A photo that sums up moth trapping (for me at least). A lot of moth species have very variable colours and markings so you can get a pair like this in the trap and assume they're the same species. The way the wings are held can change the perception of the shape of markings a bit too. I put these two side by side to compare and the size difference is enough to suggest that there's something not quite right. Someone on iNaturalist with 50 years of trapping experience has confirmed the species now but I still can't tell the difference. 'Smaller and more purple' is only really helpful when you've got the other species to compare to. I just thought it was interesting anyway.
Triple-spotted Clay on left and Double Square-spot on right.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I think reliable experts only need to keep a note of the species and numbers caught, and they send those to the county recorder. For people like me a photograph is needed for the record to be verified and accepted, and even then it might not show enough information. It's better data with a photo though, and websites like iNaturalist only accept records with photos. A lot of people seem to put a tricky moth into its own pot and keep it in the fridge while they work out the ID or get someone to verify it. They go torpid so photos are easier to take. So far I've only had to do it with a couple of very lively moths that I needed photos of. Otherwise I just let them go while they're revved up.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
47 species last night. 7 of which were new to my garden.
I'll revise that to 8 new species since it turned out I'd mistaken one for a very similar species. Much more productive than last night which gave me less than 8 moths in total. The moon was full and the temperature dropped right down though so a poor showing was expected. Hopefully the balmy nights on the weekend will produce something better.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I just assume that it's a brighter light source than a 20w UV bulb so the attraction of the trap is lessened. I need to find someone who uses those ultra-bright mercury vapour bulbs and ask them if they see a drop off too.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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