The Clay on Chalk

The mothing is just relentless at the moment, and I don't really care that the tiredness is catching up with me!  Its worth it.  Last night the destination was the fantastic chalk site of Norbury Park for an event with David Gardner.  The warmest day of the year proceeded it, so we knew we'd get good numbers in our two traps, but quality was yet again better than expected.  One of the first moths to appear was a lifer, a lovely fresh Square-spotted Clay.  The quality macros didn't end there, with things like Mocha, and only my second Cypress Pug.  The quality amongst the micros was never-ending, with things like the stunning Parectopa ononidis, Eucalybites auroguttella, Batrachedra praeangusta, the tiny Hemp-agrimony Plume (aptly named microdactyla), and best of all, the migrant Cydia amplana.

18th August, Norbury Park:
Macros:
8 Dingy Footman
6 Orange Swift
5 Brimstone
10 Pretty Chalk Carpet
8 Green Carpet
3 Lesser-spotted Pinion
1 Square-spotted Clay
15 Barred Hook-tip
3 LBBYU
1 Nut-tree Tussock
12 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Small Rivulet
4 Flame Shoulder
4 Flounced Rustic
4 Iron Prominent
50 Buff Footman
3 Small Fan-footed Wave
4 Ruby Tiger
5 Copper Underwing
5 Common Carpet
6 Coronet
5 Dunbar
1 Snout
5 Straw Dot
2 Lesser Swallow Prominent
2 Riband Wave
2 Orange Footman
2 Yellow-barred Brindle
5 Black Arches
1 Small Phoenix
3 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
5 Square-spot Rustic
2 Rosy Footman
1 Mocha
3 Willow Beauty
1 Common Wave
1 Silver Y
1 Small Waved Umber
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 Satin Beauty
1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 Peach Blossom
3 Dark Arches
1 Cypress Pug
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Pebble Hook-tip
5 Straw Underwing
4 Cloaked Minor
1 Small Square-spot
2 White Point
1 Lime-speck Pug
1 Red Twin-spot Carpet
1 Ear Moth
1 Dagger sp.

Micros (* = lifer):
15 Agriphila tristella
1 Red-barred Tortrix
25 Blastobasis adustella
1 Brown House-moth
3 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
4 Mother of Pearl
1 Bramle Shoot Moth
3 Eudonia mercurella
1 Small China-mark
2 Trachycera advenella
2 Pyrausta aurata
4 Phycita roborella
1 Parectopa ononidis*
3 Cydia splendana
1 Aryresthia goedartella
3 Euzophera pinguis
2 Epinotia nisella
5 Carcina quercana
1 Eucalybites auroguttella*
1 Bactra lancealana
2 Monopsis weaverella
2 Holly Tortrix
2 Gold Triangle
1 Hemp-agrimony Plume*
2 Ash Bud Moth
4 Agapeta hamana
2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
5 Agriphila straminella
2 Diamond-back Moth
1 Caloptilia alchimiella
1 Caloptilia rufipennella*
2 Batia unitella
1 Skin Moth
1 Light Brown Apple Moth
2 Scrobipalpa costella
2 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner
1 Rush Veneer
1 Phlyctaenia coronata
1 Cydia amplana*
1 Cryptoblades bistriga*
1 Batrachedra praeangusta*
3 Celypha lacunana
1 Endothenia marginana
2 Cochylis atricapitana
1 Caloptilia semifascia*

Total: 100

Square-spotted Clay

Lesser-spotted Pinion

Cypress Pug

Mocha

Hemp-agrimony Plume

Cydia amplana

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...

I'm Back!

Apologise for the lack of posting, I came back from holiday about a week ago but have been catching up on things since, and as a result have only managed two trapping sessions this August, on the 15th and 16th.

Year ticks have been relatively slow and steady, with 6 all together over the two day period, bring my garden year list up to 170.

Highlights over the two trapping sessions have included...

Cypress Pug- Year tick, and the 2nd garden record...

Tree-lichen Beauty- My 4th garden record this year was caught on the 16th. This immigrant has, up until recently, been an extremely rare occurance in Britain, but this year seems a particularly good year for the species...

Vine's Rustic- 1st record for the garden caught on the 15th...

Gold Spot- Another 1st for the garden, caught on the 15th, and one of the more stunning moths to pass through the garden...

Cheers,

Bill D