Common Pug

Common Pug

This was the only interesting thing in the trap this morning, accompanied by the usual three Housing Association Microlepidoptera and a caddisfly.

Plus another moth that got away as soon as I lifted the lid. D'oh!

Trap Report 25-26 May 2013

25W Blacklight | @ home garden, Springmartin
11-12°C, B0-1, clear to cloudy

Endrosis sarcitrella: 2
Common Pug: 1 [Y]
Mompha subbistrigella: 3
Hofmannophila pseudospretella: 1

DJ MSub in da house!

Yesterday I was out and about in Murlough NNR and saw some real goodies. Once I have clarified that my photographic activities in relation to a particular species at the reserve are not infringing legislation, I'll be able to report on that!

Updates on Projects 36A, 37A and 38A

None of the three pupae have emerged yet. (The second Lozotaenia is keeping the first one waiting!)

Munching Micropterix

The Micropterigidae are unique in the world of Lepidoptera in that they have functional jaws! Most other moths can only consume liquids (using their proboscis) but these little guys like to munch pollen - in particular the most common species, Micropterix calthella, dozens of which can be found in early summer occupying buttercup flowers.

Last year about this time I recorded 45 of these little beauties at Glencairn Park. In similar conditions on Friday, I found just three.

Another highlight was this Heliozela (of the three Heliozela species probably hammoniella, based on the fact that its foodplant (birch) was closest, although sericiella (oak) can't be ruled out).

[EDIT 9 Jun: Actually, I wasn't really paying attention to the vegetation at the time. Only after returning to the spot for a third time did I notice the thick canopy of alder leaves above where I saw the moth - over which towers a humungous oak tree. H. hammoniella would be the least likely - it was probably resplendella!]

I found more suspected November/Winter Moth caterpillars, two again on beech (U#269/270) bringing the total to 8, but also a very similar one on hawthorn (U#275) along with a tortrix larva (U#276) on an adjacent leaf. I might go and retrieve the tortrix to rear.

[EDIT 9 Jun: I'm fairly sure they're Winter Moth! The hawthorn tortrix has now pupated.]

[EDIT 29 Jun: The hawthorn tortrix emerged, revealing itself to be a Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana)!]

U#275 - Geometrid larva on hawthorn

U#276 - Tortrix larva on hawthorn

Daytime Report 24 May 2013

Flying / on vegetation | @ Glencairn Park J3075, HVC39
Updated 9 Jun

  Green-veined White: 6

  Orange-tip: 6 (male)

  Heliozela resplendella: 1 probable [N] [Y] 

  Winter Moth: +3L (U#269/275)

  Pandemis cerasana: 1L [eY] (U#276)

  Micropterix calthella: 3 [Y]

  Grapholita jungiella: 2

Hashtagged caterpillars galore

Out running to get my fitness up last week, I chanced upon quite a few caterpillars, which I have been revisiting on subsequent days.

Daytime Report 16 May 2013 (early morning)

On vegetation / Flying | @ Glencairn Road J3075 / Glencairn Road J2976, HVC39

• Six small green Geometrid larvae, possibly of two different species (U#269: 5L; U#270: 1L - could be November Moth, Winter Moth or something similar) were munching away in spun Beech leaves, as were two micro-moth larvae (U#271: 1L; U#273: 1L). On blackthorn was another micro (U#272: 1L), and up in the countryside was...

 Green-veined White:1 [Y]

U#269 larvae in spinning on beech

U#270 larva on beech

One of the five U#269 larvae found on beech, smaller than the single U#270 larva above but with similar markings, so possibly the previous instar rather than a different species. 

Green-veined White

U#272 larva on blackthorn

Daytime Report 22 May 2013 (early morning)

On vegetation | @ Glencairn Park J3075, HVC39

• I refound two of the green Geometrid larvae, which blurred the lines between what I had thought might be two separate species (U#269/270). A new find was a tiny brown Geometrid larva (U#274: 1L) on the same beech, which could possibly be Mottled Umber.

My use of hashtags to catalogue unidentified records is somewhat different from how Twitter uses them (#myrecordsmyrules) but I know some people may find them just as annoying, so apologies.

