Friday 23 May 2014

More than I expected.

I didn't expect to get much last night - true I only got a few but different species. Interestingly the white ermines were in the trap this morning.

I'd like to get confirmation on the following. I think they are Scalloped Hazel, Buff Ermine (on the basis of the line of spots),  Clouded Brindle (on the basis of the habitat rather than Clouded Shouldered Brindle), possibly a Rustic Shoulder Knot (poorly marked and a poor photo), a Common Swift, and one I have no idea on, I thought it was a carpet but I can't match it.

Mark Griffiths, garsington, Oxford





4 comments:

  1. Hi Mark,
    Scalloped Hazel, Buff Ermine, Clouded Bordered-brindle, Rustic Shoulder-knot, Common Swift and May Highflyer.

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  2. thanks Peter! I do seem to be getting things where I don't recognise where they are coming from. Not really aware of any damp woodlands/carr/ water courses around here - we are on a hill surrounded by farmland

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  3. Hello Mark, you have (in order) Scalloped Hazel, Buff Ermine, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Rustic Shoulder-knot, Common Swift and May Highflyer.

    It is definitely a well-marked Clouded-bordered Brindle and not Clouded Brindle (both are common and I expect you'll get to see Clouded Brindle soon enough - it should start flying any day now). The May Highflyer is a nice moth to get in the garden. I had one here at Westcott for the first time last year and have had two more so far in 2014. I do have a very young bit of alder in the garden but I doubt they came from that. Otherwise the closest alder to me that I know of is a good three or four miles away so they must wander a bit.

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  4. I, like you Mark, live on top of a hill surrounded by arable farmland. I'm always surprised at the diversity of moths I get and often wonder where many of them come from as their nearest foodplant and/or habitat is nowhere near. And I have also had a couple of May Highflyers this year new for the garden. This isn't a moth I ever see masses of as most of the places I go trapping do not much or any Alder, and so I was extremely surprised to get them here, but as Dave says moths wander, and I think that is well proved by the fact I get quite a lot of migrant species - so perhaps top of the hill is the place to be :).

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