Winter Moths

As it was a calm and dry night I was able to put out the moth trap for the first time in a while, and was happy to attract several moths, mostly around rather than in the trap. A couple of December Moths (Poecilocampa populi) and a Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria) were new ones for the garden, plus also there were a handful of Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata) and Light Brown Apple Moths (Epiphyas postvittana). In both the Winter Moth and the Mottled Umber the females are flightless, using pheromones to attract the winged males.

#715 December Moth (Poecilocampa populi)

#401 Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

#716 Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria)

#317 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)

Autumn to Winter

It’s amazing the difference a few days make. It’s a lot easier to see the birds up in the surrounding beech and birch trees now after the first frosts have encouraged the remaining leaves to fall.

9th November

13th November

19th November

Asian Fruit Flies

These tiny fruit flies appeared on a coconut shell I hung out for the birds. When I was a kid we sometimes put these out for the blue tits, but it seems “Generation Alpha” garden birds prefer sunflower hearts and fat balls, as the coconut is not getting much interest. Anyhow checking the flies, they are Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila melanogaster), which is an Asian species that was first recording only in UK in 2012. These are not becoming (yet another) imported garden pest as these fruit flies do not just go for rotten or blemished fruit, but the female cuts into health fruit to lay its eggs, with the larvae then eating the fruit from the inside. The flies go for cultivated soft fruits, but can also be found in wild hedgerow blackberries and sloes. I tend to think that my fruit flies probably came from the coconut itself, but maybe not and they are from an established wild population.

#713 Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila melanogaster)

Door-mat Mosses

Having a close look at my door mat, I was able to find 4 or 5 different species of moss growing there. With its little compartments, this rubber doormat makes a pretty good moss nursery, and as an environment it seems a little different from other places liked by mosses in the garden. The species here need to be able to deal with wet and alternatively very dry conditions, and it seems therefore this enables some new species to thrive that I’ve not found elsewhere.

It’s easily the best spot in my garden for Silver Moss (Bryum argenteum, #385), but other door-mat mosses included Capillary Thread-moss (Bryum capillare, #564), Pointed Spear-moss (Calliergonella cuspidata, #711) and Wall Screw-moss Tortula muralis, #382)

#385 Silver Moss (Bryum argenteum)

#712 Great Hairy Screw-moss (Tortula ruralis) & #564 Capillary Thread-moss (Bryum capillare)

#711 Pointed Spear-moss (Calliergonella cuspidata)

#382 Wall Screw-moss (Tortula muralis)

Tarnished Plant Bug

This plant bug and the micro moth were attracted into the kitchen lights on Bonfire night (Nov 5th). The Tarnished Plant Bug (Lygus rugulipennis, #710) is variable in colour and similar to other related mirid bugs, but differs a little due to the pattern on its back and the hairs thereon. These bugs become more abundant in the Autumn. The accompanying moth that was sharing the same light is also potentially interesting, so I wish I’d got a better photo. One potential species is Grey Birch Button (Acleris logiana), which is a species formerly only found in the Scottish Highlands that has been turning up in Southern England in recent years - it appears in September and overwinters as an adult. But I guess i’ll have to find another one to be sure.

Autumn Fungi

These are fungi found last weekend and this weekend, mostly around Kemerton Nature Reserve.

Common Inkcap is also known as Tippler’s Bane, as it was regarded as edible, but poisonous if consumed with alcohol - these days it’s recommended just to avoid it. The White Saddle is unusual with its fibrous looking stem, there were a lot of these along the edges of the footpath at Kemerton. The Snowy Waxcaps were nearby at Alderton Hill; apparently they are edible but honestly they don’t look very appetising. The Candlesnuff Fungus was growing around a well rotted cut stump in the path - an interesting thing about this fungus is that it is very mildly bioluminescent. I’m not sure about the identification of the other two species - for Christmas, a decent identification guide for fungi, please Santa.

Common Inkcap (Coprinopsis atramentaria)

White Saddle (Helvella crispa)

Snowy Waxcap (Cuphophyllus virgineus)

Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon)

Deceiver - TBC

Grey Knight - TBC

Clear-tipped Window Gnat (Sylvicola punctatus, #709)

Not a very spectacular creature, but at this time of the year the new additions to the list get harder to find. I was a bit surprised to be able to identify this to species level, but apparently it can be separated from similar species due to the clear wing-tips. This one was drawn to the moth trap last week. It’s a common enough species, whose larvae prefer organic waste.