Another update on these caterpillars (and other very cool stuff) to come this weekend (hopefully), then I'm holing up for some intense revision next week...

Wings like Angles - and a lovely Lozzy

Final update on Project 3B

Here she is! My Angle Shades moth emerged on Wednesday (22 May), a week and a half earlier than I expected, certainly because I kept the pupa inside for the latter part of its development.

I released her back in the garden that night.

(I say "her". I can't actually sex moths so I'm just guessing...)

I haven't been keeping my Flickr account up to date recently so no links on the photos. Next up...

Update on Project 36A

Yes, the first Lozotaenia forsterana had popped out the same morning. I've kept it back until its companion emerges, then I'll release both of them in the garden. Or see if they'll breed.

In the 22 degree heat of my room, this one only took 10 days to complete its pupal stage. So as a comparison...

Update on Project 3B

...I collected a 2cm larva from the ivy on the garden wall, and am keeping it outdoors to see how long it pupates for in more normal conditions.

I found six other larvae on the ivy, with quite a range of sizes. One of them was only about 8mm, so their emergence is going to be quite well-staggered.

Update on Projects 37A and 38A

Neither of the mystery micro pupae have emerged yet.

Update on Project 7D

I can't find the Light Brown Apple Moth larva on the apple sapling, just two empty leaf spinnings. Another mystery...

One Brimstone Moth on its way...

Final update on Project 29A

Yes, that distinctive crescent-moon-with-a-nose at the end of last post could only belong to one moth. My Brimstone Moth emerged as an adult on Monday, just a day after I rescued it from its pill box coffin. A very close shave!

I released it that night in my garden - 30 miles from its home in Murlough NNR. Releasing isects that far from home isn't best practice but was the best thing to do in the circumstances. I couldn't have got it back there soon enough to justify keeping it temporarily captive, and besides Brimstone Moth is on my garden list so it should hopefully have no trouble finding a mate.

I will put off that promised post about its life story again - but have a look at the Rearing Projects page - I've added more detail in its entry.

And two days later, two more wee beasties emerged...

That's for next time. Any guesses? ;-)

Action!

Wahey! The trap excelled itself last night - 6 moths of 4 species (including a Garden Cosmet which was across the yard on a windowledge, but it probably did come to the light).

New for the year were three rather skittish Flame Carpets. It's interesting to compare the wing patterns - they are all slightly different.

Also a first for the year was this little migrant, the Diamond-back Moth, Plutella xylostella. I am embarrassed to admit, I thought it was a Rhigognostis incarnatella when I saw it at first, a similar but larger and darker species in the same family. The long winter must have left me a bit rusty!

Looking a bit pink there in the cap of one of my specimen pots...

Trap Report 19-20 May 2013

25W Blacklight | @ home garden, Springmartin J3074 HVC39
Cloudy, 11-12°C, B1-2

 Mompha subbistrigella: 1
 Endrosis sarcitrella: 1
 Plutella xylostella: 1 [Y] [GY]
 Flame Carpet: 3 [Y] [GY]

Something else happened today, which I don't have time to write about now - probably tomorrow afternoon...

Spoilers... ;-)

The mystery hawthorn micro pupates

Update on Project 37A (mystery hawthorn micro U#266)

Transparency of the pupa in its cocoon, 19 May

It's even more of a mystery now...

Last update, I said the larva was still in old decaying leaves. It's possible that by that time it had already moved on, as I discovered on 16 May that it had eaten some of the fresh leaves and was now in a spinning between a fresh leaf and the bottom of the container, ready to pupate!

Then, looking closely at it this morning, I realised it had pupated, as the old larval skin was deposited outside the rear end of the cocoon. That was the only clue that it had pupated - I was expecting it to go brown like the mystery hazel micro U#267 (which I think is an Epiblema/Notocelia tortrix) but it just remained pale. The cocoon is also quite different than the tight capsule-like leaf spinning that the hazel micro pupated in. So I'm thinking it's probably not a tortrix.

But we'll find out.

