The Hardy Boys

I've set up my light trap in the covered doorway of the extension at the side of the hotel (it rains, pretty ferociously at times, most nights lately. Tonight it is hailing...) I've placed the trap on a chair for added height, in an effort to make the light slightly more visible to any insect flying through the darkness. Obviously I ought to have been trapping throughout the summer months, but I've not been keen to set it up whilst the hotel was open with guests and staff wandering around willy-nilly. So far the sheep appear to be largely ignoring it, which is definitely a good thing. Unfortunately, so is everything else.

The rewards thus far have been scant, which is entirely to be expected running a trap this time of year in the far north of Britain. In order, I give you the (very) few hardy moths that I've seen in recent weeks.

Acleris hyemana sat on the wall I was prepping for painting - 27th Oct

 

Feathered Thorn inside the shed that houses my trap - 3rd Nov

A maul of December Moths popped onto a shelf until the rain stopped - 11th Nov

Scarce Umber sat on a black bucket, at night, flash not deployed and hence blurry - 11th Nov

Male Mottled Umber sat beside an external light (females lack wings) - 17th Nov

Absolutely pristine Winter Moth inside the trap - 18th Nov 

Well...it's one of the Epirrita moths. Just outside the trap - 18th Nov

I don't know what this last moth is. It's either November Moth or Pale November Moth. I strongly suspect I'll be seeing more of these Epirrita over the coming weeks. The various crosslines on the wings offer clues as to the specific identity of the moth, as shown in the image below, but I'm finding it tricky to match my moth to any of the drawings.

Image courtesy of Lancashire Moths - see here

What I really need to do is pop one into ethyl acetate fumes long enough for me to render it unconscious and then have a quick peek at its naughty bits, assuming the moth is a male. That should categorically tell me which species I have. As long as I'm quick the moth should recover in a short time. If it's a female moth I'm still stuck and it's back to trying to decipher the precise course of the postmedian fascia relative to a (probably missing) discal spot.

Anyway, there have been several hail showers so far this evening so the trap is not running. And I very much doubt there will be any moths sat on the walls in this wind. Time for me to crack on identifying the female heleomyzid I caught as 'bycatch' last night. Bycatch is such a hateful word, it suggests that anything non-moth in the trap is somehow lesser and unwanted. Not in my book they ain't! Unless of course the moth is a Clifden Nonpareil.