Garden Moth Update 29/6/2013

This report marks the beginning of a new garden moth journey with my Skinner Trap. A new Actinic light system with two 30W fluorescent tubes was given as a birthday present and on Saturday night they were switched on the first time. Having been used to lighting up the neighbourhood with a 125W Mercury Vapour light, the cool fluorescent light made me wonder whether the moths would be attracted to it. As it happens I needn't have worried, as 10.30pm came around there was a hive of activity from at least 20 Light Brown Apple Moths. Brimstone moths flew effortlessly around the garden in the warm calm evening and a Silver-ground Carpet fluttered across the grass.

The next morning I carefully approached the trap, to find several moths a sleep on the tops of the egg boxes. On the wall just above the trap was a Peppered Moth of intermediate phrase and a few centimetres higher was a moth I didn't recognise.  After looking through the identification guides, I realised that the moth was a Miller and a first for me and the garden.

Peppered Moth

Miller

The minimum overnight temperature was 12.2°C, here is a summary of catch.

989 Timothy Tortrix 1 (new for garden)
998 Light Brown Apple Moth 20
1076 Celypha lacunana 2
1334 Scoparia ambigualis 1 (new for garden)
1713 Riband Wave (non-banded form) 1
1727 Silver-ground Carpet 1
1728 Garden Carpet 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1
1819 Mottled Pug 1
1827 Freyer's Pug 1
1834 Common Pug 1
1837 Grey Pug 1
1852 Brindled Pug 3
1860 Green Pug 1
1906 Brimstone Moth 3
1931 Peppered Moth (light form) 1
1931 Peppered Moth (melanic form) 1
1937 Willow Beauty 3
1955 Common White Wave 1
1958 Clouded Silver 1
2061 Buff Ermine 4
2087 Turnip Moth 1
2089 Heart and Dart 5
2098 Flame 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing 1
2155 Dot Moth 1
2280 Miller 1
2322 Light Arches 1
2326 Clouded-bordered Brindle 1
2450 Spectacle 1