Norfolk moths: Rockland St. Peter garden, 21 September 2013

With the prospect of another mild night, I could not resist putting out the trap again. Andy Swash and I had been discussing the impact of trapping on moth populations and the numbers of retrapped individuals when traps are set on consecutive nights. After some mark-recapture experiments, Andy believes the retrap rate to be extremely low - perhaps 1% - even when moths are released alongsid the trap. Certainly, my last two consecutive nights were very different with little indication of moths being trapped on both nights.

The night began almost cloudless with quite a bright moon. By dawn it was completely overcast and there had been a light rain. It was also warm, with a balmy dawn temperature of 13.7°C. The first moth I happened upon as I went out of the door at 04h45 was a lovely fresh-looking Pink-barred Sallow resting in the doorway of the lean-to: a bright jewel of a moth against this black background. A few feet away, on the adjacent wall, was a large geometrid, which turned out to be a male Pale Oak Beauty. Waring & Townsend mention a probable "partial second generation in southern England, September-October", but there seem to be no recent Norfolk records from these months. Both species were now for the trap.

 ♂ Pale Oak Beauty Hypomecis punctinalis  

Pink-barred Sallow Xanthia togata   

Macro-moths (20 spp.):-

Idaea seriata	Small Dusty Wave	1
Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet	2
Thera obeliscata	Grey Pine Carpet	1
Opisthograptis luteolata	Brimstone Moth	1
Ennomos alniaria	Canary-shouldered Thorn	1
Peribatodes rhomboidaria	Willow Beauty	1
Hypomecis punctinalis	Pale Oak Beauty	1
Campaea margaritata	Light Emerald	1
Noctua pronuba	Large Yellow Underwing	7
Noctua comes	Lesser Yellow Underwing	3
Aporophyla nigra	Black Rustic	1
Agrochola litura	Brown-spot Pinion	1
Omphaloscelis lunosa	Lunar Underwing	1
Xanthia togata	Pink-barred Sallow	1
Amphipyra pyramidea	Copper Underwing	2
Gortyna flavago	Frosted Orange	1
Paradrina clavipalpis	Pale Mottled Willow	1
Diachrysia chrysitis	Burnished Brass	1
Rivula sericealis	Straw Dot	1
Hypena proboscidalis	Snout	4