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.

Tree rats invade Tynemouth

Photo courtesy of Tom Tams

The grey plague has arrived in Tynemouth. A report of one outside Priory School a month ago has been followed by another sighting in a garden behind the Beaconsfield. Set the traps!

A new county record

Cydia fagiglandana
The first record for Northumberland (V67).

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

Antidepressants everywhere :)

I was at Cambois near the site of former Blyth power station this afternoon. The sun was shining and there was St John's Wort as far as the eye can see. I was one the hunt for Treble-bar moth (Aplocera plagiata) and The Grayling butterfly (Hipparchia semele) with Tom Tams and Steve.

Here's how we got on:

Treble-bar Moth

'Making' Grayling butterflies

Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

Common Mullein

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)

Steve on the hunt for Lepidoptera

Common Blue Damselfly

Common Darter

According to research in the  British Medical Journal (Volume 331, pp 1221-2), connecting with nature can improve your health and wellbeing. The theory is known as ecotherapy: restoring health through contact with nature.

Well I never!

Mothed Under

Mothing has been fast and furious over the last week. I've been out and about mothing with a night at Humshaugh, where I trapped my first Elephant and Poplar Hawk-moths, a family members garden in Whitley Bay and my own. I've added a Skinner trap with 2 x 30W actinic tubes at home and it's pulling in a lot of additional moths.

Here's a three new species from the last few days.

Beautiful Golden Y

Blue-bordered Carpet

Poplar Hawk-moth

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