Sharing the results from my latest Moth Trap Session. I have written posts about setting up a moth trap and on collecting the results if you want some more background info on how and why I use a Moth Trap
Date: 7th May 2023
Weather:
Well, its been a lovely day here, sunshine, blue skies and actually warm in the sun! I was working the garden earlier (mowing and weeding etc), and with highs of 20C it was actually a bit too warm out there. Made a nice change!
With it being another Bank Holiday tomorrow (thanks to Charles's new hat) I thought it was well worth trapping tonight. The clear skies later on mean that the temperatures will drop quite sharply, but night time temperatures will be still be reasonable at 12-13C
Pic below, as proof of aforementioned lovely conditions :-)
After the previous 2 sessions being quite poor (just 3 species seen each time) I'm hopeful of doing better tonight. Speaking to other 'moth trappers' on a local facebook group, the general consensus is that the year has got of to a bad start, with numbers down for both species counts and for total numbers seen. Its been quite a cool and wet Spring, so that may factor into it. Hopefully this evening is a sign of better times to come...
Anyhow, enough waffling... here we go!
Results: 16 moths of 8 species
Summary of Results:
And it was a great start, in the late afternoon sun (while setting up my Moth Trap) I spotted the first moth of the evening - a Mint Moth, seen here feeding on Forget-me-nots...
Mint Moth - Pyrausta aurata
So with the first moth added to the records before darkness had fallen, I was in high hopes of a decent session...
After the sun had set, I quickly spotted 2 more moths Agonopterix arenella, and then a Twenty-plume Moth. There was then a lull of about 30 minutes, so I started to look on the plants nearby. While the white sheet helps attract moths and other invertebrates, I can often find individuals resting on nearby leaves, or even the fence panel behind the trap..
Large Yellow Underwing Caterpillar - Noctua pronuba
It was while doing this that I found this chunky caterpillar feeding on the leaves of the nearby White-dead Nettles. Caterpillars are hard to ID most of the time, but the time of year, the size and those markings point to one of the Noctuid Moths, most likely Noctua pronuba - the Large Yellow Underwing
I actually found another 2 further down. I decided this was worthy of a photo, so I dashed inside to grab a camera. Rather annoyingly, after I took the shot, I stepped back up and noticed a large moth fluttering around the trap, before disappearing over the fence.
What it was, I don't know. At a guess it could be an Early Thorn, or a Scalloped Hazel. All I could do was hope it would return later on.
As the evening passed by, a few more moths drifted in. A couple of Shuttle-shaped Darts, a few Pugs... it was a much better session than the previous one, but still I feel the numbers are down on what I would expect.
Bonus Wildlife
While sat in the garden in the afternoon, I saw loads of cool stuff. Spiders, Bugs, Beetles, Bee's... all sorts! Here are some pictures of some of what I saw:
Plant Bug - Rhopalus subrufus
Green Tortoise Beetle - Cassida viridis
Nursery Web Spider - Pisaura mirabilis
So, there you go a nice selection of moths, and also lots of other little creatures to admire. The weather was the best we had for the year so far, and that showed in the number of moths seen.
I've been Moth Trapping for several years now, AND I have been intermittently recording these sessions on HIVE for the last 3 years. This means I now have something to compare to.
Last years post on the 7th May 2002 featured just 8 moths of 6 species:
Whereas the post from 2 years ago on the 30th April 2001 featured a more productive 19 moths of 10 species:
I know the sample size is small, and that there is going to be variation in terms of the weather on the day of the session, along with the differences of the general trend of the season (whether its warmer or wetter than usual). I can see that the results from last night are actually pretty standard for this time of year. Is interesting to see which species appear each time though, some are regular visitors, others only appear once.
I'll have to try to remember this throughout the year, and compare current results to past sessions to see if there are any interesting comparison in the numbers/species seen.
Anyway, thanks for reading. It was a longer post than normal lol, well done if you made it to the end! Once again I hope to trap again next weekend, weather permitting so feel free to join me next time as I see what I can find...
Notes on Pictures: Since I started moth trapping 5 years ago, I have been slowly building up collection of Library Images. The idea being that once I have taken a picture of a particular species of Moth, I don't need another picture of the same species a year later. It’s a waste of time and energy. I only take pictures of new species, or of moths that are difficult to ID, so I can get the records verified.
While in my care, all individuals are looked after, and after Photographs have been taken, they are all released safely outside.
All names confirmed and checked via Wikispieces
Further Research from UK Moths and NatureSpot
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