Caddis flies in the Moth Trap

Making up a quite mixed bag in the moth trap this weekend, there were a handful of caddis flies of two different species. On the right the “half-moon” caddis fly (Limnephilus lunatus, #686), with a dark-rimmed pale semicircle at the tip of its wings. This is a species often coming to light at night, which I’ve caught several times from late summer through to now. The darker caddis fly on the left is a new species, Anabolia nervosa (#708), which also flies from August to October. The larvae of this caddis are usually found in streams, where they make a case of sand particles and small twigs.

#708 Anabolia nervosa

#686 Limnephilus lunatus

November Moth

Okay, it’s not quite November, but moth trapping this week, after a small gap, we had some new autumnal species.

First of the new species is the November Moth itself (Epirrita dilutata agg.), actually one of 3 very similar & closely-related species flying at this time of year, the others being the Pale November and Autumnal Moths, which in most cases require dissection to definitively identify. These moths fly now, laying eggs in the leaf buds of various deciduous trees, which duly hatch the next summer. The Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) also flies a single generation at this time of the year. The larvae live in rough grass, with the adults attracted to Ivy blossom. The second generation of the Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata) is another September-October moth.

The other moths caught included Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum), a Silver Y Moth (Autographa gamma) and a couple of Light Brown Apple Moths (Epiphyas postvittana). The latter species is an accidental introduction all the way from Australia, which since arriving in Cornwall in 1930’s has expanded its range to become a common species in much of UK.

#705 November Moth (Epirrita dilutata)

#706 Grey Pine Carpet (Thera obeliscata)

#707 Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis)

#661 Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum)

#317 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)

#111 Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

Daddy Long Legs

Although they are around most of the time from spring onwards, Autumn is really crane fly season and it’s unusual not to find a few on the house walls or in the house (where the cat likes to catch and eat them). There were many, including this brown-coloured Marsh Crane Fly, around until early in the month, whereas this Tipula confusa with its lace patterned wings is a late flier, attracted to the moth trap this week. The third species looks superficially like a crane fly, but it’s actually a moth which rolls up its wings at rest. The Common Plume Moth (Emmelina monodactyla) flies right through the Autumn and Winter from September to May, and like crane flies it is often attracted into houses by the light.

#565 Marsh Crane Fly (Tipula oleracea)

#364 Tipula confusa

#349 Common Plume (Emmelina monodactyla)

Common Not-so-Green Shieldbug

The bug on the left was found in the Elder tree the other day. It’s a Common Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina, #350) which has lost its usual vibrant green colour to be better camouflaged during the Autumn and Winter seasons. The one on the right was photographed in July. You hear a lot about mammals and birds, like Ptarmigan and Mountain Hares, that change colour in the winter - but here’s an example (albeit not so impressive as turning pure white) from your own backyard. As they hibernate as adults, remaining bright green in a brown-coloured world would not be optimal.

Common Old Garden Insects

There are not so many insects around now as we move into Autumn, so it’s good to look again at the common ones which are present. Spiders, like this large Garden Spider, are still hunting a last meal. These garden spiders die off in the Autumn, the next generation surviving as eggs over the winter to hatch in the spring. Ladybirds hibernate as adults. Most years we get a lot of Harlequin Ladybirds around the walls of the house on sunny autumn days, though this year there seem to have been less of them than previously and more of the native 7-spot ladybirds. Earwigs are also on the lookout for somewhere to hibernate - apparently they can often burrow deep underground to pass the winter, or like this male, come into the house seeking a cozy corner in which to hide out.

Aside from insects there have been some good birds around, but tough to get photos. The first fieldfare of winter was in the trees at the bottom of the garden, as were a couple of lesser redpolls that joined the goldfinch flock. Migrants included a male blackcap taking berries one day and a drop-in grey wagtail that visited the bare veg patch. A pipistrelle dodging the rain drops this evening might well be the last I see until the spring.

#65 European Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

#124 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

#287 Seven Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)

#311 Common Earwig (Forficula auricularia)

Red Harvestman & Spotted Snake Millipede

The Red Harvestman (Opilio canestrinii) is a newly arrived non-native species, first observed in Gloucestershire in 2011. It is seen mostly in the late summer and autumn, and has a distinctive dark legs contrasting with orange leg sockets and white rings around its eyes. It’s believed to be quite aggressive, supplanting related Opilone species as it extends its range.

