New Moths in Howdon, Wallsend during October 2016

Only 4 new moths for October which I have eventually got round to publishing.  Looks like there wont be one for November as its not far off being a complete blank apart from an odd few at the beginning of the moth

3 October 2016
73.192  Brick   (Agrochola circellaris)

4 October 2016
73.181  Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata)

5 October 2015
63.052 Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella)

27 October 2016
49.043 Exapate congelatella

New Moths in Howdon, Wallsend During September 2016

September only brought 10 new Moths to the Garden although I suppose that from now on I will get less and less as I continue to trap but the expectation still brings a bit of a thrill as I lift the substrate out of the trap and look down trying to recall which furry brown thing is which and when you eventually figure it out you have to write it down eg ana/c is Acleris laterana/comariana (in my world) but if you ever get stuck there is an encyclopedia resident in Tynemouth called Tom

5 September 2016
15.043 Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae

6 September 2016
17.013 Ypsolopha vittella

15.034 Phyllonorycter harrisella

15.089 Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Cameraria ohidella

7 September 2016
70.134 Barred Rivulet Perizoma bifaciata

11 September 2016
49.071 Acleris emargana

15.066 Phyllonorycter strigulatella

13 September 2016
12.036 Skin Moth  Monopis laevigella

16 September 2016
72.017 Vapourer  Orgyia antiqua

21 September 2016
15.053 Firethorn Leaf Miner Phyllonorycter leucographella

Other Notables caught this month for the garden included:
73.281  Lychnis (Hadena bicruris) - my 2nd ever

49.249 Epinotia ramella - my 2nd ever

49.228 Epinotia sordidana - my 2nd ever and the 11th for Northumberland

Moths in Howdon, Wallsend During August 2016

New Moths Caught in August 2016

1 August
72.043 Eilema depressa  Buff Footman

49.248 Nut Bud Moth Epinotia tenerana

49.266 Eucosma hohenwartiana (bad picture - but it flew off after a test shot)

2 August
38.037  Elachista canapennella (yet another bad picture)

15.010  Caloptilia stigmatella

3 August
49.288  Epiblema foenella

4 August
73.107  Old Lady  Mormo maura

5 August
72.061  Pinion-streaked Snout  Schrankia costaestrigalis

16.019  Paraswammerdamia albicapitella

6 August
49.021 Ptycholomoides aeriferana (the 2nd for Northumberland)

14 August
70.132  Rivulet (Perizoma affinitata) Courtesy Tom Tams

22 August
15.086 Phyllonorycter geniculella Courtesy Tom Tams

Big Waters Moth Trapping Session 5 September 2016

Tom Tams and I held a Moth Trapping session at Big Waters on 5 September 2016 between 20.15 - 23.15hrs.  We had 5 Traps out, 2 x 30w Actinic (in field to the west of dipping pond just behind the gate), 1 8w Heath in the Feeding Station, 1 x 125mv on the viewing point on the boardwalk and a 125mv freestanding light on platform next to the dipping pond.

The best performing trap was the one on the Viewing Point but at one stage it was absolutely covered with Midgies, Mosquitos, Caddis and Crane Flies and even Big Brave Tom wouldn't touch it.  So at the end of night I just carried it to the van (because I am a fully trained soldier afraid of nothing (except the wife)) and went to his house at 06.30 in the morning and emptied it with him.  The worst performing trap was the one in the Feeding Station which did not have 1 single Moth in it, just loads of Caddis Flies.  The one by the dipping pond we used as a netting point with a large white sheet on the ground which eventually looked like a bacchanalian orgy of Crane Flies with moths wandering around in between their mass pile-ups.

