Monday, 2 September 2024

Incoming insects

The south winds, night temperature low of 17 C and weak frontal conditions did the trick last night with what appears to be a large arrival of insects on the south coast e.g. about 180 individual moths of approx 12 migrant species at Portland,100s of moth migrants in Kent and admins of the Migrant Lepidoptera Facebook page reporting their best night of the summer/autumn etc HERE

Here there was a good selection of moths, about 250-300 individuals of approx 60 species and quite a few (suspected) migrants including  2 Blair's Mocha, 5 Dark Sword Grass, 4 Olive-tree Pearl, 2 Four-spotted Footman, 2 Silver-Y, 1 Pearly Underwing, 1 Radford's Flame Shoulder,  9 Portland Ribbon Wave, 12 European Corn Borer, 1 Delicate, 6 Rusty-dot Pearl, 1 Dark Spectacle, 35 White-points and tens of Large Yellow Underwings and Setaceous Hebrew Characters (which may also have involved migrants). Highlights here were several new for gardens including Marbled Fern, Musotima nitidalis which unfortunately flew off before I got a record shot, Silky Wainscot, Rosy Knot-horn, 2 Feathered Gothics, Mottled Rustic and a Ruddy Streak. Garden list now on 358 (can't count the Fern as no evidence). There was probably other interesting bits in the traps but the presence of about 100 wasps and 10 hornets was disturbing all the insects and making them fly off and also it was difficult for me to process them all without getting stung. 

In addition to the moths I also had a Migrant Hawker in the trap, lots of small beetles and shield bugs and elsewhere others had migrant butterflies too, so overall quite a mass movement of all insects last night by looks of it. 

Another Greenshank over the garden this morning. 

Unfortunately I'm away working for the next two nights so going to miss out on what happens next in this influx. 

Silky Wainscot
Rosy Knot-horn 
Blair's Mocha
Migrant Hawker 

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