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: 12th November 2022
Weather:
Its been awhile since my last trapping session. A variety of reasons, but mostly struggling to find the time to do it.
The weather looks reasonable tonight. Highs of 15C earlier is pretty good for the time of year, and its also been dry for a few days which is also a plus. The wind is coming from the south which is also good as it means a potential for migrant species blown upwards from Europe.
I'll pre-warn you now, there probably won't be much to see tonight as we are near the end of Autumn. The best places to find moths at this time of year is old established woodland (and I have none of that here). But there is always a chance for something.
One the positive side, the fact that the nights are drawing in earlier means the trap is already on now at 5pm. As a Light Trap works better in the dark (obviously!), that gives me at least 7hours worth of darkness to see if the moths turn-up.
Once again I have stuck with the smaller trap, but enough talking...here we go!
Results: 6 moths of 3 species
Summary of Results:
Well, I told you not to get your hopes up lol... in the end there was very little to see.
As I turned the trap on at 5pm, one little moth fluttered on the the white sheet - a Light Brown Apple Moth.
which often gets shortened to LBAM by regular moth trappers, as the name is a bit of a mouthful!
There were 4 of these LBAM which appeared as the evening wore on. Regular readers will know I mention this little species quite often as they are ridiculously common and widespread. They are also one of the few species which can potentially be seen all year round... which makes them a little bit boring.
"oh whats that fluttering near the trap... oh, its just another LBAM!"
Light Brown Apple Moth - Epiphyas postvittana
Light Brown Apple Moth - Epiphyas postvittana
Light Brown Apple Moth - Epiphyas postvittana
It stayed like this for the whole evening, until about 10pm.
I went out to check the trap to see if something else had turned up, and hiding underneath one of the egg trays was...
Turnip Moth - Agrotis segetum
...a Turnip Moth!
yes its another boring looking species, but at least it wasn't another LBAM!
It really was slim pickings tonight. It was a little strange as the weather was actually pretty reasonable for the time of year. There plenty of Midges and Gnats near the trap which is generally a good sign... just lacking in moths.
I decided to check the trap one last time just after 11pm, and as I headed outside I noticed that fog was starting to appear. There hadn't been any rain, but due to the moisture in the air, everything was soaked.
That does... one last look and then I'll bring everything inside....
Blair's Shoulder-knot - Lithophane leautieri
And that is when I spotted this moth resting on the outside of the trap
finally, something different! Quick, Grab a pot!
I potted the moth up, and then brought everything inside. I needed towels to wipe everything down, it was all covered in condensation... absolutely soaking wet.
Blair's Shoulder-knot - Lithophane leautieri
With the trap put away, I took another look at my final find. Ah yes, I believe it is one of the Shoulder-knots. Appearing this late in Autumn it can only be a Blair's Shoulder-knot.
Not a common species seen in this location, so a welcome addition to my records for the session.
So there you have it. Not much to see this week, but there is always a chance, and if I don't trap then I'll never know.
Will next weekend get better results? 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
If you have any thoughts or opinions on this article then I'd love to see your comments.
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Check out my website for more of my work.
Thanks for the support @qurator and @ackhoo, much appreciated :-)
The LBAM acronym is a cool name. I don't like how very pointy their "noses" are, but still pretty, I see they can have quite varied colouration.
The turnip moth photo is beautiful with the curled up proboscis, a very round moth. I like this one but the Shoulder Blair is my favourite because it really looks like a tiny fluffy bat from the angle you took the photo. Beautiful.
Well done on getting everything wiped down, I would have been so worried about something shorting out.
We appreciate your work and your post has been manually curated by zoology team (oscurity,nelinoeva) on behalf of Amazing Nature Community. Keep up the good work!
thanks for sharing
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That Turnip Moth is far from boring with that oriental rug cloak and that psychedelic tongue!