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: 2nd June 2021
Weather: The weather has certainly picked up. The last 4 days have seen a significant increase in temperatures with day time highs of 22C and night time lows of 11C. The humidity was also much higher, helped by the increase in cloud cover overnight. The wind was still going the wrong way with a cool easterly breeze, but I was still feeling confident of an improvement over last weeks numbers. There were several periods of light drizzle, and eventually became more persistent around 2AM, which brought the session to a close.
Results: 37 moths of 11 species
Summary of Results:
And as you can see here, a noticeable improvement over last weeks results (7moths, 6 species). There was a number of new species seen for this year, and there was plenty of activity around the trap for most of the evening
Pale Prominent - Pterostoma palpina
The star of the show was without a doubt this Pale Prominent, an unusual looking species. It was the first time I have seen this one, and another ticked of the life list (I have now seen 416 species of Moth here in the UK).
Its always exciting to see something new, and I swear my heart skipped a beat when I saw this one
Garden Carpet - Xanthorhoe fluctuata
Large Nutmeg - Apamea anceps
This one was one of the 'new for years'. A little bit late than usual but understandable with the way the seasons are progressing...
Heart & Dart - Agrotis exclamationis
As was this Heart & Dart. I have been trapping for about 5 years now, and if you do it regularly you start to see the rhythm of the seasons expressed in which species are seen at particular times.
Bonus pictures for this week:
Mayfly - Cloeon dipterum
The bonus this week was the first mayfly I have seen this year, and a sign that Summer really is just around the corner. I always find Mayflies to be such odd little creatures, and a very distinctive shape and resting posture.
A much better session all round although it would be hard to much worse than last week to be fair. Hopefully this is the start of busier time as all the insects and other invertebrates catch up with the weird weather.
Next week I am on holiday somewhere in the Lake District, and don't worry, I'll take my trusty moth trap with me! This means I'll have a chance to see if I can find any different species in a location new to me.
Notes on Pictures: Since I started moth trapping 4 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
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