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| Vörös Őszibagoly Conistra rubiginea Dotted Chestnut |
I had heard before from lepidopterists about how great a time can be had recording moths at Ivy (Hedera helix) blossom but until now my efforts to find moths in this way had been pretty disappointing. Its advantage for the moth recorder is that it flowers late in the year when other possible nectar sources are becoming scarcer. It can therefore function as a relatively efficient natural attractant, focussing the feeding moths present in a habitat together into one place. In Britain, where ivy is a very common woodland plant, finding good stands of it in bloom can be less easy than you might expect - the plants need warmth and sun to produce much blossom. Edges of woods can be good but often the flowers are too high to inspect easily. And then you need the weather conditions to coincide - the evenings need to be warm and calm enough for moths to be actively feeding. Conditions in the British autumn and early winter are often not like that. Living in Scotland where Ivy doesn't even always flower didn't help but even when I have found suitable clumps in England usually it has been in the wrong place and the wrong time for me to observe many moths.
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Zöldes Csipkésbagoly Phlogophora meticulosa Angle Shades
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This year was different because I was in Hungary and in a house which has a big, south-facing patch of ivy alongside it which was well into bloom by late September. In Britain Hedera helix is often in flower a month later and tends to be visited mainly by winter Geometrids and the over-wintering species of Noctuidae (Leverton 2001 Enjoying Moths Poyser). Thronged with Hymenoptera and Diptera by day there were also good numbers of Lepidoptera by night. In the period from 27th September to October 5th, when the evenings were generally warm, I made 53 records consisting of 20 species (about the same number of species as my 40W actinic light trap attracted at the end of September) although I am sure these numbers underplay the total amount of moth activity there was. After that, although there was still sufficient nectar to attract flies by day for another week or two, the nights became distinctly cooler and no more moths were to be found.
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Gamma Bagoly Autographa
gamma Silver Y
unlike the other Noctuids found feeding this moth (in common with others of its subfamily, the Plusiinae) feeds in a semi-hover in front of the flowers - its legs are used for support but the wings are not folded and seldom remain still for long.
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Four families were represented but three of these, the Pterophoridae, Arctiidae and Geometridae, only by single individuals; most of the moths were Noctuids. There were 2 species of 'any month' moth (
Phlogophora meticulosa and
Emmelina monodactyla) plus a Buttoned Snout (
Hypena rostralis), a species with a protracted flight period, and
four species of Noctuid which overwinter as adults. The rest were summer or autumn species and although not a huge diversity there was a good range of species some of which, at least for me, were rather choice.
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Élénksárga Őszibagoly Jodia
croceago Orange
Upperwing
perhaps this moth was the best surprise, an overwintering species but one that my light trap failed to detect either in autumn or spring. It is a warmth loving species with a Holomediterranean distribution, (very rare in Britian or possibly extinct) in Hungary probably associated with the Quercus pubescens karst scrub-woodland habitat which occurs in a scatter of patches amongst more extensive cover of other woodland types, for example, in the Bükk hills. There is a fragment of such woodland on Kis Köves here in Miskolctapolca and it is pleasing to think that the moth may breed here.
| Name |
Magyar1 |
English |
family |
flight period2 |
| Agrochola circellaris |
Világosbarna Őszibagoly |
The Brick |
Noctuidae |
VIII-X |
| Agrochola laevis |
Könnyű Őszibagoly |
|
Noctuidae |
VIII-X |
| Allophyes oxyacanthae |
Galagonyabagoly |
Green-brindled Crescent |
Noctuidae |
IX-XI |
| Autographa gamma |
Gamma Bagoly |
Silver Y |
Noctuidae |
V-X |
| Conistra
rubiginea |
Vörös Őszibagoly |
Dotted Chestnut |
Noctuidae |
IX-V |
| Conistra vaccinii |
Változékony Őszibagoly |
Chestnut |
Noctuidae |
IX-V |
| Dryobotodes eremita |
Változékony Tölgybagoly |
Brindled Green |
Noctuidae |
IX-XI |
| Eilema sp. |
egy Zuzmószövőlepke |
a Footman |
Arctidae |
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| Emmelina monodactyla |
Közönséges Tollasmoly |
Morning-glory Plume Moth |
Pterophoridae |
I-XII |
| Eupsilia transversa |
Rozsdabarna Télibagoly |
Satellite |
Noctuidae |
IX-V |
| Hypena rostralis |
Közönségés Karcsúbagoly |
Buttoned Snout |
Noctuidae |
III-XI |
| Idaea
degeneraria |
Barnasávos Apróaraszoló |
Portland Ribbon wave |
Geometridae |
V, VIII-IX |
| Jodia croceago |
Élénksárga Őszibagoly |
Orange Upperwing |
Noctuidae |
IX-V |
| Lygephila
craccae |
Bükkönybagoly |
Scarce Blackneck |
Noctuidae |
VI-IX |
| Mythimna albipuncta |
Fehérpettyes Rétibagoly |
White-point |
Noctuidae |
V-IX |
| Mythimna
l-album |
L-betűs Fűbagoly |
L-album Wainscot |
Noctuidae |
V-X |
| Noctua comes |
Kis Sárgafübagoly |
Lesser Yellow Underwing |
Noctuidae |
VI-IX |
| Phlogophora meticulosa |
Zöldes Csipkésbagoly |
Angle Shades |
Noctuidae |
V-X |
| Xanthia
gilvago |
Foltos Sárgabagoly |
Dusky-lemon Sallow |
Noctuidae |
VIII-X |
| Xanthia
icteritia |
Nyárfa-Őszibagoly |
Sallow |
Noctuidae |
VIII-X |
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| 1.
following names given at www.macrolepidoptera.hu |
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| 2.
largely based on phenological information given at www.lepidoptera.pl |
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A list of the 20 species of lepidoptera found naturally feeding at
Hedera helix blossom in late September- Early October 2012, Miskolctapolca, Hungary
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Bükkönybagoly Lygephila craccae Scarce Blackneck
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Galagonyabagoly Allophyes oxyacanthae Green-brindled
Crescent
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L-betűs Fűbagoly Mythimna l-album L-album Wainscot
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