Sunday 26 June 2011

Back yard moth trapping

I have had the moth trap out in the back yard twice this week, on Thursday night (23rd June) and on Saturday night (25th June). On waking at 05:30 on the Friday morning it was quite cool and the moth trap held just 10 moths, 6 Heart and Dart, 2 Garden Carpet and new for the year, 2 Dark Arches, 1 pale grey/buff and one much darker grey.

The weather improved on the Saturday with warm, humid air moving in from Spain and overnight temperatures predicted to be 13-14 degrees and so on Sunday morning on waking at 05:45 there were more moths in the moth trap. Best moth was an L-album Wainscot, the second one I have caught in the garden.
L-album Wainscot
Other moths included a smart, bright yellow Brimstone Moth. a Dark Arches, 2 Flame and new for me and the garden, a Coronet.
Coronet

Brimstone Moth

I also had a few micro moths which I always struggle to identify but I had a Phlyctaenia coronata  that I rescued from the surface of the lily bowl, I took a snap of it while it was floating on the surface and as I scooped it off the surface it promptly disappeared into the flower bed!

Phlyctaenia coronata swimming in the lily bowl!

I also had what I think is the same species in the trap although the markings are slightly different to the one in the lily bowl.

Phlyctaenia coronata? in the moth trap

I also had this pretty little micro but I have yet to work out what it is.

Unknown micro species

We are set for a mini-heat wave today with warm temperatures again overnight so I may put the trap out again tonight although I am on night shifts starting tomorrow and an early start tomorrow morning may not be a good idea.



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