Passenger, caught 23/9/2006 (National moth night).

Mothing at St Margaret's

Most of the Moth lists and Photographs are from my garden (TR359450) in the village of St Margaret's at Cliffe in Kent. It is situated about 1Km from the sea and has farmland with in 100 metres. The garden is well shrubbed and about 1600 sq metres. I normally run a 125 MV lamp and a 15W actinic light over-night and once the season gets going a couple of other traps. At the moment both are 25W black Lamps. previously I used a 160W blended lamp in one of them. All traps are home made. Trapping dates refer to the date the trap was put out.

Trap Update in 2017. A new 125W MV Robinson was added to a 125W MV Skinner, 15W Actinic Skinner, two 80W MV Morris modified Skinners and a 80W MVMorris Box trap.
Traps are now (2020 onwards) 2x 125W Robinsons, 2x 80W Skinner type and 1x 15W Actinic strip light on a Skinner type .

I try and identify all the Macro Moths, with the micros I am not at all systematic, I do more than I used to with the help of the new book, but there are some that do get through.


Friday 19 September 2014

Species List for 18/9/2014

Any form of Natural history is a mixture of the predictable and surprises. A large number of Setaceous Hebrew Characters last night was the former, a was another European Corn Borer, but there were some of the latter as well.Only once before have I caught a Kent Black Arches in September and that was in the exceptional year for migrants of 2006. Another surprise was a Palpita vitrealis, a good migrant in a poor year. The last surprise wasn't a moth, but a pristine Speckled Wood. I have had a few butterflies in a trap in the morning before but this is a first for this very successful species. The last unwelcome surprise came at 3 a.m. I always check the forecast before I go to bed, and it gives an hourly forecast including the likelihood of rain. Each hour through the night was show at less than 5%. So when the thunder and lightening arrived I was scurrying round in my night garb putting my rain guards, (pyrex bowls) over the lamps. In total there were 369 moths of 41 species, the Palpita vitrealis was new for the year.

  European Corn Borer

 Kent Black Arches

 Palpita vitrealis

Speckled Wood


Code Taxon Vernacular Individuals
464 Plutella xylostella Diamond-back Moth 3
998 Epiphyas postvittana Light Brown Apple Moth 14
1048 Acleris variegana Garden Rose Tortrix 1
1309 Agriphila geniculea 1
1342 Eudonia angustea 4
1375 Ostrinia nubilalis European Corn Borer 1
1408 Palpita vitrealis 1 NFY
1415 Orthopygia glaucinalis 2
1454 Dioryctria abietella 1
1689 Scopula marginepunctata Mullein Wave 1
1708 Idaea dimidiata Single-dotted Wave 1
1764 Chloroclysta truncata Common Marbled Carpet 5
1776 Colostygia pectinataria Green Carpet 1
1825 Eupithecia centaureata Lime-speck Pug 2
1906 Opisthograptis luteolata Brimstone Moth 5
1914 Ennomos fuscantaria Dusky Thorn 10
1937 Peribatodes rhomboidaria Willow Beauty 4
1961 Campaea margaritata Light Emerald 1
2049 Eilema depressa Buff Footman 1
2076 Meganola albula Kent Black Arches 1
2092 Agrotis puta Shuttle-shaped Dart 2
2102 Ochropleura plecta Flame Shoulder 1
2107 Noctua pronuba Large Yellow Underwing 55
2109 Noctua comes Lesser Yellow Underwing 11
2110 Noctua fimbriata Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2
2126 Xestia c-nigrum Setaceous Hebrew Character 169
2134 Xestia xanthographa Square-spot Rustic 2
2160 Lacanobia oleracea Bright-line Brown-eye 11
2199 Mythimna pallens Common Wainscot 3
2269 Atethmia centrago Centre-barred Sallow 3
2270 Omphaloscelis lunosa Lunar Underwing 28
2298 Amphipyra berbera Svensson's Copper Underwing 1
2299 Amphipyra tragopoginis Mouse Moth 2
2306 Phlogophora meticulosa Angle Shades 2
2353 Luperina testacea Flounced Rustic 3
2384 Hoplodrina ambigua Vine's Rustic 3
2389 Paradrina clavipalpis Pale Mottled Willow 4
2434 Diachrysia chrysitis Burnished Brass 1
2441 Autographa gamma Silver Y 3
2474 Rivula sericealis Straw Dot 1
2477 Hypena proboscidalis Snout 2

No comments:

Post a Comment

Total Pageviews

StatCounter