Improving, if only just.

I ran the moth trap out for its second run out last night. A slight increase in both species and numbers, 7 spp, and 10 in total. Nothing as spectacular as the Poplar Hawkmoth. Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda was the only species to show more than once - 2 males and a female.

The first micro turned up in the trap - a Light Brown Apple Moth, Epiphyas postvittana. Hardly surprising as its a species that turns up at the kitchen window most years, and I've already seen several whilst out and about.

Common Marbled Carpet, Chlorocysta truncata, Brown Silver-line, Petrophora chlorosata, Heart and Dart, Agroti exclamationis, Peppered Moth, Biston betulria and Satin Grass-veneer Crambus perlella made up the rest of the catch.

The bye-catch included several Caddisflies and a Black Sexton Beetle, Nicrophorus humator. Unlike the one last week, this one came complete with a load of mites, Poecilochirus spp. Looking into these mights, there is a suggestions from a 2017 paper that each species of might favours a singe species of Sexton Beetle. Unfortunately I couldn't get info on the species favouring N. humator.

On the wall was a small Soldier Beetle that turned out to be Rhagonycha lignosa, a lifer.

                                              Pale Tussock

                                           Common Marbled Carpet

                                          One of the smarter Caddisflies Athripsodes bilineatus

                                           Rhagonycha lignosa

Is it Christmas?

It had to happen, particularly as I got more and more into my pan-species listing, and I fought temptation for a long time but eventually surrendered and have gone over to the dark side and now own my own moth trap. A 20w blacklight Skinner type, currently this runs of mains, but hope to convert to run with a 5w blacklight LEDs that can be powered by my charger pack, making it more portable.

Last night was my first night of running the trap in the back yard, so it was a bit like Christmas this morning. I was up first thing to switch of the trap, had breakfast and then proceeded to inspect the nights catch (and preying there was a catch).

On the bathroom window, a Cinnabar was resting. Oh, looking promising. I lifted the first flap and there, in all it's glory was a Buff-tip. Result. A common enough species, but a nice species to go down as the first species recorded in the trap. Lifting the other flap, a Poplar Hawkmoth. Again common enough, but always nice to see.

After that, not much else, 3 Heart and Dart was the remainder of the catch.

A check of the back wall, did produce a 5th species, a Peppered Moth.

The byecatch included a single Cockchafer and a single Sexton Beetle (still to determine to species).

So not a lot caught but, I'm happy for now with the results, and hopefully better nights to follow over the next few years.