Trapping? - More like Trappist!

Trappist monks, known for their silence and austerity, remind me of what moth trapping has been like here. It has either been forecast to be austere and make it not worth a light (sic) or on those nights where it has been "warm" their has been very little to say.

The contents of the traps over 5 sessions has been just 11 moths.

Yesterday however the sun was shining and at last there was something to look forward to - a day out, and where better than on the Mynd to look for Green Hairstreaks - of which we saw only 3, but there was a Small Copper too and lots of Whites.

More interesting was that there were several moths flying and I managed to catch a Red Twin-spot Carpet, a Common Carpet and a couple of micros which I could not identify. However they both turned out to be Neofaculta ericetella - Gelechiidae moths - duly reported to the National Gelechid Recording Scheme. The species name referring to the fact that the larvae feed on heather. There were longhorns about too (Adela reaumurella), which I had also noted in the garden a few days earlier.



Neofaculta ericetella

With the evening remaing pleasant, a climb over the back fence and a tour of Brockhurst resulted in another new moth, this being a very strongly marked Syndemis musculana - common, but very welcome.

Syndemis muscula

The Lime Hawkmoth and the Pale Tussock pupae both hatched out yesterday too (see older posts referring to them).

My collection of caterpillars for breeding out is growing (literally and in numbers!) All I have to do now it identify them.