They might be giants....?

Louise thought she had seen an Emperor Moth the other day, but as they do, it shot past at many mph and too rapidly disappeared. It's been beautifully sunny here for a few days, and Louise's sighting and the weather reminded me that I'd refreshed my EMP pheromone lure stock last year. I rummaged around in my freezer, found my new pheromones eventually, and some minutes later there was an EMP lure in a pop sock tied to a bamboo stick just by the kitchen window.

 I sat inside with a coffee and within five minutes I noticed some activity around the lure. However, it was not the expected activity, but something small and Lepidopteran was interested in the lure. Macro camera in hand I was rapdily engaged.

Pammene giganteana Early Oak Piercer

New for the garden, and new for me, nice! The EMP quickly attracted two more. I'd been aware that these were being caught in England to FUN lure of late, so a bit more of a rummage in the freezer, and hunt in the cupboard for a trap or two and I put out a FUN lure, which later on caught a single moth.

The next day both FUN and LEEK were also deployed in the garden but the occurrence had got me wondering, so after lunch I went to the Community Woodland armed with EMP, FUN and another trap. I carried the EMP lure around with me (don't use EMP in a trap as Emperor Moth is too large for the aperture and will damage itself) but I put a trap with FUN lure in amongst some old Oaks. I did a bit of grass clumping for beetles etc and an hour later went back to the trap. Good result four Pammene giganteana, a new species for the site. None came to EMP that I noticed. Back at home I had one to EMP and three to FUN.

Pammene giganteana

The clumping was not without results as well - a caterpillar (10mm) as yet unidentified, Philoscia muscorum, a Stenus and a Tachyporus. The Staphylinids will be requiring some serious attention to get to species.

Philoscia muscorum

Tachyporus sp, to be identified.

An as yet unidentified larva.

Thinking it would be useful and interesting to see if I could add this moth species to Cemetery Wildlife Watch, the next day, I scooted up to Strowan Woodland Cemetery. I had very limited time but managed to leave the FUN lure armed trap for 20 minutes in the branches of an Oak whilst I deployed the EMP in another part of the cemetery. In 20 minutes six moths were trapped and another two were around the EMP.

Pammene giganteana

I'm guessing I'll find this moth locally wherever there are mature Oaks. I suspect that it is just the lack of folk using pheromones in Scotland that make it appear to be a quite uncommon species.

And I hadn't had a sniff of Saturnia pavonia, despite the EMP lure being in prime habo. It was then that NV reminded me that March is a tad early for this species in Scotland, and checking my own data I found 15th April to be the earliest I'd had it come to lure. So, Louise probably saw a Small Tortoiseshell in the first place!

A good day out at the Butterfly Conservation Spring Gathering in Perth. It was very well organised and there were excellent speakers, an informative and engaging day.