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Contents

Editorial Norman Lowe 1

Overview GMS 2016 1st Quarter Evan Lynn 2

GMS Cymru results for Early Summer 2016 Norman Lowe 13

Some nice pics from Scotland Audrey Turner 15

Communications & links 16

GMS sponsors 17

Editorial – Norman Lowe

This quarter we have a particularly interesting analysis of results from Evan Lynn, which is a good thing as I’ve received very little from other contributors so I’ve had to bulk things out with a report from my own patch in Wales. As well as Evan’s usual breakdown of moth numbers through Britain and Ireland, he has also looked at different numbers of empty traps in different areas, comparison of catches with temperature and also the amazing irruption of Diamond-back moths in June – largely recorded for GMS by those of you with MV traps, it appears. So a particularly heartfelt plea for more articles or snippets of any kind for the next newsletter. Remember, you can send them in at any time and in any format you like, either via your Area Coordinator or directly to me at norman@enviro-ccnsulting.com

GMS News

Early Summer 2016

Weeks 10-18

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Overview GMS 2016 2nd Quarter – Evan Lynn Moth Numbers The number of common garden moths caught in the 2nd Quarter (Q2 - wks10-18) over the last seven years is given in Figure 1 below. Numbers fluctuate considerably between years, so it is difficult to determine the overall trend from these figures, but we do need a revival next year if we are to decrease the downward slope of the trend line. Figure 1. Mean Moth Numbers

Empty Traps The number of traps catching no moths varied during the course of the Quarter, ranging from eight empty traps in Week11 to none in Week17 out of a total of 216. Comparison with low night-time temperatures reveals a strong inverse correlation (see Figure 2), as one would expect. Figure 2. Mean Minimum Temperatures and Empty Traps

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The location of empty traps was not evenly distributed with some areas suffering more than others. There is for example considerable variation between Wales with four empty traps over two weeks, and the North East with 32 empty traps over eight weeks (Figure 3). This is probably because Wales, with is predominantly Atlantic climate, is protected from the full force of the very cold easterlies arriving across the North Sea from the Continent. Figure 3 Empty Traps -Wales & North East

Moths Caught The number of moths actually caught also varied between these two regions correlating strongly with changes in the mean daily temperatures from two representative weather stations. (Figure 4). After a reasonable start, catching trends in Wales (42 recorders) mirrored the North East (18 recorders) albeit with a higher number of moths caught due to the warmer temperatures which encouraged larger catches. Figure 4 Wales & North East - Daily Temperatures and Weekly Moth Catches

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When the total GMS region records are considered (Figures 5 and 6) catches were low until week 14 when a rise was detected peaking in week 16 roughly corresponding to the temperature graphs in Figure 4. They tailed off again as the temperature dropped towards the end of the quarter. Similarly the number of species caught per week also increased but did not drop so dramatically at the end of the quarter. Figure 5 Total Moths Caught

Figure 6 Species Recorded

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To put these figures in context, the Meteorological Office maps of the mean temperatures for the months of May and June are shown in Figure 7. It was warm times for most in the South in May but flaming June failed to live up to its name in most areas. Figure 7. Mean Maximum Temperatures for May & June 2016 (with permission of the Meteorological Office)

Diamond-back Moths Probably the most memorable feature of the quarter was the influx of Diamond-back Moths, arriving in force in the first two weeks of June. According to Springwatch it has been the largest influx since 1996. The number of moths caught during the quarter by GMS participants appears to be strongly influenced by location and the type of light. I can vouch for the location hypothesis because despite seeing them on Springwatch and hearing other reports in the media I never caught or saw one in my garden situated in a sheltered valley. However I found numerous Diamond-backs in fields within a few miles of my house on mainly open grasslands exposed to the coast. On June 10th I caught none, but another GMS recorder on the same night a few miles away in Aberystwyth recorded 25. The other possible influence is the type of light bulb in use as shown in Figure 8. This shows that the mean number of Diamond-backs per trap is almost 70 for MV traps, between 25 and 30 for actinics and only between 15 and 20 for blended bulbs, though this is from a sample of just 3 traps.

