I've limited it to twenty or so, scaled down pictures of 'common' species as I don't want to stretch the generosity of UKB too much (it is a butterfly website after all)
Those common species you posted are different by my standards and I have seen around 300+ macros and over 150 micro species in 3 years:
Barred Sallow - Never seen one
Brown-line Bright-eye - Rare in NI, its the Bright-Line Brown-Eye thats common here
Black Arches - Also rare here
Lace Border - Never seen it
Clouded Brindle - Never seen it
Privit Hawk-Moth - Doesn't exist in NI
September Thorn - No proof its actually here in NI
Treble Bar - Another I have not seen
Dingy Footman - Again not seen
Feathered Gothic - Never seen it either
The rest I have seen.
Now, I did trap two nights ago with 125W MV black bulb and all I got was a great diving beetle and loads of midges, diving beetle was great to see though.
and watch out for those orphion ichneumons they hurt when they stab you. but still great fun
Really? I have caught loads of those before and handled many, never once had that happen. However, its spiders that bother me, always catch a number of spiders and find a few moths gone or in their clutches when checking my traps.
...and the unseasonably warm winter has prompted some species to hatch before Christmas, weeks ahead of schedule. Spring Usher moths together with Hebrew Character and Common Quaker have been reported regularly since November — months earlier than they are supposed to appear.
I had a fresh brimstone moth in late November but that was it in terms of late species, also confirmed over past 3 years that Barred Red here in this part of NI has been flying two months later than other records show, I have caught one at late September and at the start of October past 3 years and records said they don't fly after late August/early September.
So far this month I've only seen 1 winter moth (aptly named) but it may be that the strange (mild) weather is having an effect on the flight times of the moths, as it has done with the butterflies this year?
I have found 3 so far but that is because I live in an area with little mature trees nearby and nearest woodland being 3-5 miles away.
I moth trap regularly with a 15W Green UV actinic portable trap made from a storage box, 8W 12V car inspection lamp with the tube changed to a 12 inch, 15W Green UV actinic tube and a 24amp motorcycle battery which lasts 19 hours on that light after fully charged. Image:
![15WGreenTrap.jpg (140.03 KiB) Viewed 862 times 15W Green UV actinic trap (2010)](./files/thumb_915_eacce326622bf801cd58477a3c855005)
- 15W Green UV actinic trap (2010)
And I usually trap in 6-7 main places besides my garden. This year I made 3 great finds with one being a
Grey Birch (Aethalura punctulata), last seen in Northern Ireland in 1936 and thought long extince, found this in an unusual place, a conifer plantation with only a few alder trees dotted at the edge, not the typical birch woodland mentioned, plus this is a new (and at present the only) site for this moth in NI. I also found the first 2
Coleophora mayrella in NI, both at two different flower meadows, first I caught in a National trust site with a managed wildflower meadow and second I found during the day at another flower meadow bordering farmland, this one was resting on a white clover head. The last I found was a
Acleris abietana I had already found and confirmed it last year but found them again this year in the same conifer plantation (Norway Spruce) as I found the grey birch.
Coleophora mayrella (look strange when you see them side on) after I found the first two, others started finding them in different places, must have been overlooked:
![Coleophora mayrella.jpg (334.97 KiB) Viewed 862 times Coleophora mayrella](./files/thumb_915_a0d123317712c2169f5fe2d91bc04575)
- Coleophora mayrella
Grey Birch. I saw a grey moth fly out of my trap when checking it, but couldn't ID it since it flew away, not thinking I carried on checking the trap but then saw it fly up again since it must have landed not far away, then I potted it. Never seen it before, now I know why. Have more sites to check next year to see if I can find it there.
![Grey_Birch.jpg (365.82 KiB) Viewed 862 times Grey Birch](./files/thumb_915_5fc1d85f31a3035bc12f48cb0a8b4ef5)
- Grey Birch
Another highlight though was seeing a humming-bird hawk-moth which I have not seen since 2009 and managed to get a photo this time, but not in flight. Also saw forester moths for the first time, never knew how small they actually were. I went on a BCNI meeting and a lot of us went across this large bog to this area which used to be a lake, but was now very spongy bog surrounded by deciduous woodland, was hard getting a photo of these since my tripod kept bounching up and down when people moved about.
![forester.jpg (238.7 KiB) Viewed 862 times Forester](./files/thumb_915_631b6d3870c32706423495977d94c769)
- Forester
The only moth I have not found this year is December moth, found all others I found last year and still have not seen a Spring Usher, Northern Winter Moth or Scarce Umber or Blair's Shoulder Knot yet, seen the rest of the native late autumn/winter species. Surprised with Blair's Shoulder Knot not being rare-ish here in NI as people have cypresses in their gardens, mature ones grow in urban areas etc... but still not common.