The new year started with cold, windy nights, hardly the sort of weather conducive to running a moth trap. I try to run my trap on all but the most unsuitable of nights; other naturalists may scoff at this, but I feel that one never knows what may be about and the only way to find out is by running the trap.
I started to trap on 4 January 1999 and was rewarded with The Chestnut, Conistra vaccinii, and Pale Brindled Beauty, Apocheima pilosaria. These were followed by Spring Usher Agriopis leuchophaearia, Early Moth Theria primaria, March Moth Alsophila aescularia, and Dark Chestnut Conistra ligula. One of the problems with some of these early flying moths is their weak flight. They don't fly strongly around the light and so don't strike the baffles. Hence they fail to drop into the trap. It is important that a regular inspection is made throughout the evening and early morning as most of these weak fliers will settle on the outside of the trap. Without these regular checks most of these moths would be missed. I don't know what percentage of moths are actually attracted to the trap,but I suspect that it isn't a very high proportion of those that fly in the vicinity. Those of us who have had the opportunity to sit and watch a running trap will know that a lot of moths fly straight past. Some will enter, but the following morning there will be no trace of them. It is obvious that they escape from the trap while it is still running.
Before the spell of snow and frost in February I had added The Satellite Eupsilia transversa, and Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica, making a total of 34 moths of 7 species. All of the moths recorded at this time had arrived on or about the expected date. The remainder of February brought with it such moths as Dark Chestnut Conistra ligula, Early Grey Xylocampa areola, March Moth Alsophila aescularia, Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria, and Pale Brindled Beauty Apocheima pilosaria.
It was apparent, even at this early stage, that 1999 was continuing in the same vein as the previous two years with a dearth of moths. Is this because of the low moth numbers in 1997 and 1998 producing fewer offspring or is the lack of numbers due to a natural low point in the moth cycle? The probable cause is that it is a reflection of the low night temperatures and poor weather conditions.
Species flying at Sicklesmere between January and May 1999 include :
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Total | Species | Total | Species | Total | |
| January | 2 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| February | 4 | 6 | 12 | 47 | 11 | 78 |
| March | 21 | 1125 | 22 | 1098 | 20 | 641 |
| April | 35 | 548 | 33 | 285 | 32 | 541 |
| May | 83 | 587 | 103 | 751 | 111 | 987 |
An early Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica, put in an appearance on 4 April and then on 28 April the first of the years migrants arrived, a solitary Dark Sword-grass Agrotis ipsilon. The only other moth worthy of note was one that completely fooled me. On 4 April I found what I assumed to be a tortricid at the bottom of the trap. I was unable to identify it in any of the books I had. It was only when looking through Rafe Eley's collection that I came across the same moth, not a tortricid at all, but an Oak Nycteoline Nycteola revayana.This goes to show that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I had assumed, because of the size and shape that the moth was a tortricid and hadn't looked any further.