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Figure 8. Comparison of Lights That Attract the Diamond-back Moth

The Diamond-back Moths have been caught all over the GMS region as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9 Map Showing Diamond-Back Moth Distribution & Synoptic Chart for June 10 2016 (with permission of the Meteorological Office)

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This map shows the number of Diamond-back Moths caught in each region together with the number of recorders involved. The wind arrows represent the wind direction and force on June 10th which was considered to be the day with the largest immigration numbers. In addition the synoptic chart of Europe shows the weather systems on that day. It would appear, that although there were few isobars, there was a complex pattern of fronts which may well have brought the enormous numbers of moths to the UK. Although this regional map shows the general distribution, Figure 10 gives a more detailed picture by depicting the mean catch in individual Vice Counties. Included is a table of the number of MV/Blended and Actinic traps in each region. It is interesting to compare this map with the wind directions in Figure 9 above.

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Figure 10 Map Showing Diamond-back Moth in Vice County distribution

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League Tables This second quarter, as would be expected, has seen an improvement over the previous quarter (Weeks 1-9) in numbers of moths caught. However, in comparison to the second quarter of 2015 there was a very slight reduction in mean numbers from 9.2 to 8.1. Apart from the unexpected Diamond-back Moth migration it has been a fairly quiet period. Without the bias from this mass migration the average percentage change was down 0.2 percent from last year. It is also interesting to see that 3 of the top 7 most common species were micros. Table 1 Top 20 Moths

Position Species

Mean per trap % change 2016 2015 2016 2015

1 20 Diamond-back Moth 43.2 0.8 52.2

2 1 Heart and Dart 33.5 62.8 -0.5

3 9 Light Brown Apple Moth 8.7 6.9 0.3

4 4 Buff Ermine 6.6 9.1 -0.3

5 14 Large Yellow Underwing 6.5 4.7 0.4

6 10 Treble Lines 6.2 6.6 -0.1

7 2 Garden Grass-veneer 6.1 13.9 -0.6

8 7 Marbled Minor agg. 5.1 8.2 -0.4

9 13 Brimstone Moth 4.6 5.3 -0.1

10 19 Hebrew Character 4.6 2.9 0.6

11 8 White Ermine 4.4 7 -0.4

12 6 Small Square-spot 4.4 8.5 -0.5

13 5 Flame Shoulder 4.1 8.9 -0.5

14 16 Small Magpie 3.9 4.2 -0.1

15 12 Flame 3.8 6.4 -0.4

16 17 Common Marbled Carpet 3.5 3.9 -0.1

17 3 Uncertain/Rustic agg. 3.3 10.5 -0.7

18 18 Silver-ground Carpet 3 3.2 0

19 11 Dark Arches 2.8 6.6 -0.6

20 15 Bright-line Brown-eye 2.8 4.3 -0.4

Overall 8.1 9.2 2.4

Note 2016 - 216 gardens 2015 – 315 gardens Breaking these figures down into the regions, Table 2 shows the mean per recorder of the top ten moths for each region. The figures in brackets are the number of recorders for that region. Diamond-back was top in all regions except for four in the west, North West, West Midlands, Wales and South West, where in each case Heart & Dart was top. Except for the single trap in the Channel Islands, Diamond-back and Heart & Dart occupied the top two spots everywhere.

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Table 2 Top 10 Moths in Each Region.