This Spotted Snake Millipede crawled out of the Blewits I picked earlier in the week. With it’s pale colour with blood-red spots it is quite distinctive. It is quite a common species, though this is the first I’ve found, living in cultivated soil.

#704 Red Harvestman (Opilio canestrinii)

#703 Spotted Snake Millipede (Blaniulus guttulatus)

Wood Blewit

My garden is not really that rich in fungi, so it was a surprise to find these Wood Blewits (Clitocybe nuda, #702) popping up among my courgette plants in the veg plot. I dug in a large trough of compost and leaf litter for the courgettes, and this seems to be to their liking as several clusters of Blewits have appeared. These are edible fungi so I’m plucking up courage to try them. According to various foraging websites the identification is based on the shape, pale mauve colour turning brown with age, the gills & how they join the stem and the fat stem itself - also the season and the habitat. Wood Blewit is not a rare mushroom, but there are other similar (and toxic) species, so a bit of care is warranted - the odour and spore print is also distinctive so I should check that as well (before sauteing them in butter).

Light Trapped Bugs

Here’s a couple of so-called “true” bugs, that I caught in the moth trap during September. While it’s mostly moths, I do catch other insects, and these shield bugs are always welcome. Obviously they, like the beetles and water boatmen I’ve caught previously, do also fly around under cover of dark more than you might think.

#292 Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)

#282 Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)

Spider & Fly

I’d never realised how bristly flies can be. This black and orange Tachina fera caught sunning itself on the wall has some impressive bristles. This Tachanid fly is a parasitoid, it’s larvae eating moth caterpillars from the inside. I suppose the bristles are sensory organs, maybe to give some early warning if a spider is coming up close behind? The spider here is a new genus for the garden, Tetragnatha, but as quite often with spiders it’s hard to get down to an individual species as there are very similar species, which all vary considerably in colour. These are orb-weaver spiders that often stretch out lengthwise, with their long legs in front, to hide on plant stems.

#322 Tachina fera

#701 Tetragnatha sp.

700 Species

Getting a moth trap has been a game-changer in terms of adding new species to my list this summer - also a lot of fun. I brought up my 700th species in some style with a bevy of beautiful moths this morning after a perfect warm & still September night.

#696 Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria)

#697 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)

#698 Large Ranunculus (Polymixis flavicincta)

#699 The Mallow (Larentia clavaria)

#700 Light Emerald (Campaea margaritata)

Swallow Tail and Gold Triangle

There are some more moths from earlier in the week, pushing my garden list closer to 700 species. The Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) was a particularly beautiful one; also quite a late record for this species, which is commoner in July.

The Gold Triangle moth (Hypsopygia costalis) has two postures, this one with its wings splayed out and tail in the air and a more normal moth-like v-shape. It’s larvae live in dried vegetation, like hay stacks or my neighbour’s thatched roof. The other two moths are also typical for the season; the Pale Mottled Willow’s (Paradrina clavipalpis) larvae live in cereal grain, while those of the Rosy Rustic’s (Hydraecia micacea) live underground mostly in the roots of plants of the dock family.

#690 Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria)

#691 Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis)

#688 Pale Mottled Willow (Caradrina clavipalpis)

#693 Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) with Large Yellow Underwing

Shore Sexton Beetle

Although it is called a Shore Sexton Beetle (Necrodes littoralis), it’s not just found by the sea side. This beetle, which flies well, was attracted to the light of my moth trap the other night. It can fly quite far in search of dead animals, which both it and its larvae live on, helping the process of decomposition.

#695 Shore Sexton Beetle Necrodes littoralis

Clifden Nonpareil

This super-impressive Clifden Nonpareil or Blue Underwing moth was attracted to my moth trap last night. These moths were extinct in UK and only reported as migrants, but the last few years have been turning up more often and it appears may well have re-established themselves. The warmer climate may have contributed to their return. They typically fly in September, their larvae preferring aspen and poplar trees. With a wing-span of 75-95 mm it’s a pretty big moth, the blue underwing (just visible on this photo) is believed to play a role in surprising predators so it can get away. Once the “Holy Grail” for moth enthusiasts, they may be getting commoner, but this is still a rather special creature to find in my own garden!

#689 Clifden Nonpareil - Catocala fraxini