Backyard Report

The high early morning temperatures are making photography quite tricky.  A number of moths flew out of the trap as soon as I lifted the lid.  I did record 57 moths of 15 species so the numbers are continuing to increase.  Just 2 new moths for the year:

Yellow-dusted-Cream (Cabera erythemaria)
Dark Metanema (Metanema determinata)

The Thoughtful Apamea (Apamea cogitata), shown below, has just started to appear in the light trap.  This is another one of the very common backyard moths.  The Flame-shouldered Dart (Ochropleura implecta) was recorded on the 12th June.  Normally very active and difficult to photograph no matter what the temperatures.

Backyard Report

There were approximately 49 macro moths of 17 species in my light trap last night.  I say, approximately, as a few got away before I could photograph them.  The warm overnight weather means they are quite active even at 6:30am.  8 were new for the year but there were no completely new species.  The new ones for the year were:

Common Idia (Idia aemula)
Putnam's Looper (Plusia putnami)
White-lined Quaker (Apamea niveivenosa)
Glassy Cutworm (Apamea devastator)
Civil Rustic Moth (Platyperigea montana)
Cloudy Arches Moth (Polia imbrifera)
Divergent Dart (Euxoa divergens)
Catocaline Dart (Cryptocala acadiensis)

The Vancouver Dart (Agrotis vancouverensis) is another very common backyard moth.  The Blind-eyed Sphinx Moth (Paonias excaecata) photograph was taken in the Okanagan.

June 24th

It was fairly quiet in the Light trap this morning.  There were 24 macro moths of 9 species with 3 being new for the year.

Pepper & Salt Geometer (Biston betularia cognataria)
Apamea commoda
Olive Arches (Lacinipolia olivacea)

Olive Arches (Lacinipolia olivacea) and Bristly Cutworm (Lacinipolia renigera) moths are two of the most common moths that I record in my backyard.

The other moth photograph is a Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata) which was taken in the Okanagan.

June 23rd–New Moth

I’ve just returned from a weeks vacation in the southern Okanagan.  I’ll include a few moths from the Okanagan in the next couple of blogs.

Last night there were 29 macro moths of 16 species in my Calgary backyard light trap.  9 of these were new species for the year.  One of these was a moth that I haven’t recorded before, a Small Phoenix Moth (Ecliptopera silaceata).  The other new species were:

American Idia (Idia americalis)
Yellow-headed Cutworm Moth (Northern Quaker) (Apamea amputatrix)
Apamea alia
Thoughtful Apamea (Apamea cogitata)
Garden Arches (Lacanobia radix)
Bristly Cutworm Moth (Lacinipolia renigera)
Many-lined Wainscot (Leucania multilinea)
Rosy Dart (Diarsia rosaria)

The One-eyed Sphinx Moth (Smerinthus cerisyi) is an Okanagan photograph.  These moths appear to be quite common in the area.

Another good moth night

This morning I recorded 47 macro moths of 17 species.  This included yet another 2 new species.  A very nice Splendid Dagger Moth (Acronicta superans) and a Wormwood pug (Eupithecia absinthiata).  I must admit I sometimes overlook the pug species but this one caught my eye as it had some fairly prominent markings.  That brings my new backyard macro moth species for the year to 9.  And it’s only June! 

Other new species for the year were:

Morrison's Pero (Pero morrisonaria)
The Canary Thorn (Neoterpes trianguliferata)
Double-banded Carpet (Spargania magnoliata)
Dark-spotted Palthis (Palthis angulalis)
American Angle Shades (Euplexia benesimilis)
The Mottled Rustic (Brungult Lovfly) (Caradrina morpheus)
Intermediate Falconer (Cucullia intermedia)

More new backyard moth species

The moth numbers jumped last night with 47 macro moths of 14 species.  There were another 2 new species which included a very nice Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella).  I have seen this moth in the Okanagan but it was certainly a welcome new backyard species.  The other new moth was a Praevia Dart Moth (Xestia praevia).  The latter  was on the house siding across from the trap and I almost missed it.  Other species recorded this morning were:

The Vestal (Cabera variolaria)
Brown Bark Carpet Moth (Horisme intestinata)
Miranda Moth (Proxenus miranda)
Celery Looper (Anagrapha falcifera)
Pink-barred Lithacodia (Pseudeustrotia carneola)
Impressed Dagger Moth (Acronicta impressa)
Neighbourly Arches (Lacinipolia vicina)
Wheat Head Armyworm (Dargida diffusa)
Lesser Wainscot (Mythimna oxygala)
Ruddy Quaker Moth (Protorthodes oviduca)
Vancouver Dart (Agrotis vancouverensis)
Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum)

Post for Tues 9th June–More new backyard species

There were 13 macro moths of 7 species in the Light trap yesterday morning.  This included 2 new species.  The new species were Pale-marked Angle Moth (Macaria signaria) and Orthodes obscura.  Other species included:

Brown Bark Carpet Moth (Horisme intestinata)
Gray dagger (Acronicta grisea)
Lesser Wainscot (Mythimna oxygala)
Vancouver Dart (Agrotis vancouverensis)
Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum)

New Backyard Moth Species

There were 11 moths of 6 species in the light trap this morning and 2 were new backyard species.  A Gray Spruce Looper Moth (Caripeta divisata) was a completely new species for me while a Sigmoid Prominent Moth (Clostera albosigma) was a new species for my backyard.  The image of the Sigmoid Prominent was taken in the Waterton area as I failed to get a good photograph of this moth this morning.

Moths number increasing

I haven’t had the backyard light trap out a great deal recently but last night there were 12 moths of 7 species.  They included an Atlantic Arches Moth (Lacanobia atlantica) which I believe is only the second time I have recorded this species.

In spite of some warm weather, May was a very quite month for moths but I have included a smart looking Anarta farnhami which was in the trap on the 28th.  The Celery Looper (Anagrapha falcifera) and what I believe is an Alien Probole (Probole alienaria) were recorded on the 6th June.

The moth numbers are definitely on the rise.