Őszibaglyok és Borostyánvirágok - Autumn Noctuidae & Ivy blossom

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.





  Zöldes Csipkésbagoly               Phlogophora meticulosa            Angle Shades
 

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.





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.

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.

 



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
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
1. following names given at www.macrolepidoptera.hu
2. largely based on phenological information given at www.lepidoptera.pl

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

 

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

 

 

1. following names given at www.macrolepidoptera.hu

 

2. largely based on phenological information given at www.lepidoptera.pl

 

 

A list of the 20 species of lepidoptera found naturally feeding at Hedera helix blossom in late September- Early October 2012, Miskolctapolca, Hungary




Bükkönybagoly            Lygephila craccae       Scarce Blackneck

 



Galagonyabagoly          Allophyes oxyacanthae           Green-brindled Crescent



L-betűs Fűbagoly         Mythimna l-album       L-album Wainscot