Garden Moth Review 2018

Mugwort Plume

European Corn-borer

Before reviewing 2018 this is a reminder of what my 'suburban' garden looks like and the equipment I use to monitor moths.

The garden is fairly small (tennis court size) with just a single immature Rowan tree, wildlife pond and a privet hedge in the front. Nearby are mature Oak and Birch trees. I live about 1Km from Sulham woods and horse fields.

Since 2010 I have used a Robinson 125w MV trap. Between 2005 and 2010 I used a home made 125w MV Skinner type trap. I only trap on suitable evenings weather wise approx. once a month.

In 2018 the 6 species above 10 individuals were as follows :
Heart and Dart (35)
Large Yellow Underwing (30)
Vine's Rustic (29)
Light Brown Apple Moth (17)
Agriphila tristella or Common Grass-veneer (15)
Agriphila geniculea or Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (11)

Overall, the most common species since 2005 above 100 individuals are as follows :
Large Brown Apple (330)
Large Yellow Underwing (232)
Heart and Dart (196)
Lunar Underwing (139)
Shuttle-shaped Dart (136)
Dark Arches (121)
Lesser Yellow Underwing (105)

The 3 most prolific years for me have been :
2014 with 486 individuals and 96 species
2013 with 437 individuals and 99 species
2018 with 353 individuals and 97 species
Due to illness, the trap was not used in 2017.

My garden list stands at 277 species and overall at 362 species.

There were 11 new species recorded for the garden in 2018 including Mugwort Plume and European Corn-borer. These are shown in the photographs above.