May showed a little improvement in species numbers, but total numbers were still low. Least Black Arches Nola confusalis, Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata, on 5 May promised better things, but I was again to be disappointed. On 7 May a Latticed Heath Semiothisa clathrata, reminded me of the numbers of second generation moths of this species we had in 1997, between 18.8.97 and 14.9.97 a total of 63 came to the garden trap. On 11 May Chinese Character Cilix glaucata, appeared. This member of the Drepanidae is well camouflaged by its resemblance to a bird's dropping. Where other moths that remain on the outside of the trap are quickly picked up by the early morning birds, Chinese Character seems able to deceive them and they, sometimes, remain all day on the outside of the trap without being found by avian predators It is during May that the pug moths start to build up. These small moths can be a real pain to identify. I suppose they are the equivalent of the birders 'little brown jobs'. However, like most things the task becomes slightly easier with experience. Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata, White-spotted Pug E. tripunctaria, Oak-tree Pug E. dodoneata, Common Pug E. vulgata, Lime-speck Pug E. centaureata, Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata, Grey Pug Eupithecia subfuscata and Mottled Pug Eupithecia exiguata, all put in an appearance. A Varied Coronet Hadena compta, on 12 May was well on time, perhaps even a little early for this location. My moth of the year, so far, arrived on 20 May, White-pinion Spotted Lomographa bimaculata, a handsome white moth with two blackish triangles on the costa which readily gave its identity away. This woodland and hedgerow moth, which is described as 'widespread and not uncommon in the southern half of England, East Anglia, Lincolnshire and South Wales' by Skinner (1984), has been very uncommon in Sicklesmere; this specimen being the first record at this location. A second specimen appeared on 28 May. Some other moths worthy of note in May were The Seraphim Lobophora halterata, and, perhaps the most uncommon, the Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis, (on 24 May). The latter is on the wing between August and October, it then hibernates and reappears late April to June. Skinner describes it as 'a much decreased species, occuring in the southern half of Britain, and only casually recorded in recent years outside Surrey, Middlesex, north Kent and South Essex, in all of which counties it is locally not uncommon'. A Poplar Kitten Furcula bifida, on 30 May brought this part of the year to a handsome climax.
Alucita hexadactya
Angle Shades
Bright-line Brown-eye
Brimstone Moth
Brindled Beauty
Brindled Pug
Brown Rustic
Brown Silver-line
Buff Ermine
Buff-tip
Buttoned Snout
Cabbage Moth
The Campion
The Chestnut
Chinese Character
Chocolate-tip
Clouded Border
Clouded Drab
Clouded Silver
Clouded-bordered Brindle
Common Carpet
Common Marbled Carpet
Common Pug
Common Swift
Common Wainscot
Double-striped Pug
Common Wave
Coxcomb Prominent
Dark Arches
Dark Chestnut
Dark Sword-grass
Dotted Border
Early Grey
Early Moth
Early Thorn
Emmelina monodactyla
The Engrailed
Eurrhypara hortulata
Evergestis forficalis
Eyed Hawk-moth
Figure of Eighty
The Flame
Flame Shoulder
Frosted Green
Freyer's Pug
Garden Carpet
Grey Pine Carpet
Green Carpet
Grey Dagger
Grey Pug
Heart & Dart
Hebrew Character
Hedya pruniana
The Herald
Iron Prominent
Large Nutmeg
Latticed Heath
Least Black Arches
Lead-coloured Drab
Light Brocade
Lime Hawk-moth
Lime-speck Pug
Lunar Marbled Minor
The Lychnis
Marbled Minor
March Moth
Mottled Grey
Mottled Rustic
The Mullein
Muslin Moth
The Nutmeg
Nut-tree Tussock
Oak Beauty
Oak-tree Pug
Pale Brindled Beauty
Pale Oak Beauty
Pale Prominent
Pale Tussock
Pale-shouldered Brocade
Pebble Prominent
Peppered Moth
Pine Beauty
Poplar Hawk-moth
Poplar Kitten
Powdered Quaker
Red Chestnut
Red Twin-spot Carpet
Sandy Carpet
Scarce Tissue
Scorched Carpet
Scorched Wing
The Seraphim
Setaceous Hebrew Character
The Shears
Shoulder Stripe
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver Y
Small Angle Shades
Small Dusty Wave
Small Quaker
Small Square-spot
Small Waved Umber
Small White Wave
The Spectacle
Spring Usher
Spruce Carpet
The Streamer
Swallow Prominent
Tawny Marbled Minor
Treble Brown Spot
Treble Lines
Treble-bar
Turnip Moth
Twin-spotted Quaker
The V-Pug
Varied Coronet
Vine's Rustic
Waved Umber
White Ermine
White-pinion Spotted
White-spotted Pug
Willow Beauty
Yellow-barred Brindle
Reference
Skinner, B. (1984) Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles. Viking
Stan Dumican
Anglezarke, Sicklesmere, Bury St Edmunds IP30 0TJ