Here are the full results from last nights trapping session at Big Waters

A total of 149 Moths of 28 Species

Taxa
Acleris laterana/comariana 3
16.001 Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella) 24
20.012 (Argyresthia goedartella) 1
35.123 (Scrobipalpa costella) 1
38.039 (Elachista maculicerusella) 2
41.002 (Blastobasis adustella) 3
49.039 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 5
49.249 (Epinotia ramella) 3
62.035 (Acrobasis advenella) 2
63.038 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis) 1
70.061 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 6
70.090 Chevron (Eulithis testata) 1
70.094 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) 2
70.097 Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata) 5
70.226 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 4
72.002 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis) 3
73.063 Svensson's Copper Underwing (Amphipyra berbera svenssoni) 1
73.119 Crescent (Helotropha leucostigma) 1
73.134 Large Wainscot (Rhizedra lutosa) 2
73.136 Bulrush Wainscot (Nonagria typhae) 2
73.144 Small Wainscot (Denticucullus pygmina) 1
73.187 Brown-spot Pinion (Agrochola litura) 2
73.219 Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago) 2
73.334 Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi) 6
73.342 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 14
73.343 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata) 1
73.357 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) 51

The following pictures are of some of the above moths which are from the Northumberland Moths site which is run by Tom Tams and is one of the best around for photographs (if you wish to check any out just click on the link here Northumberland Moths

Bird-cherry Ermine

Argyresthia goedartella 

 Scrobipalpa costella

Elachista maculicerusella

Centre-barred Sallow

 Chevron

Large Wainscott 

New Moths in Howdon, Wallsend During July 2016

July seemed to be fits and starts of lots of moths and then scarcely any.  It was good fun though, although I don't think I would have coped if I had been still working for a living or didn't have the County Recorder, Tom Tams, to assist me in identifying moths that I didn't even know existed the day before.  I have seen about 350 different birds in the last 10 years and can remember their names and what they look like roughly, but then all of a sudden to come across a couple of thousand new moths who seem to have unintelligible latin names and ones who you cant tell apart unless........   It is quite a big change and now that my small brain is full of information accumulated over 65 years of life and I am now trying to prise some more in and my red/green colour blindness along with my lousy eyesight means it should be so easy (NOT).  Well, I love a challenge so here is my List of New Moths for the Garden in July 2016:

3 July

20.015 Argyresthia curvella

6 July 

37.033  Coleophora trifolii  Large Clover Case Bearer

7 July

20.007  Argyresthia cupressella  Cypress Tip Moth

20.012  Argyresthia goedartella (courtesy Tom Tams)                             

28.012  Borkhausenia fuscescens

35.148  Carpatolechia fugitivella

62.042  Myelois circumvoluta Thistle Ermine

70.112  Euchoeca nebulata  Dingy Shell

70.166  Eupithecia simpliciata  Plain Pug

70.218  Chiasmia clathrata  Latticed Heath

8 July
71.005  Furcula forcula  Sallow Kitten

9 July
49.286  Epiblema cirsiana (courtesy of Tom Tams)

10 July
63.081  Crambus pascuella 

16 July
34.004  Limnaecia phragmitella

39.002  Blastodacna atra  Apple Pith Moth

63.069  Eudonia angustea (courtesy Tom Tams)

17 July
36.001  Batrachedra praeangusta (courtesy Tom Tams)

62.005  Achroia grisella  Lesser Wax Moth

62.007  Cryptoblabes bistriga

18 July
35.056  Metzneria lappella

49.359  Grapholita janthinana (courtesy Tom Tams)

19 July
16.022  Orchard Ermine Yponomeuta   (Courtesy Tom Tams)

49.063  Acleris bergmanniana

20 July
49.185  Lobesia littoralis

73.172  Mesoligia furuncula  Cloaked Minor

21 July
21.004  Leucoptera laburnella  Laburnum Leaf Miner

35.141  Teleiodes vulgella

49.367  Pammene fasciana

63.075  Eudonia pallida (courtesy Tom Tams)

23 July
73.168  Lateroligia ophiogramma  Double Lobed

70.133  Perizoma alchemillata  Small Rivulet

24 July
70.013 Idaea biselata  Small Fan-footed Wave 

26 July
49.234 Epinotia abbreviana

70.168 Eupithecia nanata  Narrow-winged Pug

37.083 Coleophora saxicolella

27 July
63.100 Caloptria margaritella