - Hexton - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Suitcase Trap.Numbers below are approximate87 Macros and 44 Micros ( 131 species)Macro Moths3x Barred Straw1x Beautiful Golden-Y20+ Blackneck5x Bordered Sallow7x Bright-line Brown-eye5x Brimstone Moth5x Brown Rustic2x Brown Scallop4x Brown-line Bright-eye4x Buff Arches1x Buff Ermine1x Buff-tip3x Burnished Brass2x Cinnabar5x Clay10+ Clouded Border2x Clouded Brindle10+ Clouded Silver5x Common Carpet6x Common Footman1x Common Rustic2x Common Wainscot1x Common Wave6x Common White Wave15+ Dark Arches1x Dark Umber1x Dot Moth10+ Double Square-spot1x Double-striped Pug2x Dun-bar1x Dusky Brocade4x Dwarf Cream Wave7x Elephant Hawk-moth2x Fan-foot25+ Fern3x Flame1x Flame Shoulder1x Freyer's Pug1x Garden Carpet2x Green Pug1x Grey Arches [NEW!]3x Haworth's Pug2x Heart & Club20+ Heart & Dart1x Iron Prominent2x July Highflyer5x Large Yellow Underwing1x Lesser Yellow Underwing10x Light Arches5x Light Emerald3x Marbled Minor1x Marbled White Spot10x Mottled Beauty5x Mottled Rustic2x Peach Blossom6x Peppered Moth5x Pretty Chalk Carpet3x Purple Bar2x Reddish Light Arches [NEW!]7x Riband Wave2x Royal Mantle [NEW!]1x Ruby Tiger2x Rustic1x Satyr Pug15x Scarce Footman2x Setaceous Hebrew Character5x Shaded Pug1x Shark8x Shears4x Short-cloaked Moth1x Shoulder-striped Wainscot4x Small Elephant Hawk-moth2x Small Emerald4x Small Fan-footed Wave1x Small Phoenix1x Small Waved Umber1x Small Yellow Wave8x Smoky Wainscot5x Snout2x Straw Dot3x Swallow-tailed Moth2x Tawny Marbled Minor2x Tawny-barred Angle1x Turnip Moth10x Uncertain3x Valerian Pug2x Willow Beauty5x Wood CarpetMicro Moths2x Agonopterix liturosa [NEW!] 1x Bryotropha senectella [NEW!]2x Epagoge grotiana1x Stenoptilia pterodactyla5x Ebulea crocealis1x Marasmarcha lunaedactyla4x Udea prunalis1x Udea olivalis1x Metzneria metzneriella5x Celypha lacunana1x Paraswammerdamia nebulella1x Elachista atricomella2x Archips xylosteana2x Archips podana2x Eurrhypara hortulata2x Cnephasia sp1x Phycitodes binaevella1x Eucosma hohenwartiana1x Eucosma cana1x Cacoecimorpha pronubana3x Pseudargyrotoza conwagana1x Hedya pruniana3x Hedya nubiferana1x Coleophora sp3x Marasmarcha lunaedactyla1x Merrifieldia baliodactylus-leucodactyla?20+ Paratalanta hyalinalis5x Scoparia ambigualis1x Tinea semifulvella3x Acleris forsskaleana1x Dipleurina lacustrata 2x Ephestia parasitella1x Blastobasis lacticolella2x Ancylis achatana5x Sitochroa verticalis1x Phycita roborella1x Epiblema uddmanniana1x Epiblema trimaculana1x Agapeta hamana1x Agapeta zoegana5x Eudonia mercurella4x Chrysoteuchia culmella2x Pandemis cerasana2x Pandemis heparana

Pig Lane, Bishop's Stortford

That's the way mothing goes...I will stay brief (well as brief as the catch was last night) with just 3 moths last night to my trap in not exactly unfavorably cloudy conditions, albeit a little wet at times.I did manage to get the Elachista photographed and identified, it being an Elachista apicipunctella, a new one for the garden.Macro Moths1x Common Quaker1x Hebrew CharacterMicro Moths 1x Epiphyas postvittana

Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia

Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia

Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia

Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia

Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia

Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia

Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark

Gladsaxe Municipality, Hovedstaden, Denmark