Small Things

How times have changed. Black-winged Kite in East Anglia!

In another life I'd have been all over it. Instead, I found myself wondering how far I would bother travelling to see a Black-winged Kite. Well, it would net a tidy few Patchwork Challenge points, or make a great lunchtime diversion if I was working in the Seaton area...

Yep, not far.

So, as Quattros were fired up countrywide, I was hunched over my copy of Manley's British & Irish Moths, endeavouring to put a name to some tiny splinter.

More and more I am finding myself drawn to the micro-moths. Everything about them is a challenge, from ID to photography. Actually, even seeing them in the first place can be a challenge. My first Lyonetia clerkella was pure fluke, accidentally caught in the same tube as I was potting another moth. It wasn't until I peered through a lens that I realised the glistening speck was actually a moth.

Moth-trapping conditions have been less than ideal lately but, even so, the last couple of nights have added two more to the garden list, both micros. I actively seek them out now, carefully inspecting the outside of the trap, the 'moth towel' and surrounding area for little blips of interest during trap-monitoring sessions and before retiring for the night. I've picked up several with the net before dark too. And a good few of them are very sparsely recorded in the county...

Thursday night, 20th July

91 moths of 48 species; two new for year.

Bordered Beauty. A gorgeous moth. Only our second, after one last year, and it does seem to be a species at fairly low density.

Iron Prominent graced the trap six times in 2022. This is the first for 2023.

Two last year; this is the fourth for 2023.

Third for the garden.

I was surprised to see Caloptilia azaleella again, hot on the heels of one the previous night. With so few Bridport records, I wondered if it might be the same individual...

Caloptilia azaleella - Wednesday night's on the left, Thursday night's on the right. The pattern of dots along the forewing's leading edge proves they are different individuals.

An interesting aspect of paying careful attention to micros is the frequency with which you come across species that seem to be uncommon locally, or even county-wide. In fact, downright scarce in some cases. As the following night illustrated...

Friday night, 21st July

74 moths of 47 species; three new for year, two new for garden.

The biggest surprise was catching three(!) Phyllocnistis saligna. Unless there has been some sort of population explosion in Dorset, our garden appears now to be the best site in the county for this species! Of course, that's nonsense, and I can only assume that a number of moth recorders don't much bother with micros...

Two of last night's P. saligna. The third avoided the camera.

Also among the micros was the next moth. Definitely the fastest mini-micro I've yet encountered, it dashed around so rapidly that I momentarily wondered if I'd potted a micro-caddis by mistake. But no, another 3.5mm marvel...

Elachista freyerella has a look-alike, so I'm currently awaiting expert confirmation of the ID. However, the Living Record map shows just four Dorset records of this species and three of its doppelgänger, so both are pretty scarce. Or, should I say, under-recorded?

The other new species for the garden was also a small thing...

Quite a common one, and a doddle to ID!

There were some nice macros too...

It may be 'just' a Common Carpet, but it's mighty well-dressed!

Another Phoenix. Also pretty swish.

And, by way of comparison with the above, our first Small Phoenix of the year. Recorded on seven nights in 2022.

Another White-spotted Pug, and a very fresh one at that. According to Living Record, our garden is comfortably leading the Bridport league table for this species. Again, I wonder what the attraction is?

As I've mentioned previously, a nice bonus of prowling the garden after dark is the possibility of 'bycatch'. So here is some of that, plus a mothy encounter of the non-trap kind...

Dark Bush-cricket, a garden first. Looks a bit of a warrior, this one, with just half an antenna.

Oak Bush-cricket. As far as I can recall, this too is a garden first. This and the above both discovered in the wildlife hedge. Definitely worth planting, that was.

Finally: making Brimstones.

Tyro's Gaffe

On Twitter I follow a number of folk who post mothy stuff. Mostly that'll be pics of selected trap highlights, but occasionally something more educational. Like this, for example, posted a couple of days ago...

I hadn't heard of Slender Brindle, and had to look it up in the field guide. Yes, I thought, I could well imagine myself overlooking one as a pale Common Rustic agg. Living Record revealed that there have been several Bridport records, so it's certainly a moth I should be looking out for. I resolved to check very carefully all future Common Rustic agg. types for that 'obvious brown patch at the base of the thorax'.

