A couple of weeks ago we had some friends round to the woods for a night of moth trapping and identification. Before we got started though, it was a really nice day for butterflies too. Here's a Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus):
and a Peacock (Inachis io):
Before we get on to the moths, there was also this mass of larvae of some sort, found in water that had collected in a wheelbarrow. Any ideas?
While we waited for it to get dark, there was plenty of time for a BBQ and sitting round the camp fire:
The new air supply into the fire pit is working very nicely now:
Here's a view along the pipe:
As dusk approached, we got the moth traps set up. Two of this design:
And this battery powered one which Rod had built - you can examine the moths in it without having to bend down, which is good if you have a bad back!
The other two ran off a generator, as they use 125W each!
Holly thought it would be good to try out the rope swing in the light of the moth trap, which was good fun!
Once a bit of time had passed, we went to check the traps. The light is very bright, so you get this typical posture where everyone has a hand out to block it:
Here's the moths then...
Rosy Footman (Miltochrista miniata)
Black Arches (Lymantria monacha)
Two Black Arches together:
Rosy Footman with Black Arches:
Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)
Drinker (Euthrix potatoria)
Poplar Grey (Acronicta megacephala)
One I'm not sure of, despite having a list of those ID'd! Any ideas?
Nut-tree Tussock (Colocasia coryli)
Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum)
There were quite a lot more, but I didn't get photos of them all. You can see photos from past moth traps at our wood at these links:
2008 moth trap
2009 moth trap (starts with a great photo of Black Arches!)
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