Scotland (15) Mean North East (18) Mean North West (41) Mean

Diamond-back Moth 91.2 Diamond-back Moth 8.2 Heart and Dart 32.5

Heart and Dart 9.9 Heart and Dart 5.8 Diamond-back Moth 13.6

White Ermine 7.5 Hebrew Character 3.7 Lt Brown Apple Moth 7.3

Pale-shouldered Brocade 5.1 Light Brown Apple Moth 3.2 Garden Grass-veneer 7.3

Brimstone Moth 4.7 Silver-ground Carpet 3.1 Buff Ermine 6.6

Flame Shoulder 4.6 Buff Ermine 2.1 Large Yellow Uwing 5.9

True Lover's Knot 4.6 Common Swift 1.8 Ruddy Streak 5.8

Clouded-bordered Brindle 4.6 Nothing 1.8 Silver-ground Carpet 5.6

Hebrew Character 4.5 Bee Moth 1.7 Flame Shoulder 5.5

Silver-ground Carpet 4 Garden Carpet 1.6 Hebrew Character 5.5

Yorks & Humber (15) Mean Ireland (23) Mean East England (30) Mean

Diamond-back Moth 67.8 Diamond-back Moth 22.3 Diamond-back Moth 83.6

Heart and Dart 20.2 Heart and Dart 21.1 Heart and Dart 34.9

Treble Lines 9.1 Small Square-spot 16.7 Treble Lines 18.1

Marbled Minor agg. 7.3 Brimstone Moth 12 Marbled Minor agg. 10.3

Light Brown Apple Moth 6.7 Large Yellow Underwing 7.8 Garden Grass-veneer 8

Small Square-spot 5.4 Silver-ground Carpet 7.3 Lt Brown Apple Moth 7.3

White Ermine 5 White Ermine 7.2 Common Swift 7

Common Swift 4.9 Clouded-bordered Brindle 7.2 Buff Ermine 6.6

Cinnabar 4.8 Beautiful Golden Y 6.9 S. H. Character 6.2

Buff Ermine 4.6 Flame Shoulder 6.8 L Y Underwing 5.9

East Midlands (31) Mean West Midlands (28) Mean Wales (42) Mean

Diamond-back Moth 63 Heart and Dart 39.3 Heart and Dart 41.9

Heart and Dart 40.3 Diamond-back Moth 37.8 Diamond-back Moth 23.4

Light Brown Apple Moth 17.8 Light Brown Apple Moth 14.1 Buff Ermine 9.6

Small Magpie 6.7 Brown Silver-line 11.2 White Ermine 7.8

Buff Ermine 6.5 Garden Grass-veneer 9.6 Hebrew Character 7.5

Large Yellow Underwing 6.4 Buff Ermine 9.3 Large Yellow Uwing 6.4

Marbled Minor agg. 5.6 Large Yellow Underwing 7.4 Flame Shoulder 6.2

Bright-line Brown-eye 5 Marbled Minor agg. 7.4 Flame 6.1

Brimstone Moth 4.5 Treble Lines 7.2 Common Quaker 5.8

Bee Moth 4.2 Small Magpie 6.8 Treble Lines 5.5

South East (41) Mean South West (30) Mean Channel Islands (1) Mean

Diamond-back Moth 53.3 Heart and Dart 43.1 Diamond-back Moth 531

Heart and Dart 40.9 Diamond-back Moth 26.7 Orange Footman 125

Light Brown Apple Moth 15.4 Large Yellow Underwing 11.9 Rusty-dot Pearl 36

Treble Lines 9.7 Buff Ermine 11.1 Lt Brown Apple Moth 35

Garden Grass-veneer 7.8 Treble Lines 10.7 Heart and Dart 34

Large Yellow Underwing 7.4 Flame 9.1 Marbled Minor agg. 34

Shoulder-striped Wainscot 6 Small Square-spot 9 Shuttle-shaped Dart 31

Marbled Minor agg. 5.3 Hebrew Character 8.9 Large Yellow Uwing 28

Small Magpie 5.2 Common Quaker 8.3 Garden Grass-veneer 24

Heart and Club 5.1 Garden Grass-veneer 7.9 Brimstone Moth 23

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Table 3 below compares the records received from each region for the quarter. The minimum and maximum numbers within a region vary considerably possibly reflecting location and/or the weather. The number of gardens per region varies between 1 and 42 while the trapping effort (moth trap nights) is remarkably consistent. It is also commendably high suggesting that the GMS input is well represented across the UK & Ireland. Table 3 Minimum and Maximum Moth Catches

Region Gardens Total Mean Moths per recorder

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Possible Actual Percent

SC 15 3376 225 31 1323

135 128 95

NE 18 1283 71 6 199

162 153 94

Y&H 15 3789 253 8 127

135 133 99

NW 41 10196 249 39 468

369 350 95

IRL 23 6650 289 13 1044

207 195 94

EE 30 10133 338 70 1541

270 250 93

EM 31 8686 280 38 1807

279 267 96

WA 42 11624 277 52 744

378 351 93

WM 28 8846 316 28 1021

252 229 91

SE 41 12385 302 54 971

369 343 93

SW 30 10160 339 98 656

270 244 90

CH 1 1709 1709 n/a n/a

9 9 100

The right-hand column of the first box gives the mean number of moths for each region. Figure 11 below takes this a stage further by showing the total mean values of the top 20 moths from Table 1 and displays them in map form showing their Vice County distribution. The Diamond-back Moth bias has been described earlier so this species has been removed to allow a fairer comparison of the remaining 19 species. It is interesting that many of the highest numbers are from Vice Counties with a coastline.