The very next morning I counted 14 Common Rustic agg. in the trap. I paid careful attention to thorax bases, and the presence or absence of obvious brown patches, but no Slender Brindle. That was yesterday. In the evening I released the catch. As a beginner, my biggest concern is cocking up a decent moth by misidentifying it as something common, so, as per usual, I checked each egg tray before shaking off its moths, in case I'd overlooked anything obvious. And look what I found!

Slender Brindle, also known as Tyro's Gaffe.

So, a big thank-you to Les Evans-Hill for the heads-up. But honestly, how did I miss that?!

Slender Brindle is the most recent addition to the garden list, but last night's catch added three new species for the year...

Wednesday night, 19th July

In contrast to the blazing heat of this time last year it was a clear and chilly night, and 88 moths of 42 species was better than I expected. Two Privet Hawk-moths in the trap was a first, and a nice highlight, and here are some others...

Elephant Hawk-moth on Hazel. Mmmmmm...

A pristine Brussels Lace. We've caught 30 this year, but the peak was definitely in June.

First Four-spotted Footman of the year.  A male.

First of the year. There will be lots more.

Marbled Green. Another first for the year. Four trapped in 2022.

Following one at the end of May, this is the garden's second. With less than 10 other West Dorset records on the Living Record map (and none in the Bridport area) probably a decent catch.

Blair's Mocha #10 for 2023. Am I going to post a photo of every single Blair's Mocha I trap? Possibly. I do like them. Not many moths have blobs of Tipp-Ex on their wings.

More Than Just Moths

Despite the best of intentions, birding remains firmly on the back burner just now. I did make an effort early this morning and had a mooch around West Bay for half an hour, but there was absolutely zero inspiration on land or sea. Still, autumn will be here all too soon, and good birds a-plenty I'm sure.

Meanwhile, of course...

Yes, I am well aware that NQS has become little more than a garden moth diary, and it must be a bit trying for long-suffering readers uninterested in the things. But, sadly, I have got it bad. And these mothy posts, with the photos and brief notes, has definitely helped the learning process. So, I'm afraid there will be many more in this vein.

Monday night, 17th July

83 moths of 44 species. One new for year and garden.

The sugaring list gained a quality addition...

A very fresh-looking Old Lady. Stewart Sexton's mix going down a treat! This one was photographed on Monday night; last night there were two!

Between 23/8 and 10/9 last year we recorded Old Lady four times (five moths in total) but I am not sure whether any of them were actually in the trap. This year we got an early Old Lady on 24th June, and that one definitely wasn't. It was resting on the garage wall, several feet from the trap. I understand there are other species which might not be that strongly drawn to light, including the Red/Crimson Underwing group of moths, and I would like to think that the sweet, sweet fence posts might pull in one or more of their number. We shall see...

A common moth, but this is a lovely example: Ruby Tiger.

In 2022 we recorded this species on 11 occasions. So far this year, just twice. By way of comparison, the Ringed China-mark tally already stands at 50 this year.

The dullest of 'little brown jobs', but new for the garden. Its vernacular name says it all. Evidently christened with love. Not.

Tuesday night, 18th July

110 moths of 50 species. Four new for year, of which two new for garden.

A common moth, but virtually all the Bright-line Brown-eyes caught so far have been rather worn, and hardly worth a pic. This one is better than most, so here we go.

Engrailed is seemingly a moth at low density locally. We caught three last year, and this is the first of 2023.

I wonder how many of these I have overlooked? Very similar to the ubiquitous Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata. I ought to do a comparison collage, perhaps. But then again, perhaps I haven't overlooked it, and have simply misidentified a Mint Moth here?! Moths. Loads of fun.

Couldn't resist including this superb Scorched Carpet.

A characterful 5mm addition to the garden list. Apparently common, but zero Bridport area dots on Living Record, and only ten or so locations county-wide.

We've had this one a few times, but nice to get a photo showing the distinctive coppery fringe.

Next, a couple of photos of the garden's second Phyllocnistis saligna of 2023. This 3.5mm tiddler is listed as 'Local', so I wouldn't expect to see millions of dots on the Dorset Living Record map. But, as mentioned in the previous post, there are just five. Five dots, representing 10 records, and two of those are from our garden in 2022. Add another two this year, and we apparently are responsible for a third of the county's recent records. I find this hard to believe. Presumably, Phyllocnistis saligna is massively under-recorded.

