Moth Trap - overnight 3rd July 2014 - www.derbyshiremoths.org

National Moth Night 2014, the annual celebration of moths and moth recording, takesplace on three days and nights, 3-5 July 2014. I decided to run two traps during the period and my first one was overnight on 3rd. July is traditionally the best month of the year for quantity of species and in past years during a warm July evening, my garden trap had been rammed full of moths. So I was slightly disappointed on opening the trap early morning on the 4th July, numbers were low, possibly due to a windy evening and the temperature dropping slightly. I’ve still not broken into the 40 species barrier this year, but this, my 8th trap of the year, was the best so far with my final total being 35 species.

The species list in no particular order – Elephant Hawkmoth 1; Silver Y 1; Heart and Dart 8; Grey/Dark Dagger agg 1; Marbled Beauty 4; Dark Arches 9; Rustic 1; Uncertain 3; Swallowtail Moth 2; Buff Arches 1; Foxglove Pug 2; Riband Wave 1; Bright-line Brown-eye 3; Garden Carpet 1; Scalloped Oak 1; Flame 1; Common Footman 2; Flame Shoulder 1; Double-striped Pug 4; Green Pug 1; Common Pug 2; Nutmeg 1; Aleiimma loeflingiana 1; Gypsonoma dealbana 1; Clepsis consimilana 2; Celypha striana 1; Spilonota ocellana (Bud Moth) 1; Chrysoteuchia culmella 6; Crambus pascuella 4; Ditula angustiorana (Red-barred Tortrix) 2; Pandemis heparin (Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix) 1; Eudonia mercurella 1; Eurrhypara hortulata (Small Magpie) 1; Pleuroptya ruralis (Mother of Pearl) 1; Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House Moth) 2;