Update on Project 38A (mystery hazel tortrix U#267)

And speaking of the mystery hazel tortrix, I decided to transfer the pupa to a folded piece of damp Kleenex this morning because the leaves really had gone mouldy. And once I'd got started, I realised some of the other pupae could benefit with some damp tissue as well - so in went the leaves bearing the Lozotaenias and the mystery hawthorn pupa too.

So here are the four jars in which the six pupae of my current rearing projects now reside: two Lozotaenia forsterana, a Brimstone Moth, an Angle Shades (in the jar with soil), and the two mystery micro pupae. Exciting times!

It ain't dead!

Update on Project 29A

9 May...

19 May...

Spot the difference?

The Brimstone Moth pupa may not be wiggling, but it's still developing - you can see the change in the pattern on the abdomen and most importantly, the symmetrical markings are showing through the wing cases!

Thank goodness I took it out of the pill box I'd put it in to have a look at it this morning! I was obviously a bit too hasty in pronouncing it dead. Of course, it makes sense that once the pupa has mostly changed into a moth inside, it won't wiggle like it did when it was mostly a caterpillar inside! Moths don't wiggle their abdomens much!

I have still to post photos of it as a caterpillar - that will hopefully happen soon!

[Edit: The Coxcomb Prominent pupa, however, is definitely gone - when I inspected it this morning I found a crack running down its leg case.]

A little dwarf

Another new micro-moth for the garden: Elachista canapennella! It was the only moth in the trap on Friday morning, and thankfully I managed to pot it before it flew off.

Being so drab and featureless, I thought it would probably be a gen det job but luckily for the moth it turns out it's pretty distinctive and such drastic measures were not required. Bill of Bill's Birding confirmed the ID on the Back Garden Moths forum.

Its modern vernacular name is the "Little Dwarf". I have to admit, I'm warming to some of Porter's names now...

Number 119 on the garden list and my 16th moth this year! Also got an adult Brown House Moth indoors yesterday - and I had a very productive larval search on Thursday morning which I'll write about when I have time. No new rearing projects - yet - but some nice caterpillars to keep an eye on in the field.

Trap Report 16-17 May 2013

25W Blacklight | @ home garden, Springmartin HVC39 J3074
8-7°C, B1, clear

 Elachista canapennella: 1 male [Y] [GY] [N] [GN]

Rearing project updates, mid-May

With northerly winds bringing the region back to weather more fitting of March, I haven't been putting the light trap out. But it's been very busy on the larval rearing front - I have three new projects to report, updates on the others and, sadly, final bulletins on the Brimstone Moth and Coxcomb Prominent. There's almost too much to talk about!

Update on Project 3B (Angle Shades)

Nothing to report except I've moved the jar of soil with the pupa indoors and put a lid on it to keep moisture in.

New Project 7D

Epiphyas postvittana ~ Light Brown Apple Moth

This now well-established Aussie immigrant to the UK is breeding in my garden for the fourth time since I started recording, and, for the third time, on one of my apple saplings. I found one larva on the healthier sapling yesterday (14 May). It's a micro-moth, continuously brooded, and feeds on plenty of things other than apple (rosemary, for instance). I will be leaving this one on the plant rather than bringing it indoors.

This photo is from the first brood of LBAMs I found (Project 7A), in August 2010.

The larva exposed from its spinning

Final update on Project 29A (Brimstone Moth)

The pupa has not been moving for quite a while now, so unfortunately it looks like I've lost it. It probably got dessicated when I put it in the shelter and left the lid of the jar off. I'll keep it for a while just in case.

[Update 19 May: Good thing I did - it ain't dead!]

The pupa, 9 May

The tiny, intricate cremaster

Final update on Project 31A (Coxcomb Prominent)

When I put the pupa back in damp conditions the green gunge appeared again, so I'm pretty sure it's gone too. A real shame. :'(

Update on Project 36A (Lozotaenia forsterana)

Both larvae have now pupated! Typical dark red-brown pupae, but with very fancy moves. When disturbed, rather than giving a short, lazy wiggle like most macro-moth pupae do, they start shaking violently! Obviously that uses up ATP (#biochemistrybant) so disturbance will have to be kept to a minimum. I'll be ensuring the pupae are kept moist and hopefully both will be successful. Pupa #1 (ie. the elder larva which was the first to pupate and the one doing the shaking) measures at 12mm. I won't disturb the other one.

