Sprung!

Last week saw some spring arrivals to the garden, and some preparations for those to come.

First off was a very aptly named Spring Usher, a new moth for the garden, and for me.

Spring Usher

Next was a March Moth, right on cue.

March Moth

And the crocuses provided a welcome source of nectar for a queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

A queen Common Wasp was out sunning herself, demonised by most, but a great garden pest controller for those who understand these valuable, voracious predators.

Common Wasp

In preparation for the Swallows arriving back in April, I've completed building a log store for them to nest in. Hope they appreciated it!

Swallow Hut

Ready for Spring?

Holly enjoying the Spring weather

The winter, yes the one that simply won't go away, has been spent preparing for the season that once was found between winter and summer, spring! To think that last year it was shorts and t-shirt weather, and frogs were in a spawning frenzy.

No Wheatears, Wagtails or Ring Ouzels, just frost!

The main tasks have been hedge rejuvenation and planting, border de-nettling (nettles are good, just not everywhere!), nest box installation - gone a bit OTT with 10 boxes for Tree Sparrows, a Swallow cup, a couple of artificial House Martin nests, and an open-fronted box for Robins.

Tree Sparrows - large colony here, hopefully to get even larger now :)

Even snow doesn't stop prospective tenants

Lots of wild flower seed has been sown, and native bulbs planted.

The biggest job, however, has been putting a Green Roof on my container, to create a high rise wild flower meadow, and nesting opportunities for birds within.

On top of an 8 x 10 container.

Joisting and boarding Out

Green Roof Substrate

Waterproof liner and Geotex liner down and substrate going on top

Gravel drainage around the perimeter, and lashings of tea!

Job done!

The Green Roof involved joisting out the roof to carry the weight, boarding it out to create a floor, covering with a waterproof pond liner, filling with a substrate (topsoil is too nutrient rich!), and sowing with wild flower seed. The design and construction of this roof, using new materials, worked out at roughly £100 per square metre, inclusive labour. Get in contact if you want one as we have the know how and the expertise.

In between digging, cutting, planting, construction etc. I've added a couple of garden ticks, Short-eared Owl was nice hunting around Fenwick Pit, and Eurasion White-fronted Goose amongst Greylags heading to the flooded fields at East Holywell. And let's not forget the moths that have ventured out on the few nights when the mercury hasn't dip below zero......

Pale Brindle Beauty

March Moth

Dotted Border

Until Spring arrives I'm joining Dill and Holly!

Cosy!

Identical....

Here's a couple of pics of Mottled Umber moths recently caught in the garden. Both specimens are males, females are flightless, but with very different markings. Nothing unusual about this, but it adds to the headache fun in identifying them correctly.

Winter Shade Moths

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1025 Winter Shade Tortricodes alternella

Finally caught some moths in the trap this morning, the first since 23rd Nov last year.

Just 3 moths; Common Quaker, Common Plume and a Winter Shade. Winter Shade is proving to be widespread and numerous this year with numbers this year already exceeding the total recorded since it was first recorded in Nothumberland in 1889!

Injury time mothing

Well, with 4 hours till next year, there's precious little time left to catch a moth in December. I'm not giving up easily - the trap is on full blast.

See you all next year.

A new species for Northumberland

1247 Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana

Caught in my garden moth trap last night in Whitley Bay. The 1st record for Northumberland!

Far out.........in Kielder Forest

A fantastic moth trapping session at Kielder on Tuedsay night, resulted in the capture of a Light Knot Grass. A rare species in Northumberland (last recorded 2000), and a new species for my mothing compatriots - Tom Tams & Keith Dover.

2286 Light Knot Grass Acronicta menyanthidis

We were expecting the midges to be biting and went prepared, some more than others :)

Moth trapping success at Stocksfield

Harry checks his wallet for moths

Last night Tom, Keith, Harry and my good self headed for Stocksfield to do some trapping. Despite mild temperatures the night was mothless for long periods with Harry resorting to checking his wallet for some moth action.

While quantity was lacking the quality was excellent with some new moths for me and a new moth for all of us.

Red-green Carpet

Frosted Orange

Epinotia trigonella - first for all of us. Only 13 previous records (some dubious).

Making the most of the mothless moments I looked for a few things of interest and found these:

Fly-agaric

Shaggy Ink Cap

A fascinating mini beast - a lacewing larvae with

leaf litter glued to it as camouflage I think. Anyone know for sure?

Sumary of Moths Caught:

0424 Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella) 2
0697 Agonopterix arenella 1
1038x Acleris laterana/comariana 1
1093 Apotomis betuletana 2
1138 Epinotia nisella 3
1151 Epinotia trigonella 1
1260 Cydia splendana 1
1405 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis) 9
1722 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata) 1
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 1
1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 1
1760 Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) 2
1906 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 1
1913 Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 1
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 2
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 2
2123 Small Square-spot (Diarsia rubi) 3
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) 1
2266 Brown-spot Pinion (Agrochola litura) 2
2273 Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) 1
2274 Sallow (Xanthia icteritia) 1
2298 Svensson's Copper Underwing (Amphipyra berbera) 3
2299 Mouse Moth (Amphipyra tragopoginis) 1
2353 Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea) 1
2364 Frosted Orange (Gortyna flavago) 1

156 not out

This is my first year trapping moths and as anyone who has done it will tell you, it can take over your life. In fact it can be so time consuming that many pack it in or do it very infrequently. I keep thinking that the longer I keep going the easier it will get ..... time will tell. It is however very rewarding as just when you think you've seen all there is in your garden new species keep on appearing. I'm up to 156 and here is species 156......

Vapourer Orgyia antiqua 

Moths are very important to our ecosystem supporting birds, amphibians, mammals and us.

They are under recorded with only a handful of people submitting moth records to their counter recorder so if you do manage to photograph any then please get in touch with your county recorder.

A new county record

Cydia fagiglandana
The first record for Northumberland (V67).

Trapped in my garden in Whitley Bay on 6th July 2010.

Some stunning new moths

First off I have 3 not so exciting moths followed by some stunners.

Blastobasis lacticolella

Minor Sp. (Very worn)

Bright-line Brown-eye

Buff Ermine

Plain Golden Y

Grey/Dark Dagger

Marbled Beauty & Friends

Some more moths from over the weekend. Feel free to help ID the ones with question marks.

Marbled Beauty

1176 Epiblema trimaculana

Ingrailed Clay

Ingrailed Clay

Udea olivalis

Scoparia ambigualis

Freyer's Pug

Fan Foot

Middle-barred Minor

Barred-fruit Tree Tortrix

Large Yellow Underwing

Green Pug

Double Square Spot