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Figure11 Top 20 Moths Regional VC Distribution

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GMS Cymru results for Early Summer 2016 – Norman Lowe

Results this year compared with 2015

Here are the early summer results for the 2016 Garden Moth Scheme Cymru, Weeks 10-18. These are from 42 Welsh gardens and, as usual, I’ve put together a Top 30 based on the average, or mean, number of moths of each species. In the first column I’ve put this year’s rankings with last year’s in brackets so you can see which have gone up in the charts and which have gone down. Very obviously one species stands out, the little migrant micro Diamond-back Moth which was present in huge numbers during June. Numbers in people’s traps varied a lot and one recorder had at least 400 in their trap, whereas another had lots in their garden but none at all in the trap (for a possible explanation see Evan’s report above). Table 1 Top 30 moths in Wales Q2 2015-2016

Rank Common Name Total 42 gardens

Mean % increase/ decrease 2016 2015

1(1) Heart and Dart 1804 42.95 100.92 -57.44

2(72=) Diamond-back Moth 1006 23.95 0.81 2873.40

3(5) Buff Ermine 420 10.00 12.53 -20.18

4(2) White Ermine 338 8.05 17.69 -54.52

5(10) Hebrew Character 325 7.74 7.06 9.67

6(4) Flame Shoulder 289 6.88 13.33 -48.39

7(6) Flame 262 6.24 11.86 -47.41

8(24) Large Yellow Underwing 258 6.14 3.97 54.65

9(31=) Common Quaker 234 5.57 2.58 115.67

10(7) Treble Lines 228 5.43 9.08 -40.24

11(3) Garden Grass-veneer 208 4.95 16.69 -70.34

12(16) Brown Silver-line 200 4.76 5.42 -12.09

13(13) Brimstone Moth 184 4.38 6.28 -30.21

14(15) Silver-ground Carpet 180 4.29 5.83 -26.53

15(12) Small Square-spot 164 3.90 6.86 -43.09

16=(23) Light Brown Apple Moth 162 3.86 4.36 -11.56

16=(19) Mottled Beauty 162 3.86 4.83 -20.20

18(22) Small Magpie 160 3.81 4.39 -13.20

19(26) Poplar Hawk-moth 156 3.71 3.31 12.36

20(39) Clouded Drab 147 3.50 2.03 72.60

21(62=) Brindled Beauty 135 3.21 1.14 182.23

22=(17) Marbled Minor agg. 133 3.17 5.28 -40.00

22=(8) Uncertain/Rustic agg. 133 3.17 7.53 -57.93

24(21) Common Marbled Carpet 127 3.02 4.56 -33.62

25(11) Elephant Hawk-moth 118 2.81 7.03 -60.02

26(18) Pale Tussock 115 2.74 5.19 -47.29

27(41) Ingrailed Clay 114 2.71 1.94 39.59

28=(40) Green Carpet 105 2.50 1.97 26.76

28=(25) Peppered Moth (Light) 105 2.50 3.81 -34.31

30(14) Dark Arches 104 2.48 6.22 -60.20

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The last column shows the percentage change compared with last year and it can be seen that most species declined this year, many by around 50%. Apart from Diamond-back, most of those that showed an increase were spring moths such as Brindled Beauty, Common Quaker and Clouded Drab and the late season this year meant that larger numbers than usual were still flying at the start of this quarter, so in general numbers are about the same. Results for the last 10 years We in Wales have now been recording for GMS for almost 10 years and we now have 10 sets of results for the first two quarters. The table below shows the results for the Top 30 back to 2007. The figures in red show the highest numbers over the decade and it can be seen that only two species were at their highest this year, these being Diamond-back (of course!) and Brindled Beauty. The blue numbers show the lowest averages over the same period and apart from Uncertain/Rustic agg., which we’ve only just started recording, only one moth was present in its fewest numbers, this being Flame Shoulder. Funnily enough I had a Flame Shoulder in December last year and I wonder if the mild winter disturbed its life history in some way! Table 2 Top 30 moths in Wales Q2 2007 to 2016

