Pinion-spotted Pug (Eupithecia insigniata)

Finally, the first outing this your for my moth trap. The star of the show was a Pinion-spotted Pug (Eupithecia insigniata, #982), top left. This is not a common moth, usually only a few caught per year in Glos, so the most unusual moth I’ve caught in a while and a great start for the year. Otherwise there were not many moths flying, but a Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) is always welcome. The small grey cranefly, maybe a Monophilus species, was likely a new species, but not sure if I’ll ever confirm any ID for it.

#982 Pinion-spotted Pug (Eupithecia insigniata)

#747 Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac)

#729 Early Grey (Xylocampa areola)

Molophilus sp?

The Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx, #975)

Only two moths came to the light yesterday; probably one of last times my moth trap will be out this year. A lone Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) in the trap and a Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx) - a new species for me - on the wall nearby. The Sprawler is a late-flying moth, on the wing from October to December, but peaking around now. It’s a woodland species whose caterpillars rears up its spiny head when threatened, giving the moth its name.

#975 Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx)

#915 Satellite (Eupsilia transversa)

Leaf-mines on Corkscrew Willow

The first two leaf-mines are from the larvae of a Sallow Pygmy moth (Stigmella salicis, #973). These moths have two generations in the Spring and Summer and the twisting mines from the second generation are seen right through to November. The mine doubles back to create a blotch and the frass makes a broken line in the centre of the mine.

The second pair of mines are from the larvae of a weevil Isochnus sequensi (#680), which leaves these dark, blotchy mines. The larva by the second mine is that of a Syrphus hoverfly, which is a predator mostly of aphids and but also other insects.

Leylandii: What is it Good For?

Well, it turns out that my neighbour’s not very attractive (IMO) non-native Thuja hedge is good for these two non-native Mediterranean moths! Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri, #763) was first observed in UK in 1951 and is now established over most of lowland UK. It flies in one generation Sept-Nov; this being the first one I’ve recorded. Cypress Carpet (Thera cupressata) arrived in 1984 and so far its main range in UK only extends as far North as Birmingham. If has two generations, one in May-June and another in August-September.

#970 Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri)

#763 Cypress Carpet (Thera cupressata)

Ashy Button (Acleris sparsana, #967)

A bit drab, but Ashy Button (Acleris sparsana) was another new species for the garden trapped this weekend. Not a big surprise to record this as it likes Beech trees, of which there is a large one nearby in next-door’s garden. Another micro in the trap, actually a few times lately, was Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana) - another species which didn’t need to travel far from its plant host.

#967 Ashy Button (Acleris sparsana)

#684 Garden Rose Tortrix (Acleris variegana)

October Moths: White-point (Mythimna albipuncta, #966)

There are less moths, but this weekend some new species and a bit more variety. White-point was a new one for the garden. Flying in the Autumn, it’s an immigrant from the continent caught mainly in the South-East of England, that may have started establishing a resident population - not a bad catch for Gloucestershire. Superficially similar the Satellite has a different shaped while spot on its wings. This moth can be caught throughout the Autumn & Winter, from September until April. Deep-brown Dart and Black Rustic are both autumn species, typical for this period.

#966 White-point (Mythimna albipuncta)

#915 Satellite (Eupsilia transversa)

#912 Deep-brown Dart (Aporophyla lutulenta)

#683 Black Rustic (Aporophyla nigra)

Lunar Underwing

This is one of the commonest Autumn finds in the moth trap. Flying from August to October, it comes in different forms: most commonly (here at least) a dark form with pale veins over the wings, and a paler sandy-coloured form where the veins don’t show so much, but you get black spots towards the tips of the wings instead.

Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata, #965)

After a few wet and windy weekends I was able to put out the moth trap on Friday night. The catch of moths was right down from early September, but there are some Autumn-flying species around. This moth, Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata), is one such species, flying in Sept-Oct, hibernating as an adult, then flying again in early Spring. With its cryptic green colours, it’s a handsome moth and a new species for the garden.

Knot Grass Caterpillar

This brightly coloured hairy caterpillar was munching some plantain at the allotment. It’s a the caterpillar of a Knot Grass moth (Acronicta rumicis), a grassland species which I have caught in the garden.

Box-tree Moth (Cydalima perspectalis)

The Box Tree moths I have caught previously have been an elegant white with black margins around the wings, so this one had me a bit confused, even though its shape is pretty unique. But yes, Box Tree Moths do also have a dark morph. This one came into the house the other evening.

Cypress Pug (Eupithecia phoeniceata, #961)

Cypress Pug is a new species for my garden; seemingly not that common in Gloucestershire. It is a non-native moth, first found in UK in Cornwall in 1959, which has since spread across southern England and up to the Midlands. It lives on (also non-native) Cypress trees.

