Beauty is Golden

After two and a half weeks of no trapping in the garden, I was starting to get desperate, so I decided to take a gamble with last night, despite the rainy forecast.  It was wet, very, and that was reflected in the appaling numbers, but luckily, quality was high, with another two garden ticks.  These were a Four-dotted Footman, and a pristine Beautiful Golden Y, along with expected year ticks (plus only my second garden Purple Bar).

17th June:
5 Common Marbled Carpet
2 Heart and Dart
2 Buff Ermine NFY
1 Dark Arches NFY
1 Peppered Moth
1 Minor sp.
1 Four-dotted Footman NFG
1 Vine's Rustic
1 Lesser Swallow Prominent
1 Figure of 80
1 Purple Bar NFY
1 Beautiful Golden Y NFG
1 Garden Carpet
1 Large Yellow Underwing NFY
1 Small Angle Shades NFY

The only identifiable micros were a Small Magpie and a Diamond-back Moth.

Beautiful Golden Y



Four-dotted Footman

Purple Bar

Large Yellow Underwing

Dark Arches

Small Angle Shades

Heart and Dart

Buff Ermines

A Sprucey bonus

Last night looked quite promising, as a day of temps reaching 23, ended with a little cloud. In the event, the garden trapping was a little disappointing, particularly with overall numbers. At least I got more than the last two nights. Only a few new for the year to shout about, but these included some nice species, including only my third Spruce Carpet.

July 11th:

12 Uncertain

4 Riband Wave

4 Double Square-spot

4 Dark Arches

3 Heart and Dart

3 Rustic

2 Mottled Beauty

2 Buff Ermine

1 Barred Red NFY

1 Scarce Footman NFY

1 Green Pug

1 Light Arches

1 Tawny-barred Angle

1 Ear Moth NFY

1 Beautiful Hook-tip

1 Dunbar

1 Heart and Club

1 Coronet NFY

1 Silver Y NFY

1 Dot Moth

1 Turnip

1 Marbled White Spot

1 Spruce Carpet NFY

and some nice micros.

Common White Plume

Pyrausta aurata

Coronet

Ear Moth

Scarce Footman

Spruce Carpet

Buff Ermine variation

A Lunar-tics O-pinion

Conditions last night were not ideal, as it had not been a particularly warm day, and cloud cover was at a minimum. Some nice moths were caught in the garden however, including a few new for the year. Best was my second record of Lunar-spotted Pinion. Interestingly, my first record was on the very first night I ever trapped in the garden, two years ago to the day!

July 1st:
7 Dark Arches
6 Riband Wave
6 Rustic
4 Heart and Dart
4 Uncertain
3 Willow Beauty
3 Light Arches
3 Turnip
2 Mottled Beauty
2 Flame
2 Heart and Club
2 Dot Moth
1 Double-striped Pug
1 Lunar-spotted Pinion NFY
1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing NFY
1 Beautiful Hook-tip
1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Mottled Rustic
1 Bird's Wing
1 Shears
1 Snout NFY
1 Minor sp.
1 Buff Ermine NFY
1 Garden Carpet
1 Bright-line Brown-eye NFY
1 Small Seraphim

Bright-line Brown-eye

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Rustic (right this time?)

Buff Ermine

Lunar-spotted Pinion

lots of new moths for year - 22nd June

I had about 20 new species for the year. The warm night obviously helped, and the lack of wind. Even so there was a fullish moon and no cloud cover, so I was pleased to get a good selection. No hawkmoths was a bit disappointing but you cannot have everything!
New for year included:
Eurrhypara hortulata (small magpie)
buff ermine

blotched emerald

Cypress carpet
lackey

middle-barred minor
Udea olivalis

cinnabar

spectacle
peach blossom
Myelois circumvoluta (thistle ermine)

Lozotaenia forsterana
Archips podana
Epiblema uddmanniana (Bramble shoot moth)
mottled rustic
small square-spot
common carpet
silver-ground carpet
dusky brocade.

A rather Buff catch

A reasonably good catch last night, although it would be nice if the warm airflow returns. 42 moths of 25 species included a Buff Ermine which is new for the garden, and a Sycamore which is only my second, also a very smart fresh Coronet. Nice to get some more Hawk moths too.

8th June:

12 Heart and Dart
3 May Highflyer
2 Broken-barred Carpet
2 Garden Carpet
2 Common Marbled Carpet
2 Common Pug
1 Lime Hawk-moth
1 Poplar Hawk-moth
1 Coronet
1 Sycamore NFY
1 Scorched Wing
1 Buff-tip
1 Grey Pine Carpet
1 Spruce Carpet
1 Red Twin-spot Carpet
1 Heart and Club
1 Mottled Pug
1 Light Brocade
1 Scalloped Hazel
1 Ingrailed Clay
1 Green Carpet
1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 Peppered Moth
1 Buff Ermine NFG
1 White-spotted Pug

Coronet

Sycamore

Buff Ermine