A Few Recent Micros

Trapped for the first time in a long time last night, and got an amazing 3 moths of 3 species. Those being Square-spot Rustic, Flounced Rustic and Vine's Rustic.

There haven't been many pictures of micros on the blog yet, so here are two which I caught back at the start of the month in the garden.

Cydia splendana...

Apotomis betuletana...

And a Cypress Pug, caught on 4th. Relatively common at this time of year in the garden...

"Foreign" leps

I've not had much time/energy for mothing the last couple of weeks, with little worth reporting. I just had a look down the garden (checking out buddleia and sedums and house-lights). Grand total of 5 square-spot rustics and 5 Emmelina monodactyla.

Before that I had a week in the Lake District. I know this site is about Surrey moths and butterflies but I thought I'd put up a couple of photos from there (below). The Devon carpet turned out to be a first record for VC70 (North Cumbria).

sallow

Devon carpet

dark green fritillary (rather worn!)

anomalous

barred chestnut

A Mouse in Shades

On the 5th of September, conditions were a little iffy. As a result nothing of note was caught. However, the next evening was quite successful with decent variety for the date, which included two new for the year.
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Aggregate for 5th and 6th Sept:
32 Large Yellow Underwing
9 Lesser Yellow Underwing
8 Square-spot Rustic
7 LBBYU
7 Copper Underwing
4 Vine's Rustic
3 Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 Svensson's Copper Underwing
2 Setaceous Hebrew Character
2 Mouse Moth NFY
2 Angle Shades NFY
2 Green Carpet
1 Snout
1 Double-striped Pug
1 Flounced Rustic
1 Marbled Beauty
1 Light Emerald
1 Garden Carpet
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Angle Shades

Mouse Moth

A Small mercy

After an age of very poor weather, I was able to trap on the 3rd Sept. Considering the date, numbers were not too bad. Amazingly, a Small Square-spot (I think) was a first for the garden.
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26 Large Yellow Underwing
6 LBBYU
4 Square-spot Rustic
3 Copper Underwing
2 Vine's Rustic
2 Green Carpet
2 Lesser Yellow Underwing
2 Lesser Swallow Prominent
1 Oak Hook-tip
1 Svennson's Copper Underwing
1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 Common Rustic
1 Small Square-spot NFG
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Small Square-spot

Norbury the Centre of moth activity

On the 28th August, I went to Norbury Park near Dorking to spend an evening on the meadows there. Although conditions were again fairly cold, we got a decent haul, that included a new species. In the end we got at least 12 Centre-barred Sallows. We also managed a couple of Hedge Rustics, which are apparently now a BAP species (forgotten what that stands for, but it means the species is in deep decline).

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Norbury Meadows, 28th August:

Six-striped Rustic

Square-spot Rustic

Green Carpet

Straw Underwing

Straw Dot

Yellow Shell

Feathered Gothic

Brimstone

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Flame Shoulder

Light Emerald

Setaceous Hebrew Character

Large Yellow Underwing

Hedge Rustic

Flounced Rustic

Centre-barred Sallow*

Purple Bar

Common Wainscot

Lesser Treble-bar

Vine's Rustic

Barred Rivulet

Currant Pug

Turnip

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Willow Beauty

Small Phoenix

Pebble Hook-tip

Canary-shouldered Thorn

Orange Swift

Pretty Chalk Carpet

Copper Underwing

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Lesser Treble-bar
Hedge Rustic
Centre-barred Sallow

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I am now all up to date, but I am still without the internet at home, so I may well have to catch up again in the future (although with the weather as it is at the moment, it may not be that bad (I have not trapped in the garden since the 21st because of that).

Lutes of Oaks at Farley

An evening at Farley Heath near Albury on the 27th August was a little clear to be ideal, but I still saw a new species. We had visits from many Oak Lutestrings by the end of the night, and the Feathered Gothics were only my second ever.
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Farley Heath, 27th August:
Small Fan-footed Wave
Square-spot Rustic
Oak Lutestring*
Large Yellow Underwing
Riband Wave
Brimstone
Tawny-barred Angle
Scalloped Hook-tip
Green Carpet
Black Arches
Peacock
Feathered Gothic
Common Wave
Setaceous Hebrew Character
LBBYU
Turnip
Six-striped Rustic
Grey Pine Carpet
Coxcomb Prominent
Pine Carpet
Spruce Carpet
Copper Underwing
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Feathered Gothic

Oak Lutestring

The first Square-spot

Back on 21st August, the weather was very good, but numbers did not match expectations. The only vaguely unusual thing was the first Square-spot Rustic of the year.
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21st August:
18 LBBYU
11 Large Yellow Underwing
9 Copper Underwing
7 Vine's Rustic
4 Common Rustic sp.
3 Svennson's Copper Underwing
3 Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 Dunbar
2 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 Willow Beauty
1 Common Carpet
1 Riband Wave
1 Turnip
1 Square-spot Rustic NFY
1 Six-striped Rustic
1 Lesser Yellow Underwing
1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
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I did have a pic of the square-spot rustic, but I can't find it this minute. I'm sure there will be future oppurtunities!
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Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing