An Interesting Moth Today

Moths

Well we have had some very sunny days of late, but today, despite a sunny start, it turned very cloudy, before the sun returned mid-afternoon..

With light winds again, the trap went out last night and this morning there were 13 moths of 7 species. New for year was a Yellow Belle Aspitates ochrearia

#1 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica x2

#2 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x5

#3 White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella x1

#4 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata x1

#5 Yellow Belle Aspitates ochrearia x1

#6 Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi  x1

#7 Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea x2

#1 Muslin Moths Diaphora mendica

#1 Muslin Moths

#2 A Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, with a Muslin moth looking on.

#2 Another Light Brown Apple Moth

#2 One more Light Brown Apple Moth

#2 And last one, another Light Brown Apple Moth with a slightly different wing pattern!

#3 Beneath this Muslim moth is a White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella

#4 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata

#5 Yellow Belle Aspitates ochrearia

#6 Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi 

#7 Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea

Also in the trap was this Running Crab Spider Philodromidae sp.

A Running Crab Spider Philodromidae sp.

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Back garden

And just like the past few days, I spent all afternoon working in the back garden, ticking off the jobs on my "to do list", which I'm pleased to say is nearly complete.

And of course I had a few breaks and on one occasion disturbed a small moth, which landed on one of the leaves on the Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus. After taking a couple of photos, I got back to work.

Later I used the Obsidentify App and discovered that my moth was either a Tawny Oak Tortrix Acleris ferrugana or Tawny Birch Tortrix Acleris notana. Unfortunately the two species are so similar, that the only way to separate them is by dissection of the genitalia.

The only thing I would say is that there are no Birch trees on Portland, but there are 4 Oak trees within 200 metres from the cottage, including a 5 year old tree in our garden. The larvae of the Tawny Oak Tortrix feed mainly on Oak Quercus sp. in a spinning between leaves. Hmm!!

It would be tempting to say, that it is a Tawny Oak Tortrix Acleris ferrugana, but I have no evidence to back it, so it will be a Tawny Tortrix agg. Acleris ferrugana/notana.