Moth Trapping down on the farm part 4 - Winding down complete with wind! Last night I visited my parents farm again for the final summer trip to see what I could catch. The weather really was against me and I was umming and arring about which night to do, Tuesday or Wednesday. Tuesday night it rained on and off but it was calm and had a real muggy feel to it, I decided beforehand though to trap on Wednesday night...a big mistake I thought as I turned up and set the traps up in gale force winds, clearing skies and plummeting temperatures. All of the traps were positioned to try and keep them out of the stiff South-westerely breeze At one point during the night the wind did ease up, but soon after it was back and this continued well into the morning whereby it was difficult to photograph the moths as they were getting blow all over the place! To be honest, I cannot moan with well over 150 species between the 5 traps it was actually pretty damn good given the conditions. The Micros outdid the Macros once again with just on species shy of 100. In total 174 species were recorded with a few still to confirm. Best moth of the night was a slightly worn Pediasia contaminella. Initially I was informed that this must just be Agriphila tristella, but I had my initial inkling and I sent it off to Graeme Smith for genitalia dissection and it was right! Really pleased. Not only is this a scarce moth in the County but it is a new species for me. I am now sitting here thinking to myself why i'm typing up a trip from last night when I have 3 reports from the garden still to sort...needs must I suppose and I would rather get the bigger task out of the way first I think (Although I have an equally large list from a site I visited last week in Bedfordshire only half done!) Where does the time go? I left the traps running all night and arose at 4.30am to find all the sheets blown about, egg trays scattered about and more moths in the undergrowth than actually in the trap!

Catch Report - 03/08/16 - Farmland - Braughing Friars - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap 1x 80w Actinic Briefcase Trap & 1x 40w Actinic/26w BLB Trap

Macro Moths - 75 Species

Black Arches 3 Blood-vein 1 Brimstone Moth 1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 15+ Buff Footman 10 Chinese Character 1 Clay 5 Cloaked Minor 15+ Clouded Border 1 Common Carpet 4 Common Footman 3 Common Rustic 25+ Common Wainscot 4 Copper Underwing 1 Dark Arches 8 Dun-bar 7 Dusky Sallow 2 Dusky Thorn 1 Ear Moth 5 Early Thorn 1 Engrailed 1 Flame Shoulder 6 Grey Dagger 1 Haworth's Pug 1 Heart & Dart 1 July Highflyer 2 Large Twin-spot Carpet 2 Large Yellow Underwing 4 Least Carpet 11 Least Yellow Underwing 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 20+ Lesser Common Rustic 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing 1 Lime-speck Pug 2 Magpie 2 Maiden's Blush 1 Maple Pug 8 Mouse Moth 1 Peppered Moth 2 Red Twin-spot Carpet 3 Riband Wave 2 Ruby Tiger 10 Rustic 3 Sallow Kitten 2 Scalloped Oak 2 Scarce Footman 2 Scarce Silver-lines 1 Scorched Carpet 5 Shaded Broad-bar 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart 1 Silver-Y 2 Single-dotted Wave 4 Slender Pug 2 Small Blood-vein 2 Small Dusty Wave 1 Small Emerald 1 Small Fan-footed Wave 15+ Small Phoenix 1 Small Rivulet 1 Smoky Wainscot 5 Snout 2 Spectacle 1 Square-spot Rustic 1 Square-spotted Clay 6 Straw Dot 5 Straw Underwing 8 Swallow Prominent 2 Swallow-tailed Moth 2 Tree-lichen Beauty 4 Uncertain 2 White Satin Moth 3 Willow Beauty 2 Yarrow Pug Yellow Shell 5 Yellow-tail 2

Micro Moths - 99 Species

Pediasia contaminella 1 [NEW!] Acentria ephemerella 80+ Acleris aspersana 4 Acleris forsskaleana 1 Acleris laterana/comariana 2 Acrobasis advenella 5 Aethes cnicana 2 Aethes smeathmanniana 1 Agapeta hamana 9 Agapeta zoegana 2 Agonopterix arenella 1 Agonopterix heracliana 1 Agriphila straminella 40+ Agriphila tristella 6 Aleimma loeflingiana 1 Alucita hexadactyla 1 Anania hortulata 1 Aphomia sociella 1 Archips xylosteana 1 Argyresthia albistria 1 Argyresthia brockeella 1 Argyresthia goedartella 5 Aspilapteryx tringipennella 2 Batia lunaris 1 Blastobasis adustella 10 Blastobasis lacticolella 5 Borkhausenia fuscescens 1 Bryotropha terrella 5 Bucculatrix nigricomella 1 Bucculatrix ulmella 1 Caloptilia alchimiella/robustella 2 Cameraria ohridella 6 Cataclysta lemnata 1 Catoptria falsella 100+ Catoptria pinella 5 Celypha lacunana 1 Celypha striana 2 Chrysoteuchia culmella 2 Clepsis consimilana 4 Cnephasia sp 5 Cochylis atricapitana 2 Cochylis dubitana 1 Cochylis hybridella 2 Coleophora alcyonipennella 1 Coleophora sp (white) 1 Crambus perlella 1 Crassa unitella 12 Cydia splendana 1 Eana incanana 1 Dichrorampha sp 2 Ditula angustiorana 2 Endotricha flammealis 8 Endrosis sarcitrella 1 Epinotia abbreviana 3 Eucosma hohenwartiana 1 Eucosma obumbratana 10 Eudonia lacustrata 4 Eudonia mercurella 12 Euzophora pinguis 4 Grapholita janthinana 2 Gypsonoma dealbana 3 Hedya nubiferana 1 Hedya salicella 1 Helcystogramma rufescens 2 Hofmannophila pseudospretella 5 Lathronympha strigana 1 Limnaecia phragmitella 4 Lobesia abscisana 1 Mompha epilobiella 2 Mompha ochraceella 1 Mompha propinquella 1 Monochroa palustrella 4 Monopis weaverella 1 Nemapogon clematella 1 Pandemis heparana 8 Parapoynx stratiotata 1 Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 1 Parornix sp 1 Phalonidia manniana 1 Phycita roborella 4 Phyllonorycter harrisella 2 Pleuroptya ruralis 100+ Plutella xylostella 30+ Prays fraxinella 5 Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 4 Scrobipalpa costella 2 Scrobipalpa sp Scoparia basistrigalis 2 Scoparia subfusca 2 Spilonota ocellana 10+ Stenoptilia pterodactyla 1 Stigmella sp 1 Teleiodes vulgella 1 Tinea pellionella 6 Udea prunalis 1 Yponomeuta evonymella 3 Ypsolopha scabrella 1 Zeiraphera isertana 1