Sharing the results from my latest Moth Trap Session. I have written posts about setting up a moth trap and on collecting the results if you want some more background info on how and why I use a Moth Trap
Date: 23rd April 2025
Weather:
Its only been 3 days since my last moth recording session. Usually I'd only do this if we had amazing weather and to be honest the weather forecast isn't amazing by any stretch of the imagination!
So why am I doing this? Well, its a long-ish story, so bear with me...
I used to have 2 moth traps here... my trusty little one that I've had for the past 4 years, and then I acquired a 2nd one from a member of my partners camera club. He was selling it as he was unable (or uninterested in doing it anymore) and I got a second-hand, much bigger trap for a fraction of the cost of a new one one.
There is my little black one on the right, and the 'new' wooden one on the left:
Image taken from This Post
I used it a couple of times, and it was pretty good, and I definitely appreciated the larger size during the summer months. The thing is, I got this wooden one 2 years ago... and its only been used a handful of times since. In fact I didn't even use it at all last year, favoring instead to just use my trusty little one as it was easier and quicker to set up.
In other news, my partner is currently studying up at the University of Cumbria, and while there, she has taken over running the wildlife society. She has been thinking of activities for the group to do. One of her ideas was to try moth trapping one evening, and she asked if she could borrow my second-hand one for one term... I thought about it briefly and decided she could take it and donate it to the society... all its doing is taking space up here.
So when she came home for xmas last year, she backed the trap away, and took it back with her to start the 2nd semester.
And that all leads on to why I'm running this tonight, because tonight she is running her first moth night for the members and students. She has also roped in one of the lecturers and a local moth trapper, so at the last count there are 4 traps being run at the university. It would be nice to compare what I get, with her results
Weather wise... its not brilliant, but then to be fair its not bad for the year. Its been warm during the day with plenty of sunshine, and we have some cloud cover tonight which will help with numbers. The clouds did look ominous earlier, but I think now we should be dry for the evening. I'm pretty sure she has similar conditions up north in Carlisle.
Oh and I'll update here if my partner gets anything interesting from all her traps, it'll be interesting to see how the results compare... she is further North which will affect the species seen, but she has a different habitat around her, so that will make a difference too
In other news, while there have been several butterflies and bees zipping around in the afternoon sun, the surprise was this big fat frog I found sat in the middle of my lawn!
She was absolutely enormous! I'm assuming it is a she, and that she is so huge as she is ready to lay frogspawn imminently. She didn't look too happy sat on the lawn, so I carefully moved her next to my pond, and she immediately jumped in. I don't know if that was due to wanting to 'cool down' or if she was just trying to get away from the big lumbering human who had just picked her up!
She sat in the pond for the rest of the afternoon, but when I went to check again while setting up the moth trap, I noticed she has left, probably better now the temperature has cooled down a little
Anyway... we're moth trapping... not frog trapping!
Moth trap set up and ready to go
Lights on, pots at the ready... Here. We. Go!
Results: 4 moths of 2 species
Summary of Results:
So, dusk fell after 8pm, and by 8:30pm it was mostly dark. I left it for a little while (busy typing up a different hive post, and then went out to check the trap at 9:50pm, and was surprised to see not just one Shuttle-shaped Dart resting on the wall near the back door, but another 2 of the same species were flitting around the light!
I mean, it's not busy by any stretch, but a little flurry was exciting!
I am easily pleased haha!
I caught 2 of these last week, and as I said then, I'll be seeing these weekly now until September
I headed back out to check the trap at 10:45, there were 2 of these still in the trap, and another was zipping around outside, But then I spotted something different, and by the way it flew I knew it was different to the Shuttle-shaped Darts
I did need to wait a few minutes for the moth to settle on the side of the trap so of the trap before I could look at it and...
Ta dah!
Garden Carpet - Xanthorhoe fluctuata
There we go. Another super common species seen from late Spring to Early Autumn, but, it is the first time I've seen this one this year, so thats exciting enough for me :-)
I wonder if my friend @goldenoakfarm will appreciate this meagre offering...?
One thing I have noticed, same as last weeks session, is there are none of the really small micro moths to be seen... perhaps its still too cold for them, or maybe there is just a lull in the numbers, and they pick up again soon?
That said, it feels 6-7C out there at the moment, which is pretty chilly. I's starting to get quiet out there too, so I think I'm gonna try one last time (11:30) and then I think I'm gonna call it for the evening.
And thats it for this rare, one off, midweek session. Because of tonight's session, I won't be bothering trapping at the weekend, and so my next session will likely be the following weekend (or maybe even the weekend after that (i.e. 2nd week of May). It will be interesting to catch up with my partner tomorrow, and find out how her first moth trap session went for her wildlife group at uni... I hope she has seen more than me, its a long old evening stood around with nothing to look at!
I will update here with her results in due course
What will happen next time? Will it be busy and chaotic? Will it be quieter? Will I find something new to record?
Well, once again, there is only one way to find out!
Notes on Pictures: Since I started moth trapping 5 years ago, I have been slowly building up collection of Library Images. The idea being that once I have taken a picture of a particular species of Moth, I don't need another picture of the same species a year later. It’s a waste of time and energy. I only take pictures of new species, or of moths that are difficult to ID, so I can get the records verified.
While in my care, all individuals are looked after, and after Photographs have been taken, they are all released safely outside.
All names confirmed and checked via Wikispieces
Further Research from UK Moths and NatureSpot
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As always, your posts are so necessary on Hive! I loved it, and about the toad... hahaha, very funny.
lol, you probably would have laughed at the expression on my face when I first realized there was a fat frog sat on my lawn!
"Huh? What the hell is that?!"
Still can't work out how she got in, must have squeezed through a crack in the fence or something!
It may have been meager but it had a FROG!! Yay! I love frogs. :)) And I like your photo of the Garden Carpet better. :))
haha, noted! I'll keep you updated on any froggy goings on!
She spent the rest of the day hiding in the pond, but by dusk she had disappeared, and is presumably roaming around the undergrowth of the garden
She sure is a fat one!
Hello friend! excellent post, all well detailed and with their sources of reference in addition to the photographs are beautiful. In this spring time the toads are very active, and this species you found has a very funny face. Thanks for sharing it 😃
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The toad is really big, it looks like a large potato because of its color. You had an unexpected visitor in the garden. It's funny that it appeared while you were setting up the moth trap.
Best regards!
She was absolute enormous.... and yep about the size of a large potato too! 😅