Other nice moths today included this Canary-shouldered Thorn - very fluffy, several Centre-barred Sallows and another Old Lady moth.

#961 Cypress Pug (Eupithecia phoeniceata)

#827 Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria)

#820 Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago)

Old Lady (Mormo maura, #960)

I caught a couple of these in the moth trap at the weekend. Old Lady moths don’t often come to light, but were probably attracted by rotting figs and grapes courtesy of my neighbours’ fruit trees, and found the moth trap a comfortable place to hide up for the day. These are quite big moths, around 6 cm wingspan, that fly for one generation in July-August.

#960 Old Lady (Mormo maura)

More July Moths

I posted some of the “macro” moths earlier - here are some of the smaller moths, including a few new species.

#633 Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella)

#817 Rosy Tabby (Endotricha flammealis)

#882 Maple Button (Acleris forsskaleana)

#954 Obscure sp. (Oegoconia sp)

#955 Ash-bark Knot-horn (Euzophera pinguis)

#956 London Dowd (Blastobasis lacticolella)

July Moths

Caught a really great selection of beautiful moths during the week, when we got our first dry and wind-free night for a while. There are a lots of different species flying at the moment, so here’s a selection of the 40 different species caught.(Second post with some micros to follow).

#546 Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa)

#687 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)

#747 Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac)

#850 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula)

#796 Dusky Sallow (Eremobia ochroleuca)

#259 Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata)

#797 Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina)

#881 Black Arches (Lymantria monacha)

Marbled Green & Marbled Beauty

Marbled Green and Marbled Beauty are both moths whose larvae eat lichens. I catch the former quite frequently during their flight period in the summer, as they are common on house walls. Marbled Green is a new species for the garden, but it also can be found on limestone dry-stone and house walls with lichens. This one took me a while to identify as is it not the typical green colour usually seen.

#652 Marbled Beauty (Bryophila domestica)

#958 Marbled Green (Bryopsis muralis)

Plain Golden Y (Autographa jota, #953)

It seems unfair to have christened this the “Plain” Golden Y, just because it has a prettier close relative in the Beautiful Golden Y. A first for my moth trap, with its pinkish colouration and golden spots I think it’s quite a fine-looking moth, even if this one is a bit worn. Flying in June-August, its caterpillars eat nettles.

#953 Plain Golden Y (Autographa jota)

Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars

These stripey Cinnabar Moth caterpillars were on a Ragwort by the roadside just near my house. The moths are a bold red & black colour, but the caterpillars, which are often found like here in large groups, come in yellow & black stripes.

Ragwort contains toxic alkaloids which are unappetising (and in high doses even potentially dangerous) to grazing animals, however the moth caterpillars are able to sequester these toxins which affords them protection from insectivores. Black ants were also present, which are often associated with aphids, a few of which were also present. The ants can attack the caterpillars, presumably when they are small, to protect the plant for the aphids, which they then farm.

Ermine Moths

Ermine moths are common summer moths, so I thought it would be nice to look at three of them I caught at the weekend.

Often a pest on fruit trees their caterpillars are protected by a cocoon like a silken web around the leaves of the tree - in this case apple or bird-cherry. The Apple Ermine is pretty much identical in appearance to the Orchard Ermine (found on blackthorn, hawthorn or cherry) and the Spindle Ermine (Spindle tree). I put them down as Apple Ermines as I definitely have this species caterpillars on my apple tree. Bird-cherry Ermine does look a little different with neat lines of black spots. The third species is a Thistle Ermine, which is a bit bigger and actually though it looks similar, not from the same family - as the name suggests its caterpillars are found on thistles, but not in the same kind of silk web.

#790 Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella)

#811 Thistle Ermine (Myelois circumvoluta)

#635 Apple Ermine (Yponomeuta malinellus)

V-Pug & Dusky Pearl

I managed to unpack the moth trap before the rain started this morning and picked up a couple of new moths. The V-Pug is a fairly common species, with two generations in spring and then summer. It gets its name from the black “v”s on the wings. Dusky Pearl is a one-generation June/July micro with a preference for blackthorns

#950 V-Pug (Chloroclystis v-ata)

#951 Dusky Pearl (Udea prunalis)

Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina, #949)

This Leopard Moth was hiding somewhere in a bunch of stuff I’d put outside to take to the tip. Leopard Moths are a one-generation summer moth, its caterpillars feed on leaves of a variety of different trees & bushes. I’m not sure if this one got a bit squashed when I was moving the rubbish around, or if was just playing dead.

#949 Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina)