September 2021

Surprisingly the first time out on the 3rd brought another increase in numbers up to 47 and with warmer weather forecasted maybe the best night is yet to come. New were Sallow and Poplar Hawk-moth.

Poplar Hawk-moth

Sallow

Added on 6th were Common Wainscot and Setaceous Hebrew Character.

10th brought Dusky Thorn, Vine’s Rustic and Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing.

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  Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

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  Vine’s Rustic

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  Dusky Thorn

Recent weeks I have seen good numbers of small orange moths around the village in the canopy of trees. Finally on the 11th I managed to get one settled and confirmed as male The Vapourer.

I had previously had the caterpillar at Tophill Low NR in 2013 but this was the first time I’d photographed the moth.

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  Male The Vapourer at Millbeck Wildlife Area

Then on the 12th added it to my garden list as well as new for the year Angle Shades and Eudonia angustea.

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  Angle Shades

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  Male The Vapourer

After numbers staying high first half of September on the 16th they fell to 15 of 6 species.

On the 18th numbers were back up to 25 of 12 species with new for me Brindled Green.

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  Brindled Green

On the 21st number dropped to only 12 of 6 species but added Lunar Underwing.

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  Lunar Underwing

On the 24th numbers increased to 26 of 9 species including new for year Red-green Carpet and Beaded Chestnut.

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  Red-green Carpet

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  Beaded Chestnut

The 26th threatened to be the last warm night of 2021 but although the rain held off it was very windy and numbers dropped to 7 of 5 species [Garden Rose Tortrix, Vine’s Rustic, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Shuttle-shaped Dart and Light Brown Apple Moth].

Finally on the 30th had the same numbers but included first for year Blair’s Shoulder-knot.

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  Blair’s Shoulder-knot

November 2015

On the 1st found a Feathered Thorn on South Street. My 4th record.

Feathered Thorn

This was my last new moth for the year. However the continuing warmer weather brought several latest records:-

Blair’s Shoulder-knot trapped on the 8th

Blair’s Shoulder-knot

Light Brown Apple Moth on South Street on the 9th.

Red-green Carpet and Silver Y trapped on the 16th.

Red-green Carpet

Silver Y

Acleris  sparsana on South Street on the 18th.

Common Plume on South Street on 19th stayed until the 28th [when I poked it to check it was alive].

December

A November moth agg on South Street on the 3th was my latest moth [so far?] ever.

The night of the 19th was likely the warmest December night on record locally but trap was empty.

However had a Beautiful Plume on South on the 29th which made me regret not having a go over the Christmas break. Had this moth overwintering at home before.

October 2015

October

October started as September ended with very low counts however my first trapping on the 5th produced only my second November Moth agg with another on the 27th.

November moth agg.

Also the first Red-green Carpet for the year.

Red-green Carpet

The 7th brought this year’s first Blair’s Shoulder-knot.

Blair’s Shoulder-knot

A Red-line Quaker found in the house on the 8th was only my 3rd records, the other two records the same time last year.

Red-line Quaker

A return to clearer thus colder nights on the 9th lend to even smaller counts but surprisingly brought my first Angle Shades trapped this year following an early one on Canada Drive in March.

Angle Shades

A return to milder weather late in the month brought my best haul since September on the 21th. This included my 2nd Barred Sallow, the 1st in October 2011.

Barred Sallow

Also my 3rd Beaded Chestnut.

Beaded Chestnut

The 25th brought my 1st Grey Shoulder-knot.

Grey Shoulder-knot

On the 29th I had the first and second Juniper Carpet for the year on South Street and Travis Road with a third trapped on the 31th.

Early October 2013

Unfortunately due to being too busy during the summer I’ve just never managed to get going with this blog. Instead I have gone back to doing what I was doing last year and publishing my moth trapping highlights on my Hull Valley Blog. However it’s a wet miserable Saturday following on from an period at the start of October of good trapping so I thought I’d revive my moth blog, likely for the last time this year [unless we get another warm period in the next for weeks?]. After a cold period in the latter part of September we had a mild beginning to October, coinciding with the start of my holiday so being able to trap daily, which brought an increase in moths numbers as well as a few interesting new moths for the year. In fact I only got two lifers, Beaded Chestnut and Spruce Carpet, and none of the interesting species seen in other parts of the country but it was still a good end to what is likely my last trapping of the years.

3/10 Overnight on Thursday brought the first two Red-green Carpets of the year although I’d seen a few roosting around Cottingham in recent days.

Red-green Carpet

Also

Light Brown Apple Moth x 4

Ypsolopha sequella x 2

Ypsolopha sequella

Common Marbled Carpet x 2

 

Two forms of Common Marbled Carpet 

Garden Carpet

Garden Carpet

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Silver Y

Silver Y

Large Yellow Underwing

Large Yellow Underwing

Also a Hawthorn Shield Bug

Hawthorn Shield Bug

5/10 Over night on Saturday produced 2 new moths for the garden, a Beaded Chestnut and a Spruce Carpet.

Beaded Chestnut-unfortunately just about to depart.

Spruce Carpet

Also Light Brown Apple Moth x 7

Common Marbled Carpet x 2

Acleris  sparsana x 3

Large Yellow Underwing x 2

Also a Red Ophion

Red Ophion

6/10 Over night on Sunday produced the 1st Green-brindled Crescent and 2nd Shuttle-shaped Dart for the year.

Green-brindled Crescent

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Also

Large Yellow Underwing

Red-green Carpet

Common Marbled Carpet x 2

Common Marbled Carpet

Light Brown Apple Moth x 2

Acleris  sparsana

Silver Y

7/10 Monday night brought the 1st two Blair’s Shoulder-knots of the year.

Blair’s Shoulder-knot

Also

Light Brown Apple Moth 5

Acleris  sparsana 2

Common Marbled Carpet

8/10 Tuesday night’s highlight was the 1st Angle Shades this year.

Angle Shades

Also

Light Brown Apple Moth x 6

Light Brown Apple Moth

Blair’s Shoulder-knot

Common Marbled Carpet x 5

Variable forms of Common Marbled Carpet

Red-green Carpet

Acleris  sparsana

Garden Rose Tortrix

Large Yellow Underwing

9/10 Wednesday, night following a showery windy day, was miserable and the only moth to enter the trap was a Red-green Carpet that had spent the day hiding in my white sheet. I haven’t bothers since but doubt this is the last trapping time this year. As the nights are getting longer I’ll try to blog any future trapping for 2013 and hopefully give it another go in 2014. However one factor effecting my decision to persevere will be the “views” the blog gets. If I only get single figure “views” I’ll return to highlights on my Hull Valley blog.