Rival lights

My recent musings on the subject of moths and the effect on them of light finally prompted me to do a little research. It came up with this excellently pithy account from the National Geographic magazine, written as is their won't in language which the layman or woman can understand. Its conclusion, that moths' delicate nocturnal guidance systems based on the moon - waxing happily at the moment here as you can see in the picture above - are thrown into confusion by a powerful alternative like my light - shown below on the same night - very much chimes with my own experience in the field.

I like the sentence:  

The day that Thomas Edison patented the lightbulb—January 27, 1880, which paved the way for global distribution of electric illumination—was a dark day in moth history 

and the article also raises mild concerns about using a moth lamp. I have always felt that the method does no harm to moths, but it would be hard to sustain that view if it were the case that the mercury vapour bulb's intense light was causing them confusion and therefore, presumably, distress. I certainly got that impression from the behaviour of the Clifden Nonpareil which was the subject of my last post. And it cannot be natural that this Centre-barred Sallow which I photographed at the same time as the trap and the moon - around 10pm - spent all night and the whole of the next day in the same place without moving, instead of going about its usual mothy business in the dark.

However, the distress is not fatal and the rewards of light-trapping for science, wildlife conservation and personal interest are very great. So I shall carry on for the time being, although this year's sessions will be fewer from now on because of the dark mornings and the gradual reduction in the number of species which still fly on these colder Autumn nights.

That said, the visitors are still interesting. As well as the last of the Lunar Underwings, Silver Ys and Hebrew Characters, the trap is currently rich in bright little Beaded Chestnuts such as the two below which show how variable this species can be. 

It was joined on the wall nearby, not far below the Centre-barred Sallow, by this Red-green Carpet while in the trap there were several Brown-spot Pinions (following picture).

A second night of trapping after all the rain produced a newcomer for the year whose arrival I have been expecting, the Brindled Green. This one isn't especially green which is often the case with this species although perhaps you get a hint of it in the photo perched on my dressing gown cord (It was a lively soul and ran round and round my specs case for ages, always clockwise).

Rather greener in a subtle way, in spite of being form capucina or the 'coffee-coloured' variety of the species, are the Green-brindled Crescents which continue to cheer up my checking of the eggboxes in the morning.