NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Well, this infestation of Plutella xylostell a has certainly livened up the moth scene no end - it was starting to look like the poor spring was also infecting the early summer. I hadn't been putting the trap out seeing it has been so damn chilly and damp most nights. But now the moth Gods have decided to dump millions upon millions of the little darlings across the country. Some counts (or at least educated estimates) that are being announced are just staggering. The true total will never be known, but that doesn't take away anything from the sheer spectacle being strewn before us. On a parochial level, things stepped up last night, with the single MV in the garden holding 784 xylostella this morning. Numbers of macro moths are still depressed though, worryingly so here in Banstead. However, there were two (no, three) highlights along with all of those tiny migrants, namely Cypress Carpet (above, second garden record) and two Grass Rivulets (below, second and third recor...

I'm developing a hatred of pheromones. I've spent too many hours staring at the bloody things hanging from a tree/bush/stick waiting for the patter of tiny wings to arrive. Today I targeted a good area of young birch (for White-barred Clearwing), cleared birch (for Large Red-belted Clearwing) and oak parkland (for Yellow-legged Clearwing). I know that one of the sites I visited has recorded the target species before (including last weekend) - so what am I doing wrong? The flight times are OK. The habitat is OK. I've started to wonder if my pheromone bungs have not been impregnated with the magical chemicals at all! But, having said that, I know that my Six-belted Clearwing lure works OK as that provided my sole success last summer. I'm leaving the lure out for 20-30 minutes. It's always been a sunny day (with at least a slight breeze). I'm beginning to lose patience... but, of course, I must not give in. Today wasn't a moth-free zone as I recorded the ...