Every week we hear from Master's student Stuart Brooker who traps moths weekly in the woodlands around Durham University. Stuart identifies, records and photographs the moths he traps and provides CEG with a weekly update of his trapping efforts. 

Here is Stuart's week 11 report:

The unsettled weather of week 10 continued into this week, and, if anything, night-time temperatures fell away further; leaving the mornings feeling, dare I say it, a little Autumnal. These conditions undoubtedly adversely influence moth survival and activity, and this was reflected in this week’s catch, which was the lowest in terms of both species and individuals since the first week of June. Nevertheless, there were still a number of interesting species well worth showcasing.

The ‘Top Moths’ this week all just happen to be micro-moths. The division between micro- and macro-moths is a rather arbitrary one, reflecting traditional practice rather than taxonomic-correctness; although – with the inevitable exceptions – many micro-moth families are considered to be more primitive than those of the macro-moths. Micro-moths could be considered as the ultimate LBJ’s, and are often overlooked or ignored. However, in both form and ecology, the 1600 or so UK species are fascinating and diverse. What’s more, when viewed up close, many are revealed to be every bit as attractive and intricate in pattern as their bigger relatives.

So, it turns out that micro-moths can be serenading bee-nest wreckers, bird-poo imitators, or decked-out head-to-toe in Christmas wrap ... boring Little Brown Jobs they most certainly ain’t!

Stay tuned weekly for more 'Stu's Top Moths' or follow us on twitter for updates and photos of moths and other wildlife around Durham University!

Masters student Stuart Brooker has been trapping moths for 10 weeks in the woodlands around Durham University. Stuart identifies, records and photographs the moths he traps and provides us with a weekly update of his trapping efforts. 

Here is Stuart's week 10 report: 
"The weather became unsettled this week, and night-time temperatures fell off slightly from those of prior weeks. Nevertheless, on the evening of 30th July, forecasts informed that there would be no overnight rainfall or through the following morning – so, confidently, I left my trap quietly doing its business in its usual spot in the woodlands. However, when I looked out of the window in the early morning, I witnessed the aftermath of a great deluge! As I walked to the trap-site, the small woodland stream, usually little more than a gentle trickle, was now a raging torrent. My fears where confirmed when I reached the trap and saw that the mercury vapour bulb had shattered (but still burning bright). Inside the trap, a set of soggy cardboard egg cartons provided limited shelter for over 300 weather-beaten moths. Two-thirds of the catch was either a Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella) or a Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) – two very common and widespread species that evidently occur in good numbers and find light irresistible.

In amongst the Ermines and Yellow Underwings was a single Old Lady (Mormo maura). This large moth is unmistakable, even when most of its markings have been worn, or washed, away! It is widespread in Britain but described as ‘local’ rather than common. However, although it may be drawn by light, it enters the trap infrequently, and as such, may be under-recorded by trappers. Svensson’s Copper Underwing is a moth of similar hue to the Old Lady. In contrast however, it looked very ‘fresh’ and its colouration was deep and rich. The species is very similar to the closely-related Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea), but a combination of subtle features suggested this individual was very likely to be A. berbera. Other infrequent visitors to the trap this week included a new addition to the list of ‘thorns’ (see weeks 5 and 9 for others) – the Dusky Thorn, a Small Phoenix and Oak Nycteoline – a diminutive macromoth that, when I placed it on an oak tree to photograph it, it wrapped its wings around the shoot to hide its outline and promptly ‘disappeared’."

Old Lady (Mormo maura)

Svensson's Copper Underwing (Amphipyra berbera)

Oak Nycteoline (Nycteola revayana)

Stay tuned weekly for more 'Stu's Top Moths' or follow us on twitter for updates and photos of moths and other wildlife around Durham University!

Masters student Stuart Brooker has been trapping moths for 9 weeks in the woodlands around Durham University. Stuart identifies, records and photographs the moths he traps and provides us with a weekly update of his trapping efforts. 