Common Name Mean per garden

2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007

Heart and Dart 42.95 100.92 41.43 12.53 13.56 132.41 51.57 33.13 43.85 214.00

Diamond-back Moth 23.95 0.81 0.17 0.28 0.23 0.07 0 1.26 0.19 n/r

Buff Ermine 10.00 12.53 18.63 7.22 8.89 17.78 30.91 12.00 7.15 14.25

White Ermine 8.05 17.69 22.20 8.75 7.58 15.81 17.70 6.00 3.77 8.13

Hebrew Character 7.74 7.06 14.23 16.31 12.08 5.74 19.74 3.43 8.31 16.88

Flame Shoulder 6.88 13.33 17.07 7.56 9.86 15.70 18.39 15.87 12.08 15.00

Flame 6.24 11.86 11.47 2.59 3.94 12.15 16.57 12.65 6.31 9.81

Large Yellow Underwing 6.14 3.97 4.17 1.00 3.39 9.44 7.96 11.48 12.73 8.69

Common Quaker 5.57 2.58 4.43 6.44 0.56 0.56 6.91 0.57 3.69 5.31

Treble Lines 5.43 9.08 4.60 1.81 4.97 6.78 3.43 0.78 3.27 11.31

Garden Grass-veneer 4.95 16.69 4.57 0.88 1.83 8.33 4.57 3.26 2.15 17.25

Brown Silver-line 4.76 5.42 5.07 4.84 4.22 8.44 11.74 5.74 4.12 6.56

Brimstone Moth 4.38 6.28 8.07 5.22 3.14 3.37 8.09 7.65 3.42 5.38

Silver-ground Carpet 4.29 5.83 8.60 4.19 5.19 8.07 6.48 7.35 2.77 4.69

Small Square-spot 3.90 6.86 3.47 1.69 1.08 1.26 8.22 10.39 5.15 2.13

Light Brown Apple Moth 3.86 4.36 4.33 2.59 2.90 1.00 2.04 3.00 2.27 3.25

Mottled Beauty 3.86 4.83 6.77 1.09 2.19 5.67 5.96 5.48 4.12 7.94

Small Magpie 3.81 4.39 2.93 0.75 0.76 1.70 4.57 3.00 0.96 1.88

Poplar Hawk-moth 3.71 3.31 5.77 2.66 4.28 3.52 5.04 4.22 2.92 5.19

Clouded Drab 3.50 2.03 2.4 4.94 0.81 1.7 5.7 0.35 1.77 5.94

Brindled Beauty 3.21 1.14 1.8 2.56 0.92 0.15 0.13 0.35 0.31 n/r

Marbled Minor agg. 3.17 5.28 4.97 1.59 2.31 5.41 9.74 n/r n/r n/r

Uncertain/Rustic agg. 3.17 7.53 n/r n/r n/r n/r n/r n/r n/r n/r

Common Marbled Carpet 3.02 4.56 7.63 7.06 4.61 3.44 8.78 7.74 2.88 3.94

Elephant Hawk-moth 2.81 7.03 5.53 2.75 1.36 5.15 12.57 8.78 1.54 4.25

Pale Tussock 2.74 5.19 2.77 1.47 1.64 3.37 6.39 2.35 3.46 4.25

Ingrailed Clay 2.71 1.94 3.00 1.06 1.78 3.22 2.39 3.13 1.19 1.69

Green Carpet 2.50 1.97 1.27 3.16 3.86 1.89 1.74 3 2.42 n/r

Peppered Moth (Light) 2.50 3.81 4.03 1.47 2.28 2.04 4.13 5.43 3.00 3.94

Dark Arches 2.48 6.22 8.53 0.09 2.64 10.70 14.43 7.00 6.46 9.88

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Some nice photos from Scotland – Audrey Turner

Firstly a Pebble Hook-tip from Douglas Methven which was a first for him, trapped on the 8th

of June in his Selkirk garden, VC79.

There is also a photo of a Turnip Moth and one of a Sandy Carpet, both firsts for me on the

24th of June in my Aviemore garden, VC95.

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Communications & Links. Garden Moth Scheme website: http://www.gardenmoths.org.uk/ For all your GMS contact information; download section for forms, instructions, newsletters and identification guides; links to UKMoths for individual GMS species. Garden Moth Scheme Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/GardenMothScheme Over 800 ‘Likes’; shares general information on the GMS and other moth-related topics. Garden Moth Scheme Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/438806469608527/ Currently around 1,400 members (not all active GMS participants); the best place to post your messages and photos; files section containing forms, instructions, newsletters and identification guides. Garden Moth Scheme Yahoo Group https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Gardenmoths/info Members-only forum for discussion; files section containing forms, instructions, newsletters and identification guides.

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