The well named Carpet...

For mid-May, the total of fifteen moths last night was very poor, but this did include two new species for the garden.  In slightly showery conditions, the best moth was sadly dead in a nearby spiders web, but it was the very aptly named Water Carpet.  The other was two Narrow-winged Pug (its possible I've overlooked these before).

18th May:
2 Narrow-winged Pug NFG
2 Nut-tree Tussock NFY
2 Yellow-barred Brindle NFY
2 Shuttle-shaped Dart NFY
1 Flame Shoulder NFY
1 Brindled Pug
1 Peppered Moth
1 Mottled Pug NFY
1 Water Carpet NFG
1 Buff-tip NFY
1 Green Carpet NFY




Mottled Pug (not the best shot, but this was a pristine example)

Nut-tree Tussock

Buff-tip

Narrow-winged Pug

Water Carpet

Like a Phoenix from the fire

It seems the warm weather is finally here, and with a little cloud cover about, I set the trap last night. Numbers were surprisingly down on the last couple of nights, but the quality was pretty good. Best was my first confirmed Phoenix for the garden, although it got away before I got a photo! A few others new for the year in addition, included a fantastic Buff-tip.



1st June:
17 Heart and Dart
4 Dark Arches
3 Minor sp.
2 Treble Brown Spot NFY
1 Buff-tip NFY
1 Treble Lines
1 Mottled Pug NFY
1 Small Seraphim NFY
1 Bird's Wing
1 Broken-barred Carpet NFY
1 Phoenix NFY
1 Ingrailed Clay
1 Vine's Rustic
1 Grey Pug NFY

Treble Brown Spot

Small Seraphim

probable Grey Pug

Bird's Wing

Broken-barred Carpet

Buff-tip

The Best Numbers Seem to Have Worn Out...

Numbers are going down, and down, which is not what should happen at this time of year! Luckily, quality is staying high, and I got several new for years last night including a Cabbage moth, and a Brown Rustic, but unfortunately, except the Cabbage, most the best moths were worn. Also, yet another probable Middle-barred Minor appeared.

11th June:
10 Heart and Dart
3 Ingrailed Clay
2 Brown Silver-line
2 Shears
2 May Highflyer
1 Green Carpet
1 Brimstone
1 Middle-barred Minor
1 Marbled White Spot NFY
1 Freyer's Pug
1 Cabbage moth NFY
1 Common Marbled Carpet
1 Brown Rustic NFY
1 Buff-tip
1 Minor sp.
1 Small Seraphim
1 pug yet to ID

Its amazing what you notice when you get into mothing. Before, I would in no way have detected this little jumble of twigs on my recycling box. Now, thanks to recent reports by Ken and others, I managed to distinguish it as the larval case of the micro Psyche casta.

Psyche casta



Green Carpet (or should that be white carpet!)

Marbled White Spot


probable Middle-barred Minor

Brown Rustic (it looked more convincing in the flesh, honest!)

Cabbage moth

Thunder!!

Last night was a bit mad – my biggest catch of the year by a distance. No doubt thanks to the thundery conditions. I woke at 4.20 a.m. and it took me till about 10 a.m. to sort out my catch (with a pause for breakfast!). 48+ species.
I’ve still got a load of micros to sort out but this is my provisional list:

Large yellow underwing
Brown silver-lines x2 nfy
Willow beauty nfy
Straw dot x5 nfy
Orange footman x2
White ermine z9
Pale tussock x5
Green carpet x2
Heart & dart x2
Treble lines x4 nfy
Flame-shoulder x2
Celypha lacunana x6

Poplar hawk
Shoulder-striped wainscot
Agapate hamana x 4 nfy

Middle-barred minor x2 nfy
Flame nfy
Flame carpet x3
Bee moth nfy
May highflyer x3
Common marbled carpet x3
Clouded silver x 5
Buff-tip nfy

Alder kitten nfy

Sharp-angled carpet
Scorched wing x2 nfy

Epiphyas postvittana nfy
Broken-barred carpet 3
Blood-vein
Pale oak beauty x2 nfy

Snout nfy
Common swift x2 nfy


Oligia sp. nfy
Common wave 2
Peppered moth nfy
Green silver-lines nfy
Common rustic agg nfy
Psyche casta nfy

Light emerald x2 nfy
Brimstone x2
Dark sword-grass
Poplar lute-string nfy
Engrailed nfy
Ingrailed clay nfy
Small seraphim New species for me!

Small phoenix nfy
Maiden’s blush nfy.
Ingrailed clay nfy
Freyer’s pug nfy

Small seraphim nfy

Two Pugtastic nights

Despite the last two nights being completely clear, I have trapped, and I've been amazed at the variety I am getting, but I suppose the warm air is the key factor.

I have been getting a particuarly high numbers of pugs, which are of course as tricky as ever, but I think I'm getting to grips with them slowly.

Aggregate catch list for 23 and 24May (NFG new for garden):

7 Mottled Pug
5 Treble Lines NFG
3 Hebrew Character
3 Common Pug NFG
3 Shuttle-shaped Dart
3 Maiden's Blush
2 Garden Carpet
2 Buff-tip
2 Orange Footman NFG
2 Red Twin-spot Carpet
2 Spruce Carpet NFG
1 White Ermine NFG
1 Pale Tussock NFG
1 White-spotted Pug
1 Engrailed
1 Brindled Pug
1 Small Phoenix
1 Nut-tree Tussock
1 Clouded Drab
1 Pebble Prominent
1 Spectacle
1 Small Fan-foot
1 Foxglove Pug NFG
1 Pale Prominent
1 Great Prominent
1 Green Carpet
1 Waved Umber NFG
1 Iron Prominent
1 Muslin Moth NFG
1 Heart and Dart
1 Peppered Moth
1 Freyer's Pug NFG
1 Pebble Hook-tip
1 Brown Silver-line NFG
1 Oak-tree Pug NFG

Buff-tip

White-spotted Pug
White Ermine

Waved Umber

Treble Lines

Small Fan-foot

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Peppered Moth

Pebble Hook-tip

Pale Tussock

Pale Prominent

Orange Footman

Muslin Moth

Garden Carpet

Freyer's Pug

Foxglove Pug

Common Pug

Brown Silver-lines