Moth Trap - 12th April 2025 (Take 2 - wishful thinking!)

Sharing the results from my latest Moth Trap Session. I have written posts about setting up a moth trap and on collecting the results if you want some more background info on how and why I use a Moth Trap

Date: 12th April 2025

Weather:

Well, it's already been a whole 2 weeks since my last moth recording session, which was the first one of the year. I only recorded 3 species in total, but that is expected for the time of year. I wasn't sure when my 2nd session was going to be as it is very weather dependent, but it has been a glorious day today, and when I checked the forecast for this evening (see above)

First up I spent a lovely morning walking around Clumber Park earlier, and it was great to see nature stirring. There were birds, flowers, leaves beginning to open and also plenty of invertebrates to see. There were lots of busy buzzing Bumble Bees, and I even managed to see 3 species of butterfly: 1x Brimstone Butterfly, 4x Orange-tip Butterflies and 2x Peacock Butterflies

Peacock Butterfly - Aglais io

We stayed until lunchtime (and a sneaky and very tasty icecream) before heading home. Once I arrived home, I pottered around with some chores, and then went and got the washing in that had bee drying outside all day. ANd as I stood in the garden, in the sunshine, a thought occurred to me...

Hmm, perhaps its worth runnina a moth trap session tonight?

I quickly checked the forecast, and it was an obvious choice!

Its been warming up up all week, and with highs of 20C yesterday and 21C today, its above average for the time of year. Factor i cloud cover later on, low winds, AND the fact that the wind is blowing in the best direction (South Westerly), and it was a no brainer

Last session, we got just 4 moths. I expect low numbers again as it is very early in the season, but I wonder if we can do better tonight... well there is only one way to find out!

Lights on, pots at the ready... Here. We. Go!

Results: 6 moths of 4 species

Summary of Results:

Well, it was an improvement on the last session, but only just!

I put the trap out as usual, but as I was talking to my partner this evening (via teams as she is at uni), I left the trap alone so we could catch-up up. The call started at 7pm, I turned the trap on at 7:30, and then I left it until I finished the call at 9:20

When I went down at 9:30 to check the trap, i was surprised to feel how chilly it was. I know its still early in the year and that the temps are usually low, but considering the highs during the day of 21C I was surprised how quickly it dropped. I don't it was helped by a cool wind which felt stronger than the forecast had suggested.

I checked it a couple of times during the evening, and in the end I only had 4 species to show for my efforts.

Two of those - The Quaker and the Double-striped Pug, were both seen in the last session HERE.

The other 2 species seen were: Light Brown Apple Moth

Light Brown Apple Moth - Epiphyas postvittana

I'm not surprised to see this one, and while it may be more numerous in the Summer months, it is common and widespread all year round. It is not native to the UK, and has been introduced from Australia, where it feeds on the leaves of Apple Trees.

The other species seen is the Twenty Plume Moth:

Twenty-plume Moth - Alucita hexadactyla

Twenty-plume Moth - Alucita hexadactyla

The name 'twenty-plume' relates to the number of 'plumes' on each wing. The common name is lazy and incorrect, as there are 6 plumes on each wing, and there are of course 2 pairs of wings:

4 x 6 = 24 plumes

The binomial (or 'latin') name is technically more correct as hexadactyla means literally 'six-fingers'

As a species record its a bit more exciting than the Light Brown Apple Moth, but it is still a really common species, and one I can often see throughout the whole year, apart from the Winter Months

So, 2 more species added to this years tally to bring me to a total of 5 species seen so far. That's not bad is it for just 2 sessions? It'll be interesting to see what happens next time, although if I look at the forecast for the next two weeks, the weather appears to become cooler and wetter. I suspect the next time will be the end of April, or maybe even the start of May

What will happen next time? Will it be busy and chaotic? Will it be quieter? Will I find something new to record?

Well, once again, there is only one way to find out!

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