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: 13th May 2023
Weather:
I'll be honest now... I'm not hopeful of much this evening. It has been wet all week, with lots of short, but very heavy, thunderstorms. Today has been dry and sunny, but still quite cool with that North/East wind.
The poor results so far this year have been seen across the UK, the below was just one of many comments of one of the moth groups I'm in on facebook
Facebook does have its uses, I'm a member of most of the UK insect groups, its one of the ways I've learnt to ID species, and even ask for help with ones I can't put a name to
So yeah, not expecting much... but, I am on holiday this week! That means I have more time available, and can get away with staying up late (moth trapping usually leads to me staying up 'til 2 or 3 AM).
So I'm here, I'm ready... lets go!
Results: 12 moths of 7 species
Summary of Results:
Er, well the results weren't brilliant, but they were better than I expected!
It was really slow going to begin with. I popped out after darkness fell at 9pm, and then every 30 minutes up until 11.30pm. The only thing I had to show for it was a couple of pokey little micro moths - Light Brown Apple Moths
And then they started drifting in:
First up was a Shuttle-shaped Dart.
He decided to rest on a leaf next to the trap, so instead of potting him, I decided to grab a camera (and a flash!) to get some in situ images.
Then I had a Double-striped Pug, and I saw 2 more of the Shuttle-shaped Darts flitting near the trap.
After a brief time inside (I was watching Eurovision in between catching moths) I went back outside to have a look and spied this Pale Mottled Willow, resting on the sheet near the trap.
and then 2 of these Garden Carpets, one resting on the fence panel, and the other sat on the white sheet again.
Its worth noting (as I have in previous posts), the trap is designed as a bright light suspended over a box or suitable container. The idea is that the moths will end up 'caught' inside the box, but I find that during poor (ie. cold) conditions the moths tend to end up near the trap...
...or even resting on the trap itself as is the case for this micro moth: Esperia sulphurella.
That image is awful though, but I saw one of these while visiting Sherwood forest a couple of weeks ago, and I'm sure you'll agree that they are the same species. It is quite distictive with the black colour and the small gold 'triangle' on that top wing edge
I also saw some different insects... lots of little flies around, but this Tiger Cranefly was quite striking:
And also another large Caddisfly (unknown species)
So, slow going... but there was eventually some stuff to see.
At 1am, the mist was starting to form so I took that as a hint to end the session. As I opened up the moth trap one last time, I spied a different moth in there
I think this might be an Oak-tree Pug?
I'll need to check this, lots of different Pug moths all look rather similar to the untrained eye...
Correction: It has been identified as a Freyer's Pug (Eupithecia intricata)
I guess I need to correct my results table!
There we go. A total of 7 species, not bad considering the general conditions... and shows the importance of double checking ID's as I nearly made a mistake there!
I would say that's all until next weekend BUT I am on holiday this week, so you may be treated to an bonus mid-week trapping session
ooh, aren't you lucky!
That does depend on the weather playing ball too... at any rate my partner is arriving home this week after finishing the first year of University Studies, and we will go out somewhere suitably wild and interesting, so there will be some more nature stuff posted here soon!
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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