Couldn't be trusted outside the pot!

Finally, another new moth for the garden...

One of those moths where size matters. With a wing slightly >11mm, and markings and flight time seemingly typical of the species, I am pleased to say this tricky moth has had the official nod...

Designated a 'Local' species, Scoparia basistrigalis appears to be thinly distributed in Dorset, with few sites showing more than a record or two on the Living Record map, and none in the Bridport area.

Finally, finally...

No, of course there is more to NQS these days than just moths. Painted Lady, through the window just now.

Sweet Goo

This weekend was mostly spent in Lyme Regis, babysitting. The weather forecast held little promise of exotic migrant moths, so the trap stayed at home and I got two nights of 8+ hours sleep. Which meant I was keen to get back at it yesterday, and decided to try something I first had a go at last autumn: sugaring.

It was a bit late in the year when I discovered Stewart Sexton's recipe for a sugaring mix (see HERE) and advice on its use, but I duly cooked it up (to the letter, including a couple of over-ripe pears and a black banana!), painted a couple of fence posts and hoped for the best. Unfortunately I got nothing, and after three or four blank nights, gave up. Still, I did resolve to try again in summer 2023...

The fence behind the wildlife hedge is out of view of the moth trap, and had seemed an obvious spot to try. Last year's mix still smelled amazing, and I felt pretty confident as I slapped it on the top couple of feet of three posts. Shortly after dark I checked them out, and was well chuffed to find a Bright-line Brown-eye tucking in, proboscis fully extended. Over the next hour or so I added several more species to the sugaring list: Common Rustic agg., Uncertain/Rustic agg., Common Plume, Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple Moth) and this beauty...

The stunning Herald, lapping up the goo.

At one point there were three Heralds feeding, and I couldn't resist potting one for a decent photo later. I've caught just one Herald in the light trap this year, back in early April, so three together was a real treat.

Herald

I also spent a bit of time prancing about with the net, and caught a couple of new micros for the garden...

This whacky little moth is quite common apparently, and there are about 10 Bridport area records on Living Record.

I love these colourful little things. They pack so much gaudiness into 3.5-4mm, yet are nothing but a shiny speck to the naked eye. Sadly (and depressingly) this one has to go down as Phyllonorycter sp. The secret of its specific ID is locked away in its microscopic 'nads. As far as I'm concerned, they can keep it.

Though past its best, this one is do-able. One of three very similar species, but thankfully separable. Rather sparsely recorded it seems, with no Bridport area records on the Living Record map so far.

In total, last night's count was 115 moths of 51 species, with seven new for year and five new for garden, including two macros...

Tawny Shears is new for the garden. It seems to have a mainly coastal distribution in Dorset.

The very lovely Large Emerald. Quite common, but new for the garden. And large it is!

A nice Shuttle-shaped Dart.

Just the fourth example of this migrant so far in 2023.

Another Cloaked Minor. This one was tiny.

First this year. We caught four in 2022.

New for the garden. This moth has an interesting distribution in Dorset. Loads of records on Portland, and in the Wareham/Poole basin area, but few in West Dorset. Just one dot (representing two records) in the Bridport area.

So, that was last night, but I should bring the moth stuff bang up to date by adding a quick summary of last Thursday night also...

Thursday night, 13th July

140 moths of 56 species. Three new for year, one new for garden.

Fourth White-spotted Pug of the year.

First Clay of the year, and only the garden's second.

Blair's Mocha #9 for the year.

Third one of these this year, but the first I've managed to photograph. Houdini moths.

The spectacular Peppered Moth, always good value.

A delicate little beauty, and far from abundant locally. We trapped a single in 2022, and two so far this year.

A garden first. Despite having a well-established vernacular name (presumably it's a 'pest') there are no Bridport area records on the Living Record map.

Measuring 3.5mm, this is another micro that lives up to the name. There are just five dots on the Living Record map, representing 10 records of this silvery splinter. Two of those were from our garden last year, so this is our third. Not sure what the attraction is.

Finally, a few weeks back I came across a green and brown twig crawling slowly up the cabin wall. I had my suspicions as to its ID, and last night was proved right when this hatched from the small, silk-curtained chrysalis...

A freshly-minted Brimstone Moth.