All,
Encouraged by the still weather and last weeks Red Sword-Grass I decided to trap every night this week....Just for once a good decision!
The night of the 16th produced Mottled Umber and another but rather tatty Red Sword-Grass indicating a local population (I had wondered if last weeks example was a wanderer).
Mottled Umber in its various guises has been a feature of the week including one specimen which I thought had a tick on its head (see below), in the event the 'tick' proved to be a bit of debris, shame really it could have been quite interesting.
Until Iain's post on the subject I hadn't realised that Scarce Umber was a possibility, given the variability of Mottled Umber I found myself trying to make the less distinctly marked specimens into Scarce Umber.....Roy Leverton kindly determined both Mottled and Scarce for me, other than colouration the diagnostic feature is forewing shape, something not mentioned in any of my books, I quote the relevant passage from an Email.
"When the markings are obscure, forewing shape is the most useful guide, with the outer margin slightly sinuous in Mottled Umber but evenly curved in Scarce Umber.. Not sure that the presence or absence of hindwing terminal dots is a useful feature."
MOTTLED UMBER

MOTTLED UMBER

MOTTLED UMBER

SCARCE UMBER

16th MV
NO CATCH
16th ACTINIC
RED SWORD-GRASS 1
MOTTLED UMBER 1
17th MV
WINTER MOTH 1
SPRUCE CARPET 2
DECEMBER MOTH 2
MOTTLED UMBER 1
17th ACTINIC
DECEMBER MOTH 7
WINTER MOTH 1
SPRUCE CARPET 1
18th MV
DECEMBER MOTH 2
SPRUCE CARPET 1
18th ACTINIC
DECEMBER MOTH 1
19th MV
DECEMBER MOTH 2
MOTTLED UMBER 1
SPRUCE CARPET 1
19th ACTINIC
DECEMBER MOTH 4
SPRUCE CARPET 1
20th MV
ANGLE SHADES 1
SPRUCE CARPET 3
WINTER MOTH 2
DECEMBER MOTH 2
20th ACTINIC
DECEMBER MOTH 2
SCARCE UMBER 1
21st MV
NO CATCH
21st ACTINIC
NO CATCH (Very wet and breezy)
22nd MV
NO CATCH
22nd ACTINIC
MOTTLED UMBER 2
DECEMBER MOTH 3
SPRUCE CARPET 1
The weather looks set to stay fair through next week, it will be interesting to see how the catches hold up.
Nick.