Large Ivy Tortrix #1, 15 May

I also took a video here.

New Project 36B

Lozotaenia forsterana ~ Large Ivy Tortrix

The Large Ivy Tortrix larvae on the ivy on the back wall of my garden are getting on well - I opened two spinnings yesterday and found quite large larvae inside. I didn't originally call this a project when I reported my discovery of the fifteen larvae on 14 April, but for consistency's sake I've decided to make a "Project" out of any larvae I find in the garden.

Update on Project 37A (Tortrix U#266)

As I mentioned previously, the hawthorn larva had left its leaf tent and was running around the container. Well, it eventually settled down and bored a hole into the green stem and ate its way out to the youngest leaves. After I opened the spinning up, the larva moved into a loose spinning of larger leaves on the same old, smelly bit of hawthorn - despite a lovely fresh bit being provided!

The bore-hole, with frass left by the larva, 9 May

Update on Project 38A (Tortrix U#267)

The hazel larva firmly spun together a leaf and a stipule on 6 May and pupated in that cocoon. Today (15 May) I opened the cocoon very carefully, removing a stipule which formed an end-cap on the cocoon, and tipped the pupa out. It's 5mm long, orange-brown in colour, and was quite determined to wiggle out of my fingers!

I'm very much looking forward to its emergence, which shouldn't take more than a few weeks.

The cocoon, with stipule end-cap peeled back, 15 May

The pupa, 15 May

New Project 39A 

Noctuid - Unidentified #268

At the NI Recorders' Day I received a buddleia cutting from our local BC branch secretary which for the past few weeks has been home to a tiny larva. I originally presumed it was a sawfly, as no UK lepidopteran feeds primarily on buddleia. But on closer inspection I'm satified that it's a caterpillar, and probably an Orthosia species like Hebrew Character or Common Quaker, so I'll keep an eye on it. It's currently 8mm long. It's probably better to leave it on the buddleia for the time being, but when it gets a bit bigger I might see what other plants it will accept. It should be a handsome caterpillar anyway when it gets grown.

Rearing up his thorax... "rarrr, I'm big, fear me!" - 10 May

So, with seven projects on the go, I'm a very busy mothman!

[Edited to insert dates on photos, 19 May]

Grapholita jungiella

Grapholita jungiella (Vetch Piercer)

Some little gems flying at Glencairn Park yesterday...

Daytime Observation

7 May 2013 | @ Glencairn Park & Clarendon Park HVC39 J3075

 Grapholita jungiella: 3 [Y]
 Orange-tip: 6 [Y]
 Small White: 1
 Small Tortoiseshell: 2

Orange-tip male (Anthocharis cardamines)

Familiar faces

The warmest night so far, but the moths just aren't abounding yet...

Trap Report 5-6 May 2013

25W Blacklight | @ home garden, Springmartin HVC39 J3074
13-10°C, B1-2, cloud/light rain

 Common Quaker: 1
 Endrosis sarcitrella: 2

Update on Projects 37A and 38A

The hazel leaf roller (38A) is now in its third tent. It doesn't appear to be eating very much - maybe there's a very specific tissue it prefers. The hawthorn leaf roller (37A) has eaten a substantial amount of leaf tissue and this morning was "running" around the bottom of its container. It has now settled on a leaf - it could be preparing to moult.

Excitement! (Not)

Another good night for the flies but only two moths. First White-shouldered Housemoff of the year, not much to be excited about...

Endrosis sarcitrella (White-shouldered House-moth)

4-5 May 2013 | 25W Blacklight | @ home garden, Springmartin J3074 HVC39
11°C, B2, cloud/light rain

Endrosis sarcitrella (White-shouldered House-moth): 1 [Y] [GY]

Hebrew Character: 1

A reminder: clicking on any of my photos (apart from some on the first few posts) will take you to their Flickr page.