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: 30th March 2024
Weather:
Nearly 6 months have passed since the last session, way back in September 2023. I have mentioned several times before that while Moths can be seen in all seasons (and mosts weathers) throughout the year, the key time is from late Spring through Summer and to the middle of Autumn. In the Winter months there is a real drop of in both the numbers of different species seen, and also in volume too.
As such, due to previous expereinace, I no longer bother trapping during the 'low' season... just not worth the effort.
Today though, we are now in the middle of Spring. This is a time when some species begin to emerge, and on days with good weather conditions, it is worth a punt just to see what is flying about in the night.
Talking of weather... here in Lincolnshire (and in fact much of the UK) we have had a very, VERY wet and windy Winter. So wet and windy that it has become a little boring quite frankly, and we are all waiting impatiently for a spell of warm dry weather.
We are not quite getting that here yet, but it does look like we have managed to get some nice weather this weekend.
I do mean weekend, the rain and winds return on Monday!
Today was the first time I could actually hang washing out on the line, and the grass was finally 'dry enough' to get the first cut of the year done.
And while I was poking around in the garden, I noticed some insect activity, such as this Drone Hoverfly (Eristalis tenax/pertinax) resting in the sunshine on one of my tshirts
There seemed to be a million 7-spot Ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata)!
And I spotted this Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) trying to hide on this leaf
Its been ages since I have gone on a little 'Garden Safari' and it was lovely to slowly look around the garden to see what I could find
There were even some flowers which had begun to appear, such as these delicate Forget-me-nots seen below.
All this activity, made me wonder if it was time to dust off the Moth Trap after so long. A quick check of the weather forecast revealed it would be dry all night, with just a light breeze from the south-east. It is currently relatively mild for the time of year at 13C during the day. The only negative would be the clear skies this evening, which would make the temperatures plummet.
But on the whole, I felt that it was definitely worth taking a chance!
Lights on, pots at the ready... Here. We. Go!
Results: 3 moths of 3 species
Summary of Results:
Ah... 3 moths in total
To be fair, I knew I'd be lucky to see any, its still very early in the season.
I turned my light on just as dusk was falling around 7pm... and the plan was to wait 'til midnight to see what appeared. However by 10pm the temperature had already plummeted to 6C, and I decided it wasn't worth the effort of keeping it on anymore. In the end, I turned it all of by 10:30pm
I did however see 3 species, which at least gets my year off to a start
Double-striped Pug - Gymnoscelis rufifasciata
Light Brown Apple Moth - Epiphyas postvittana
(source)
White-shouldered House-moth - Endrosis sarcitrella
The first 2 images are mine from previous trapping sessions, the last one is unfortunately a screenshot. The white-shouldered house moth is so common here that I haven't even bothered taking a phot of it... almost because it is so 'boring'. Thats not fair, it's just as interest as any other species, and it also means that my 'library of species images' is actually incomplete
Note to self: take a picture of one of these when I next see it, just to tick it off the list!
Anyway.... that was my first session for the year completed. I have added my meagre results to the spreadsheet for my records, and I guess in a week or so's time I will try again to see if I have any better luck!
What will happen next time? Will it be busy and chaotic? Will it be quieter? Will I find something new to record?
Well, once again, there is only one way to find out!
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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