Here is Stuart's week 9 report: 
"Two species of ‘thorn’ were recorded in good numbers this week. Typical of the thorns, both species adopt resting postures unusual amongst moths. The Early Thorn with its wings pressed tightly together above the body, much like a butterfly, reveals the cryptic colouration of its underside, resembling a dead or decaying leaf when clinging to a twig. The Purple Thorn, like the Lunar Thorn featured in Week 5, rests with its wings held open, half-raised and ‘curled’, creating a bowl-like shape. It can be distinguished from the Lunar Thorn by the dark central spot on the upperside of the hindwing, which incidentally, has a less deeply-scalloped outline. The larvae of both species feed on a wide range of woody broadleaved plants, allowing them to colonise various habitat-types, including urban parks and gardens.

Debutants recorded this week included the Antler Moth – so called for the elongate white antler-like marking that runs down the centre of each forewing – and single specimens of the Purple Bar and the Barred Yellow - both of which looked rather ‘tired’ and had lost the deeper colouration they would have had when newly emerged... but attractive nonetheless. These species’ larvae feed on grasses, bedstraws (Galium sp.) and roses (Rosa sp.) respectively; highlighting the importance of early-successional  and open areas within otherwise mature woodland, allowing understory and herbaceous-layer foodplants to persist."

Antler Moth (Cerapteryx graminis)

Barred Yellow (Cidaria fulvata)

Purple Bar (Cosmorhoe ocellata)

Stay tuned weekly for more 'Stu's Top Moths' or follow us on twitter for updates and photos of moths and other wildlife around Durham University!

We are in week 8 of MRes student Stuart Brooker's moth trapping efforts in the woodlands around Durham University. This week Stuart had eleven human visitors to the trap for an impromptu mid-week trapping session. Stuart set out his trap so interested members of CEG and the School of Biology could come and see what moth trapping was all about. I was interested in joining Stuart because I have been amazed at how beautiful Stuart's weekly photos have been. I am ashamed to admit that I mostly believed that moths were the true 'Little Brown Jobs' of the natural world. But, I am happy to report that Stuart has proven me terribly wrong. 

Stuart set-up his trap in his usual place and we joined him when it got dark, around 930 pm. The light on the trap is extremely bright and it wasn't long until moths began showing up. 

Stuart's trapping kit includes:

• A wooden moth trap with a light that runs on electricity
• Cardboard egg boxes inside and around the base of the outside of the trap to provide shelter 
• A large white suspended sheet 
• Moth identification guides
• Sample pots for examining moths

The most abundant visitor to the trap was the small fan-footed wave (Idaea biselata). However, the heavyweights of the night were the Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) and Large Emerald (Geometra papilionaria) as seen in the photos below. All the moths were released live after we had all had a chance to look at them and Stuart had identified them. Despite the trap being out for only 2 hours we managed to catch 39 species (see the complete species list here). 

I have developed a whole new level of respect for Lepidopterists and moth-enthusiasts like Stuart. For someone who studies (mere) birds, the sheer number of moths in the UK and the effort it takes to identify them is truly humbling. There are the so-called "macro-moths", of which there are around 800 regular British species, and the micro-moths, of which 1600 species have been recorded in the British Isles [1]. Stuart was able to ID most moths and point out their peculiarities without even looking in a book. But, I guess - for someone whose second favourite pass-time is identifying hoverflies - I shouldn't be that surprised by these skills! 

Not long ago, I read an interesting article cautioning about the loss of natural history and nature literacy. The article points out that there is a huge gap in our knowledge of nature, especially the understudied organisms.  The author argues that inspiring a curiosity for and understanding of biodiversity in young people and in scientists is vitally important. Perhaps it will take naturalists like Stuart and community events like this one to encourage an enthusiasm and an interest in nature and to bridge this biodiversity gap.  Here at CEG we have a unique group of scientists with an excellent knowledge of (or appetite for) natural history and we try to encourage an interest in Durham's wildlife.  I think we demonstrate that being a scientist and being a naturalist are not mutually exclusive pursuits and that one skill set benefits the other. Hopefully here at Durham University - with its remarkable woodlands and habitats - we will continue to have these types of events and to attract people with unconventional skills and interests to broaden our experiences with nature.

FYI - Stuart is planning a second public trapping session to invite more people to have the same experience. Stay tuned for details about that event! To read more about Stuart's moth trapping or see previous trapping records click here...

*The last five photos were taken by Stuart Brooker, all other photos by Teegan Docherty

by Teegan Docherty
Teegan is a PhD student with CEG and joined us in October 2013. She studies fire ecology and habitat use in savanna ecosystems in South Africa.