Honeyoak Photo Journal

07 December 2021

The Clifden Nonpareil moth

Clifden Nonpareil, Catocala fraxini, the blue underwing, 15th September 2020.

Angus continues to run moth traps and amazingly he continues to add to the 600+ moth species he has already recorded here. In September 2020 we were beyond amazed when an unexpected, new to us and very rare moth came to his trap in the garden.... a Clifden Nonpareil, the third Irish record, previously only recorded in Ireland in 1896 and 1845. This beautiful and very large moth has a wingspan when fully open of more than 8 cm, here the blue band on the very pretty underwing is just partly visible.

There was a wow moment when we first saw the uncommonly distinct markings on it's underside. It flew off into the trees after we took a few photos.

This is where the moth trap had been set up.

Tivon's Clifden Nonpareil, 30th September 2021.

Tivon began to do his own traps and the following year we were amazed all over again when incredibly, in late September, in his trap on the farm 600m from the garden, Tivon recorded the 6th Irish record of the Clifden Nonpareil! The 4th record had been near the Hook peninsula, Wexford and the 5th was on the Wicklow coast, both a couple of weeks earlier in mid-September 2021.

15th September 2021.
Another fantastic record by Tivon this year is the impressive and very rare migrant, the Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Agrius convolvuli, here photographed resting on Alfie's hand.

3rd October 2020. Tivon at the moth trap in the garden at dawn.

3rd October 2020. Tivon

Moth trap magnetism affecting Zoë and Alfie!

September 2020.

Alfie and Angus identifying and recording moths.

Some moths require close examination.

3rd August 2020. One of Zoë's lockdown interests, before she thought of sitting the Leaving Certificate exams, was to identify some of the many parasitic wasps that have evolved with moths.

9th July 2021.

There can be so many moths in Angus's traps that they can be hard to count. I affectionately snapped this photo looking out the window from inside the house. Angus has brought the moth trap inside a pop up tent on the deck, the moths once identified and recorded are released. 

24th January 2021. The lockdown of a moth enthusiast!

The egg cartons make safe resting places for the moths until they are identified and released.

28 December 2017

Moths 2017

Angus is not running moth traps as frequently as he used to but he is spending just as much time collating records for Moths Ireland which are forwarded to the National biodiversity data centre.

The moths that come to the light trap are identified and then released.

These are just a few of the more eye-catching beauties in the garden this year...

If you have made it this far and are still interested!...

There is an old post " Recording moths in the garden" from 2014 and another "Summer moths" from 2013 briefly describing Angus's moth trapping.

16 December 2016

The big Polytunnel 2016.

Capsicum/Red bell pepper still cropping January 3rd! I don't think there will be any more peppers from this years plants but the chili peppers were only harvested a couple of weeks ago.

Apricot in the big tunnel, awash with blossom and bees, March 9th.

Propagating this years sweet potato plants from one of last years tubers in the spring.
The sweet potatoes were fairly neglected and under-watered but they still cropped, I only lifted them a few days ago.

First tomato plants in the big tunnel on March 26th, Every year I plant them a little earlier, and this is the first time that I have lost a a few plants, (to a sharp frost in early April), but the majority of the plants survived and thrived, I had kept a good few back-up plants in the house to replace any losses.

Our first few tomatoes came at the end of June, this basket was on July 26th.

Raspberries from the big tunnel June 25th.

Alfie eating raspberries in the big tunnel.

Although Raspberries grow perfectly well outdoors, these summer raspberries (that came into the tunnel by themselves through their underground runners) will fruit at least 3 weeks earlier than outdoors, a real treat in June. Being inside they are also protected from birds and heavy rain.

Big tunnel June 22nd.

These fabulously scented lilies, Lillium 'Regale', have thrived growing in a dry spot under the nectarine tree in the big tunnel, even their self-seedlings have grown up and flowered.

Acca Feijoa, pinnaple gauva, growing with raspberry. I have read that the high temperatures in the tunnel may prevent it fruiting. I am trying to propagate it so I can try growing it outside as it's too big to move, However, the low winter temperatures outside may also prevent it fruiting! Lovely (and edible) flowers anyway!

Big tunnel June 22nd.

French beans and thyme in the big tunnel, June 22nd.

French beans for the freezer, July 22nd.

Another seasonal activity that Tivon and Alfie love.... Shelling french beans, November 12th.

Salvia Leucantha with a few tomatoes in the background, October14th.

Every year we use with the deep bedding from the barn to make a compost heap outside the big tunnel. Young pumpkin and squash plants, that are started under cover, are planted straight into the fresh compost pile. May 24th.
This compost heap will be emptied into the big tunnel in the winter to feed the tomatoes next summer.

Alfie is sprinkling ash from the wood fire around the plants to deter slugs. This works really well as long as the weather stays dry and it only takes the plants a few days to establish and become strong enough that they are less attractive to slugs.
Despite all their bad press I find that slugs mostly have a preference for stressed plants or decaying matter, they are great tidier-uppers and a local source of food for birds and frogs.