Dusking forays

Still relatively early in the mothing year but a few more micros are starting to turn up during dusking forays including:

Agonopterix alstromeriana
A. arenella
Alucita hexadactyla
Epermenia chaerophyllella
Emmelina monodactyla


=====================================================


Agonopterix arenella



Epermenia chaerophyllella



Alucita hexadactyla

Early stages: Bucculatrix nigricomella

Another one to watch out for right now:

Found several active mines of Bucculatrix nigricomella on Ox-eye Daisy and some of these have already moved to the free-living larvae stage.


Mine



Tenanted mine with well-grown larva.  Windowing from grazing is visible near the tip of the leaf.


Free-living larva

Dave

Three more to the trap

A few more micros added to the garden year list over the last week or so:



Eudonia angustea


Diurnea fagella


Epiphyas postvittana

Almost always finds to be had....

On the dog walk this morning was grubbing around underneath a Horse Chestnut tree and spotted the obvious yellow-white cocoons of Cameraria ohridella on the decomposing leaves from last year. I'm always amazed at how something so small endures the winter so well, good old Mother Nature (or maybe not in this case if you happen to be a Horse Chestnut tree!). Dave

Of Teasel and Burdock

Each winter I like to collect a bag or two of the seedheads of both Teasel and Greater Burdock in hope of rearing the three species of moth mentioned below.

On Teasel, I check seed heads for the larvae of Endothenia marginana and E. gentianaeana - studying the larvae closely allows me to separate the two: http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=1099.  This way I can be sure of an accurate ID of the adults.  These larvae are often very numerous and not at all difficult to locate.


E. marginana - reared ex teasel seed head (larvae examined)


E. gentianaeana - reared ex teasel seed head (larvae examined)

I also always have a bag or two of Greater Burdock seedheads for rearing Metzneria lappella - I don't bother looking too closely, just harvest a few handfuls and then wait...
M. lappella reared ex burdock seed head

Dave